Rachel Allen - Home Cooking

Of course, all of the above make great packed lunches as well, whether for school or the office. For school lunches for the children, I always include cheese, raw vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, tomato and cucumber, a couple of homemade biscuits, some fresh fruit — an apple, tangerines or some grapes or strawberries, whatever is in season. Dried fruit such as apricots or figs are perfect for a child’s lunchbox, too.

A sweet ‘fix’ can be very welcome when you’re out and about, especially if you’ve just been on a vigorous walk. Sweet things, whether biscuits or slices of cake, are ideal portable food and can easily be wrapped in foil or cling film and popped into a bag. Millionaire’s Shortbread or the Coconut and Chocolate Flapjacks on pages 276 and 284 are perfect, as is fruitcake or gingerbread (see page 289). You can even take a small container of granola to munch on (see page 12) or, if you are out walking all day and don’t want to overfill your backpack, just take some homemade fudge or toffees (see pages 308 and 300) with you.

When I pack everything up, I do try to create as little rubbish as possible. I like to keep an eye out for cute plastic boxes and any other type of small container with a lid, or vintage biscuit tins, which I line with greaseproof paper. The lid from the container can also serve as a plate. Darina puts sea salt and freshly ground pepper in old film canisters (if you can find them); they’re the perfect size. I do like to use baskets whenever I can, but for travelling, a canvas bag that you can fold up when you’ve finished eating is much more practical. I keep all these supplies in one place in the kitchen so I’m never digging around for my containers or flasks when I’m packing meals.

This is a perfect summer lunch. The spicy chicken is beautifully complemented by the cooling tzatziki. Chicken still warm from the oven is best, but this dish works equally well if you cook the chicken in advance and serve it cold.

800g (1¾lb) skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs

1 tbsp sunflower oil

150ml (5fl oz) tzatziki (see page 72)

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground (see tip on page 50)

2 tsp paprika

¼—½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp caster sugar

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

50ml (2fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cos lettuce, halved across and leaves separated

3 tomatoes, each cut into 12 wedges

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced in rings

1Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Cut the chicken into long thin strips and toss in the marinade to evenly coat. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, but preferably a couple of hours or even overnight.

2Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

3Drizzle the sunflower oil on a large baking sheet and arrange the chicken pieces on it in a single layer. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until cooked through and golden.

4Meanwhile, prepare the tzatziki as on page 72.

5Toss the ingredients for the salad together in a bowl and pile onto a large serving platter or individual plates. Arrange the warm chicken pieces on top and drizzle with tzatziki. Serve immediately.

These are fabulous for a party or for enjoying as a family meal. They are also a great snack if everything is prepared and stored in small containers in the fridge for people to help themselves whenever the mood strikes. Chinese pancakes are available in Asian food stores, some supermarkets or even from your local Chinese take-away.

2 duck breasts (about 250g/9oz each), skin on

2 tsp salt

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1.2 litres (2 pints) chicken stock (see page 326)

3 star anise

1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns or ½ tsp black peppercorns

6 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

4 spring onions, trimmed and very roughly chopped

2.5 cm (lin) piece of root ginger, peeled and sliced

100ml (3½fl oz) Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

16 Chinese pancakes

Bunch of spring onions, trimmed and cut into fine strips

2 × 6cm (2½in) pieces cucumber, cut into fine strips

200ml (7fl oz) Hoisin sauce

1Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas mark 7.

2Remove the skin from the duck breasts and make three long scores in each piece of skin with a sharp knife. Place the skins in a small, non-stick roasting tin and rub the salt and five-spice powder evenly over. Roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes until crisp and golden.

3Meanwhile, pour the stock into a saucepan and add all the remaining ingredients. Bring slowly to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes.

4Add the duck breasts to the stock, cover with a tight-fitting lid and gently poach the duck for 15–20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the duck breasts from the pan and allow to cool a little before shredding with two forks, pulling the meat apart. Place on a plate or baking tray, cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven.

5Drain the crisp duck skins on kitchen paper and finely slice. Scatter the slices back into the roasting tin (which should be full of rendered duck fat) and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Drain well on kitchen paper again and toss with the shredded duck breast.

6Warm the Chinese pancakes in a steamer or microwave, then place the spring onions, cucumber and Hoisin sauce in separate serving bowls and serve alongside the warmed pancakes and shredded crispy duck. Allow people to assemble the rolls themselves. Spread a little Hoisin sauce on a Chinese pancake, scatter with some spring onions, cucumber and crispy duck and roll up to enclose before eating with your fingers. Finger bowls of warm water may come in handy, or lots of napkins!

I created this salad one day with some leftover lamb. It has delicious Greek flavours and works so well with the redcurrant jelly in the dressing. More of a meal in its own right than a starter, this dish is ideal for a midsummer lunch or supper.

300g (11oz) leftover, cooked lamb

1 × 200g tin of beans (such as butter beans, black eye or cannellini beans), drained, or 75g (3oz) dried beans, soaked and cooked (see page 329)

110g (4oz) salad leaves (about 4 large handfuls)

Small handful of mint leaves

About 24 black olives, pitted and halved

200g (7oz) feta cheese, crumbled

4 tsp redcurrant jelly (see page 328)

2 tsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1First make the dressing. Place the redcurrant jelly in a small bowl, add the vinegar and olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper and whisk together until emulsified.

2Carve or tear the lamb into thin slices and toss lightly with the beans, salad and mint leaves on one big serving platter or in individual bowls. Scatter the olives and crumbled bits of feta cheese on top. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.