Jonathan Foley
Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour, full to an inch below the brim
- 2 cups of milk full to the brim
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Method
- Add salt and flour to a blender or mixer.
- Add the eggs and start mixing.
- Add the milk slowly, ensuring the mix is lump-free.
- Melt a knob of butter on a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat, ensuring the base of the pan is coated.
- Pour about half a cup of batter into the centre and swirl to cover the pan. Fry until the top side has dried, flip and fry again.
- If doing batches, place the pancakes on a plate over a pot of simmering water, covered with a large pan lid to keep warm.
The possibilities are endless with pancakes. Personally, I keep it simple with a sprinkle of sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fruit can be added during cooking or as a topping or filling afterwards. Golden syrup is another firm favourite in our house. Put a Mars bar in a cup and place the cup in a couple of inches of water simmering in a pan to make a gorgeous choco-caramel drizzle.
Quick Quesadillas
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
A pizza tray or upturned saucepan lid makes it easier to transfer to the pan.
- 2 tortilla wraps
- Tomato relish
- Grated mozzarella cheese
- Chicken breast pieces (for the one pictured, I used Tesco chicken tikka breast pieces)
Method
- Pre-heat a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat.
- Spread relish on both wraps.
- Top one wrap with chicken and cheese and place the other wrap relish-side down on top.
- Carefully transfer to the frying pan (I actually make the quesadilla on a pizza tray and slide it on to the pan)
- Dry fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
- An alternative method is to half cover a wrap with the toppings, fold it over and either dry fry it, or pop it in the George Foreman, if you have one.
There are so many possibilities with this recipe. Use Cajun or Szechuan chicken instead of tikka. No mozzarella? Cheddar is just as good. Swap the tomato relish for a zingy jalapeño relish, red onion jam, a flavoured chutney or even pizza sauce.
Julie’s Ratatouille
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Leftovers can be blended for a delicious soup!
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 courgettes, diced
- 1 aubergine, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tomatoes, diced or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon of rosemary
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- 500g of passata
- Sea salt & black pepper
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C
- Drizzle a large, shallow oven-proof dish with the olive oil and add all of the chopped vegetables and tomatoes, ensuring that they’re evenly mixed. Toss to lightly coat in the oil.
- Sprinkle with the rosemary & thyme and season with salt and pepper. You can also use 2 teaspoons of mixed herbs or Herbes de Provence instead of the rosemary & thyme for a variation.
- Coat with the passata and mix well.
- Cover with tinfoil or a lid and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the foil/lid and stir. Return to the oven uncovered for a further 15 minutes. In my oven this cooking time results in a slightly al dente texture. Adjust as appropriate.
Ratatouille usually includes red, orange or yellow peppers, but the first time I made this, I had forgotten to buy them and I think it’s tasty enough without them. Add them if you disagree…