Two weird things happened yesterday. I was gripped with the urge to bake something sweet. This has not happened in some time. The husband gets cross if the house is filled with cakes that then the three of us feel obliged to gorge on. But I had a friend coming round yesterday. The amazing Nneka of N’Damus makes fantastic bags and now jewellery and she wanted to make me a beautiful necklace. Here it is.
Friends who make jewellery for friends who couldn’t even make you a half decent loom band (remember those??) deserve something. So I went for a sweet treat. When I’d been in Sainsbury’s earlier I’d glanced at a packet of pistachios and don’t ask me why, but they instantly became my central inspiration, my hero ingredient. So I googled ‘pistachio cakes and muffins’ and settled upon this because it had the shortest list of ingredients.
The next surprising thing to happen was: people’s interest. I had 17,000 views of this picture on Insta Stories and many, many requests for the recipe, which is in the caption on the top pic.
So that - and the fact that I have been felled by a migraine all day today, thus devoid of any deep thoughts or opinions right now - has inspired me to share with you some of my favourite things to cook, with a particular emphasis on quick things that are my favourites to bang out after work.
I’m no genius in the kitchen. At all. Nevertheless, I hold my own and I find cooking a calming activity. I even like the cleaning up afterwards. Here are the quick, mostly healthy dishes that are on a fair amount of repeat at Chez Elvin-Jones.
Spring green fattoush
I would be a lot hungrier without BBC Good Food, which you’ll soon see. This is a very springy dish yes, but I make it all year round, it’s so good. The only faff is that I double-pod the broad beans - something Ross and I bicker about. He likes that rubbery outer layer, the big weirdo. I think they’re tastier without it and the brilliant green of the inner bean looks so good on the plate. And as my friend Lindsay and I agree, ‘Everything’s better with feta’, so this one is a moreish winner.
Coleslaw with baby potatoes
I don’t make the chicken that’s with this recipe. I live with two vegetarians. But I love love love this coleslaw, largely because it features sour cream (heaven) and potatoes. If you are the genius who threw in the potatoes, identify yourself and I will start campaigning for your OBE. I tend to just put it with ready-cooked roast chicken or maybe a piece of salmon. The other two have stuff like felafel or veggie sausages with it. It’s divine.
Easiest ever lasagne
OK so this one is more of a weekend deal, it takes a while. But it is so fricken’ tasty and it feeds us for days. I also quite love the magic of watching all the bits of a lasagne come together. It has its ‘easiest ever’ tag because there’s no béchamel to make; instead you get an awesome, artery-clogging layer of double cream, egg and cheese. My chef friend Bobby is also aghast that the recipe features ketchup, but I say - don’t knock it til you’ve tried it and don’t fight the insane deliciousness. I make it with quorn mince because I live with those two and I still love it. It’s a firm family favourite.
Jo Pratt’s spiced halloumi and tomato salad
Marinating your halloumi aside - and who knew what a brilliant idea that was - this is another super quick and utterly delicious midweek wonder. Jo Pratt is a fantastic cook and I use her books on repeat. She also has a recipe for a white chocolate and Bailey’s cheesecake that I only allow myself to make on a biannual basis, because whenever I do, I end up eating about eight slices of it.
Halloumi and chickpea salad
Look, I really love halloumi, OK? This one has so many good for you ingredients and it tastes incredible.
Donna Hay’s Squash Spinach and Goat’s cheese pie
Roasting your squash takes some time yes, but I promise you the rest of it is as easy as… pie. Ross is not a fan of goat’s cheese so I usually use feta which is also delish.
Bill Granger’s red lentil soup
OK so this seems to be the one thing in Bill’s excellent Feed Me Now cookbook that has no picture and I can’t find it anywhere online. So get the book because this is one of the easiest, quickest dinners ever and it’s really good for you. I make it so much that sometimes I think, I can’t face eating this again, until I taste it and remember that it is, quite frankly, incredible. I was so sad to hear that Bill passed away just a few weeks ago and so young. He was a pioneer of bringing easy elegance to everyone’s plate and this is one of my favourites of his recipes. I’m also a big fan of his coconut bread recipe and these divine mini raspberry cheesecakes that I’ve often made for Christmas Day. Obviously the ricotta pancakes are king but I’m not as good at making those as the restaurants which just makes me sad and homesick for Sydney so I don’t.
I’m hungry now. But because of the migraine I have no will, so I think it will be cheese on toast and a tin of Heinz tomato soup. I hope you find some of this useful. What are the go-tos in your house?
Trying these dishes.
❤️