Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers/ BBC Dig In

BBC1, 8.30 pm Weds 24 November
Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers

4/8 Series 2.
The chef reveals how to make feasts out of ingredients that have seen better days.  Stale bread, brown bananas and hard cheese are all transformed to make meals that are truly delicious, including cheese pudding, banana and chocolate cake, and bacon and squash pan fry.

The series is part of the BBC's Dig In campaign encouraging people to grow and cook their own food.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin/

Here, you can watch exclusive clips from the new series of Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers.
The series features five dishes created by Nigel using the Dig In veg.


You can also print off the Dig In recipe booklet, browse more recipes and get top tips on growing and using herbs and vegetables.  Visit the blogs and message boards too.

Chilli and sweet spring onion feta on ciabatta toast

Ingredients:

Block of feta cheese - 1.17

3 or 4 spring onions (reduced from 85p to 20p) - 5p

1 fresh red chilli (reduced from 65p to 25p) - 5p

Piece of ciabatta (reduced from 95p to 65p) - 45p

Olive oil

Lemon juice

A little brown sugar (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

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Slice the cheese into four pieces- half and half again.

Roughly slice the spring onion, and finely slice the chilli.

Put the cheese into a grill-proof dish, scatter over the spring onion and chilli, and sprinkle generously with olive oil, squirt with lemon juice and sprinkle with a little brown sugar and fresh ground pepper.

Grill until soft and charred.  The sugar will 'caramalise' the onion if you use it, and contrast with the sharpness of the lemon juice and salty feta.

Serve on toasted ciabatta, drizzling the juice onto the toast before topping with the cheese, onion and chilli.

Omit the brown sugar for a more piquant and less sweet taste.

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Total cost: £1.72 (made four toasts - serves 2 as a snack)

Feta cheese on toast

A simple, quick and delicious way of using up the rest of the greek cheese, and a reduced ciabatta that had seen fresher days.

Ingredients:

A third of a ciabatta (Reduced from 95p to 65p) - 23p

Half greek style cheese (£1.17) -65p

Olive oil

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Split and toast the ciabatta.

Grill the feta on a tray of foil, sprinkled generously with olive oil and turning once.

Gently 'spread' the feta over the toasted ciabatta and eat whilst hot!

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Total cost: 88p (supper for one)

'Pink Lady' Fried Burritos

This was a very experimental process, and I seem to have ended up making a cross between a burrito and a chimichanga..  I always had the idea of making this, after enjoying a fried burrito style wrap which was greek cheese, potato and spinach flavoured with cumin and wrapped in filo pastry, fried to heat and eat. 

I found some salad leaves that were reduced and some very cheap tortillas, and had a bag of lovely little cumin seeds.  Of course I had a potato in my fridge, and bought some greek style cheese (feta).

This worked very well, but the tortilla fries very quickly so can burn if on too high a heat, and frankly the cress was not a good idea.  I wanted pepperiness, and the rocket was perfect for this, but the texture of the cress made the entire burrito experience stringy.  Still, you live and learn in this game.

If I could make this again, I would simply use -potato, cumin, spinach, rocket and feta, using the same approach.  And of course, more or less anything could be put into a fried burrito like this.  The thing to remember is that the final frying will only heat up the contents, and then only gently, so anything that needs to actually cook will need to be cooked beforehand.

Ingredients:

Bag of spinach & beetroot salad (reduced from 1.00 to 20p)

Bag of rocket (reduced from 1.00 to 15p)

Greek salad cheese - 1.17 (half used 65p)

Chilli & coriander tortillas - 59p (20p)

1 potato

Punnet of cress (reduced from 29p to 10p)

Cumin seeds

Black pepper

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Peel, cube, boil and drain the potato.  Then fry in oil with cumin seeds.

Add leaves and cubed feta and fry down until pliable and mixed.



Mix with the cress in a bowl and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean, then add oil.

Put a little of the mixture into a tortilla and fold into a parcel.

Fry (folded edge down first) and turn.

Serve when lightly browned and eat immediately.

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Total cost: £1.30 (made four fried burritos)

Haddock on watercress with sweet thyme carrots and chive mash

Fish and watercress were the reduced items, and of course the fish can be cooked any way you like, and with anything you have.  But here I have kept everything simple, as usual using things that I happen to have - in this case, chives and thyme.  The carrots were fantastic - a little butter and sugar really take them to a level of gourmet delight.

Ingredients

2 haddock fillets (reduced from 3.00 to 49p)

Bag watercress (reduced from 1.00 to 20p)

4 potatoes (in fridge) - 25p

Chopped chives (from pot on roof)

5 carrots (in fridge, had seen better days) - 20p

Butter

a splash or two of milk

salt

pepper

brown sugar

lemon juice

few sprigs thyme (pot on roof)

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Peel, quarter and boil the potatoes.

Slice carrots and season with salt, pepper and a tsp of brown sugar.  Heat a generous amount of butter in a dish in the oven and roast the carrots on a high heat for about 20 mins - 200, adding the time half way through cooking.

Pan fry the haddock, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Wilt the watercress in a pan with a little butter.

Drain and mash the potatoes with butter, salt, pepper, milk and chopped chives.

 

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Total cost (served 2) - 1.14

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Cheats' Sheek Kebabs

This is a very easy way of making delicious sheek kebabs, using shortcuts with the spices.  It helps to leave the mince mixture to marinate in the fridge for a good few hours or overnight if you can, especially as the spices are not heated to piquancy as they would be authentically.

You can be very liberal with the quantities - ie more or less mince, onion, chilli, coriander etc.  And I used very approximate teaspoons of garlic & ginger puree.  In true Austerity style, the secret here is to just go with what you've got.  Some fresh mint would be great too, but mine had withered and died so I just used the coriander by itself.

Ingredients:

450g lean beef mince (special offer, reduced by 1/3, 2.01)

Bag chopped white onion (reduced from 55p to 19p)

3 green chillis (reduced to 35p for 4)

Handful of finely chopped coriander (grown in herb garden on roof)\

1 egg - 20p

salt and pepper

Pureed ginger - 2tsps

Pureed garlic - 2 tsps

Garam masala - 2 tsps

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Use your hands, and 'squidge' the mince through your fingers until its consistency becomes smooth and everything is very well mixed.  Leave and chill if possible, to let the flavours develop and take hold.

To make the kebabs, use the handle of a wooden spoon, and squeeze a handful of the mixture around the spoon, forming a long, even, kebab shape.  The mixture may be a little sticky, and if it is you can use water or oil on your hands to prevent this.  Ease each formed kebab off the spoon gently and either place on a grill to cook, turning regularly for about 15-20 minutes, or you can freeze these kebabs.

There are a myriad of ways to enjoy these kebabs - with a letuce, tomato and onion salad as a starter, or rolled into a naan bread with a little salad and either cucumber raita or chilli sauce, for example. The only limit is your imagination.

These quantities will make about 10 large sheek kebabs. 

Total cost: 2.50

Egg fried rice noodles with spring onion and chilli

I found a bag of rice noodles with spring onion, reduced from 1.19 to 35p.  With some very easy additions, this made a filling oriental style snack.

Rice noodles with spring onions - 35p

1 egg, beaten and seasoned - 20p

Little chilli paste

Sesame oil

Chopped coriander

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Heat a little sesame oil in a pan.

Add the (ready cooked) rice noodles with spring onion.

Fry for five or six minutes, and add some chilli (fresh chopped would be ideal).

Make a little space in the middle of the pan, and pour in the beaten, seasoned egg.  Scramble the egg then stir through the noodles in the pan, and serve, sprinkled with coriander.

Total cost (served 2) - 55p

Balsamic seared scallops with garlic and butter cabbage and leek, and fried potatoes

The reduced scallops and greens prompted this dish. While I used some ready prepared potatoes with bacon, par-boiling some potatoes and frying them with seasoning - or including some bacon lardons - would be easy.



Ingredients:

12 scallops (reduced from 3.00 to 60p)

Bag shredded green cabbage and leek (reduced from 95p to 15p)

Aldi sliced potatoes with bacon pieces (in cupboard, 95p)

Butter

Garlic paste

Lemon juice

Balsamic vinegar

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Fry the potatoes in a pan with oil until soft and crisp.  This will take a good ten minutes.

Soften some butter in a pan, and fry the cabbage and leek with some garlic paste, salt & pepper, and a little lemon juice.  Be careful not to overcook the greens

Pan fry the scallops on a relatively high heat, with a dash of balsamic vinegar and a little seasoning.

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Total cost (served two- 2.05)