Jamie’s Quick and Easy Food episode 1 2018
Jamie rustles up some flaky pastry pesto chicken, a comforting sausage bake, a spicy 'nduja vongole, and a watermelon granita.
[caption id="attachment_4671" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Flaky pastry pesto chicken[/caption]
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7. Unroll the pastry, cut it in half lengthways, then cut each half widthways into 8 equal strips. Flatten the chicken breasts by pounding with your fist until the fat ends are the same thickness as the skinny ends. Place them in a roasting tray, season with sea salt and black pepper, spread over the pesto, then lay 4 overlapping strips of pastry over each breast, tucking them under at the edges. Brush with a little olive oil. Lightly dress the tomato vines in olive oil, season and put into a second tray. Place the chicken tray on the top shelf of the oven with the tomatoes below, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, line up the beans, trim off just the stalk ends, then cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 7 minutes, or until tender. Remove the chicken to a board with half the tomatoes, squashing the rest in the tray and discarding the vines. Drain and toss in the beans, taste and season to perfection. Slice the chicken at an angle and serve on top of the beans, with the whole tomatoes.
[caption id="attachment_4672" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Spicy 'nduja vongole[/caption]
Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, draining 1 minute early and reserving a mugful of cooking water. Meanwhile, sort through the clams, giving any that aren’t tightly closed a tap. If they don’t close, discard them. Tear the ’nduja into a large cold non-stick frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place on a medium heat and let the ’nduja melt while you finely chop the parsley (stalks and all). Stir most of the parsley into the ’nduja pan with the clams and rosé, and put the lid on. After 3 or 4 minutes the clams will start to open – keep jiggling the pan until they’ve all opened, then remove from the heat, discarding any unopened clams.
Toss the drained pasta into the clam pan with a splash of reserved cooking water and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, if needed. Dish up, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and scatter over the remaining parsley, and tuck in.
[caption id="attachment_4674" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Comforting sausage bake[/caption]
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Halve the cherry tomatoes, peel and finely slice the garlic, and tear the bread into bite-sized chunks. Place it all in a 30cm x 35cm roasting tray, pour in the beans and their juice, drizzle with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and red wine vinegar, add a splash of water, and mix it all together.
Quickly pinch and twist each chipolata in the middle to make it into two mini ones, then randomly dot them around your bake, lightly pressing them into the beans and tomatoes.
Roast for 45 minutes, or until everything is golden, bubbling and delicious.
[caption id="attachment_4675" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Watermelon granita[/caption]
Cut off the watermelon rind, then chop the flesh into chunks, picking out any seeds. Roughly chop the ginger and place in a large sealable freezer bag with the watermelon chunks. Finely grate in the lime zest, squeeze in all the juice, then freeze flat for at least 8 hours, or until super-hard.
When ready to serve, pick and reserve the baby mint leaves, then pick the rest into a food processor. Tip in the frozen watermelon mixture and blitz to a pink snow (in batches, if you need to). Serve 2 heaped tablespoons of granita per person, with 1 tablespoon of yoghurt, a drizzle of ginger syrup from the jar and a few baby mint leaves. It’s nice to use chilled plates, bowls or glasses here.
Jamie’s Quick and Easy Food episode 1 2018:
Flaky pastry pesto chicken
[caption id="attachment_4671" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Flaky pastry pesto chicken[/caption]Method
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7. Unroll the pastry, cut it in half lengthways, then cut each half widthways into 8 equal strips. Flatten the chicken breasts by pounding with your fist until the fat ends are the same thickness as the skinny ends. Place them in a roasting tray, season with sea salt and black pepper, spread over the pesto, then lay 4 overlapping strips of pastry over each breast, tucking them under at the edges. Brush with a little olive oil. Lightly dress the tomato vines in olive oil, season and put into a second tray. Place the chicken tray on the top shelf of the oven with the tomatoes below, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, line up the beans, trim off just the stalk ends, then cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 7 minutes, or until tender. Remove the chicken to a board with half the tomatoes, squashing the rest in the tray and discarding the vines. Drain and toss in the beans, taste and season to perfection. Slice the chicken at an angle and serve on top of the beans, with the whole tomatoes.
Spicy 'nduja vongole
[caption id="attachment_4672" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Spicy 'nduja vongole[/caption]Method
Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, draining 1 minute early and reserving a mugful of cooking water. Meanwhile, sort through the clams, giving any that aren’t tightly closed a tap. If they don’t close, discard them. Tear the ’nduja into a large cold non-stick frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place on a medium heat and let the ’nduja melt while you finely chop the parsley (stalks and all). Stir most of the parsley into the ’nduja pan with the clams and rosé, and put the lid on. After 3 or 4 minutes the clams will start to open – keep jiggling the pan until they’ve all opened, then remove from the heat, discarding any unopened clams.
Toss the drained pasta into the clam pan with a splash of reserved cooking water and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, if needed. Dish up, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and scatter over the remaining parsley, and tuck in.
Comforting sausage bake
[caption id="attachment_4674" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Comforting sausage bake[/caption]Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Halve the cherry tomatoes, peel and finely slice the garlic, and tear the bread into bite-sized chunks. Place it all in a 30cm x 35cm roasting tray, pour in the beans and their juice, drizzle with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and red wine vinegar, add a splash of water, and mix it all together.
Quickly pinch and twist each chipolata in the middle to make it into two mini ones, then randomly dot them around your bake, lightly pressing them into the beans and tomatoes.
Roast for 45 minutes, or until everything is golden, bubbling and delicious.
Watermelon granita
[caption id="attachment_4675" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Watermelon granita[/caption]Method
Cut off the watermelon rind, then chop the flesh into chunks, picking out any seeds. Roughly chop the ginger and place in a large sealable freezer bag with the watermelon chunks. Finely grate in the lime zest, squeeze in all the juice, then freeze flat for at least 8 hours, or until super-hard.
When ready to serve, pick and reserve the baby mint leaves, then pick the rest into a food processor. Tip in the frozen watermelon mixture and blitz to a pink snow (in batches, if you need to). Serve 2 heaped tablespoons of granita per person, with 1 tablespoon of yoghurt, a drizzle of ginger syrup from the jar and a few baby mint leaves. It’s nice to use chilled plates, bowls or glasses here.
