IT'S THE WEEKEND: Food and Drink - Ideas for some winter warmers

Creamy Pasta, Bacon and Watercress

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cooking: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

You’ll need:

2x85g bags watercress, chopped

500g pack penne pasta

190g pack fresh peas

2x130g packs of cubetti di Pancetta

500g half fat creme fraiche

50g Parmesan, finely grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

Bring a medium pan of water to the boil over a high heat. Add the penne pasta and a little salt, and cook following the packet instructions, adding the peas for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a moderate heat. Cook the pancetta for 3-4 minutes until crisp, stirring often. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and drain on kitchen paper.

Drain the pasta, return to the pan and stir in the watercress, pancetta, creme fraiche and two-thirds of the Parmesan. Season to taste, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve piping hot.

Watercress Soup

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 35 minutes

Serves: 3-5

You’ll Need:

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

25g butter

250g potatoes, peeled and diced

600ml chicken stock

2 x 85g bags of watercress, roughly chopped

50ml cream

a little milk if needed

salt and black pepper

What to do:

Take a large pan and cook the onion in the butter until soft but not browned.

Add the potatoes and stock and cook until the potatoes are soft (approx 15-20 minutes). When potatoes are almost cooked, add the watercress (try to allow for no longer than 5 minutes cooking time for the watercress). Liquidise and add the cream. Use a little extra milk if the soup seems too thick. Season with salt and black pepper and serve hot.

Rib eye steak with wasabi butter, served with chips, wasabi aioli & watercress salad

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 10 minutes (plus chilling time)

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

You will need

50g butter, softened slightly

freshly grated wasabi to taste (about 1-2 tsp, or 5-10g)

2 x fat ribeye steaks (approx. 180-200g weight each)

1 tbsp olive oil

a little sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

1 small clove garlic, crushed

freshly grated wasabi to taste (about 1-2 tsp, or about 5-10g)

to serve

freshly cooked crispy chips

2 generous handfuls of watercress

What to do

Prepare the wasabi butter by beating freshly grated wasabi, around 1-2 teaspoons, into the softened butter. Wrap in cling film, rolling tightly into a little barrel shape. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes, so that it is cold enough to slice.

Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan until smoking hot. Season the steaks on both sides with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay the steaks in the pan and fry, undisturbed, on one side for 2-3 minutes. Flip over and fry on the other side for a further 2-3 minutes.

For a 2-3cm thick piece of meat these timings should give you a medium steak. Cook a little less for rare, a little more for well done. Remove the steak and allow to rest on a warm plate tightly covered in foil.

Whilst the steak is resting, prepare the wasabi aioli by mixing together the mayonnaise with the crushed garlic. Stir through freshly grated wasabi to taste.

Serve the steak with a slice of wasabi butter melting on top, accompanied by chips and watercress and wasabi aioli for dunking them in.

Streamline chocolate orange wholemeal pancakes

These pancakes feel indulgent but make for a great healthier family breakfast option.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

You’ll need:

60g wholemeal flour

120g self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 medium egg beaten

300ml skimmed milk

4tbsp Streamline thin cut orange marmalade

30g dark chocolate chips

What to do:

Combine the two flours, baking powder, egg and milk and whisk to a smooth batter.

In a small saucepan, warm the marmalade until it becomes runny.

Stir the chocolate chips into the batter along with half of the marmalade. Wipe a little vegetable or sunflower oil over the base of a large, heavy-based, non-stick frying pan and put on a medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter mixture into the pan and let it spread into a circle. Cook until you see bubbles rising and the top begins to set. Flip over and cook the other side until brown. Cook 3 or 4 at a time depending on the size of your pan. Once cooked, keep warm on a plate under a folded tea towel while you cook the next batch.

Add 2 teaspoons of water to the remaining marmalade and reheat. Serve 3 or 4 in a stack drizzled with warm marmalade.

Sticky chicken with Streamline thin cut marmalade

Quick and easy to prepare, this will become a midweek favourite in no time.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

You’ll need

1 tsp oil

2 shallots sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

4 tbsp Streamline Thin Cut Marmalade

1 tbsp soy sauce

8 chicken pieces, a mixture of drumsticks and thighs

What to do

Heat the oven to 200C.

In a small saucepan heat 1 teaspoon oil and cook the shallots gently for a minute. Add the garlic and chilli and continue cooking until the shallots are soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the Streamline Marmalade and soy sauce.

Put the chicken in a large bowl and pour over the marinade mixture, stirring well to coat the chicken. Place the chicken into an oven dish and spoon over any sauce that remains in the bowl. Cook for 30 minutes, turning halfway through and basting. The chicken should be sticky and caramelised on the top and cooked all the way through.

Cook’s tip: Delicious served with potato wedges and Tenderstem broccoli. Double or triple this recipe if you’re cooking for a crowd. Cover the marinating chicken and refrigerate for up to a day to get ahead.

Winter Stew of Fenland Celery, Chorizo & Cannellini Beans

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus soaking the beans overnight

Cooking time: Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

You’ll need:

2 tbsp olive oil

6 shallots, sliced

250g chorizo, cut into 2cm slices

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ head Fenland celery, each stalk cut into 3 pieces, plus a few leaves for garnish

1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

500g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water

2 bay leaves

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

What to do:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sweat the shallots until soft and translucent but not coloured at all.

Add the chorizo, turn up the heat a little and continue frying until the chorizo and shallots are lightly caramelized.

Add the garlic, smoked paprika and Fenland celery and fry for a further minute before pouring in the stock.

Finally add the drained beans and tuck in the bay leaves. Bring up to the boil and simmer steadily until the beans are soft and tender. This could take anything between an hour and an hour and a half depending on the dryness and age of the beans. Keep an eye on it and add a little cold water if it looks a bit dry at any stage.

When the beans are cooked, stir through the flat leaf parsley and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve in deep bowls scattered with a few celery leaves.