When the children go back to school it seems to take a while to get back into a routine. So, to make life a little easier, I like to simplify the evening meal with make ahead or one-pan dishes
Chicken and vegetable traybake
This is a ‘throw it all in and hope for the best’ kind of dish. With the exception of the broccoli, which I prefer to cook separately and add at the end, you simply cut up the veg, lay on the chicken and pop it in the oven
Serves four
Ingredients
1kg vegetables (I used baby potatoes, red pepper, butternut squash and sweet potato)
2tbsp olive oil
2tsp oregano
2tsp garlic granules
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
4 chicken legs
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
300g tenderstem broccoli
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and place them into a large bowl. Pour over the olive oil, add the oregano, garlic granules, rosemary and thyme, give it a good mix and then tip out onto a roasting tray. Nestle the chicken legs between the vegetables and season well. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is crisp and cooked all the way through.
Five minutes before the chicken is ready, boil the broccoli in salted water then drain. Remove the chicken from the oven and arrange the broccoli on top before serving.
Slow-cooked Greek pork
This is my daughter’s favourite meal and has already been requested to celebrate her first day at big school! You can cook this in a slow cooker or just a pan with a lid
Serves four
Ingredients
800g pork shoulder joint
200ml chicken stock
Peel from an unwaxed lemon
2 bay leaves
Half an onion
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
For the tzatziki
½ a cucumber, grated and juice squeezed out
170g Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Handful mint leaves,
finely chopped
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 150°C/130°C fan.
Place the pork joint in a pot with a lid. Cover with stock, add the lemon peel and bay leaves, add the onion and season well. Cover with a lid and cook for four hours, until the pork falls apart and is easy to shred.
Mix all the tzatziki ingredients together and serve with the shredded pork, salad and warm wraps.
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Fried rice with gyoza
I have, on a couple of occasions, tried to make my own gyoza, however this dish is about ease, so we won’t be doing that! Any flavour shop-bought are fine, we like the chicken ones the best
Serves four
Ingredients
2tbsp sesame oil
600g protein, I used a mixture of chicken breast and pork belly slices, you could also use beef or prawns
600g vegetables, I used green beans, broccoli and sweetcorn
1 packet frozen gyoza
750g cooked rice (pre-cooked pooches are fine)
2tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2tsp white pepper
3 spring onions, sliced
Method
In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil, add the protein and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add the vegetables and gyoza and fry for another three minutes. Add the rice and cook for another three minutes before adding the light and dark soy sauces and white pepper.
Cook for another three-four minutes, stirring regularly to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the pan. Remove from the heat and serve sprinkled with spring onions.
Best-ever meatballs!
My son’s words, not mine! These are a strong family favourite, served with any pasta or on occasion cous cous and also great served in a sub. They can be made the day before and then reheated in the sauce before serving
Serves four
Ingredients
2 slices white bread
70ml milk
500g beef mince (15% fat)
500g pork mince (12% fat)
1 small onion, grated
2tsp dried oregano
2tsp garlic granules
1tsp paprika
1 egg, beaten
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
2 x 400g tins finely
chopped tomatoes
125ml red wine
1tbsp tomato purée
2tsp dried oregano
½tsp sugar
To serve
400g pasta, I used gigli
Freshly grated parmesan
Fresh basil leaves
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
Tear the bread into pieces, place in a bowl and cover with the milk. Allow to soak.
In a large bowl, add the beef and pork mince, onion, oregano, garlic granules, paprika and egg. Season well and add the bread. Squelch all the ingredients together until you get a consistent texture then roll into large balls. Place the balls onto a roasting tray and cook for 10 minutes (until set but not cooked through).
While the meatballs are in the oven, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, add all the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes. While the meatballs finish cooking, cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Before draining the pasta, add a ladle of the pasta water to the tomato sauce.
Serve on a large platter, sprinkled with parmesan and garnished with fresh basil..
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