For tasty new meal ideas, take five with Ainsley
Less is definitely more, according to top TV chef Ainsley Harriott. In his latest cookbook he has created a selection of recipes using a maximum five ingredients.
Just Five Ingredients is perfect for the time-short, budget-conscious cook.
By limiting himself to a small palate of ingredients, Ainsley has focused on two important concerns of the modern-day cook – how long will the recipe take to shop for and how much will it cost?
"Cooking at home for family and friends is all about unpretentious meals and good ingredients. I've always enjoyed creating quick and simple recipes that are delicious to eat without compromising on flavour, but I've become increasingly aware of another element – the length of the ingredients list," says Ainsley.
"I think we chefs focus so much on creating depth and flavour that we sometimes forget how much shopping an preparation we're asking our readers to do – how many times have looked at a recipe but felt put off by the number of ingredients?"
The Ready, Steady, Cook presenter has come up with recipes including fresh salads, succulent fish and meat, pasta, vegetarian, barbecue and tempting desserts – all using five key ingredients plus salt and pepper.
Roasted haddock on chickpea and Chorizo saut
The chickpea and chorizo sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to two days.
4 x 150g (5oz) skinless haddock fillets, pin bones removed
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 raw chorizo sausages, skinned and finely diced (about 100g (4oz] in total)
2 x 400g(14oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15g ( oz) roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
salt and ground black pepper;
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Place the haddock fillets on a non-stick baking sheet, season, then drizzle over one tablespoon of oil. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until just tender but moist in the middle.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large saut pan. Add the onion and saut for 3-4 minutes until softened but not coloured.
Tip in the chorizo and cook for another few minutes until the colour has started to bleed into the onion.
Add the chickpeas to the pan and saut for another few minutes until the chickpeas are completely heated through.
Stir in the coriander with the remaining oil and season to taste.
Share among warmed bowls with roasted haddock on top of each one to serve.
Chicken and Gorgonzola pockets with roasted asparagus
Creamier blue cheeses such as Dolcelatte or Cashel Blue are best for this dish.
4 x 100g (4oz) skinless chicken breast fillets
100g (4oz) Gorgonzola, cut into 4 even-sized pieces
12 fresh sage leaves
8 slices Parma ham (or you could use rindless streaky bacon)
550g (1lb) asparagus spears, trimmed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Starting at the thick side of each chicken fillet, cut a deep horizontal pocket into each breast. Stuff with a piece of the Gorgonzola.
Lay three sage leaves on top of each breast. Wrap each one in two slices of Parma ham and tie with kitchen string or secure with a couple of cocktail sticks.
Season. Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan and fry the chicken for one to two minutes on each side until just sealed. Meanwhile, toss the asparagus spears in the remaining oil. Scatter around the chicken parcels, transfer the frying pan to the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and tender.
Remove string or cocktail sticks and arrange on warmed plates to serve.
Clams with spring onions, chilli and ginger
This is a great way of cooking clams but you could also use mussels and just steam them for a minute longer. I like to use carpetshell clams.
1kg (2lb) fresh clams, cleaned
50g (2oz) butter
4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
5cm (2 inch) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded
4 spring onions, finely chopped
Rinse the clams in cold running water, discarding any with broken shells or that refuse to close when tapped sharply on the work surface. Place in a pan with a tight-fitting lid and steam for two minutes until opened. Shake the pan vigorously and discard any that have not opened. Heat a wok or large frying pan until almost smoking. Add the butter, sweet chilli sauce, ginger and spring onions and stir together until the butter has melted, then simmer for one minute until bubbling.
Tip the steamed clams into the wok and toss a couple of times. Transfer to warmed bowls and serve with bread.
n Just Five Ingredients by Ainsley Harriott is published by BBC books (12.99) from July 7.
To order a copy from the Yorkshire Post Bookshop call free on 0800 0153232 or go to www.yorkshirepostbookshop.co.uk. Postage and packing costs 2.75
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