Tana Ramsay - Tana Ramsay’s Family Kitchen - Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Family

For my mum and dad.

I hope my children grow up with the same sense of love and comfort that you gave me. Thank you.

cover

title page

dedication

introduction

breakfast

school-rush smoothies

fruit salad with oats and warm yoghurt

wholemeal pancakes with caramelized apples

porridge with blueberries

fruit gratin

boiled eggs with cheesy fingers

field mushrooms on toast

poached eggs on wholemeal toast

muesli

homemade baked beans

full english

herring roe on toast

smoked haddock kedgeree

lunch bites

ham and cheese muffins

danish pastry pizzas

coleslaw crunch

salami and rice salad medley

golden puff pastries

stuffed potato cakes

sandwich fillers

easy sausage rolls

omelette

chocolate chip cookies

oatmeal and cranberry crunch biscuits

chocolate nut temptations

date and hazelnut fingers

tea-time treats

banana and apple loaf

chocolate crunch brownies

orange sponge fingers with lemon icing

mini jam doughnuts

homemade jammy dodgers

peanut butter and raisin cookies

fresh ginger cake

real hot chocolate with baby marshmallows

apricot and oatbran muffins

shortbread

almond and apricot yoghurt-coated bites

trying new tastes

lettuce wraps and dippers

fool-proof houmous

crispy pancetta with mushrooms and spring onions

bulgar and mint salad

cherry tomato and mozzarella salad

classic prawn cocktail

soft-boiled eggs

home deli temptations

smooth soups

beetroot soup

pea and mint soup

roasted butternut squash soup

curried parsnip and ginger soup

roasted sweet tomato and sweet pepper soup

cooking from the cupboard

homemade fish fingers with buttery mash and peas

spaghetti carbonara

pea and parmesan risotto

corned beef hash

butter bean and chorizo stew

macaroni cheese with tomato and crispy bacon

tinned sardines with avocado on toast

prawns with chilli and cheese

pasta with tomato and egg sauce

rice pudding

peaches with cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla ice cream

after-school suppers

chicken and butter bean casserole with basmati rice

fish chowder

lime and ginger salmon fillets with noodles

chicken breast with red lentil sauce

baked pumpkin and fresh pea risotto

pasta sauces

pesto

sausage casserole with savoy cabbage and butter beans

king prawn and monkfish curry

plaice with chunky chips and pea purée

tagliatelle with veal, orange and thyme

cauliflower and broccoli cheese

chicken thighs with pasta, bacon and cherry tomatoes

cooking in advance

slow-cooked lamb with apricots, ginger and cinnamon

red pepper and apple meatballs with sweet and sour sauce

moroccan chicken with couscous

stew and dumplings

chilli con carne

ratatouille

lamb shanks with balsamic vinegar and red wine

gammon with cloves

pork with apple and juniper berries

fish pie

bolognaise

cassoulet

mutton daube

weekend lunches

minestrone

new york sandwich

chicken in a pot

steak burgers with roasted red pepper sauce

osso bucco

roast rib of beef

moussaka

paella with chicken and prawns

leek and bacon pie

steak and guinness pie

chicken and mango casserole

calves’ liver with bacon

aromatic lamb burgers

puddings

raspberry meringue bomb

mint ice cream with chocolate sauce

hot chocolate puddings

frozen yoghurt

crème brulée

trifle with real custard and mandarins

lemon and lime pots

lemon and cranberry baked cheesecake

meringues and chocolate

vanilla custard

baked apples with currants and brown sugar

rhubarb and peach crumble

really easy fruit tarts

party food

party survival tips

cheese straws

pitta pockets

pasta twist salad

potato skins

potato-skin fillings

spicy baked beans and cheese

cocktail sausages with honey and mustard

egg mayonnaise bruschetta

peppermint creams

fruit jellies

gingerbread lollies

milk jelly

chocolate peanut butter squares

cinnamon and apricot fairy cakes

mini pavlovas

boy’s birthday cake

girl’s birthday cake

playdough

a bit about vitamins and minerals

kitchen equipment

acknowledgements

index

copyright

about the publisher

I must admit that I hardly cooked until I had children. Gordon was always working until at least midnight and I was working all day and studying for my teaching course in the evening – I became a Montessori nursery teacher. I more or less lived on quick and easy foods like beans on toast or breakfast cereal. My interest in food only really started when we had children and our first, Megan, began solids. Suddenly I was responsible for everything that went into her tiny tummy. Gordon was working and it was up to me to cook for her. That was when I started to really care about what was in the fridge.

I learnt how to cook as Megan’s diet became more interesting than vegetable purées. The fact that she was a good eater and showed excitement in what she ate, as subsequently did the other three, meant I actually enjoyed experimenting, too. So that is how I started cooking – never seasoning or overcomplicating, just simple, family food. I believe home cooking never needs to be any more sophisticated than this.

I’ve tried to keep the recipes in this book as real and accessible as possible. I’ve included all of my favourites that I use to feed the family, which also means that they have been given the thumbs up by the children. Some of the recipes are more child-oriented – like fish fingers, for example – but most of them are for the whole family to enjoy.

I’ve also tried to include tips on how to adapt some of the recipes to make them more adult. A splash of wine or a bit of extra seasoning is often all it takes. Not only does this save you the time and effort of cooking two different meals, but it also makes eating, especially at weekends, as much about being together as a family as eating good food. That for me is just as important.

The recipes are organized with most people’s weekly routines in mind. In the Breakfasts section, for example, I’ve included a mixture of quick and easy options for weekdays when you are rushing to get the kids to school as well as a few more leisurely recipes for weekends and holidays. The most popular with my children is probably the fruit gratin, so if you can’t quite squeeze it into a busy weekday morning, do indulge at the weekend. I’ve organized main meals into After-school Suppers and Weekend Lunches for the same reason.

I also thought a section on Cooking from the Cupboard was essential. If you are anything like me, sometimes you are just too busy, tired or disorganized to get to the supermarket and you end up staring at the contents of the fridge and cupboards trying to figure out what to feed everybody. I do try to keep a few staples in the house at all times, a few of which I have outlined at the beginning of that chapter. If you can get into the habit of keeping all of these in stock then you’ll find it actually quite easy to rustle up something delicious.