2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra, if liked
500ml (18fl oz) boiling water
75g (3oz) rice flour
1 tbsp sumac, plus extra to garnish
150g (5oz) organic salmon fillets, pin-boned and skinned
75g (3oz) toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds finely grated rind of 1 lemon
2 large handfuls of watercress
1 small pomegranate, halved and seeds removed (skin discarded)
lemon wedges, to garnish
HARISSA YOGHURT:
2 heaped tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
2 tsp harissa paste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Neven Says: “This is a super-healthy dish packed full of omega-3. Sumac is made from the dried berries of a flowering plant that are ground to produce an acidic, reddish- purple powder that is very popular in the Middle East.
Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl and season well, then stir in 1 teaspoon of the oil. Pour over the boiling water, cover tightly with cling film and set aside.
Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Put the rice flour in a shallow dish with the sumac and season generously with salt and pepper. Dust the salmon in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Add to the heated oil in the frying pan and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden.
Meanwhile, fluff up the couscous with a fork, then fold in the pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds with the lemon rind. At the last moment, roughly chop the watercress and toss it through the couscous with the pomegranate seeds.
Mix the yoghurt and harissa together in a small bowl and season to taste. Cover with cling film and chill until needed.
Arrange the crispy salmon on plates and add an extra light sprinkling of sumac. Add a small mound of the couscous, then drizzle over a little extra olive oil, if liked. Garnish with lemon wedges and add a spoonful of the harissa yoghurt to serve.
Casseroles are simply the easiest meals to prepare. First you do all your peeling, slicing and sautéing, then you pop everything into a large pot with a lid and leave it in the oven or on the hob for a couple of hours. In the meantime, you can go for a walk, watch a movie or mow the lawn, then later on, you can settle down to a hearty, warming feast.
SERVES 6–8
50g (2oz) butter
900g (2lb) venison haunch, cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g (2oz) plain flour
2 tbsp paprika
300ml (½ pint) red wine
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
about 1.2 litres (2 pints) beef or chicken stock
450g (1lb) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 x 400g (14oz) tin of butter beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).
2 Heat the butter in a large, flameproof casserole with a lid over a medium heat. Season the venison and add to the dish. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the flour and paprika and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring to combine. Pour in the wine and allow it to bubble down, stirring constantly. Mix in the redcurrant jelly with enough stock to just cover the meat.
3 Bring the casserole to the boil, then season to taste. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 1 hour. After this time, remove from the oven to add the sweet potatoes and butter beans, then continue cooking in the oven for another hour, until the venison and sweet potatoes are tender.
4 Spoon into warmed bowls and garnish with the parsley to serve.
Stuffed beef rolls with red wine sauce
This recipe uses a good-value cut that isn’t as popular as it should be. It’s perfect comfort food for all the family on a chilly winter evening. It does take time, though, because it needs slow cooking to get as much flavour as possible and to become very tender so that when these stuffed beef rolls are finished cooking, you will be able to eat them with a spoon.
SERVES 4
4 x 100g (4oz) slices of lean topside of beef
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery sticks, diced
600ml (1 pint) beef stock
250ml (9fl oz) red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 fresh thyme sprigs, plus extra sprigs to garnish
1 bay leaf
creamy mashed potatoes, to serve (optional)
FOR THE STUFFING:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 parsnips, finely grated
pinch of mild curry powder
3 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).
2 First make the stuffing. Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add the grated parsnips and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 20 minutes, until the parsnips are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, then season to taste. Spread the stuffing in an even layer over the beef slices and roll them up to enclose, securing them with a cocktail stick.
3 To prepare the casserole, heat the oil in a casserole over a high heat and sear the beef parcels until brown all over. Remove to a plate and set aside. Next, sauté the onion, carrots and celery for a few minutes, until they are just catching colour. Add the beef stock, wine, tomato purée, thyme sprigs and bay leaf and bring slowly to the boil. Return the beef to the casserole, then cover and cook in the oven for 1–1½ hours, until the beef rolls are meltingly tender. Season to taste.
4 To serve, remove the cocktail sticks from the beef parcels and cut them into slices. Arrange on warmed plates and pour over the sauce. Garnish with the thyme and add a dollop of mashed potatoes to each one to serve if liked.
This Chicken Pot Pie recipe from our @ simplybetterds brand ambassador Neven Maguire is perfect for feeding the whole family. Find the full recipe below and shop the ingredients online and in store.
Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients (Serves 4) 3 Simply Better Irish Corn Fed Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into cubes 1 Pack Simply Better Dry Cured Unsmoked Irish Bacon Lardons 1 Tub Simply Better Irish Made Poultry Gravy 2 Tbsp Simply Better Italian Pesto alla Genovese with PDO Genovese Basil 1 Tbsp. Simply Better Cold Pressed Irish Rapeseed Oil 1 Block of Simply Better Ready to Roll All Butter Puff Pastry, thawed 250ml Simply Better Single Source Irish Jersey Cream 50g Butter 2 Carrots, diced 2 Celery Sticks, diced 1 Large Onion, diced 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed 100g Frozen Peas 1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves Egg Wash (1 Egg and 2 Tbsp Milk beaten together) Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). 2. Heat the rapeseed oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion, garlic, carrots, celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the bacon lardons to the pan along with the thyme leaves and mix well. 3. Add in the cubed chicken and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on all sides. 4. Pour in the poultry gravy, basil pesto and cream to the pan and stir well to combine then add the frozen peas. Transfer the chicken and vegetable mix to an ovenproof dish and allow to cool for about 25-30 minutes. 5. Roll out the pastry to fit the size of the dish. Place the pastry on top of the dish and brush with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and become golden brown.
You need to make these Christmas Cheesy Potato Stacks from @babyledfeeding 🤤 They are so good and also perfectly safe and soft enough for little babies doing baby led weaning.
Makes 24 Mini Potato Stacks Prep 15 mins Cook time 30 mins
1 kg baby potatoes 2 cloves garlic 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh cream Small handful grated gruyere cheese (plus an extra 3 tbsp) Small handful grated mozzarella 3-4 sprigs thyme leaves finely chopped Small bunch parsley leaves finely chopped 1 tsp onion powder
To serve Extra finely chopped herbs Black pepper to season
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Thinly slice the potatoes and set aside.
Add the remaining ingredients to a bowl, leaving aside 3 tbsp of the gruyere cheese. Stir well, then add in the sliced potatoes and stir until they are fully coated. You may have to use your hands to separate the slices.
Stack the potatoes into a mini muffin tin until they are packed to the top.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and, top with a little sprinkle of the extra cheese. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly as this keeps the potato slices together.
Serve with a extra herbs and a sprinkle of fresh pepper.
Instead of using pre-packaged barbecue sauce, which often contains high fructose corn syrup and tends to be very high in sodium, this recipe calls for more natural sources of sugar, including honey and molasses, and no added salt. With plenty of flavor in healthy ingredients, garlic is also good for your heart, while cayenne pepper and ginger provide anti-inflammatory protection.
#ad | Looking for the perfect chicken dinner? Try this Chicken Parmigiana recipe from our @simplybetterds brand ambassador @nevenmaguire find the full recipe below and shop the ingredients in your local @dunnesstores
Ingredients (Serves 4) 2 Simply Better Irish Corn Fed Chicken Fillets 2 Simply Better Irish Free Range Corn Fed Large eggs 2 Tbsp. Simply Better Organic Irish Jersey Milk 150g Simply Better Rustic Ciabatta Breadcrumbs 50g Simply Better Parmigiano Reggiano grated, plus extra to garnish 2 Tbsp. Simply Better Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tub Simply Better Italian Mozzarella, cut into 4 slices 1 Jar Simply Better Italian Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta Sauce 25g Butter 75g Plain Flour A small handful of fresh basil leaves
To serve: 300g Simply Better Italian Bronze Die Spaghetti, cooked Mixed Leaf Salad
DIRECTIONS 1. Place the chicken on a chopping board and cut each fillet in half lengthways. Spread them out and cover with parchment paper, then bash with a rolling pin until they are about 1cm thick.
2. Put the flour in a dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Put the eggs in a separate dish with the milk and season, then beat lightly with a fork. Put the breadcrumbs and Parmesan into a third dish, stirring to combine. Dust each chicken escalope in the seasoned flour, then dip into the beaten eggs and finally coat it in the breadcrumbs. Arrange on a plate.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).
4. Heat the oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the escalope’s for 2 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden. Pour half of the tomato sauce on a baking tray or into a baking dish, then add the chicken. Spoon a little of the sauce on each one and top with a piece of mozzarella and a spoon of pesto. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling.
5. Garnish the chicken with some fresh basil and serve straight to the table with a bowl of spaghetti and a bowl of salad so everyone can help themselves.
This way of cooking fish is perceived as being rather old fashioned, but if you have a really fresh fish, it can be fabulous and quite contemporary in its simplicity. Hake, cod, ling and mackerel are all delicious cooked in this way. The relish served here is classic, and when properly prepared, it will remind you why herbs, butter and lemon will always have a place at the table when fresh fish is being served.
Serves 4
4 x 120- 150g pieces of your fish of choice
2 tablespoons of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper optional
25 g butter at room temperature
salt and pepper
4 wedges of lemon
Herb Relish
50g butter
2 tablespoons of very finely chopped herbs such as parsley, chives, fennel and a few thyme leaves
black pepper
To cook the fish, place the grill pan on a medium heat and allow to become quite hot. You don’t want it smoking madly, but should see a light haze, almost like vapour, arising from the pan. Dry the fish fillets with paper towel and dip in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess. You can skip this flouring stage if you wish. With a knife, lightly butter the flesh side of the fish fillets. Place the fish, buttered sides down on the hot grill. The fish should sizzle immediately it hits the pan, if it doesn’t, the pan wasn’t hot enough and you need to crank up the heat immediately. If you have difficulty determining if the pan is hot enough, take one of the pieces of fish and holding it above the pan, just place a corner of the buttered side onto the grill. If it sizzles, it is fine to proceed, if it doesn’t then allow the pan to get hotter. Let the fish cook, still on a high heat until the fish is well coloured. There should be a bit of smoke coming from the pan, but not great clouds of it, so adjust the heat accordingly. Lift the fish at one corner to check if it is golden and getting crisp. When you are confident this stage has been reached, turn the heat down a little and with the help of a fish or egg slice, turn the fish over on to the skin side. Let it continue to cook until the skin is crispy and the fish is cooked through. You will know the fish is cooked when the flesh appears to be white and creamy in colour and no longer looks translucent.
While the fish is cooking, melt the butter for the relish. Allow the butter to cool a little before stirring in the chopped herbs.
Remove the cooked fish to hot serving plates, placing them with the golden flesh side up. Place a wedge of lemon on each plate and drizzle the herb relish over.
If you wish garnish with a spring of parsley and serve immediately.
Rachel Allen’s pan-fried fish with herb butter, asparagus, new potatoes.
Ingredients
Serves: 4-6
For the herb butter:
50g soft butter
1 tablespoon chopped herbs such as dill, fennel, chives, parsley
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
For the pan-fried fish:
4 fillets of flat fish, such as John Dory, plaice, sole, brill or turbot, or part of a round fish fillet, like salmon, cod, grey mullet, etc. (allow 175g for a main course and 75g for a starter)
Approximately 4 tablespoons flour
Extra virgin olive oil or soft butter
A pinch of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Dry the fish fillets on kitchen paper.
Season on both sides with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a cast iron or non-stick frying pan on a high heat until smoking. Add a dash of olive oil and put in the fish fillets.
OR you can dust the fillets with seasoned flour then spread some soft butter over one side.
Place buttered side in the pan first. Turn when golden on one side, then cook again until golden on the other side.
Place a couple of slices of herb butter over each fillet and serve immediately with asparagus and boiled new potatoes.
Neven Maguire’s mushroom & leek strudel with madeira wine sauce
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
For the strudel
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
225g mixed wild mushrooms roughly chopped
1 small leek, washed and finely sliced
2 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp Madeira Wine
2 tbsp chopped parsley
4-5 sheets filo pastry, thawed if frozen (about 100g/4oz in total)
1 egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
mixed salad leaves, to serve
For the madeira wine sauce
700ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato purée
3 tbsp Madeira Wine
3 tbsp cream
Method
For the strudel
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/ gas mark 5.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook over a medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes until almost tender.
Reduce the heat, add the cream and Madeira to the pan and cook for another minute.
Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
Sauté for another minute until the spring onions are just tender and the liquid has almost completely reduced.
Allow to cool completely.
Unroll the sheets of filo pastry and place them all, one on top of the other, on a work surface.
Brush the top sheet of pastry with beaten egg and then spread over the mushroom mixture to within 4cm (1½in) of the edges.
Fold the short ends inwards a little to meet the mushroom mixture and then, starting with a long edge, roll up the pastry fairly tightly like you would a Swiss roll, keeping the mushrooms in place as you roll.
Place the strudel seam-side down on the parchment paper and brush it all over with the remaining beaten egg.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before carefully placing on a chopping board.
Cut the strudel into thick slices and arrange on warmed plates. Drizzle some sauce beside it and serve with some mixed salad leaves.
For the madeira wine sauce
Heat a heavy based saucepan, add the Madeira Wine and reduce by half.
Gradually whisk in the beef stock until smooth, followed by the tomato purée.
Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
Whisk in the cream, bring to the boil, season to taste and thicken with some diluted cornflower.
You need to make these Christmas Cheesy Potato Stacks from @babyledfeeding 🤤 They are so good and also perfectly safe and soft enough for little babies doing baby led weaning.
Makes 24 Mini Potato Stacks Prep 15 mins Cook time 30 mins
1 kg baby potatoes 2 cloves garlic 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh cream Small handful grated gruyere cheese (plus an extra 3 tbsp) Small handful grated mozzarella 3-4 sprigs thyme leaves finely chopped Small bunch parsley leaves finely chopped 1 tsp onion powder
To serve Extra finely chopped herbs Black pepper to season
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Thinly slice the potatoes and set aside.
Add the remaining ingredients to a bowl, leaving aside 3 tbsp of the gruyere cheese. Stir well, then add in the sliced potatoes and stir until they are fully coated. You may have to use your hands to separate the slices.
Stack the potatoes into a mini muffin tin until they are packed to the top.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and, top with a little sprinkle of the extra cheese. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly as this keeps the potato slices together.
Serve with a extra herbs and a sprinkle of fresh pepper.
Foodaware 