This week we've got a fancy spinach dish and four other meals to see you from Monday to Friday.
Shopping List:
400g chicken thigh fillets
250g lamb mince
2 large salmon fillets
125g cooked ham
200g feta
150ml natural yoghurt (optional)
50g cheddar (optional)
Butter
250g filo pastry
2 onions
1 carrot
Small piece ginger
Dill
2-3 leeks
Pomegranate seeds
Parsley
1 lemon
Salad leaves
400ml chicken stock
40g dried apricots
1 tin or pouch cooked lentils (brown, green or puy)
Basmati rice
400g fresh gnocchi
Breadcrumbs
Couscous
Turmeric
Ground cinnamon
Saffron
Pomegranate molasses (if you can’t find this then leave it out, but it is delicious)
Flour
Frozen spinach (you’ll need about 8 pucks)
Frozen peas
Olive oil
White wine / vermouth / dry sherry
Monday – Spanakopita, 30 mins
This tasty Greek spinach and feta pie needn’t be confined to holidays – it’s ridiculously easy to make and is delicious hot or col
Defrost the spinach, then squeeze out any extra moisture really well, spread over a chopping board and roughly chop together with a third of the dill. Pop it in a bowl and crumble in the feta with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Take a medium sized oven proof dish, grease it with olive oil, then lay a sheet of filo to line it. Add a thin later of the spinach and feta mix, then scrunch up three sheets of filo and layer on top. Brush with olive oil and repeat until the pastry and spinach are used up. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes. Serve with a green salad and a dollop of yoghurt.
NOTE: This is a very simple version of the recipe; some people will add in an egg to the spinach mix for bulk, more herbs (mint and parsley are common), nutmeg or even sultanas, so go wild with whatever you’ve got to hand.
Tuesday – Chicken and apricot tagine, 45 mins
Tagine is usually a long and drawn out affair, but this one is a quickie thanks to using smaller and boneless pieces of chicken and a simple spice combination
Roughly chop and fry one onion, the carrot and a few cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil. Grate in the ginger then add a teaspoon of turmeric and cumin. Halve the apricots and the chicken pieces and add to the pan to fry for a few minutes before adding 200ml chicken stock and a pinch of saffron. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 mins (at least). Serve with the couscous with plenty of parsley and lemon juice stirred through.
NOTE: If you’ve time, swap the chicken for lamb shoulder and cook low and slow for two hours (you’ll need more liquid). Vegetarians / vegans can swap the chicken for potato, quorn pieces or similar and use veg stock instead.
Wednesday – Ham and leek gnocchi bake, 30 mins
A hearty dish to come home to on a cold night and very easy to make to boot.
Wash and finely chop half the leeks discarding only the very ends. Cook in a generous knob of butter and a splash of olive oil in a pan until soft. Add a tablespoon of flour, stir through and cook for a few minutes before adding the rest of the chicken stock, the ham (roughly torn up) and the gnocchi. Transfer to an oven dish, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and grated cheese if using (much nicer with cheese!), then bake for 10 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with the rest of the salad.
NOTE: Swap the gnocchi for any other cooked pasta if you prefer. You could use cooked and torn chicken instead of ham, or add in some big slices of portobello mushroom if you don’t eat meat.
Thursday – Salmon and pea traybake, 35 mins
This is a take on Nigella’s famous chicken and pea traybake, but with salmon to go towards our quota of oily fish for the week (and it makes it quicker too). The ingredients and method are simple, but the flavour is brilliant.
Pour about 200g of frozen peas into an oven proof dish along with the remaining leeks, chopped, a sliced garlic clove, half the lentils and the rest of the dill, chopped. Drizzle generously with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a good splash of vermouth, wine or sherry then bake for 25 minutes at 200C. Add the salmon, skin side up and brushed with oil then return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.
Friday – Lamb, dill and pomegranate pilaff, 25 mins
A heady mixture of herbs and fragrant spices turn minced lamb into something special in a fuss-free one-pot dish
Finely chop the last onion and fry until beginning to brown and caramelise, at which point add the lamb, breaking it up with a spoon, and plenty of garlic. Add a heaped teaspoon of ground cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and a good pinch of salt, then add in half a mug full of rice and the rest of the lentils. Stir, making sure the rice is well coated with the liquid, then add a full mug of water and leave it to bubble away until the water has been absorbed. Scatter over the rest of the dill, the pomegranate seeds and drizzle the pomegranate molasses across the top if using. Serve with any remaining yoghurt.