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

Prep time: 10 minutes

Infusing time: from 1 day to 3 months

Makes: 1 litre

Equipment: Medium pan, zester, 1-litre glass bottle with a stopper or a Kilner jar ( sterilised), fine sieve

300g granulated sugar

200ml cold water

8 lemons

600ml vodka

+ Put the sugar in a medium pan over a low to medium heat with the water. Cook for a few minutes, giving it a stir from time to time, until the sugar has melted. Then turn up the heat, bring to the boil and leave to bubble away for 2 minutes.

+ Meanwhile, give the lemons a wash in hot soapy water to get rid of the shiny, waxy coating and then rinse and dry them well. Finely grate the zest, avoiding the white pith, and set aside.

+ Remove the syrup from the heat, carefully add the vodka and stir in the lemon zest.

+ Pour into the sterilised bottle or jar and leave to infuse for at least 1 day, but up to 3 months. The flavour will develop further the longer you leave it.

+ Once ready, strain the liquid through a fine sieve to remove the zest. Serve freezer cold.

Starters, snacks + soups

‘Believe deep down in your heart that you are destined to do great things.’

Joe Paterno

My first experience of soup was the rich, red tomato variety, poured straight from a can, but as I learned more about food, I began to see that there was so much more to soup than that. My idea of a soup is something jam-packed full of taste and texture, with layers and layers of flavour, which can be achieved in a reasonable time span for maximum impact. I love to make large batches of soup and pour some into a flask for part of my laptop lunch. Of course, other light bites such as Aussie Sweetcorn Breakfast Frittersare a must when a small meal is desired or as a precursor to a larger one. I wasn’t sure where on earth to put my Pizza Expressed Three Ways, and so placed it in this chapter for a pleasing light bite.

Starters, snacks + soups

Vegetarian mushroom & port ‘faux gras’ with tarragon & chestnuts

Pizza expressed three ways

Aussie sweetcorn breakfast fritters with avocado & rocket salad & sweet chilli jam

Simple salmon ceviche with tortilla chips

Gingerbread pancakes with Parma ham & maple syrup

Roasted new patatas & chorizo bravas with aïoli

Potato & leek vichyssoise with crispy bacon & chives

Thai chicken soup with coconut milk & ginger

Hot-and-sour king prawn soup

Red pepper, tomato & basil gazpacho with salt & pepper croutons

Broccoli & blue cheese soup with chive mascarpone & warm garlic bread

French onion & sage soup with big fat Gruyère & mustard croutons

Vegetarian mushroom & port ‘faux gras’ with tarragon & chestnuts

Great for presents, these will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. I have been known to give these little bad boys away as part of a hamper at Christmas and they are good to have on hand, year round, as a really tasty snack.

Time from start to finish: 20 minutes (+ ideally 6 hours in the fridge)

Serves : 4

Equipment: Medium frying pan, food processor, 4 × 175ml ramekins

Oil

25g butter

2 shallots

3 garlic cloves

500g chestnut mushrooms

4 tbsp port (optional)

2 sprigs of fresh tarragon

100g cooked chestnuts (available vac packed or tinned from the supermarket)

300g cream cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Your favourite bread, crackers or breadsticks, to serve

+ Put a drizzle of oil and the butter in a medium frying pan over a low heat.

+ Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic and add to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring now and again, until soft and slightly golden.

+ Finely slice the mushrooms. Add them to the pan along with the port, if using, and season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened and all their liquid has evaporated.

+ Meanwhile, pick the leaves from one sprig of tarragon, divide the other sprig into four smaller pieces and then roughly chop the chestnuts.

+ Tip the cooked mushroom mixture into a food processor with the chestnuts, individual leaves of tarragon and the cream cheese. Blitz for a few minutes until really smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Have a taste of it and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

+ Divide between the ramekins, smooth their tops and place a tarragon sprig on top of each to decorate. Arrange them on a small tray or plate, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. You can also serve these straight away, but their texture will be much softer and flavour not so intense. Serve with your favourite bread, crackers or breadsticks.

Pizza expressed three ways

You can either make the dough from scratch for this pizza, which takes no time at all, or for an even speedier method, buy soft tortillas and use these as a base for the pizza instead of making your own.

Time from start to finish: 40 minutes (for all three pizza toppings)

or

Dough: 15 minutes prep

Toppings: 5 minutes per pizza

Time baking in the oven: 8–10 minutes

Makes: 3 thin 14 × 40cm pizza bases

Equipment: Large bowl, freestanding electric mixer fitted with the dough hook (optional), rolling pin, 3 baking sheets, clean tea towel (or cling film), scissors, blender, peeler

Pizza dough

300g strong bread flour, plus a little

extra for dusting

1 × 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

1½ tsp salt

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling

175ml warm tap water (not too hot)

+ Preheat the oven to 240°C, (fan 220°C), 475°F, Gas Mark 9.

+ Put the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and the water. Then mix it all together with a wooden spoon to form a soft, slightly sticky ball.

+ At this stage I like to get my hands into the bowl and squidge everything together. Then throw a little flour on the work surface and knead the dough for 8 minutes by hand (or 4 minutes in a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a dough hook).

+ Divide the dough into three equal(ish) pieces and then use a rolling pin to roll each one out into roughly a 14 × 40cm rectangle. It will be really nice and thin. Put each rectangle on an oiled baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel or some oiled cling film so they do not dry out while you prepare the toppings. There are three delicious toppings on the next page – each recipe provides enough to top one pizza base. You can make one pizza using the topping you like or make three to try each of them!

Harissa, chilli & sausage pizza with fennel seed & rocket

2 spring onions

1 red chilli (optional)

2 fat sausages

2 tbsp harissa paste (found in most supermarkets)

2 tsp fennel seed

A handful of wild rocket

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Harissa, chilli & sausage pizza with fennel seed & rocket

+ Trim and finely slice the spring onions (both the green and the white bits), then halve, deseed and finely slice the red chilli, if using, and set aside.