Italian Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives

This variation on a classic Italian Christmas Eve dish is ideal to prepare ahead. The cracked olives, flavoured with garlic and chilli, add real richness.

• Preparation time:15 minutes
• Cooking time:40 minutes
• Total time:55 minutes 

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 600g floury potatoes such as King Edward, skin on, cut into 2cm pieces
• 6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 200ml dry white wine
• 200ml Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients Fish Stock
• ½ x 200g tub Waitrose Cracked Paterno Olives, drained
• 1kg Icelandic cod fillets, from the fish service counter (or other firm white fish), cut into 6 equal pieces
• ½ x 20g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Melt the butter in a large flameproof roasting tin over the hob and cook the onion for a few minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and potatoes and mix well with the onions.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and, over a high heat, add the wine and bubble rapidly until reduced by half. Pour in the fish stock, add the olives and stir together well. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the tomatoes have softened.
3. Add the fish to the tin, nestling it among the potatoes and tomatoes. Spoon over some of the cooking juices and season lightly. Return to the oven and cook for a further 7-10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. Scatter with the parsley and serve immediately from the tin, with green beans and some warmed crusty bread such as focaccia.

Cook’s tips

Prepare this dish ahead up to the end of paragraph 2 of the instructions and the flavours will intensify. Simply place in the fridge until needed then heat through in the oven for about 10 minutes before adding the fish.

 

Nutritional Info

Typical values per serving:

Energy	363.0kcal
Sugars	6.5g
Fat	8.3g
Saturated Fat	3.4g
Salt	1.4g

Creamy Smoked Fish and Coconut Kedgeree

Spicy rice and coconut are an excellent base for the robust flavours of smoked fish, making this kedgeree a good family supper.

• Preparation time:10 minutes
• Cooking time:10 minutes
• Total time:20 minutes 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Patak’s Korma Curry Paste
• 450g undyed smoked haddock or cod, cut into large pieces
• 400ml Bart Reduced-fat Coconut Milk
• 2 bunches salad onions, thickly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 250g basmati rice, cooked
• 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Method

1. Fry the korma curry paste for 1–2 minutes in a large saucepan. Add the smoked fish.
2. Stir in the coconut milk, bring to the boil, then reduce to a low heat. Poach for 3-4 minutes, or until the fish is nearly cooked. Add the salad onions and chopped herbs, and cook for a further minute.
3. Stir in the basmati rice and simmer for a couple of minutes, until everything is piping hot. Season to taste. Pile on to a serving dish and serve with lime wedges.

 

Nutritional Info

Typical values per serving:

Energy	545.0kcal
Sugars	4.1g
Fat	20.5g
Saturated Fat	10.7g
Salt	4.0g

 

LOVE life Mediterranean roasted halloumi with basil dressing

Simple and delicious one-pan supper.

1 of your 5 a day
Rich in vitamin C 

• Preparation time:10 minutes
• Cooking time:30 minutes
• Total time:40 minutes 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

500g essential Waitrose New Potatoes, halved lengthways
Pack of 3 essential Waitrose Mixed Peppers, seeds removed, sliced
1 tbsp lemon-infused olive oil
25g pack basil, stalks removed
Zest of ½ lemon, plus squeeze of juice
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ x 250g pack essential Waitrose Cypriot Light Halloumi, thickly sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain, then tip into a large, shallow roasting tin and scatter over sliced peppers. 

2. Place the olive oil, basil leaves, lemon zest and juice into a small blenderwith some seasoning and blend until coarsely chopped. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Roast for 20minutes.

3. Turn up the heat to 220°C, gas mark 7. Add the halved tomatoes and sliced halloumi to the tray and roast for a further 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Serve straightaway. 

Cook’s tips 

Try this recipe with diced feta in place of the halloumi.

 

Nutritional Info

Typical values per serving:

Energy	253kcals
Carbohydrate	27.9g
Sugars	8.4g
Fat	10.2g
Saturated Fat	4.1g
Salt	0.8g

12.5g protein, 3.5g fibre, 181mg vitamin C

Roast Beef and Beetroot Salad with Horseradish Dressing

A colourful and delicious, gluten-free salad using some fine British summer ingredients. Even better eaten outside on a warm sunny day.

• Preparation time:Prepare 15 mins, plus cooling
• Cooking time:35 minutes
• Total time:50 minutes, plus cooling 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 600g piece beef sirloin, from the Meat Service Counter
• 1 bunch salad onions, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 250g pack Waitrose Baby Beetroot in Mild Malt Vinegar, drained
• 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp reduced fat soured cream
• 1½ tbsp Waitrose Hot Horseradish Sauce
• 1 pack John Hurd’s Organic Watercress, washed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Rub the beef with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Place in a small roasting tin and roast in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
2. Put the salad onions in a bowl with the red wine vinegar and leave to stand for 10 minutes to slightly pickle.
3. Cut the beetroot into wedges, place in a bowl and season lightly. Add the onions and toss to combine.
4. Stir 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil into the soured cream, add the horseradish and mix to combine. Thin slightly with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water.
5. Slice the beef thinly, then cut into strips, discarding any fat. Toss with the watercress, beetroot and onion mixture then pile onto 4 serving plates. Drizzle with the dressing then trickle the remaining olive oil over and top generously with freshly ground cracked black pepper. Serve with some seeded bread.

Cook’s tips

For perfect results, remove the beef from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature; and after cooking, allow the beef to rest for 20 minutes in a warm place.

Prawn and Bean Noodle Salad

In this salad, make the most of runner beans while they are at their best. The clean, fresh flavours of the beans and prawns are enhanced by an oil-free, Thai-style dressing. Amoy Straight to Wok Noodles can also be used for a quick, perfectly balanced lunch or supper.

• Preparation time:15 minutes
• Cooking time:5 minutes to 6 minutes
• Total time:20 minutes to 21 minutes 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 200g runner beans, sliced diagonally
• 2 x 150g sachets Amoy Straight to Wok Medium Egg Noodles
• 4 salad onions, thinly sliced diagonally
• 200g Waitrose North Atlantic Large Prawns, Cooked and Peeled, defrosted
• 100g beansprouts
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

• For the dressing:
• 1 tbsp Bart Spices Thai Fish Sauce
• 1 tbsp Amoy Light Soy Sauce
• Juice of a fresh lime
• 1-2 tsp caster sugar

Method

1. Cook the runner beans in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drain and cool under cold running water. Drain well and dry with kitchen paper.
2. Meanwhile, place the noodles into a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds, then drain and cool quickly under cold running water. Drain well, tip into a bowl and add the beans.
3. Stir the salad onions, prawns, beansprouts and coriander into the noodles. In a jar or jug, mix together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together thoroughly.

Cook’s tips

This salad can be made and dressed a few hours in advance. Cover with clingfilm and chill. Stir again before serving.

Parsley Salad with Almonds, Ham and Broad Beans

This is an exquisitely fragrant herb salad in which parsley is the main ingredient and everything else is merely an embellishment.

• Preparation time:20 minutes
• Total time:20 minutes 

Serves: 4, as a starter

Ingredients

• 2 x 20g packs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp baby broad beans
• 2 tbsp finely chopped salad onion
• 1 small green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp diced ham
• 2 tbsp chopped toasted almonds
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons, and finely grated zest of 1
• Sea salt

• To Finish
• Quartered lemons
• A few mint leaves
• Pitta bread

Method

1. Rinse the parsley, dry it thoroughly in a tea-towel, remove the stalks, and chop it finely by hand. A word of warning: don’t use a food processor because the action of the blades will crush out the herb’s juices.
2. Drop the broad beans into a panful of boiling salted water, bring to the boil, drain immediately in a sieve, and hold the sieve briefly under the cold tap to refresh the beans. Slip the beans out of their skins and combine with the parsley, onion, chilli and ham, and the almonds or pine nuts. Dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and a little salt. Heap on a dish and finish with a few fresh mint leaves. Serve with hot pitta breads and quartered lemons.
3. A rich, but zippy white from Alsace would be great here: nutty enough for the ham and tangy enough for the green elements.

Griddled Cypressa Halloumi Cheese with Minted Chick Pea Salad

Cypressa Halloumi Cheese, which originates from Cyprus, is ideal for use in a variety of recipes. The creamy-tasting, chewy-textured cheese lends itself to barbecuing, frying or grilling, and when heated the exterior hardens while the interior melts. Cypressa Halloumi is made from cow’s, goat’s and ewe’s milk with a hint of mint and is delicious eaten as it is, or cubed with salads and fruit.

• Preparation time:10 minutes
• Cooking time:25 minutes
• Total time:35 minutes 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 aubergines, stalks removed and cut into 2cm cubes
• 3 tbsp Waitrose Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 410g can Waitrose Chick Peas in Water, rinsed and drained
• 1 lemon, peel and pith removed, flesh roughly chopped (reserve the juice)
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp Cypressa Light Tahini
• 1 tbsp shredded mint leaves, plus 4 extra sprigs to garnish
• 110g bag Waitrose Gourmet Aromatic Herb Salad
• 250g pack Cypressa Halloumi Cheese, cut into 8 slices

Method

1. Toss the aubergine and olive oil together and fry in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until tender and light brown. If the aubergine starts to burn reduce the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Lightly crush the chick peas in a bowl with a potato masher then mix in the lemon flesh and juice, garlic, tahini and mint. Add the aubergine to the mixture and stir well. Divide the herb salad leaves between 4 plates and top with the chick pea salad.
3. Heat a ridged griddle pan over a medium high heat and dry fry the halloumi for 1½-2 minutes on each side or until golden. Top the chick pea salad with the cooked halloumi and serve immediately, garnished with mint sprigs.

Cook’s tips

The chick pea salad can be made a few hours in advance and is best served at room temperature, not chilled. If you make the salad in advance, assemble it with the leaves just before serving.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s warm halloumi and chicory with pomegranate and walnut recipe

combination of walnut and pomegranate seeds and/or pomegranate molasses is a pretty common one all around the Middle East, but it’s particularly prevalent in central Asia, in the area around the Caspian Sea – the Georgians, for example, make a salsa similar to the one I use here and serve it with aubergine. The sweet tartness of pomegranate mellows the sometimes harsh bitterness of walnut, which results in a sharp and potent nutty-fruity mix. This salsa is good mixed with cooked butterbeans, to serve up as a delicious antipasto, or used just as it is as a bruschetta topping. Serves four to six.

150g pomegranate seeds (ie, what you’ll get from 1½ pomegranates)
50g walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
1½ tsp caster sugar
Salt and black pepper
20g fresh coriander
250g halloumi, cut into 1cm slices
2 heads each red and white chicory

Start by making the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the pomegranate seeds, walnuts, garlic, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, half the olive oil, half the sugar and some salt and pepper. Pick a few coriander leaves and set them aside to use as a garnish later, finely chop the remaining leaves and stems, and stir into the dressing. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the halloumi slices for a minute on each side, until they’re a nice golden-brown colour. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Cut each chicory into quarters lengthways, so the stem holds the leaves together. Fry the chicory in two batches in the same pan as the halloumi, adding the remaining sugar and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss as you cook each batch for about a minute, just to colour a little on the outside. You may need to add a little bit of oil. Arrange the warm halloumi and chicory on a serving plate and spoon over the dressing.

Shred the reserved coriander leaves and sprinkle on top.

Roast chicken with dates, olives and capers

8 chicken legs, drumstick and thigh attached, skin on (2kg net)
5 garlic cloves, crushed
15g fresh oregano, torn, plus extra for garnish
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
100g pitted green olives
60g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their juices
70g , pitted and quartered lengthways Medjoul dates
2 bay leaves
120ml dry white wine
1 tbsp date syrup or treacle
Salt and black pepper

 

Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses, along with ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 to 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Spread out the chicken legs on a large baking tray, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting 2 or 3 times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle over some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.

 

Aga – top oven underneath some potato dauphinois – for an hour

Asparagus vichyssoise – soup

2 leeks
400g asparagus
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
20g butter
600ml vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
50ml cream
100ml Greek yogurt
40g samphire
Grated zest of ½ lemon

 

Using asparagus for soup is a sin at the start of its season, but makes sense when the spears turn thick and woody. Samphire, or poor man’s asparagus, works very well with the real thing, adding texture as well as saltiness. Serves four.

Chop off and discard the green of the leeks, cut them in half lengthways, wash and slice. Cut off and discard the woody base of the asparagus, then cut into 2cm-long pieces; keep the tips separate. In a big pan, sauté all the vegetables, other than the asparagus tips and samphire, in butter for four minutes, taking care they don’t colour. Add stock, sugar and a little seasoning – go easy on the salt, because the samphire will add plenty – bring to a boil and simmer, lid on, for 40 minutes. Add the asparagus tips and cook for 10 minutes. Liquidise until smooth, fold in the cream and half the yogurt, leave to cool to room temperature, then chill. While it’s cooling, bring a pot of water to the boil, blanch the samphire for 30 seconds, drain and refresh.
To serve, pour the chilled soup into bowls, add a dollop of yogurt and swirl with the tip of a skewer. Place some samphire in the centre of the soup and garnish with lemon zest.