BBC Easycook March 2019

Mother’s Day is going to be a particularly special day this year because it’s also my wife’s birthday (and a milestone one, at that), so I’ve been nagging our three kids, aged 17, 14 and 11, to get off their screens and pull out all the stops (with a threat to pull out the plugs on their gadgets if they don’t – it’s an amazingly motivating strategy). Poached eggs are my wife’s favourite breakfast, so the eldest is on breakfast duty, making eggs on avocado & feta toast (see recipe, right). I’ve got the younger boys on the case for afternoon tea, baking scrumptious vanilla cupcakes (p6) and then, I’ll take the reins to do what I love doing most – cooking Sunday lunch for the family. For that, I’ve…

Vanilla cupcakes • Serves 6-12 • Prep 40 mins • Cook 20 mins FOR THE CUPCAKE MIXTURE 120g butter, softened 120g caster sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 120g self-raising flour FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING 140g butter, softened 275g icing sugar 1-2 tbsp milk few drops of food colouring (optional) 1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. 2 Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and mix into the butter mixture along with the vanilla extract. 3 Fold in the flour, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are three quarters full. 4 Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins, or until golden…

AS LITTLE AS 76P PER SERVING Great served with rice or piled on a baked potato with a dollop of soured cream Leek & mackerel penne bake Super-fast and filling for busy midweek nights. Great with smoked haddock, too. • Serves 2 • Prep 10 mins • Cook 20 mins 2 leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced knob of butter 175g penne pasta 200ml pot reduced-fat crème fraîche 1 tbsp capers 2 small smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and flesh flaked into large chunks 25g breadcrumbs 1 Fry the leeks in the butter until very soft, about 10-15 mins. Meanwhile, boil the pasta and heat the grill. When the leeks are soft, stir in the crème fraîche, capers and fish. Heat through for 1 min. 2 Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce. Season to taste, then…

Noodle stir-fry with crunchy peanuts Pick out the onion from the stir-fry veg and fry it briefly first to ensure the pieces have enough time to cook through along with the rest of the veg. • Serves 3 • Prep 10 mins • Cook 10 mins 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped, plus extra to serve 300g pack ready-to-eat egg noodles 1 tbsp oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 300g pack stir-fry vegetables sweet chilli sauce, to serve (optional) 1 Mix the peanut butter with the soy sauce and 50ml water, then add the peanuts. Put the noodles in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Stir them gently so they separate, then drain. 2 Heat ½ tbsp oil in a wok or large frying pan…

West Country sausage rolls • Mix 400g sausagemeat, 2 tbsp fresh chopped sage and 1 chopped apple with seasoning. Roll out 500g puff pastry on a floured surface to a rectangle 30cm on the shortest side. Halve to make 2 long sheets. Spoon sausage mixture down the centre of each, brush the edges with beaten egg, fold over and seal. Brush with more egg, cut each roll into 6 and bake them at 220C/200C fan/gas 7 for 25 mins until golden. Makes 12. Sausage & broccoli pasta • Boil 200g penne until nearly al dente. Throw in 150g chopped purple sprouting broccoli and cook for 2 mins more. Drain, saving 1-2 tbsp of the water. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and stir in 2 sliced garlic cloves, ½…

Warming and satisfying – add as much hot pepper sauce as you like MONDAY Jamaican red bean soup • Serves 2 • Prep 15 mins • Cook 30 mins 1 tsp coconut oil or rapeseed oil 175g lean rump steak, finely diced 1 small sweet potato, cut into small chunks 2 small carrots, sliced 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into small chunks 1 celery stick, sliced 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked 400g can red kidney beans in water (no need to drain) 600ml beef stock ½ tsp ground allspice hot pepper or Scotch bonnet sauce, to taste 1 Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and stir-fry the beef for 1 min until it just changes colour, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add all…