Donal Skehan - Kitchen Hero

Serve straightaway as it is or with some rice or noodles.

BAKED TRAY OF SHELLFISH WITH LEMON, CHILLI AND GARLIC

I created this simple but, let me tell you, highly impressive little dish for a romantic New Year’s Eve dinner a few years back, and it went down a storm. It does of course help if your partner loves shellfish. If you haven’t cooked shellfish before, don’t be scared to have a go, as this dish is a great way to try it for the first time, alongside the more familiar flavours of garlic, chilli and lemon. You can use any shellfish you want, so feel free to experiment and don’t panic if you can’t get them all.

SERVES 2

250G (9OZ) LIVE MUSSELS (ABOUT A HANDFUL)

250G (9OZ) LIVE CLAMS (ABOUT A HANDFUL)

4 TBSP BUTTER, SOFTENED

6 TBSP OLIVE OIL

A FEW FRESH THYME SPRIGS

4 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED

1 RED CHILLI, FINELY CHOPPED

6 CRAB CLAWS

4 SHELLED SCALLOPS

6 LARGE RAW PRAWNS, UNPEELED

SEA SALT

JUICE OF 1 LEMON, PLUS EXTRA TO SERVE

LEMON WEDGES, TO SERVE

CHOPPED FRESH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, TO SERVE

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

Place the mussels and clams in a sink filled with cold water and scrub away any dirt or beards. Discard any shells which are open at this point and which don’t close when tapped on a hard surface.

Place the butter, olive oil, thyme, garlic and chilli on a plate and mash together with the back of a fork.

Arrange the shellfish on a large baking tray and coat with the butter mixture as well as you can. Sprinkle with a little salt and the lemon juice. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until all the shellfish are cooked. Discard any shells that are still closed.

Serve with an extra squeeze of lemon juice, lemon wedges and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Roast Peppers

This is one of my mum’s specialities. She is the queen of the quick dinner and, despite working full time while we were kids, she always managed to have a hot tasty meal on the table in 30 minutes, come hell or high water. ‘So you’d better bloody eat it!’

SERVES 4

110G (4OZ) FRESH WHITE BREADCRUMBS

50G (2OZ) READY-TO-USE SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

3 TBSP PESTO (SEE STRETCH YOUR MEALS)

SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

4 LARGE CHICKEN BREASTS, WITH SKIN AND ON THE BONE

2 LARGE RED PEPPERS, CUT INTO SLICES

1–2 TBSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR

3 TBSP OLIVE OIL

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

Combine the breadcrumbs, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto in a bowl then season with a generous amount of salt and black pepper.

Arrange the chicken breasts in a roasting tray and, using a sharp knife, make a slit lengthways along the side of each breast, but don’t cut the whole way through. Stuff the inside of the chicken pocket with a heaped tablespoon of the stuffing mix.

Toss the pepper slices in a little balsamic vinegar and half the olive oil and arrange around the chicken breasts. Finally drizzle the chicken with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Roast in the oven for 20–30 minutes until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Serve with a few of the caramelised pepper slices on top.

HERBY SPAGHETTI AMATRICIANA

Pasta is a great store-cupboard ingredient that can easily be transformed into a super little supper. This is a really easy recipe, packed with flavour from the delicious ingredients.

SERVES 4

300G (11OZ) SPAGHETTI

2 TBSP OLIVE OIL

1 ONION, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED

2 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED

250G (9OZ) PANCETTA OR BACON BITS

1 TSP DRIED CHILLI FLAKES

2 X 400G TINS CHOPPED TOMATOES

SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

A HANDFUL OF FRESH FLAT LEAF PARSLEY, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

A HANDFUL OF FRESH BASIL, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

A SMALL HANDFUL OF FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE, TO SERVE

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan according to the instructions on the packet.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry slowly until soft. Add the pancetta and chilli flakes and fry until crisp. Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced by half. Season with a good pinch of salt and black pepper and stir through the parsley and basil.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the spicy tomato sauce. Toss until the pasta is coated. Serve straightaway with a little grated Parmesan.

OATS AND SEEDS CRUSTED FISH WITH LEMON

This is a great twist on homemade fish fingers and is a super way to pack even more nutrients into kids’ dinners without them even realising.

SERVES 4

3 TBSP WHOLEMEAL FLOUR

SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

3 TBSP ROLLED OATS

3 TBSP MIXED SEEDS

1 LARGE EGG

4 SKINLESS WHITE FISH FILLETS, SUCH AS HADDOCK OR COD (150–200G/5–7OZ EACH), SLICED INTO ROUGH CHUNKS

SUNFLOWER OIL, FOR SHALLOW-FRYING

TO SERVE

MIXED LEAF SALAD

LEMON WEDGES

Combine the flour and a generous amount of salt and black pepper on one plate and the oats and seeds on another. Beat the egg in a shallow dish.

Dip a piece of fish first in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip in the beaten egg and lastly in the oats and seeds mix. Place on a plate and repeat with the rest of the fish.

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan until it is about 1cm (½in) deep and heat over a high heat. Fry the fish for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove with a fish slice and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper

Serve with a mixed leaf salad and wedges of lemon.

QUICK AND SIMPLE BEEF IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE

A fairly classic dish, but you can really pump up the flavours when making it at home. It takes just minutes to prepare and gives you delicious results.

SERVES 4

400G (14OZ) WHOLEWHEAT NOODLES

400G (14OZ) RUMP STEAK, THINLY SLICED

1 LARGE THUMB-SIZED PIECE OF FRESH ROOT GINGER, PEELED AND CRUSHED

3 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND CRUSHED

1 RED CHILLI, FINELY CHOPPED

5–6 SPRING ONIONS, THINLY SLICED

3 TBSP SESAME OIL

SUNFLOWER OIL, FOR FRYING

1 TSP SOFT DARK BROWN SUGAR

1 TBSP CHINESE RICE WINE

3 TBSP DARK SOY SAUCE