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Louise Thomas
Editor
Twenty five years since he first appeared on our screens as the Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver has released his latest book, Simply Jamie.
The 49-year-old – who made a name for himself making cooking accessible – covers midweek meals, trusty traybakes, and dishes made with whatever you can rustle up from store cupboard ingredients, with more than 130 recipes in the new book in total.
Here are three of our top picks to try out.
Easiest cornbread
This chuck-it-all-in method, where you can bake and serve in the pan, means less fuss but big flavour.
Serves: 12+
Prep time: 11 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 x 325g tin of sweetcorn
1 x 215g jar of sliced jalapeños
1 x 300g tub of cottage cheese
100ml semi-skimmed milk
300g cornmeal
300g self-raising flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
4 large free-range eggs
1 bunch of spring onions
100g cheddar cheese
Olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Tip the sweetcorn and jalapeños (with the juice from both) into a large bowl with the cottage cheese, milk, cornmeal, flour and baking powder, then crack in the eggs.
2. Trim, finely slice and add the spring onions, chop and add most of the Cheddar, along with 6 tablespoons of olive oil, then season well with sea salt and black pepper and give it all a good mix together.
3. Transfer the mixture into a 30cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan, spread it out evenly and smooth the top, crumble over the remaining Cheddar, drizzle with a little more oil, then bake for 30 minutes, or until risen and golden.
4. Enjoy it warm, fresh from the oven, or cool, wrap and store in the fridge for up to three days, ready for future meals.
Roasted veg with camembert fondue
Everything tastes better with oozy melted cheese, and here, humble veg sing after a gentle roast.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 7 minutes | Cook time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes (800g total)
3 mixed-colour peppers
3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
3 mixed-colour onions
250g Camembert cheese
1 French baguette
½ a bunch of basil (15g)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Scrub the sweet potatoes and slice into 1½cm-thick rounds. Deseed the peppers and slice into chunky wedges. Peel and slice the garlic. Toss it all in a large roasting tray with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and red wine vinegar and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
2. Halve the unpeeled onions and carefully place cut-side down directly on the bars of the oven, placing the tray of veg beneath. Roast for 45 minutes.
3. Remove the tray from the oven and use tongs to move the onions to your board, then remove the skins, break the onions apart and toss with the veg.
4. Leaving a 1cm rim around the edge, cut the rind off the top of the Camembert, then nestle it into the middle of the tray, drizzle with a little oil, season with black pepper and bake for a final 10 minutes, warming the baguette alongside. Pick over the basil leaves, and serve!
Upside-down noodle rice bowl
Contrasting simple noodles, rice and veg with oozy spiced eggs and tangy Sichuan chilli oil is a real joy.
Serves: 2
Total time: 18 minutes
Ingredients:
1 nest of vermicelli rice noodles (50g)
Sesame oil
1 x 320g packet of mixed stir-fry veg
Olive oil
30g unsalted cashew nuts
2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
1 x 250g packet of cooked brown rice
2 limes
2 free-range eggs
Curry powder
Sichuan chilli oil
½ a bunch of coriander (15g)
Method:
1. Rehydrate the noodles in a deep 16cm serving bowl according to the packet instructions, then drain, return to the bowl, and toss in a little sesame oil.
2. Tip the stir-fry veg into a very hot large non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil and the cashews and fry for 4 minutes, or until just tender, tossing regularly. Season to perfection with the soy, then pile the veg into the bowl on top of the noodles.
3. Crumble the rice into the same pan, squeezing over the juice of 1 lime. Once hot, layer on top of the veg and press down with a fish slice to compact.
4. Quickly wipe out the pan and place back on a medium heat. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, crack in the eggs and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then dust with curry powder. Cook to your liking, spooning over the hot oil as they cook.
5. Turn out the bowl (like a sandcastle!), top with the spiced fried eggs, spoon over Sichuan chilli oil to taste, and pick over the coriander leaves. Squeeze over the remaining lime juice and serve.
‘Simply Jamie’ by Jamie Oliver (Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie OliverEnterprises Limited, £30).
