Lorraine Pascale - Lorraine Pascale’s Fast, Fresh and Easy Food

Halloumi

Sunflower oil

50g plain flour

2 × 250g blocks of halloumi cheese

1 lime

Small handful of fresh coriander

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

+ First, make the hummus. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, peel the garlic and add both to a blender or food processor. Add the crème fraîche and enough harissa paste to taste (depending on how hot you like it). Blitz until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of oil if you think it needs it. Then spoon it into a serving bowl and set aside.

+ Next, prepare the halloumi. Put three big glugs of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Put the flour on a plate, season with a little pepper and set aside. Cut the halloumi into thick sticks. I cut each block into quarters lengthways and then lay each piece on its side and cut it in half again to give eight big chunky chips. Toss them in the flour so they are well covered, then gently lower them into the hot oil and fry for 4–5 minutes, turning regularly with tongs, until golden brown all over.

+ Remove the halloumi from the pan and drain on kitchen paper for a minute. Then arrange on a large serving plate and squeeze the lime juice over. Sit the dip bowl on the plate beside the halloumi, pick and scatter the coriander leaves on top and serve. Halloumi really comes to life with these flavours.

Naughty, naughty nachos

Lots of cheese, chips and cream. Just what I feel I need on those days when I want that extra bit of comfort on a plate. There are a few parts to this recipe, but it is really, really quick and I find myself gravitating to make this at the weekend, as it is a great sharing dish. It is on the side of naughty, but really tasty. Everything in balance is my mantra. I found the jars of jalapeños in the supermarket, but if you can’t get them, just use two regular green or red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced.

Time from start to finish: 25 minutes

Serves: 6

Equipment: Colander, 2 small bowls, 25.5cm-square baking dish at least 6cm deep

Salsa

200g jar red or green jalapeños

200g cherry tomatoes

1 red onion (or 1 bunch of spring onions)

Small handful of fresh coriander

Nachos

200g Cheddar cheese

400g tin of kidney beans

200g bag of tortilla chips

200g sour cream

Guacamole

3 perfectly ripe avocados

A few drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)

½ lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

+ Preheat the oven to 200°C, (fan 180°C), 400°F, Gas Mark 6.

+ Firstly, prepare the salsa. Drain the jalapeños, quarter the cherry tomatoes and toss both into a small bowl. Peel and finely chop the red onion (or finely slice the spring onions, if using), reserve a small handful and add the remainder to the bowl. Rip the leaves from the coriander stalks, roughly chop them, then toss everything together and season to taste.

+ Finely grate the cheese and drain and rinse the beans.

+ Now to assemble the nachos. Scatter a third of the tortilla chips in the bottom of the baking dish and scatter over a third of the cheese and then all of the beans. Then follow with a third more tortillas, a third more cheese and some of the salsa. Finish with the remaining tortillas and cheese. This is actually a total freeform dish; my only thing is I love cheese on the top.

+ Now pop it into the oven to bake for 10 minutes while you make the guacamole.

+ Halve the avocados, discard the stones and use a spoon to scoop the flesh out into a small bowl. Lightly mash with a fork and then stir the reserved chopped onion through with a few drops of Tabasco, if you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper and squeeze in the lime juice.

+ Spoon the sour cream, remaining tomato salsa and guacamole into small serving bowls. Remove the now-cooked nachos from the oven. The cheese should be bubbling and the tortillas just catching colour. Serve in the centre of the table with the accompaniments for everyone to dig in and help themselves.

Skinny dipping

Three tasty, no-cook skinny dip numbers; great to eat with potato-skin crisps, tortilla chips or crudités such as carrots, radishes and celery. You can make them all or just one or two. They can all be made ahead of time for stress-free snacking!

Time from start to finish (for all three): 15 minutes (about 5 minutes each)

Equipment: 2 medium bowls, scissors, colander, blender

Tuna & crème fraîche dip with black pepper

Makes: about 225g

185g or 200g tin of tuna in spring water

75g half- or full-fat crème fraîche

A few fresh chives

¼ lime (or lemon)

Teeny squidge of honey (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hummus with cumin & paprika

Makes: about 350g

400g tin of chickpeas

100g half- or full-fat crème fraîche

2 tsp cumin powder

Extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

¼ lime (or lemon)

A good pinch of paprika

A few fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Avocado, chilli & chive dip

Makes: about 275g

2 ripe avocados

1 small red chilli

A few fresh chives

1 lime (or lemon)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tuna & créme fraîche dip with black pepper

+ Drain the tuna well, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Place in a medium bowl, add the crème fraîche and then snip in the chives using scissors. Mix together well and season to taste with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lime (or lemon) juice. Add a little honey to sweeten, if liked, also. Spoon into a serving bowl to serve.

Hummus with cumin & paprika

+ Drain the chickpeas, rinse well and then tip them into a blender (I find a stick blender brilliant). Add the crème fraîche, cumin and a drizzle of oil, then peel and add the garlic clove. Season well with salt and pepper and blitz until fairly smooth. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, add a squeeze of lime (or lemon) juice and then blitz again briefly. Spoon into a serving bowl, sprinkle the paprika on top, rip over some coriander or parsley leaves and serve.

Avacado, chilli & chive dip

+ Cut the avocados in half, discard the stones and then scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl. Deseed and finely slice the chilli and add. Then, using scissors, snip in the chives. Mash everything up until fairly smooth, season to taste with a good amount of salt and pepper and squeeze in the lime (or lemon) juice. Spoon into a serving bowl to serve.

Lemoncello jello shots

Remove these sassy sunshine slices from the freezer or fridge an hour or so before you want to use them so they soften slightly before eating. Of course, these can be made for the kiddies, but for adults I like to add 150ml of lovely, luscious limoncelloto 350ml of water. No need to heat it; just dissolve the jelly in boiling water, add the gelatine leaves, then finish with the limoncello and sugar.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Setting time: 30 minutes in the freezer (or 1 hour in the fridge)

Makes: 20–28 (depending on the size of lemons used)