Donal Skehan - Home Cooked

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water following the packet’s instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta leaving a little water behind and place back into the pot along with the sauce and cooked aubergine. Mix through using a tongs. Serve straight away in warmed bowls garnished with the remaining basil and the ricotta salata.

Turkey Noodle Lettuce Cups with Ginger Dipping Sauce Pad Thai Asian Shiitake Mushroom & Chicken Steam-Baked Bags Tomato Basil Tray Roast Fish Fillets with Gremolata Harissa Fish with Carrot & Mint Salad Za’Atar Pork Fillet with Jewelled Herby Pomegranate Couscous Lime & Coconut Chicken Margarita Chicken with Smoky Avocado Corn Salsa Griddled Beef & Mint Salad with Toasted Rice & Peanuts Blackened Salmon with Green Goddess Avocado Salad Butterflied Rosemary Chicken with Romesco Sauce & Simple Steamed Greens

TURKEY NOODLE LETTUCE CUPS WITH GINGER DIPPING SAUCE

I love the wonderful pure tastes and textures in this recipe. It’s a light and healthy supper that can be made in a matter of minutes.

MAKES 15 CUPS

100g rice vermicelli noodles

1 tbsp sunflower oil

500g turkey mince

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp honey

Good handful of mint leaves, finely chopped

Good handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 head of iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

75g roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

2 tsp sesame oil

1 small thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Soak the noodles in warm water until they are tender, then drain and set aside.

Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a bowl.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large high-sided frying pan over a high heat. Stir-fry the mince, breaking it up while you work, for about 3 minutes until it begins to get colour. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Then stir in the soy sauce, mirin and honey. Turn off the heat and mix through the mint and coriander, saving a little aside for garnish.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter and add a little portion of the noodles to each cup. Divide the cooked turkey on top and then sprinkle with the nuts and remaining coriander and mint. Roll up the lettuce leaves and dunk in the dipping sauce.

PAD THAI

Rice noodles are a fantastic storecupboard ingredient and I regularly stock up at Asian markets where you can also buy jumbo-sized bottles of Asian staples like fish sauce, soy sauce, and so much more. This dish is possibly one of the most famous Thai dishes and appears on menus throughout the world. Rightfully so, it’s a speedy dish full of deep layers of sweet and aromatic flavours.

SERVES 4

250g flat rice noodles

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Good handful of coriander leaves and stalks

1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped

Grated zest and juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp sunflower oil

20 raw tiger prawns, de-shelled, heads and black vein removed

6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

100g bean sprouts

3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 tbsp light soft brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

Lime wedges, to garnish

Good handful of salted peanuts, roughly chopped, to garnish

Soak the noodles in warm water until soft, then drain them and set aside. In a pestle and mortar, make a paste from the garlic, coriander stalks, red chilli and lime zest.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is just at smoking point, add the paste and fry for about 1 minute until it becomes aromatic. Then add the prawns, half of the spring onions and bean sprouts and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the drained noodles and mix through and then stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the beaten eggs and mix through the noodles until just cooked.

Tumble the noodles out onto warmed serving plates and serve garnished with the coriander leaves, lime wedges, peanuts, and the remaining spring onions and bean sprouts.

ASIAN SHIITAKE MUSHROOM & CHICKEN STEAM-BAKED BAGS

There is something wonderfully wholesome about this rather special chicken supper. Served with a little steamed rice, this dinner will have you in tune with your inner zen in little or no time. Shiitake mushrooms are packed with all sorts of wonderful things and have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries – all the more reason to include them here.

SERVES 4

1 large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

2 tsp sesame oil

4 chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthways horizontally

4 large bok choy, sliced in half

150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced

½ Chinese cabbage, roughly sliced

100g sugar snap peas

6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Good handful of coriander leaves, to garnish

6 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Line a large roasting tin with baking parchment.

In a bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil. Add the chicken and allow it to sit in the marinade while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Layer the prepared roasting tin with the bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and sugar snap peas, making sure you leave space on each edge of the baking parchment for sealing. Place the chicken breast halves on top of the vegetables and then pour over the remaining marinade. Scatter over the spring onions.

Place another layer of baking parchment over the top. Fold all four sides in and seal with metal paper clips. Cook the whole tray in the oven on the middle shelf for 15–20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the tray to the table garnished with a scattering of fresh coriander and some toasted sesame seeds.

TOMATO BASIL TRAY ROAST FISH FILLETS WITH GREMOLATA

Salty slices of prosciutto may not sound like the first companion of choice for meaty white fish fillets, but they add a salty bite and encourage the sweetness of the fish. I love the simplicity of a dish like this, which cooks quickly in the oven for 15 minutes and then is perked up at the end by a zingy gremolata of lemon zest, garlic and parsley.

SERVES 4

300g cherry tomatoes on the vine

Good handful of basil leaves

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and ground black pepper

4 large white fish fillets, such as whiting or haddock

150g thinly sliced prosciutto

1 lemon, zest grated and the fruit cut in half

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Good handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Place the tomatoes in a large roasting tin together with most of the basil leaves. Drizzle over a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Toss together so the tomatoes are coated.

Wrap the fish fillets loosely with slices of prosciutto. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper, then lay the fillets among the tomatoes and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.