Instant alternatives …

For a shop bought wrap, I'd choose Piadina - there are large and small versions and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. I bought them ahead and popped into the freezer – easy and convenient for the freezer bag and transit if required!

Here's what the Piadina looks like and there's a choice :

An aside and a tip - milk is included in the majority of processed bread making so you need to check labels – there are brands that don't – Warburtons is one such. Many of their bakery products do not contain any dairy and are therefore suitable for vegans but are produced in bakeries that use dairy ingredients making milk rolls and milk bread.

How about a slaw for a side?

The Pide photos

If you want to keep it simple add a sprinkle of celery salt and/or garlic granules and a sprinkle of grated cheese – any cheese that melts will do!

Have a look :

I sprinkled mine with extra semolina and

Nigella seeds

More sprinkles – this time grated cheese

For extra zhuzh serve with bowls of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dunking – a glug of each – a glug = 2 tablespoons.

Make sure you've got serviettes!

Perfect for tearing and sharing …

Next … garlic roti and more ideas for what to cook in the hot weather!

Perfect Pide

I mentioned serving dishes with a flat bread in The Salady Stuff and I've got a couple of suggestions for you. Whilst strictly speaking it's not a flat bread, I include the recipe for Pide simply because it's delicious!

If you're going to push the boat out with summer “salady” sharing plates, be them hot or cold dishes, then it would be rude not to include sides too.

So here goes with the Pide - I think it's actually pronounced pee-day.

You can choose whether you use the salt, oil and sesame seeds as a topping or roll in semolina and then sprinkle over it before baking.

Pide

one sachet of easy-blend yeast – 7g

pinch of salt

700g plain white flour

plus extra

1 egg

100ml olive oil

30g sesame seeds and coarse sea salt

for garnish or 2 tbsp semolina to roll

plus extra to sprinkle

Put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast and the olive oil reserving a little to brush over the bread prior to proving.

Mix until the dough forms into a firm ball, leaving the sides of the bowl. Cover with a clean damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Lightly oil two baking sheets.

Knock down the dough - divide into two, shape each into a round ball and then roll each in 1 tbsp of semolina . Roll out into two circles and place on the baking sheets. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sea salt, the reserved oil and sesame seeds. Alternatively you can sprinkle with additional semolina. Leave to prove for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Pre-heat your oven 210c/190fan/Gas 7.

Using your fingertips make dimples all over the surface – as you see in focaccia.

Bake in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and when the base is tapped the bread sounds hollow.

Yum!

Now for a couple of photos ...

The final flourish – the dressing …

… and a few hints and tips

The dressing … to go with the chicken tikka salad

Who would have thought you'd be drizzling a quintessential Italian combination of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar – a marriage we already know is made in heaven – with another Indian classic – tandoori chicken tikka.

The dressing

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1½ tbsps balsamic vinegar

1½ tsps brown sugar

¼ tsp coarse black pepper

¼ tsp cumin powder

pinch of salt

Whilst the chicken is cooking, with a whisk mix together all the dressing ingredients and leave to one side.

Now it's complete with the dressing drizzled!

Now it's looking even better – there are some dishes that just scream “eat me I'm delicious!”

A few thoughts so far :

I'd wear gloves when you coat the chicken – turmeric and chilli will stain your hands as well as equipment.

Make sure your “oven tray” has sides – unless you have a burning desire to clean your oven!

I used soft dark muscovado sugar in the dressing.

I marinaded the chicken from 11am – 7.30pm. It's very important that you cover the chicken marinade and keep it in a cold place. If you keep it in your fridge then bear in mind it's raw chicken and as such should be kept on the bottom shelf and more importantly that it is kept away from cooked food.

When the chicken is cooked I know you'll want to taste it – cook's privilege after all – a lot depends on your palate and that of your guests but tasted on its own you may find it a tad hot. I'd suggest that before you rush to judgement wait until you've assembled and tasted the completed salad.

A word about the “heat” of the spices. Remember recipes are meant to be a guide they are not set in stone. If you find the spices too powerful don't let it put you off – try reducing the green chilli paste, turmeric and red chilli powder from 1½ tsps to 1 tsp each.

It's personal taste after all – it's whatever suits you.

There's more to come ...

Passata pics and tips

Food for thought – my favourite tomato sauce recipe would be to serve with meatballs, in a bowl with good bread – what I call “feet up food”. Try a submarine roll filled with mozzarella slices or even spiced fried halloumi - add meatballs and drizzle with the tomato sauce.

More thoughts - a sauce base for a bolognaise or create a delicious tomato soup – if you're into cold soups then a gazpacho will tick that box.

The best - if you want a posh idea, turn your passata into a puttanesca sauce by adding tomato paste to enrich, followed by pitted Kalamata olives, capers and anchovy fillets.

Your freezer “store cupboard” will look very healthy!

Phew!

Italian Meatballs …

… the recipe that follows is easy and makes really tasty meatballs. As a rough guide 450g of minced meat will give you 24 meatballs.

Meatballs

450g minced beef, pork, turkey

or Quorn mince

*salt and black pepper

*garlic – either 2 tsps of paste or 2 cloves, crushed

*oregano – a generous sprinkle

*half a tsp of chilli

*heaped tbsp of tomato paste

*1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients marked *, mix well. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently.

Use a teaspoon as a measure and heaped with mixture, roll it between your hands and set aside on a board. When the meatballs are ready, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry on a low heat, gently and carefully shaking the pan to ensure they are evenly coloured – use tongs if you are accident prone! Seal the meatballs in batches - 8 at a time and then transfer to an oven-proof dish or foil tray ready for later – cool, cover and fridge.

When you are ready for supper later in the day place the dish or tray containing the meatballs in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and complete the cooking for 20 minutes – this time will vary depending on the sizes of the meatball – ensure that they are properly cooked – cut a larger one in half to be sure.

The perfect marriage with the “lip smackingly good” tomato sauce!

Note :

You can freeze Quorn mince once it has been cooked – make sure your meal is cold before freezing – use within a month. For use, defrost fully in the fridge and cook within 24 hours ensuring it's piping hot.

Now for the sauce photos

Here we go :

Onions, garlic and spices in the pan with tomato paste

The sauce at the beginning of the cook

Check out the depth of colour at the end

P.s. You could create a pizza with tomato sauce as a base and load with meatballs and whatever else takes your fancy – don't forget to treat yourself to a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan as well as the traditional mozzarella.

You could go the obvious route of spaghetti (as a guide 75g of dry spaghetti per person) - tomato sauce and meatballs – traditional is good!

One thing is certain your sauce and meatballs give you flexible working week supper ideas and the cherry on top of the cake – all you have to do is pull the sauce and the meatballs from your treasure chest.

What's not to love!

Odds and ends – arancini

Some of us make a risotto deliberately to turn into another dish – for arancini, aka rice balls – sounds a little odd I grant you but traditionally arancini was created to use up leftover risotto. It turns out that the arancini is equally as good as the risotto.

Here's a photo-guide, to illustrate how easy it is

Take three trays (I used foil) – measuring 23x23cms :

50g plain flour – tray 1

3 large eggs, beaten – tray 2

150g Panko crumbs – blitzed in a food processor – tray 3

You can use ordinary breadcrumbs if you can't get Panko

You'll need vegetable oil for shallow frying

Using damp hands, mould each square into a ball – make 3 at a time – place in the flour tray and jiggle, let the tray do the work. Repeat in the beaten egg and finally in the crumb. Jiggle is my own term, descriptive I think - the actual technical term is pané – meaning “breaded”. If you want to be really cheffy you can repeat the egg and crumb - “double pané” for extra crunch.

Place the arancini in the fridge for 20 minutes – use a large frying pan and cover the base in oil, heat gently – test to see it has reached temperature by dropping, gently, a small cube of bread into the oil – it should sizzle. Fry four or five at a time so you can easily turn the arancini and ensure you get an even golden brown colour – about 3-4 minutes. Set aside on a baking tray and keep warm in a pre-heated oven – 150fan/170c/Gas 3.

You don't have to make all 18 arancini – you can make 9 and freeze the remaining half of the risotto, leave in the tray, fold over and wrap tightly in foil.

Next … a couple of extra ideas

Taking it up a notch ...

... you can stuff your arancini with pancetta, basil and mozzarella, sun dried tomato or mushroom to name but a few. However, my favourite stuffing and another serving idea uses taleggio cheese – another Italian cheese which melts very well and so perfect for these beauties. It's not stringy like mozzarella, it melts and oozes – yum!

Here's the stuffing method which will give you 9 arancini – this stuffed alternative is perfect for a starter, albeit generous, served drizzled with Balsamic glaze and a side salad or with redcurrant jelly and a raw slaw – that's an impressive lunch box!

*You'll need a tray bake, measuring 31cms(12”)x 18cms(7¼”) as a guide.

Tip your cooked risotto into the tray, making sure it's flat and even, then cool, cover and fridge. You can leave for a couple of hours or overnight – whichever is more convenient to your schedule! You'll use half the tray of risotto – reserving the other half to freeze.

With the tray bake lengthways in front of you cut the risotto in half. Each half tray (6” or 15.5cms) gives you 9 arancini weighing 80/90gms, again as a guide. Using one half divide into 9 **squares – 2½” (6.5cms) 5”(13cms) and 7½” (19cms) and set aside. I used a good old fashioned school ruler – works a treat.

Prepping this way will give you pretty much similar sized arancini but don't stress!

In addition to the basic risotto you'll need 200g taleggio cheese,

rind removed and divided into 9 cubes,

Use exactly the same method as given previously - when

you've shaped the rice into a ball use your index finger

to create a hole - place a piece of taleggio inside

and close up the ball then complete by jiggling in

the flour, egg and finally breadcrumbs

Shallow fry in oil.

The stuffed arancini freezes well too – defrost thoroughly and warm through in a pre-heated oven 160 fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

Interested? There's a photo-guide coming up in Odds and ends … !

My piadas – hints & tips

You can leave your piadas rough around the edges if you want rustic or you can cut into circles – small is beautiful – especially if you're serving to guests and want to show off. Cutter or rustic, this is the question!

To help, the cutter I used was 10 cms in diameter – in truth 12 cms would have been better – it was the largest I had. I'm having the larger one made as we speak.

Use a timer when you're cooking your breads – if you get distracted you won't get burnt offerings. Another tip. If you intend to freeze your breads then cook for 1 minute each side only - then when you're ready to use from the freezer you've the extra minute each side before serving.

When you cooking your breads you'll get four in a large non-stick frying pan.

Here's my piada :

Here's a recipe if you want to have a go at making your own …

What's next – Piada …

… Piada is a thin Italian flatbread. Piadina is the larger version – typically from the Romagna region – no yeast required! It's a perfect receptacle for street food or more accurately “kiosk” food – sweet or savoury and there's a size to suit every appetite. More to the point it's ideal to serve with sharing plates!

It's not very often I recommend nay rave about “store bought” stuff but here's my suggestion not just for the summer, for any time.

You can buy piada or piadina from most supermarkets. The bread takes 2 minutes each side to warm and colour in a dry, non-stick frying pan. Keep your warmed breads wrapped in foil until you're ready to serve.

Here's what they look like:

Here's a serving idea :

Check out this taco stand – fill your piada with whatever takes your fancy – cheeses, meats, salads and slot into the stand.

Available on line or stores like Dunelm - how very international!

The pizza option …

… it seems fitting that we should serve a “mini” pizza – variety is the spice of life!

I give you “Stromboli”. This is a recipe for those that you know are going to say …. “I don't like … “.

If you are catering for a mixed age group or just want something that you know will fit this is the one! It's also the fastest pizza you'll ever make. It cheats in that you use a ready-made pizza base – if you're a purist knock yourself out and make your own base – in my defence my mission is to make your life easy.

Stromboli

400g prepared pizza dough or ready-made base

4 tbsp tomato paste

100g thinly sliced salami

120g baby spinach

100g thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic Italian seasoning

Pre-heat your oven 220fan/200c/Gas 8. Place a large baking tray in the oven.

Place a dampened J cloth on your work surface. Place a piece of baking parchment on top of the cloth – it will stop it sliding – make sure you leave enough to get hold of – you're going to lift it onto the hot baking tray that's in the oven at the moment. Unroll the pizza dough gently on the parchment.

Spread the tomato paste onto the base. Add the slices of salami, followed by the spinach and then the mozzarella and sprinkle with the oregano or garlic Italian seasoning. Roll up the base from the shortest side and brush with the olive oil - make sure it's seam-side down when placed on the tray.

WITH CARE remove the tray from the oven and then carefully lift the parchment and the rolled up pizza onto it. Place back in the oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown – check at 20 minutes.

When removed from the oven slice into portions to suit and serve.

There are photos …

Choose any of your favourite pizza toppings to create your own Stromboli – I said it was fast!.

As for the prepared pizza dough – try Asda for a block of vegan dough @ £2.50 per 400g pack – you'll find it in the chiller cabinet with the other types of pastry.

Hmm, what's next …

Up next …

… another all time winner for me would be frittata – everyone loves it and it is just as tasty served cold as it is hot.

Frittata

Serves 4

4 large eggs

400g cooked new potatoes, cubed

1 medium onion, finely chopped or 4 spring onions finely chopped

glug of rapeseed oil (2 tbsp)

black pepper

2 handfuls of grated mature cheddar cheese (50g approx)

1-2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

I use my trusted large frying pan for this task – the one I'm always droning on about - suitable to use in the oven as well as on the hob. I make this point because if you use this recipe then you'll be placing the frying pan under the grill – if you use an ordinary frying pan you may damage the handle, not to mention safety issues!

To begin, turn on your grill but before doing so check that the frying pan will slide easily into the space leaving at least two inches gap between the pan and the grill itself otherwise you'll burn the top and the middle won't be cooked.

Sauté the onion in a little rapeseed oil until softened. Add the cooked cubed potatoes. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl, add two large handfuls of cheese and black pepper.

Add the egg and cheese mixture to the onions and potatoes and cook on a medium heat on the hob for 2/3 minutes. Then place the pan under the grill and allow to cook for 2/3 minutes. REMOVE THE PAN USING OVEN GLOVES. Using a fish slice gently flatten down the frittata so that you break the top – you'll find that the egg mixture is still not quite cooked. Place the pan back under the grill for another2/3 minutes or until it is golden brown.

You have unlimited options to add to your frittata – you could begin with sautéing 200g diced chorizo which, as we know gives the declicious spicy oil. Then add the onions and potatoes as above.

To serve slide your cooked frittata onto a wooden board. Frittata looks impressive and inviting served hot and whole – you could if you prefer use a small circular cutter and cut individual portions – hot or cold. Sprinkle with the parsley either way!

It's the perfect addition to a sharing plate!

Then there's the pizza option ...

 

Crostini spreads – to buy ready-made or not …

...that is the question!

Do whatever suits you – there are some great quality tapenade and pesto products out there. If you're going to use ready-made buy as good a quality as you can afford.

If you'd like to give it a try, here are recipes for both :

Tapenade

100g black olives, pitted

4/5 cloves of garlic (or equivalent tsps of paste)

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

black pepper

lemon juice – try a dessert spoon – you can always add more

4 finely chopped anchovies, drained

75g chopped capers

Blitz the olives, then add the garlic, capers and anchovies and blitz again, briefly – you want a rustic paste, not mush. Tip into a bowl and add the oil, lemon juice and black pepper to taste – remember to taste as you go you can't take it back!

Pesto is vibrantly green! It's made from crushed basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil.

The following recipe serves 4, is easy and takes 10 minutes to make.

Pesto

1 small garlic clove or equivalent roasted

pinch of sea salt

25g pine nuts, lightly toasted

50g fresh basil leaves

juice of half a lemon

125ml extra virgin olive oil

Use a small food processor. Put the garlic and salt in the bowl and pulse, then add the pine nuts and repeat until roughly chopped – don't overwork. Add the basil and pulse gently until well mixed but still retains texture. Turn into a serving bowl and add the Parmesan and lemon juice. Pour in the olive oil and mix to a paste. Season to taste.

You could make the pesto ahead and transfer to a jar with a tight lid (sterilised of course) – drizzle a layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If I had to choose one to make from scratch it would be tapenade every time – it really is scrumptious.

Tomato paste is a bit strong for my taste - if it's not cooked it has a bitter taste but preparing some of each will cater for everyone. A tip – a thin scrape of paste is all that's required!

One might say the crostini is fiddly, but, almost all of it can be done in advance and you can take short cuts for example, you can buy sliced pitted olives, ready to blitz after draining.

Next up … Italian sharing plates

Cake and other Notes ...

You could bake your own Madeira cake if you wish but it seems unfair on the cake when you're going to dunk it in syrup! Why note use an “economy” range Madeira cake available in most supermarkets – a word to the wise – they vary in size so I'd buy two to be on the safe side.

You could bake a lemon drizzle cake for the lemon version, instead of the Madeira or again, use shop-bought if that's more convenient or you're not a baker!

For the decoration choices :

2 x Cadbury's Flake – perfect for the kids

or

grated plain chocolate – or small chocolate

drops if you have them - perfect for the big kids

or

crushed Amaretti biscuits - perfect for those

who don't like chocolate and/or added crunch

A tip if you're using the Flake for the kids, bash it in its packet so that it doesn't fly all over the kitchen worktop, open carefully and sprinkle over to decorate. If you want grown-up “sprinkles” grate plain chocolate or use small plain chocolate drops if you have them in your pantry!

Crushed Amaretti biscuits are a great addition for “crunch” and texture – with or without the chocolate choices - since they are an iconic Italian ingredient it seems only fitting to include them.

Here's a photo of the Lemon Tiddy Tiramisu :

You can see that you don't have to line the glass, you just alternate layers of cake and mixture finishing with a cake top. Add a teaspoon of lemon curd to the cake top then cling film loosely and fridge until you're ready to decorate and serve.

The idea is to give the tiddy height using a circle of cake at the bottom of the glass and then line the glass with circles of cake. Place a generous blob of mixture on top of the circle in the bottom, then repeat with another circle of cake and mixture – you should get three tiers finishing with a circle of cake on the top.

Now for the recipe ...

Extra help and hints & tips!

You have serving options – one large Tiramisu or a tiddy – meaning a small or individual serving.

I don't know whether you've come across this product, but you can buy orange curd. It's delicious and an excellent addition to your store cupboard.

I added the orange curd – 2 tablespoons - to my Mascarpone mixture, folding it through to give a rippled effect and extra zing!

In addition to the sprinkled chocolate I added 4 Amaretti biscuits, crushed to a crumb. Set aside and sprinkle with the chocolate and crumb just before serving.

Don't forget to omit the alcohol, substituting with orange juice when catering for the kiddies.

A little help – if you opt for the tiddy set your stall out – choose your size of glass or dish and an appropriate cutter to fit – here's a photo of the glass I use :

The glass has a capacity of 160ml – it measures 7 cms in diameter and 7 cms deep - the cutter I use measures 4cms in diameter and I slice the cake in 1cm slices. The method is exactly the same as that given in the Orange Tiramisu recipe and will give you six individual servings.

You don't have to line the glass, you can just alternate layers of cake and mixture finishing with a cake top. Add a teaspoon of the orange curd to the cake top then cling film loosely and fridge until you're ready to decorate and serve.

When you're ready – sprinkle with the chocolate and crushed Amaretti biscuits – the curd “glues” the chocolate and Amaretti biscuits in place.

The tiddy benefits from being made ahead – time to soak up all that orange loveliness – and the alcohol too if you are indulging in a grown-up version.

The choice is yours – whichever is appropriate for the party you're hosting!

Or may be you'd prefer a lemon version …

The extra mile – the ice cream!

I always seem to plan my menus in reverse, with ideas for desserts first!

There's nothing that will serve you better than a home-made ice cream and all my recipes are of the “no-churn” variety. I use the standard vanilla ice-cream base recipe to begin :

Vanilla ice cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Total time – 5 minutes

plus freezing at least 6-8 hours

or until firm

Gives you 1.6 litres of ice cream is equal

to 18 scoops

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, then decant into smallish containers.

To serve – remove from the freezer and allow to soften.

Serve with the cake, drizzle and a scoop of ice cream.

The genius of this idea is that you can freeze it, each element alleviating the stress on the day.

I took a risk and served this at a dinner party, not knowing two of my guests' taste, thankfully it went down a storm!

Next … a lemon recipe

Oranges and Lemons …

Here are a few recipes with, not surprisingly, oranges and lemons!

First up, my favourite cake, tried and tested and a flourless recipe – it stands wonderfully on it's own and is equally a perfect celebration cake with extra bits.

You wouldn't normally serve a cake as a dinner party dessert I hear you say, the following may change your mind.

Gateau a l'Orange

(Orange Cake)

Serves 12

2 oranges

6 large eggs

250g sugar

2 tbsp orange blossom water

1 tsp baking powder

250g ground almonds

Wash the oranges and boil them whole for 1 – 1½ hours or until they are very soft.

Beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the orange blossom water, baking powder and almonds and mix well. *Cut open the oranges, remove the pips and purée in a food processor. Mix thoroughly with the egg and almond mixture and pour into a 23cm cake tin – lined with baking parchment, preferably non-stick and with a removable base. Bake in a pre-heated oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5 for an hour. Let it cool before turning out.

Believe me when I say that I stared at this recipe for years. What put me off baking this cake was the boiling of the oranges for the time allotted, an hour and a half is too long for me watching oranges and it's so easy to become distracted - before you know it you have a burnt saucepan and the rest, as they say, is history.

To bring it up to date - instead of boiling the oranges, microwave them for 8 minutes on high.

Pierce the oranges with a paring knife – carefully and microwave for 4 minutes then turn and repeat. Make sure your fruits are in a covered vented microwave container. Leave to cool. Continue with the recipe marked *.

A useful tip. Microwave the oranges ahead of making the cake so that they can cool, it will be much easier and safer to prep them, ready to pulverise.

You could enjoy this cake on its own but … hold that thought …

Nasi with all things fishy …

… I hope you enjoy this variation of the original recipe – some might say “if it ain't broke don't fix it” - in the interests of those who don't eat meat I rest my case!

Here it is :

Nasi with all things fishy

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed or garlic paste

half tsp chilli powder or sambal paste

8oz (225g) cooked rice

6oz (175g) cooked salmon fillet, flaked

6oz (175g) smoked salmon, finely sliced

6oz (175g) peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

120ml Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)

60ml dark soy sauce

4-6 hard boiled eggs, quartered

black pepper

Serves 4-6

Add the vegetable oil to a wok and heat gently. Add the onions, garlic and chilli powder and fry until lightly browned. Add the rice and cook for a few seconds then stir in the salmon and prawns.

Mix the kecap manis and soy sauce together, stir into the rice mixture, then season to taste with pepper.

Add the eggs, folding in gently, serve immediately, straight from the wok.

You can adjust the amounts of fish/seafood to your own personal taste – bearing in mind that you have two elements to replace from the original recipe – chicken and ham – 175g each plus 175g of prawns. You are adding hard boiled eggs and although these are a garnish they are definitely an integral part of the dish since the sauce is quite punchy and the fish quite salty so they play an important part in the balance.

Once again though, make it your own – adjust to suit yourself, if you want more prawns then adjust the amount of salmon accordingly. The great thing about this recipe is that it is a “leftovers” dish i.e. everything in it, apart from the onion, garlic and chilli and the sauce, is already cooked.

Optional sides :

Add a dish of chopped honey roasted cashews

Add bowls of soy and Kecap Manis for extra drizzle

Add a stack of small thin wraps – small wraps are easier

to control for little fingers

Add a stack of Little Gem lettuce cups – ideal for

filling with the Nasi and devouring – you'll save on

cutlery too!

a perfect “dive in dish”

Me thinks it's a perfect Saturday night treat.

Mornay Fish Pie

Before I move on to other stuff, here's the next level in fish pie, zhuzing with a mornay sauce - simple and delicious, especially if you're a fish pie fan.

This recipe uses my usual “plan ahead” strategy!

Mornay Fish Pie

Serves 4

2 large baking potatoes – stab carefully with a

paring knife, wrap in foil and bake for 1 hour at

180fan/200c/Gas 6

Set aside to cool then slice thinly – skin on or

off – personal choice

Whilst your potatoes are baking wrap 400g/14oz of fresh

fish in foil and bake for the last 15 minutes of your

potato baking time – use a timer!

Set the fish and potatoes aside to cool until ready to assemble

Your fish can be a mixture of whatever you choose – for example, smoked haddock or cod with salmon and prawns – it's whatever floats your boat – pardon the pun. If you're using cooked peeled prawns as part of your 400g/14oz of fish don't add them until you're assembling your pie. You can buy bags of mixed pieces of fish designed for a pie if you don't want to make up your own.

Now for your therapy – the mornay sauce.

Mornay sauce is French – usually enriched with egg yolks. My version is without the egg yolks. I realise this is not for the purists but I haven't received any complaints.

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

salt and black pepper

½ tsp Dijon mustard - optional

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese, mustard and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly.

You can make the sauce ahead, cool, box and fridge. You can freeze it too if that's more convenient.

Assembly

When you're ready to assemble, preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

As you know I use foil trays – in this case 24x24cms/9½x9½ inches – otherwise a square casserole.

Open up your foiled fish and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Break the fish into chunks, gently, then season with black pepper. If you're using cooked, peeled prawns, now is the time to add them. There will be jelly from the cooked fish – discard or include – it's all flavour and will combine with the sauce you've made. If you've not used any smoked fish then you may want to add a sprinkle of salt. Add your Mornay sauce and fold to mix, gently.

Tip the mixture into your tray or casserole.

Add the sliced cooked potatoes, add a knob or two of butter and ground black pepper. If you're feeling really decadent then sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you can make each element when convenient for you. All you have to remember is to take the sauce out of the freezer!

Last but by no means least it's Indonesian ...