Yes you can
Add some zing and creativity to midweek meals by rethinking what you can do with tinned food and store cupboard essentials, writes
Take One Tin is for people who want to inject some oomph into their Wednesday dinner, reinvent those store cupboard essentials and be introduced to some more unfamiliar ingredients that are just sitting on the shelf waiting to be discovered. Whether you’re after a restorative breakfast or a yummy pudding, you’ll find perfect recipes here all (pretty much) from the comfort of the tinned aisle.
The bulk of the ingredients used in support of the mighty tin are also from the store cupboard, meaning each recipe can be made without a shopping list as long as your arm; many recipes in the book have 10 ingredients or fewer. Store cupboard staples are topped up with fresh ingredients that can easily be found in most shops.
You’ll notice that there isn’t any meat in this book. I am not a vegetarian, but I do see the importance of eating less meat for both environmental and health reasons. It has been great to get creative with vegetables, pluses and fish and not look to meat to be the centre of any dish. Of course, meat could be added to many of the dishes in this book, but I think they hold their own as they are. Hopefully you’ll agree. ■
Artichoke carbonara
Carbonara is such a quick supper. It is rich and creamy (without any cream) thanks to the egg yolks and mountains of cheese. Artichokes bring a slight citrus flavour that balances the richness of the sauce.
Serves two
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 large egg, plus 2 yolks pinch of ground nutmeg
50g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
2 garlic cloves, sliced
400g tin artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and roughly torn
200g spaghetti salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, turn the heat down and sweat gently for 20 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, beat together the egg, extra yolks, nutmeg and cheese, then season (be generous with the black pepper) and set aside.
3 Add the garlic to the pan and fry for 1 minute. Next, add the artichokes, cover with a lid and heat gently while you cook the spaghetti.
4 Boil the spaghetti in a pan of salted water according to the pack instructions or until tender, scoop out a mug of cooking water, then drain.
5 Remove the frying pan from the heat and immediately tip in the spaghetti. Toss in the sauce and then pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Working quickly, toss the pasta in the mixture, taking care to not allow the eggs to sit on the base of the pan (they may scramble). Once the pasta is coated, add a little of the reserved cooking water, if needed, to create a glossy sauce.
6 Mound on to plates and top with extra Parmesan and black pepper.
Artichoke carbonara, main; rocky road with figs and walnuts, below
Sri Lankan mackerel curry
I went to Sri Lanka nearly ten years ago, but the flavours of the food have stayed with me. I often revisit my notebook with the recipes I scribbled down while watching people cook there. This recipe draws on those flavours.
Serves four
3 x 125g tins mackerel in sunflower oil, drained and 2 tbsp oil reserved 1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 cardamom pods, bashed
1 onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp grated (peeled) fresh ginger 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped and seeds left in for more heat, if liked 15-20 fresh or dried curry leaves
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes 100ml coconut milk salt and freshly ground black pepper rice or chapatis, to serve
1 Heat the reserved mackerel oil in a saucepan over a high heat, then add
the mustard seeds. When they start to pop (about 30 seconds in) add the fenugreek seeds and cardamom pods. Fry briefly until fragrant, then reduce the heat to low medium and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Sweat the mixture gently for 10-15 minutes until soft and tinged golden.
Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and curry leaves, then fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes until thickened slightly.
Gently add the mackerel, taking care to keep the pieces whole, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes to warm the mackerel through. Just before serving, stir in the coconut milk. Serve alongside rice or chapatis.
Rocky road with figs and walnuts
Rocky road’s traditional marshmallow stickiness has been replaced by tinned figs in this recipe. Sweet and juicy, they work perfectly with the rich dark chocolate and almondy crunch of amaretti biscuits.
Makes ten bars
170g slightly salted butter, diced 335g dark chocolate, broken into squares
4 tbsp golden syrup
120g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
120g amaretti biscuits, broken into small pieces (digestives, Lotus or Hobnobs would also work well) 425g tin figs in syrup, drained and chopped
Line a 20cm square brownie tin with greaseproof paper.
In a medium saucepan, slowly melt together the butter, chocolate and golden syrup, then fold in most of the walnuts, biscuits and figs. Tip into the prepared tin, spreading evenly, and top with the remaining ingredients.
Chill in the fridge to firm up (about 2-3 hours minimum) before cutting into ten bars.