7 Tasty Store-Cupboard Recipes

METHOD

1. Soak the black lentils in a bowl of water for two hours, or overnight if possible. Drain the lentils, then place in a pan with half the onion, green chillies, half the asafoetida and salt to taste.
2. Add 1.5lt of water, bring to the boil and cook for 30-40 minutes until they are very tender and completely disintegrated. 
3. In a separate pan, heat the oil and add cumin seeds and remaining asafoetida, stir for 30 seconds or so until the seeds start to crackle, then add the remaining onion and fry for about 10 minutes over a medium heat until golden. 
4. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes, coriander, ground cumin, salt and red chilli powder and fry for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the boiled lentil mixture and enough additional water, if required, to make a thick gravy-like consistency and mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes. 
6. Pour in the whisked cream and mix well. Remove from the heat, check the seasoning and serve with naan bread or paratha of your choice.

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HERO INGREDIENTS: SWEETCORN & INSTANT POLENTA

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, butter, corn, spring onions and jalapeno peppers.
3. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the polenta, bread flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt.
4. Combine the two bowls together and immediately pour into a lined loaf tin and place immediately into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let cook for 4 minutes before turning the bread out of the tin onto a cooling rack. Once the loaf is cool, trim off the ends of the cornbread, and slice the remainder of the loaf into 10 equal slices. Set aside.
6. To make the chipotle butter, mix all the ingredients together. Serve while the butter is still soft.
7. To serve, heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Carefully place the slices of cornbread in the pan and fry until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the slices and fry again until the both sides are golden brown. Repeat this process until all the cornbread slices have been browned.
8. Place the browned cornbread on a plate and top with a generous dollop of the chipotle butter. Garnish with some coriander leaves, wedges of lime, and some sliced spring onions.

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HERO INGREDIENT: HARISSA PASTE

METHOD

1. Mix the harissa paste with the olive oil and marinate the chicken breasts overnight ideally, or at least for four hours. 
2. Pour a splash of oil in a frying pan and place the marinated chicken skin down on a medium heat to crisp the skin off. Next place the chicken in a preheated oven at 160°C for 15 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. 
3. Meanwhile, remove the stalks from the baby spinach and wash them, then open the tin of peppers and remove all the seeds. Slice. 
4. Slice the garlic and the shallot and then add to a frying pan with a splash of oil and cook for around two minutes. Next add the spinach and the peppers and cook for around 5 minutes on a low heat.
5. To serve, place the mix of spinach and piquillo in the centre of the plate and add the chicken on top.

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HERO INGREDIENT: PENNE

METHOD

1. First, make the spinach balls. Cook the spinach in slightly salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool.

2. Squeeze out all the water then cut the spinach coarsely with a knife.
3. In a bowl, place the chopped spinach, garlic, eggs and nutmeg and mix well. Add in the parmesan, then half the breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Roll and fry one ball. Taste and check the consistency. Add a little more breadcrumbs or seasoning if needed. Fry until golden.
5. Cook the pasta to al dente in salted water, then drain and keep warm.
6. While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter in a pan, add the garlic and chillies. Next, add the grated courgettes and pan-fry for a minute or two.
7. Add the cooked pasta into the pan and toss with the grated cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve in a pasta bowl with spinach balls sprinkled over the top.

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HERO INGREDIENTS: COCONUT MILK & MAPLE SYRUP

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. 
2. Blitz all the french toast ingredients, apart from bread and oil, in a food processor until smooth.
3. Soak the bread in the mixture, turning over when fully soaked in.
4. Bake the toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, to firm toast up. 
5. Heat the oil in a pan and fry until golden brown on each side.
6. Enjoy with fresh fruit or a dollop of coconut yoghurt, plus a sprinkle of something crunchy. 

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METHOD

1. Finely chop the shallot, garlic, thyme and chilli and gently fry in the olive oil until soft. Turn up the heat and add the capers, fry for a further 2 minutes.
2. Turn down the heat, add the tomatoes and slowly cook until the tomatoes break down in the oil – around 20 minutes.
3. Chop the olives finely and add to the sauce, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Boil the pasta, strain and coat in the pasta sauce. 
5. Finish the dish with grated parmesan. 

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HERO INGREDIENTS: RED LENTILS, COCONUT MILK & SPICES

METHOD 

1. To make the dahl, place all the ingredients except the coconut cream in a saucepan with 250ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender and broken down. Add more water if necessary and season with salt.

2. To make the topping, cook the temper for the dhal, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until onions are soft and browned. Remove from the heat and set aside until the lentils are ready.
3. Stir the temper into the lentils, then add the coconut cream, stirring to combine. Top with fresh coriander and serve with rice.

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HERO INGREDIENTS: RISOTTO RICE & VEGETABLE STOCK

METHOD

1. Roast the squash early in the day, so the skins have time to dry. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Set aside one wedge of squash, then wrap the remaining wedges in kitchen foil with the thyme sprigs and salt and pepper to taste and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Scrape out all the fresh from the skins and reserve the flesh and skins separately.
2. Melt 60g of butter in a large pan over a medium-heat high until the butter is a hazelnut colour, whisking constantly so it doesn’t burn. Add the squash flesh, reduce the heat to medium and stir for ten minutes. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pass through a sieve and season to taste. Set aside until required.
3. To make the crispy skins for garnishing, deep-fry and leave to dry.
4. To make the brown butter, melt the butter in a large pan over a medium-heat high until the butter is a hazelnut colour, whisking constantly so it doesn’t burn. Add the thyme sprigs and lemon juice, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes to infuse and cool. Pass the butter through a sieve lined with a double layer of muslin, then set aside until required. 
5. To make the risotto, melt 60g of butter with 1tbsp of oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. When it is foaming, add the onions and fry, stirring, until they are soft and translucent. Add the risotto rice and continue stirring for five minutes or until the rice absorbs the butter. Add the white wine, turn up the heat and leave it to bubble until it evaporates.
6. Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly and making sure each ladleful is absorbed before adding the next. Continue to add the stock until the rice is al dente.
7. Just before serving, peel and finely slice the reserved squash wedge. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the squash dice and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they are tender and hot, then set aside. Reheat the squash puree and the brown butter at the last minute.
8. Stir the squash puree and 200g of parmesan cheese into the risotto and season to taste. 
9. Divide the risotto among four bowls. Drizzle the brown butter around the edge of each portion and top with the sautéed squash and crispy squash skins. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and serve immediately.

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