Eat your Heart out: Cooking After Care Made Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 people (save half in the fridge or freezer if dining alone)

Ingredients
500g beef or lamb mince
200g dried pasta (100g each)
340g tomato passata
1 tbsp. tomato purée
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 large white onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 carrot (diced)
1 tsp. sugar
5 closed cup chestnut mushrooms (diced)
50g Cheddar cheese (grated)
1 handful fresh basil (roughly torn)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment: You will need two large lidded saucepans and a colander.

Method
1. The first thing to do is bring a large pan of salted water to the boil with the lid in place. When boiling point is reached, add the pasta to the water and boil for around 15-20 minutes, until soft.

1. While you’re waiting, fry the onion, garlic, carrot and bay leaf in 4 tablespoons of oil with a large pinch of salt until the onions are completely soft and translucent.

2. Next add the mince and cook until browned. Then stir in the tomato purée and continue to cook for a further minute or two before stirring in the passata along with the mushrooms. Simmer for around ten minutes, adding a few splashes of the starch water from the pasta to thicken the sauce, and then add the sugar and chopped basil with another large pinch of salt.

3. After around 15-20 minutes the pasta should be cooked and ready to drain, and the sauce should be thick and sumptuous. The last thing to do is combine the pasta and the sauce and stir in the last two tablespoons of oil for a lovely silky texture. Serve in large bowls with a sprinkling of grated cheese and black pepper, and garnish with a few basil leaves to finish.

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1 person

Ingredients
400g closed cup chestnut mushrooms (thickly sliced)
2 slices toasted and buttered bread
½ red onion (diced)
1 garlic clove (thinly sliced or crushed)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large knob unsalted butter
1 handful flat leaf parsley (chopped)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment: You will need a medium-sized frying pan.

Method
1. Over a medium heat, fry the onion and garlic in half of the oil with a pinch of salt. When the onions have softened completely, toss in the sliced mushrooms along with the rest of the oil and continue to cook for a few minutes.

1. At this point you can put the bread on to toast. When the mushrooms have softened and begin to release their juices, add the butter and stir until the mushrooms are fully coated. Serve hot on buttered toast and finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and black pepper.

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 1 or 2 people (depending on how hungry you are!)

Ingredients
1/2 white onion (thinly sliced)
1 garlic clove (thinly sliced or crushed)
1/4 white cabbage (thinly sliced using a sharp knife or mandolin)
1/2 large white potato (peeled and grated)
1/2 courgette (grated)
1/2 carrot (grated)
6 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. chilli powder (optional)
50g butter or 4 tbsp. oil (vegetable or olive)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment: You will need a medium-sized frying pan and access to a grill.

Method
1. Fry the onion, garlic and cabbage in all of the oil or butter along with a large pinch of salt. After 3-4 minutes use a wooden spoon to stir in the tomatoes, carrot, courgette and potato and continue to fry for around 5 minutes, adding more oil or butter as needed, and stirring every so often to prevent too much sticking.

1. When all of the vegetables are soft and cooked through, turn the grill on to the hottest setting and crack the eggs over the other ingredients in the pan. When the egg begins to turn white, remove the pan from the hob and place it underneath the grill. Leave for 2-3 minutes until the egg turns completely white, then leave to cool for a minute or two.

2. When cooled slightly, use a spatula to carefully scrape the bubble and squeak out of the pan and onto a plate and finish with a sprinkling of chilli powder if desired.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 2 people (save half in the fridge or freezer if dining alone)

Ingredients
200g spaghetti (100g per portion)
1 medium white onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
1 small carrot (diced)
1 small courgette (diced)
8 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
4 tbsp. oil (olive or vegetable)
1 bay leaf
1 handful flat leaf parsley (chopped)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment: You will need a large saucepan, a medium-sized frying pan and a colander.

Method
1. Bring a pan of cold water to the boil with a large pinch of salt and cook the pasta for ten to fifteen minutes until soft.

1. While you’re waiting for the pasta to cook, fry the onion, garlic and bay leaf in half of the oil along with a pinch of salt for around ten minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Next, add the carrot, courgette and cherry tomato and continue to fry for a further five minutes, adding the rest of the oil and more salt if desired.

2. When the pasta is almost ready, use a pair of tongs or two forks to transfer it from the water into the frying pan, allowing a good splash of the starch water to drip in as well. Mix everything together in the pan and continue to cook for a minute or so, until the starch water has thickened to create a sauce.

3. When the pasta is cooked, remove the frying pan from the heat and add a little cracked black pepper. Serve in a large bowl with sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley or grated Cheddar cheese to finish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 people (save leftovers in the fridge or freezer if dining alone)

Ingredients
4 tbsp. oil (olive or vegetable)
1 white onion (diced)
1 white potato (peeled and diced)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced or crushed)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 parsnips (chopped)
1 stick celery (chopped)
1 handful parsley (chopped)
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 slices buttered bread or toast
Salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment: You will need a large lidded saucepan and a hand-held blender.

Method
1. Over a medium heat, fry the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf in all of the oil with a pinch of salt (you can add a little more oil if the ingredients start to stick to bottom of pan). When the onions are soft and translucent, add the carrots, parsnips and potato with another pinch of salt, and continue to cook for a few minutes.

1. When the vegetables have softened slightly, add just enough cold water to cover them and bring to the boil with the lid in place. When boiling point is reached, turn down the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are easily broken with a metal spoon.

2. Use a hand-held blender to purée the vegetables to a thick, smooth consistency, and then leave to cool for a few minutes. To finish, serve in your favourite bowl or mug with a sprinkling of parsley and your choice of buttered bread or toast.