Dinner ‘on the go’ made easy

Sometimes the last thing any of us want to do is go home and cook, so as a result I’m always thinking of easy recipes that cook quickly and taste good.

The salmon fishcakes can be made very quickly or sometimes I make them the night before ready to take straight from the fridge, or they can be cooked and reheated the following day. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly and somehow in my house vegetables are more acceptable when served with nice pasta.

I grow a lot of herbs and vegetables in the garden and often the family meals are chosen based on what’s available.

Often, if I’m looking for inspiration, I’ll refer to one of my Nigel Slater cookbooks. I particularly like that if you have vegetables which you want to use, his indexes give lots of ideas for different foods. His books are really nice and well worth investing in or gifting to anybody who loves food.

salmon fishcakes

1lb Potatoes, cooked & mashed

3 Salmon Fillets, poached, cooled and flaked

2tsp Tomato Ketchup

1tsp Wholegrain Mustard

1tbsp Parsley, chopped

1tbsp Dill, chopped

Zest of ½ Lemon

Salt & Pepper

3tbsp Flour

1 Egg, beaten

4oz Fresh Breadcrumbs

4tbsp Sunflower Oil

Preheat oven 180. Mix together the potato, ketchup, mustard, lemon zest, herbs and salt & pepper.

Lightly mix in the salmon, taking care not to break it up too much. Shape into 4 fish cakes. Into 3 separate bowls place the egg, flour and breadcrumbs and dip each of the fish cakes firstly into the flour then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in the pan and fry over a medium heat for 1 minute each side. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and finish in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve with a green salad & sweet chilli jam.

sweet chilli jam

8 Ripe Tomatoes

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 Small Onion, chopped

8oz Castor Sugar

3½ fl oz. Red Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar

1tsp Dried Chilli Flakes

3 Fl oz. Water

Boil all the ingredients together rapidly for about 20 minutes until tomatoes are softened. Then blitz with a hand blitzer and return to the heat and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the jam reduces.

This will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month. Delicious served with fish cakes or mixed with crème fraiche or mayonnaise and spread onsandwiches.

Courgette & Ricotta Pasta

1 Onion, chopped

4 Courgettes, thinly sliced

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1 Bag of Fresh Pasta

Handful Basil, chopped

Zest 1 Lemon

2oz Parmesan Cheese, grated

2oz Pine Nuts, toasted

1 Tub Ricotta Cheese

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion & courgette until soft then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack. Pour the pasta into the pan with the vegetables and add the basil, lemon zest, Parmesan and pine nuts. Season with salt & pepper and crumble over the ricotta cheese.