Easy midweek meals

Whip up crowd-pleasing plates with ease using seasonal greens

Five tasty dinners to make in minutes

SWEETCORN AND BASIL FRITTERS WITH SMOKED SALMON PREP TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

200g self-raising flour 2 large eggs, beaten 300ml milk Pinch of salt 100g sweetcorn Handful of basil leaves, roughly torn

3 tbsp rapeseed oil 4 eggs 500g spinach Sea salt 200g smoked salmon

Semi-dried tomatoes, to serve

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METHOD

1 Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and half the milk and beat until smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk. Stir in the sweetcorn, basil and salt.

2 Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Drop 2-3 heaped tbsp of the mixture into the pan and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Repeat until all the batter is used.

3 Heat a pan of water to boiling and poach 4 eggs. 4 Meanwhile, rinse and drain the spinach. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Cook the spinach in the pan for 1 minute. Season with sea salt.

5 Stack the fritters and spinach on four plates. Serve with poached eggs, smoked salmon and semi-dried tomatoes.

COOK’S TIP

To make semi-dried tomatoes, cut 4 tomatoes into 6 segments. Add them to a baking tray with basil and crushed garlic. Set the oven to the lowest temperature and cook for 5 hours. Discard the basil and garlic. Serve straight away or store the tomatoes in olive oil for up to 1 month.

TUESDAY AUBERGINE, TOMATO AND SHALLOT PIDE PREP TIME 20 MINS COOK TIME 20 MINS SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

145g pizza base mix 2 echalion shallots, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp chilli flakes

1 aubergine, chopped 250g cherry tomatoes, halved 3 tbsp yogurt Squeeze of lemon 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Pomegranate seeds Fresh mint leaves

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METHOD 1

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● SPICY CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS SALAD PREP TIME 10 MINS COOK TIME 15 MINS SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp harissa paste 525g chicken breast 150g wholewheat couscous 200g frozen peas 1 lemon, juiced ½ cucumber, diced

15g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 10g fresh parsley, finely chopped 60g pitted green olives, sliced (optional) 1 red onion, diced 50g salad cheese, crumbled

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METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas

Mark 7. Put the harissa and chicken in a bowl, and season. Toss well to coat the chicken. Transfer to a baking tray, spooning over any leftover harissa from the bowl, and roast for 15-20 minutes until golden and cooked through.

2 Meanwhile, put the couscous in a heatproof bowl. Pour over 400ml boiling water, cover, and leave to absorb for 10 minutes until fluffy. Cook the peas in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes until tender. Drain.

3 Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains, then stir in the lemon juice. Add the drained peas, the cucumber, herbs, olives (if using) and onion, and toss everything together. Thickly slice the chicken breasts and pile on top of the couscous. Crumble over the cheese and top with the remaining herbs.