Bill Granger - Easy - 100 delicious dishes for every day

FOR NATALIE, EDIE, INÈS, BUNNYand anyone who has ever tried to get a good meal on the table after 6pm… It’s been an enormous year. I’ve completed this book, opened a restaurant in London and one in central Tokyo, taken on a weekly column in the Independent on Sunday , ‘The New Review’, as well as my regular writing for various magazines. I’ve had a daughter start a new school and we’ve acquired a very big black Labrador called Skippy. There’s a passionate team of very loyal people helping me get all this done so that I can still get dinner on the table each night for my family. So an enormous thank you firstly to Lou D, who has joined me this year and has helped organise me and my work – no mean feat; Erika and Mikkel, you make me feel calm and reassured, and your combined vision and energy fuels the furnace for all of us, even on this my 10th book; Glenda for polishing and enhancing my words; Jane Price for her sense of humour and insight, even into my own condition; Victoria for her organisation, experience and support; my book food team Lou M, Nick and Rosie – where would I be without your commitment, wealth of knowledge and attention to detail? These days I’d rather a new plate to a new shirt, so thank you to Geraldine and the fortynine for working together to produce such unique and beautiful ceramic pieces; Klint for being everything to everyone and an appreciative taste tester; Paul Aikman for his eye for colour and taking our images that extra 10 per cent; Antony for his sensible and sensitive guidance; Lizzy for her confidence and enthusiasm; Sylvia, who is always there for us; Natalie for being my partner in crime, and finally, to my family, who show me the exquisite joy that cooking and looking after others can bring.

Contents

Cover

Title page

Dedication FOR NATALIE, EDIE, INÈS, BUNNY and anyone who has ever tried to get a good meal on the table after 6pm… It’s been an enormous year. I’ve completed this book, opened a restaurant in London and one in central Tokyo, taken on a weekly column in the Independent on Sunday , ‘The New Review’, as well as my regular writing for various magazines. I’ve had a daughter start a new school and we’ve acquired a very big black Labrador called Skippy. There’s a passionate team of very loyal people helping me get all this done so that I can still get dinner on the table each night for my family. So an enormous thank you firstly to Lou D, who has joined me this year and has helped organise me and my work – no mean feat; Erika and Mikkel, you make me feel calm and reassured, and your combined vision and energy fuels the furnace for all of us, even on this my 10th book; Glenda for polishing and enhancing my words; Jane Price for her sense of humour and insight, even into my own condition; Victoria for her organisation, experience and support; my book food team Lou M, Nick and Rosie – where would I be without your commitment, wealth of knowledge and attention to detail? These days I’d rather a new plate to a new shirt, so thank you to Geraldine and the fortynine for working together to produce such unique and beautiful ceramic pieces; Klint for being everything to everyone and an appreciative taste tester; Paul Aikman for his eye for colour and taking our images that extra 10 per cent; Antony for his sensible and sensitive guidance; Lizzy for her confidence and enthusiasm; Sylvia, who is always there for us; Natalie for being my partner in crime, and finally, to my family, who show me the exquisite joy that cooking and looking after others can bring.

Easy does it Easy does it I always imagined life was going to slow down and get easier – once the children were out of nappies; once the business was up and running. But it seems to speed up every day, doesn’t it. Perhaps by now I should be into my Elizabeth David phase, writing recipes that need a free weekend to hunt down and roast a wild boar? But, instead of even growing my own vegetables, I still find myself with barely enough time to race around the supermarket and buy them. It’s all too easy to forget – in this fast-paced wind tunnel of life – that true happiness comes with relationships, and relationships thrive on good food. As my mum likes to say, ‘Life’s too short to stuff a mushroom.’ So invite your friends over and cook them something delicious, but EASY.

Piece of chicken Piece of chicken Chicken is the great traveller, the easy-going backpacker of the food world, who happily joins in with every culture and is keen to make friends with every flavour she meets: from Thai lemongrass to French thyme, Mexican chipotles to Tunisian harissa. In just one generation chicken has become our favourite go-to meat for almost every meal (certainly in my house, anyway). For my father’s generation, roast chook was served with great fanfare for Christmas lunch; this week, I’ll probably stir-fry, pan-fry, curry, roast, poach or toss it into a salad two or three times to feed the family. Piece of chicken Chilli Chicken + Skordalia Roast Chicken Salad + Chive Mayonnaise Paprika and Coriander Roasted Chicken Light Butter Chicken Spiced Chicken Wraps + Mango Chutney Chicken Paillard with Spring Onions and Prosciutto Moroccan Chicken Pies

Chilli chicken + skordalia CHILLI CHICKEN + SKORDALIA OK, you’ve spotted it: this is really chicken and mash – but I make no apologies for my double-chilli chicken with garlicky skordalia. 1 red chilli, halved and sliced 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 1 garlic clove, crushed 4 tablespoons olive oil 1.5kg chicken legs handful pea shoots or watercress lemon wedges Place the fresh chilli, chilli flakes, garlic and oil in a bowl and mix to combine. Cut deep slashes in the chicken pieces and rub the marinade over the skin and into the slashes. Place in an ovenproof tray or tin, cover with cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Roast the chicken for 45–50 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside in a warm place to rest for 10–15 minutes. Serve with the skordalia, pea shoots and lemon wedges. SERVES 4 SKORDALIA 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 160ml soured cream Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the water off the potatoes and return to the stove over low heat for a minute to remove any excess water. Remove from the stove and mash thoroughly, then add the olive oil, garlic and soured cream. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and beat until smooth.

Roast chicken salad + chive mayonnaise ROAST CHICKEN SALAD + CHIVE MAYONNAISE Making your own mayo always tends to impress people, even though it only takes two minutes and a blender. You can liven up shop-bought whole egg mayo with a little lemon juice and sea salt. 1kg boneless chicken thighs, skin on 1 lemon, halved ½ ciabatta, torn into chunks 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 eggs 1 small iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges handful celery leaves 3 celery sticks, cut into 5cm-long batons finely chopped chives, to serve Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.