Hidden health: Five easy recipes to get more vitamin C into your diet

Vitamin C helps to maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage and it also plays a role in wound healing. Here are some dishes which feature vitamin C-rich foods 

Simple dishes to help you get that all-important vitamin C.

Buttermilk pancakes with orange, candied pecans, and bacon

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This is a heavenly brunch dish, and perfect for a weekend feast.

Servings

15

Preparation Time

 19 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 9 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• To make the pancakes:

• 350g plain flour

• 2 tsp caster sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

• 4 eggs

• 500ml buttermilk

• 1 orange

• Butter to cook the pancakes

• To serve:

• 3 oranges

• 300g crème fraiche

• 100g pecans

• 1 ½ tsp soft brown sugar

• Pinch of flaky sea salt

• Streaky bacon

• Maple Syrup

Method

1. Make the candied pecans before mixing your batter so they have enough time to cool. Heat a non-stick pan over a high heat. Toss in the pecans and dry toast them until they start to lightly brown, and you can smell that lovely roasted nutty fragrance. Toss the pan now and again to ensure they do not burn and are evenly toasted, this will only take two to three minutes.

2. Combine the sugar and sea salt together in a small bowl with 30ml of water. If you want to add a little more flavour, add a tiny splash of vanilla essence, just an eighth of a teaspoon will do, or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Drizzle this mixture over the toasted pecans, stirring all the while. Keep stirring for about 30 seconds until the pecans are coated in the sugar mixture and it has caramelised.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately spread the pecans over a silicone baking mat or some non-stick baking paper and allow them to cool. Try and spread them out well so at they do not clump, but do not worry if you cannot. You can always break them apart once they have cooled if necessary.

4. Time now to make your batter. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon if you are using it together in a large bowl. Separate the eggs. Zest and juice one orange. Lightly beat the yolks and add the buttermilk, orange zest and juice and mix well. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a spoon to make a smooth batter.

5. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. I use a handheld electric whisk for this, but you can use a hand mixer if you prefer. Add half of the whisked egg whites to the batter, and using a spatula, fold them in until they are incorporated. This is how you incorporate all the air in the egg whites into the batter and make it light and airy.

6. Use a flexible spatula with a wide base to add half of your whisked egg whites to the batter, just place it in on top of the batter. Do this in a big mixing bowl, you need a bit of room to do it properly. Get the spatula in under the batter and scoop some up, folding it in over the egg whites. Repeat this until the egg whites are well combined, using slow folding motions. Take your time and do not stir the batter or you will knock the air out of the egg whites. Once the first half of egg white is folded in, repeat once more with the remainder. This might sound like a bit of a faff, but it will only take a few minutes or so and doing it properly makes the world of difference.

7. Before you cook the pancakes, segment the oranges. Slice a little off the top and the bottom of each orange to give two flat edges so that the orange can stand on one end. Using a sharp knife, and starting at the top of the orange, slice downwards following the curve of the fruit to cut away the peel and pith. Now use the knife to gently slice between one of the segments and the connective membrane, cutting until you reach the middle of the fruit but not through the membrane. Repeat to remove all the segments.

8. Warm a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat, throw on a knob of butter, and let it melt until the butter foams. Turn the heat down to medium and spoon on some of the pancake batter. You want the pancakes to be about 8-10cm in diameter. Do not crowd the pan as you want enough room to be able to flip the pancakes comfortably. I have a large pan that I use, and I cook three pancakes at a time which is the perfect serving size per person.

9. As soon as you start to see the surface of the pancake bubble, flip them over in the pan. The underneath should be toasted and golden. Cook the other side for about three minutes. Flip the pancakes again to check they are cooked to perfection, before popping them onto a warm plate and moving on to the next batch. While you are cooking the pancakes, grill plenty of streaky bacon until it is crisp and golden. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup to the crème fraiche to sweeten it a little and whisk to combine it in.

10. When the pancakes are ready, serve a stack of three per person, with a dollop of crème fraiche, and some orange segments on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and scatter some candied pecans over the top. Serve with the crispy bacon on the side.

 

Cauliflower rice stuffed peppers

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This recipe is perfect for a quiet evening by yourself.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 red and 1 yellow pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 packets of cauliflower rice

• 100g lentils or couscous, pre cooked

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• Red chilli

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• Coriander, 3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh

• 50g goats cheese cut into chunks

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

2. Meanwhile, cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and discard the seeds. Place, open-side up, on a baking tray (cut a sliver from the base if necessary to help them sit flat). Bake for 15 minutes.

3. Add oil to a frying pan and sauté the onion over a medium heat, stirring regularly, for 4-5 minutes.

4. Add the chilli, garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the cauliflower rice and lentils and cook for 3 minutes.

5. Add the coriander and season with a little salt and pepper. Mix together.

6. Fill the peppers with the mixture. Dot with the cheese and return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the peppers are softened and the filling is piping hot.

 

Red pepper and tomato salad

Inspired by Moroccan cooked salads, this one is a favourite for its glorious colour and marvellous flavours. The addition of boiled lemon, with its unique sharp taste, is my little 'fantasia'. For this, boil an unwaxed lemon for 30 minutes until it is ver

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 3 large fleshy red peppers

• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil

• 300g (10oz) cherry or baby plum tomatoes, such as Santini

• ½ - 1 fresh chilli, seeded and chopped, or a good pinch of ground chilli (optional)

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• 1 small boiled lemon (see introduction) or ½ large one (optional)

• 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• a few sprigs of coriander, leaves chopped

• salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the peppers in half through the stalks, remove the stalks, seeds and membranes and arrange them, cut-side down, on the parchment paper.

2. Roast in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until they are soft and their skins are blistered. Put them in an empty pan with a tight-fitting lid or in a bowl with a plate on top and leave them to steam for 10 minutes, which will loosen the skins.

3. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and cut each half into four ribbons. While the peppers are roasting, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the tomatoes and chilli, if using. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan and turning the tomatoes over with a spatula until they are soft. Push them to the side of the pan, add the garlic to an empty bit of the pan and cook, stirring, until the aroma rises and the garlic just begins to colour.

4. Add the sugar and some salt and stir well. Add the peppers to the tomatoes. If using the lemon, cut into small pieces and add it to the pan, juice and all, but remove the pips. Stir gently over a low heat for a minute or so. Leave to cool. Serve at room temperature, drizzled with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of coriander.
   
   Variations
   Garnish with 10 black olives and 10 anchovy fillets in oil
   For Neapolitan peperoni e pomodorini in agrodolce, dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in 100ml white wine vinegar; pour this over the peppers and tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. Omit the sugar, boiled lemon and coriander.
   
   Taken from Med, A Cookbook by Claudia Roden published by Ebury Press

 

Apple and strawberry oat squares

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Ideal for lunchboxes and with a cup of tea, use whatever seasonal fruit you have in the house for these oaty squares.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• For the base:

• 100g brown flour

• 30g ground almonds

• 30g golden caster sugar

• 100g cold butter, cubed

• for the centre:

• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and finely diced

• 170g strawberries

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 20mls water

• 1 tbs fresh orange juice

• For the top:

• 50g cold butter, cubed

• 40g brown flour

• 20g golden caster sugar

• 60g porridge oats

• 20g chopped nuts

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line an 8-inch square tin with parchment.

2. To make the bottom layer: Add the flour, ground almonds and caster sugar to a bowl and rub in the cubes of butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Press this down into the prepared tin and place into the fridge while you prepare the next layer.

3. To make the centre layer, place all of the ingredients into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to a simmer. Leave it gently bubble on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Set it aside to cool.

4. Bake the base for 20 minutes until golden and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

5. To make the topping: rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it looks like rough breadcrumbs then stir in the other ingredients.

6. Spread the fruit over the base and sprinkle on the topping. Bake for about 30 minutes until baked through. Once cool enough to handle cut it into 12 squares. You can decorate with some fresh strawberries before serving.

 

Chicken and broccoli gratin

recipe by:Darina Allen

Bright green and tender broccoli combines with succulent chicken in this hearty dish - easy to make and delicious for a family meal

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1.5kg chicken

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 2 onions, sliced

• sprig each of thyme and tarragon

• a few peppercorns

• 300ml homemade chicken stock

• 450g broccoli florets

• 110g mushrooms, sliced

• knob of butter

• 175ml milk

• 150ml cream

• 2 tsp tarragon or annual marjoram

• roux

• 25g buttered crumbs

• 25-50g mature cheddar cheese, grated

• Equipment:

• lasagne dish (25.5 x 20.5cm) 10 x 8 inch

Method

1. Put the chicken into a saucepan or casserole with the onions and carrots, add a sprig of thyme, tarragon and a few peppercorns. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1¼ hours or until the chicken is tender.

2. Meanwhile cook the broccoli florets in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and refresh under cold water, keep aside. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter on a hot pan season with salt and freshly ground pepper and keep aside also.

3. When the chicken is cooked remove the meat from one side and carve into bite-sized pieces. Keep the rest for another recipe or double the rest of the ingredients. Strain and degrease the cooking liquid. Add the cream and milk, bring to the boil.

4. Add the tarragon or annual marjoram, simmer for a few minutes, thicken to a light coating consistency with roux, then add the chicken to the sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Butter an ovenproof lasagne dish, put a layer of broccoli on the base, scatter the mushrooms on top and cover with the creamy chicken mixture.

5. Mix the buttered crumbs with the grated cheese and sprinkle over the surface. Reheat at 180°C for 15-20 minutes and flash under the grill until the top is crunchy and golden. Serve immediately.