Simply delicious

Feed Me Now! Simple Food for all the Family covers all aspects of family life, including quick healthy breakfasts, fast lunches, teatime treats, family suppers, after-work meals and dinners with friends.

Here we choose three recipes from the book to give you a taste of what’s inside with Bill’s comments on why he likes them.

BAKED CHICKEN WITH LEMON, POTATO & GREEN OLIVES

I adore this kind of all-in-one meal that is baked and served in the same dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg roasting potatoes, such as Desirée

1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges

75g green olives

1 lemon, sliced

50g pancetta, cut into strips

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

120ml chicken stock

1 x 1.7kg chicken, jointed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish.

Scatter over the onion, olives, lemon, pancetta and bay leaves.

Stir the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar into the chicken stock, then pour over the potatoes.

Lay the chicken pieces on top, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 50 minutes or until the chicken is golden.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm plate, cover with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place.

Increase the oven setting to 200 C/Gas 7 and return the roasting tin or dish to the oven for 10 minutes or until the potatoes, onion and lemon slices are well coloured.

Place the chicken back on top of the potatoes, scatter over some chopped parsley, if you like, and serve.

LAMB CHOPS WITH SWEET POTATOES & LEMON

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

6 lamb chump chops, trimmed of fat

2 red onions, finely sliced

2cm piece fresh root ginger, grated

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ras al hanout

5 tomatoes, diced (or 400g tin chopped tomatoes)

800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 cinnamon stick

TO SERVE

Steamed couscous or rice

Handful coriander leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat. Season the lamb chops liberally with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides. Remove the chops and set aside.

Drain off all but 1 tablespoon oil from the casserole and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about five minutes. Now add the ginger, garlic, chilli and ras al hanout, and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and stir over the heat for another five minutes.

Add the browned lamb chops, sweet potatoes, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey and cinnamon. Pour in about 400ml water, or just enough to cover your chops. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

Uncover and skim off any excess fat from the surface. If the sauce is too thin, reduce over a medium-high heat for a few minutes.

Adjust the seasoning – you may need an extra squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with steamed couscous or rice, scattering over some coriander leaves.

BLUEBERRY PIE

This is one of the most rewarding things to make. The buttery soured cream pastry contrasts perfectly with the sweet tartness of the blueberries – superb with pouring custard, or with single cream.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Pastry

500g plain flour

60g icing sugar

pinch of sea salt

360g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

130ml soured cream

Filling

500g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

115g caster sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons cornflour

2 medium egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons white or Demerara sugar, to sprinkle

To serve

pouring custard or single cream

Method

To make the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the soured cream and mix until the dough comes together in a ball. (Alternatively, put the sifted flour, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.

Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then add the soured cream and pulse until a dough ball forms.)

Divide the dough in half, shape into balls and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Unwrap one pastry ball and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 4mm thick round. Use to line a 23cm pie tin, lightly pressing the pastry into the corners, then trim the edge. Roll out the other pastry ball to a similar round and place on a board. Place the pie tin in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Cover the other pastry sheet with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. For the filling, toss the blueberries with the caster sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cornflour. Scatter evenly in the pastry case.

Brush the rim of the pastry case with egg yolk, then lay the pastry round on top to cover the pie. Trim and press the pastry edges firmly together to seal, then crimp the rim with a fork dipped in flour. Brush the top with egg yolk, sprinkle with sugar and make five small incisions in the pie lid.

Stand the pie tin on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 170C/Gas 3 and bake for a further 35 minutes or until golden.

Allow the pie to cool before serving, with pouring custard or cream.

Feed Me Now! Simple Food for all the Family by Bill Granger, published by Quadrille Publishing, £12.99 Photography by John Kernick