BBC Easycook April 2020

When my kids were little, the annual hunt for Easter eggs, which were secreted around our flat like treasure, was pure joy. It was delightful watching their little faces light up as they discovered a sweet gem, before smearing themselves with chocolate – while I hovered over them with a wet cloth to wipe the stains off the furniture! They’re teenagers now, and although egg hunts are a thing of the past, their love of chocolate remains (obviously, they’re human!). So this year, instead of spending a fortune on over-packaged orbs, I’m going to enlist them to make their own Easter eggs. It’s not as hard as you’d think, as our guest contributor Mich Turner shows us with her DIY Easter eggs (p58). Best of all, they cost pennies to…

Cute cupcakes for Easter These easy vanilla cupcakes are perfect for treating kids over the long holidays. • Makes 12 • Prep 20 mins • Cook 15 mins un-iced • Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and fill a 12-hole cupcake tin with cases. Beat 110g softened butter with 110g golden caster sugar until pale and fluffy using an electric whisk. Whisk in 2 large eggs, one at a time. Add ½ tsp vanilla extract, 110g self-raising flour and a pinch of salt, whisk until just combined, then spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake for 15 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Whisk 150g softened butter with 300g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and a…

Mediterranean chicken • Leave out the carrots. After roasting for 20 mins, put 1 aubergine, 2 red peppers and 2 red onions, all cut into large chunks, in with the potatoes. Swap the peas for cherry tomatoes and replace the stock and yeast extract with 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 2 tbsp honey. Spiced roast chicken • Swap the herbs for 2 tsp harissa paste and leave out the potatoes. Add the stock and peas as described above (leaving out the yeast extract), but add another 2 tsp harissa paste. Serve with couscous.…

One-pan roast dinner • Serves 4 • Prep 20 mins • Cook 1 hr 20 mins 1.5kg chicken1 lemon, halved50g butter, softened2 tsp dried mixed herbs750g potatoes, cut into chunks7 carrots (about 500g), each chopped into 2-3 chunks2 tbsp olive oil100g frozen peas300ml chicken stock1 tsp yeast extract 1 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. If the chicken is tied, snip the string or elastic, then place in a big roasting tin. Put the lemon halves into the cavity, then rub the soft butter, herbs and seasoning all over the chicken. Put the potatoes and carrots around it, drizzle everything with the oil, season and toss together. 2 Roast for 20 mins, then reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and roast for 50 mins more. Stir the peas, stock and yeast extract…

Veggie aubergine & black bean stir-fry • Serves 4 • Prep 10 mins • Cook 20 mins 250g basmati rice4 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil2 large aubergines, quartered and cut into wedges2 red peppers, cut into thin strips8 spring onions, 7 quartered lengthways, plus 1 finely sliced, to serve220g black bean sauce 1 Cook the rice following pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the aubergines for 10-12 mins until golden and cooked through. Add the peppers and quartered spring onions and stir-fry for about 6 mins more, or until just tender. 2 Add the black bean sauce and 2 tbsp water and warm through. Serve with the cooked rice, scattered with the sliced spring onion. PER SERVING 411 kcals, fat 14g, saturates 2g, carbs 65g, sugars 14g, fibre 7g, protein…

Citrus ricotta pancakes • Whizz together 125g ricotta, 140g plain flour , 1 tsp baking powder, 1 egg, 150ml milk, 1 tbsp sugar and the zest of 1 orange. Fry dollops of the batter in melted butter in a non-stick frying pan for 2 mins each side. Makes 15. Quick ricotta icing • Beat together 125g ricotta, 6 tbsp icing sugar, 3 tbsp soft butter, 2 tbsp cocoa powder and1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Makes enough icing for 12 cupcakes. Spicy chickpea dip • Blitz together 125g ricotta, a 400g can chickpeas, drained, the juice of 1 lime, a handful of coriander leaves, 1 garlic clove, 1 deseeded chilli,1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1 tbsp olive oil.…