THESE meals from Jamie Oliver’s brand-newcook book will have even the fussiest of eaters going mmmmm – and they’re full of goodness, too…
ALPHABET TOMATO SOUP FRESH BASIL & CHEDDAR CHEESE
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Lots of lovely fresh tomatoes, plus chilli, gives us a big hit of vitamin C here – this keeps our blood vessels strong, so our hearts don’t have to work as hard to pump blood around the body.
Serves 4
Total time 1 hour
*2 red onions
*2 carrots
*2 sticks of celery
*olive oil
*½–1 fresh red chilli
*½ a bulb of garlic
*½ a bunch of fresh basil (15g)
*1.5kg ripe cherry tomatoes, on the vine
*300g dried alphabet pasta
*80g Cheddar cheese
1The idea of this recipe is to get it all cooking fast, then let the heat do the work, giving a soup with a taste that will immediately remind you of that incredible smell of tomatoes growing in a greenhouse. Peel the onions, trim the carrots and celery, then chop into 2cm chunks and chuck into a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Deseed and add the chilli, then squash and add the whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Pick the baby basil leaves into a cup of cold water, then add the rest of the bunch (stalks and all – for massive extra flavour) to the pan. Wash and add the whole tomatoes (stalks, vines and all). Stir for 5 minutes, then cover with 2 litres of water. Boil fast for 40 minutes, then turn the heat off.
2Set up another pan alongside the soup with a coarse sieve in it. Ladle the chunky soup into the sieve, really crushing and pushing all that goodness through, leaving just the stalks and skins behind, which you can discard as you go. Bring up to the boil, stir in the pasta and simmer until it’s just cooked, then taste the soup and season to perfection. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese and the baby basil leaves.
Lovely leftovers
If you’re not serving up all four portions at once, you’ll find that left overnight in the fridge, the pasta sucks up even more of the soup, making it the perfect topping for a nice piece of wholemeal toast.
Nutritional info:
Cals: 487kcal
Fat: 13.2g
Sat fat: 5.4g
Protein: 18.7g
Carbs: 78.3g
Sugar: 22.5g
Salt: 0.6g
Fibre: 18.7g
Portions of fruit and veg: 3
CHICKEN LOLLIPOP DIPPERS, PEA & MINT COUSCOUS, CHARRED ASPARAGUS
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As well as being nice and high in fibre, humble wholewheat couscous is high in the mineralcopper, which our metabolic systems need in order to function efficiently.
Serves 2
Total time 24 minutes
*250g fine asparagus
*120g fresh or frozen peas
*120g wholewheat couscous
*1 lemon
*20g flaked almonds
*2 x 120g free-range skinless chicken breasts
*Olive oil
*2 heaped teaspoons sun-dried tomato paste
*2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
*½ a bunch of fresh mint (15g)
1Trim six wooden skewers so they’ll fit inside a large non-stick frying pan, then soak in cold water. Trim the woody ends off the asparagus, then char in the dry pan on a medium heat, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, place the peas and couscous in a bowl. Finely grate over the lemon zest, then just cover with boiling kettle water. Pop a plate on top and leave to fluff up.
2Once done, remove the asparagus to the plate, crumble the almonds into the pan to toast until lightly golden, then remove. Use the base of a pan to flatten the thicker side of the chicken breasts slightly, then use three wooden skewers to pierce each chicken breast at regular intervals. Sprinkle both breasts with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and rub with 1 teaspoon of oil. Place the chicken breasts in the pan for 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through, but still juicy, turning every couple of minutes, and returning theasparagus to the pan for the last minute to warm through.
3Meanwhile, mix the sun-dried tomato paste with the yoghurt and half the lemon juice until smooth. Fluff up the couscous, squeeze over the remaining lemon juice, then pick, finely chop and stir in the mint leaves. Taste and season to perfection. Slice between the skewers to create chicken lollipops ready to dunk in the sun-dried tomato yoghurt and coat in the crunchy almonds, then serve up with the couscous and asparagus.
Nutritional info:
Cals: 535 kcal
Fat: 15.7g
Sat fat: 2.7g
Protein: 46.2g
Carbs: 53.8g
Sugar: 8.2g
Salt: 0.9g
Fibre: 7.9g
Portions of fruit and veg: 2
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SUPER TUNA PASTA SALAD, FETA & CRISPY CAYENNE CRUMBS
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Tuna gives us a hit of vitamin D, which in turn helps our bodies to absorb calcium from thefeta cheese and natural yoghurt, and they’re what makes this salad creamy and delicious.
Serves 4
Total time 25 minutes
*1 small red onion
*2 lemons
*250g dried pasta shells
*350g broccoli
*1 slice of wholemeal bread (50g)
*½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
*1 cucumber
*½ a bunch of fresh chives or dill (15g)
*4 tablespoons natural yoghurt
*2 x 120g tins of tuna in spring water, from sustainable sources
*50g feta cheese
1Peel and finely chop the onion, place in a large bowl with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then squeeze over all the lemon juice and put aside.
2Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Chop the broccoli florets off the stalk. Cut the woody end off the stalk, halve the stalk lengthways, then chuck it in with the pasta to cook through. Chop the florets into small bite-sized chunks, adding them to the water for the last minute only, just to take the rawness away.
3Meanwhile, whiz the bread and cayenne into crumbs in a food processor, then toast in a dry non-stick frying pan on a medium heat until golden and crispy, tossing regularly. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and scrape out the watery core, then finely slice. Finely chop the herbs. Mix the yoghurt into the lemony onion, then add the cucumber and herbs. Drain the pasta and broccoli, finely chop the broccoli stalk, and add it all to the bowl of dressing. Drain and flake in the tuna, toss together well, then taste and season to perfection. Divide between your bowls, and serve sprinkled with crumbled feta and the hot crispy crumbs.
Nutritional info:
Cals: 411 kcal
Fat: 6.2g
Sat fat: 2.7g
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 58.9g
Sugar: 8.8g
Salt: 1.5g
Fibre: 6.4g
Portions of fruit and veg: 2
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Recipes from Super Food Family Classics by Jamie Oliver published by Penguin Random Houseⓒ Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2016 Super Food Family Classics) Photographer: Jamie Oliver
