Midweek meals: Five comfort food favourites for the family to cook in an hour or less

Some nourishing favourites to warm bellies this week

Comforting classics to make for dinner this week

Smoky Chicken & Chorizo

A comforting one-pot wonder for winter nights

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

• 100g dry-cured chorizo, diced

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 bay leaf

• 1½ tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)

• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp chopped fresh thyme

• ¼ to ½ tsp chilli flakes, depending on how spicy you like your food

• a pinch of saffron

• 200ml white wine

• 1 x 700g jar of tomato passata

• 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 80g black Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Trim off any excess skin from the chicken thighs and put a wide, shallow, heavy-based casserole dish over a medium-high heat without any oil. When the pan is nice and hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken thighs, skin side down, to render out the fat.

2. Cook for 5 minutes without moving them around, then flip them over and cook for 5 minutes on the other side too, until nicely browned. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

3. Add the chorizo and cook for 5 minutes, until it has released its oil into the pan and crisped up a bit. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to the plate with the chicken. Pour off all the oil that has been released from the chicken and chorizo, as there will be a lot of fat in the pan now, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons back in.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

5. Add the onion, carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, bay leaf, smoked paprika, oregano, rosemary, cumin, thyme, chilli flakes and saffron and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more, just until fragrant.

6. Pour in the wine and let it bubble up for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring to deglaze the pan, then stir in the passata and add the browned chicken thighs and chorizo back in. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the casserole dish and transfer to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.

7. Near the end of the cooking time, stir in the cannellini beans and olives to warm them through.

8. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then scatter over the chopped parsley. Serve straight to the table.

 

Spaghetti with beans and tomatoes

recipe by:Darina Allen

For a quick, creamy dinner with bursts of garlic and basil flavour, try combining French beans, tomatoes and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 1kg tomatoes (plum or small beefsteak)

• 300g French beans, topped and tailed

• salt

• 150ml double cream

• 1 garlic clove, whole and peeled

• handful of basil leaves

• 400g spaghetti

• 50g grated Parmesan

Method

1. Skin the tomatoes, deseed with a teaspoon and chop them coarsely.

2. Cook the beans in plenty of salted boiling water for three minutes until they are just tender. Cool them quickly in a bowl of cold water and drain.

3. Bring the cream to the boil and add the garlic.

4. Take the pan off the heat and leave the cream to steep for  five minutes before removing the garlic.  Then add the beans, tomatoes and torn-up basil, and toss just for a minute to warm the veg through.

5. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.

6. Drain and mix with the tomatoes and beans. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

 

Rather special chicken and herb casserole

recipe by:Mary Berry

An all-in-one dish to cook and serve. Sage was often used as a dried herb in recipes but now it is readily available fresh and is simple to grow. It comes with either green or purple leaves – they both taste the same.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 250g (9oz) dry cured bacon, snipped into small pieces

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 8 skinless chicken thighs, bone in

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

• 30g plain flour

• 150ml hot chicken stock

• 150ml dry white wine

• 2 large sprigs of thyme

• Small bunch of sage, 6 leaves removed for garnish

• 2 bay leaves

• 200g (7oz) small chestnut mushrooms, quartered

• 100g (4oz) full-fat creme fraiche

• A knob of butter

• Small bunch of parsley, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3.

2. Place the bacon in a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes to render out the fat. Add the onions and continue to fry until the bacon is brown at the edges. Transfer the bacon and onions to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Lightly season the chicken. Place the oil in the unwashed dish, add the chicken and brown over a high heat, turning once. Transfer to the plate with the bacon and onions.

4. Scatter the flour into the dish (adding a little more oil, if needed) and stir to combine. Gradually incorporate the hot stock, whisking, and allow to thicken. Pour in the wine and return the bacon, onions and chicken to the pan. Stir well, add the thyme sprigs, sage sprigs and bay leaves. The sauce will be quite thick at this stage. Bring to the boil, season well with salt and black pepper and cover. Transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the dish from the oven and add the mushrooms and creme fraiche. Stir well and return to the oven for a further 15–20 minutes, until the chicken is tender.

6. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the whole sage leaves and fry until crisp.

7. Remove the bay leaves, thyme and sage sprigs from the casserole and discard (some leaves will have fallen off to flavour the casserole). Stir in the parsley and serve with the crisp sage leaves on top.
   
   Mary’s tips
   Can be made up to a day ahead. Add the crème fraîche and mushrooms when reheating.
   Freezes well.
   
   From Love to Cook by Mary Berry published by BBC Books

 

Fish pot pie

recipe by:Neven Maguire

For this weeknight staple, choose any selection of fish that you like for a wholesome, comforting dish

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 42 mins

Total Time

 57 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped 

• 2 small leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced 

• 4 tbsp dry white wine 

• 400ml cream 

• 675g mixed skinned and boned fish fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces (such as trout or salmon, hake and smoked cod or haddock) 

•  225g raw peeled tiger prawns, thawed if frozen 

• 100g frozen peas 

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• pinch of cayenne pepper 

• 1 × 320g ready-rolled puff pastry sheet, thawed 

• 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

• To serve:

• lightly dressed rocket

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Heat the oil in a 25cm ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened but not coloured. pour in the wine and allow to bubble right down, then stir in the cream and cook for another 8-10 minutes, until well reduced and thickened.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the fish, prawns, peas and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the cayenne pepper. Stir gently to combine.

4. Unroll the pastry and use to cover the fish filling, trimming and cutting down as necessary, then pinch the edges to create a rim. Brush with the beaten egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until well-risen and golden brown.

5. Serve straight to the table with a separate bowl of rocket.

 

Chicken parmigiana

recipe by:Ciara McDonnell

How to make chicken parmigiana worthy of The Sopranos

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, sliced through the middle and flattened

• 150g panko breadcrumbs

• 100g Parmesan, finely grated

• 3 eggs beaten

• 200g flour

• 100ml olive oil

• For the sauce: 

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 600ml passata

• 1 onion

• 1 tsp butter

• Salt, pepper, sugar, to taste

• For the parmiagana:

• 2 balls of mozzarella, sliced

• Basil or parsley, chopped (optional)

•  

•  

Method

1. First, make the sauce.

2. Add the olive oil and garlic to a cold saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and as soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, pour in the passata.

3. Cut your onion in half and add to the sauce along with the butter. Cover, turn to low and simmer for twenty minutes.

4. Taste, check for seasoning and add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Remove the onion.

5. While your sauce is cooking, set up a breading station by pouring your breadcrumbs and cheese onto a plate, your flour onto another plate and your beaten eggs onto a third plate. 

6. Dip your chicken first in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Place onto a wire rack and place into the fridge for ten minutes. 

7. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and heat to medium. Fry the chicken for seven to eight minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and cooked through. Leave to rest on the wire rack.

8. Preheat your grill

9. In an oven-proof dish place the chicken in a single layer. Spoon over the tomato sauce and top with the cheese. Grill for around eight minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.