Rustle up tasty and affordable meals for the family with Jamie Oliver's recipes (2024)

JAMIE Oliver has kept Brits cooking since the first lockdown.

In his TV show Jamie: Keep Cooking Family Favourites, he rustled up tasty and affordable meals from kitchen staples. Now he is back for another series with more easy-to-follow recipes tailored for lockdown.

Jamie, 45, told The Sun: “Time at home has given me a chance to look at the ingredients we all buy, week in, week out, and come up with new recipes.”

The show sees new takes on well-loved classics from his latest cookbook, 7 Ways, and Jamie added: “I’m armed with the ingredients we know and love to create exciting, delicious, affordable meals for my family and yours.”

Here Jamie shares five of his recipes, just for Sun readers.

The new series of Jamie: Keep Cooking Family Favourites starts tonight at 8.30pm on Channel 4.

Roast chicken margherita with giant stuffed roasted gnocchi, roasted tomatoes, garlic & rocket

Serves 6. Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 1½kg floury potatoes
• 1½kg ripe tomatoes
• 2 bulbs of garlic
• 1 bunch of basil (30g)
• 1½kg free-range whole chicken
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• 50g plain flour
• 200g ball of smoked mozzarella
• 60g rocket

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Scrub the potatoes, chop into even-sized chunks and cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender.

Halve the tomatoes and place in a large roasting tray. Break in the unpeeled garlic cloves.

Pick a few pretty basil leaves for later, then stuff the rest of the bunch into the chicken cavity and add the chicken to the tray. Season with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle everything with 2 tablespoons each of red wine vinegar and olive oil, then toss well, rubbing all that flavour into the bird.

Sit the chicken directly on the bars of the oven and put the tray of tomatoes beneath it. Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.

Meanwhile, drain the potatoes, steam dry, mash, season and mix with the flour. As soon as cool enough to handle, divide and roll into 12 equal balls.

Cut the smoked mozzarella into 12 chunks, poke one chunk into each ball, and seal.

Place all the potato balls on an oiled, 25cm x 35cm baking tray and roast at the bottom of the oven for the remaining hour, or until golden.

Remove the chicken to the tray of tomatoes and allow to rest, then squeeze a few garlic cloves out of their skins and mash into the tray juices.

Sprinkle over the reserved basil leaves, then serve with the giant gnocchi and rocket, drizzling the garlicky juices over everything. Joy.

Sausage casserole

WITH HP Sauce, mixed beans and giant mashed potato dumpling balls.

Jamie says: “Cooking up a meal that satisfies everyone can be tricky at the best of times, but this one-pot wonder full of humble ingredients is a simple, stunning dish that will make a big impression. One for the whole family.”

Serves 4. Total time: 1 hour

YOU NEED:

• 6 higher-welfare Cumberland or veggie sausages
• Olive oil
• 800g potatoes
• 2 heaped teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 large carrots
• 2 leeks
• 3 tablespoons HP Sauce
• 2 x 400g tins of mixed beans
• 1 x 400g tin of quality plum tomatoes

METHOD:

Place the sausages in a large, non-stick casserole pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and brown for 10 minutes, turning regularly, then remove to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, chop into even-sized chunks and cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender, then drain. Mash well with half the mustard, then season to perfection.

Trim, wash and chop the carrots and leeks into 2cm chunks. Stir into the fat in the pan and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly and adding a splash of water if needed.

Stir the HP Sauce and remaining mustard into the veg, then pour in the beans, juice and all. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the spoon, then stir in 1 tin’s worth of water. Bring to the boil and cook for another 10 minutes, then season to perfection.

Preheat the grill to high. Score the sausages at ½cm intervals and sit them, cut side up, in the stew.

As soon as the mash is cool enough to handle, divide it into four compact balls, push them into the stew and brush with 2 tablespoons of oil.

Grill on the top shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Crispy salmon tacos

WITH cajun spice, mango, sweet cherry tomatoes and lime. Jamie says: “Quick, healthy and colourful. I wanted to create a bit of optimism with this dish. The fresh, rainbow salsa paired with crispy salmon skin is a total joy.”

Serves 2. Total time: 20 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 160g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes
• 1 small ripe mango
• ½ a small ripe avocado
• 2 spring onions
• 2 x 130g salmon fillets, skin on, scaled, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
• 2 heaped teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 4 small tortillas
• 2 limes

METHOD:

Quarter the cherry tomatoes. De-stone, peel and roughly chop the mango. Scoop out the avocado and finely slice. Trim and finely slice the spring onions. Carefully cut the skin off the salmon and place it in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat to crisp up on both sides.

Pat the Cajun seasoning all over the salmon fillets then fry for 5 minutes, turning to get them golden on each side. Once the skin is crispy, sit it on top of the salmon.

Meanwhile, use tongs to toast the tortillas directly over the flame of your gas hob for 15 seconds, or use a hot pan.

Sprinkle the mango, avocado and spring onions over the tortillas, then flake over the salmon and crack over the skin.

Toss the tomatoes and the juice of 1 lime in the residual heat of the pan for 30 seconds, then spoon over the tortillas.

Serve with lime wedges, for squeezing over.

Spiced cauliflower rice pie with poppadoms, onions, fresh chilli, coriander & yoghurt

Serves 6. Total time: 45 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 2 onions
• Olive oil
• 1 head of cauliflower (800g)
• 3 tablespoons tikka curry paste
• 1 mug of basmati rice (300g)
• 3 fresh mixed-colour chillies
• 6 uncooked poppadoms
• 1 bunch of coriander (30g)
• 6 tablespoons natural yoghurt
• Extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

Peel and finely chop the onions, place in a 28cm non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 table-spoon of olive oil and a splash of water, and cook for 10 minutes, or until golden, stirring regularly.

Cut the cauliflower into 2cm florets, finely slicing the stalk and any nice leaves. Stir into the pan with the curry paste and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in 1 mug of rice and 2 mugs of boiling kettle water (600ml).

Prick and add the whole chillies, then roughly snap in the poppadoms and tear in most of the coriander leaves. Stir well, season with sea salt and black pepper, cover and cook for 15 minutes on a medium-low heat.

After this time uncover the pan, drizzle 3 tablespoons of oil around the edge and press down with a masher. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 5 more minutes to get a super-golden, thin, crispy crust.

Rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a spatula. Carefully turn the whole thing out on to a board or platter, then pick over the remaining coriander leaves.

Season the yoghurt with black pepper, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve on the side.

Avocado pastry quiche

WITH sweet pea, Cheddar and basil filling and mixed garden leaves.

Jamie says: “Add a bit of sunshine to your lunch with this beautifully vibrant quiche. I have to say, using avocado in the pastry was a bit of a revelation for me – you’re gonna love it.”

Serves 6. Total time: 1 hour

YOU NEED:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 400g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 6 large free-range eggs
• 300g frozen peas
• 90g Cheddar cheese
• ½ a bunch of basil (15g)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 100g bag of mixed salad
• 1 lemon
• Pinch of sea salt
• Black pepper

METHOD:

Halve, de-stone and peel the avocados. Weigh the flesh – you want 200g to get your ratios right (or simply top up to 200g with extra virgin olive oil). In a large bowl, smash up the avo, then gradually rub in the flour, a pinch of sea salt and 4 tablespoons of cold water until you have a dough. Knead until smooth, then wrap and rest for 15 minutes.

For the filling, crack the eggs into a blender, then add the frozen peas and most of the Cheddar. Rip in the top leafy half of the basil, add a pinch of salt and black pepper, and blitz until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Roll out the avo pastry on a flour-dusted surface to just under ½cm thick. Loosely roll it up around the rolling pin, then unroll it over an oiled 25cm x 35cm baking tray, ease it into the sides and prick the base.

Roughly tear off any big bits of overhang, then bake for 10 minutes, or until golden.

Evenly pour in the filling and bake for another 15 minutes, or until set, then finely grate over the remaining cheese.

Dress the salad leaves with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, season, then sprinkle over the quiche to serve.

Moreish aubergine salad with feta cheese, mint, olives, almonds, lemon & honey

Serves 2. Total time: 55 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 2 aubergines (250g each)
• 1 bunch of mint (30g)
• 20g skin-on almonds
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 8 mixed-colour olives (stone in)
• 40g feta cheese
• 100g bag of mixed salad

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Prick the aubergines and place directly on the bars of the oven. Roast for 50 minutes, or until beautifully soft, tender and juicy.

Pick the baby mint leaves and put aside.

Pick the rest of the leaves into a pestle and mortar, then add the almonds and roughly crush and pound together. Finely grate in the lemon zest, squeeze in the juice and muddle in with the honey and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Squash and de-stone the olives, tear the flesh into the mix and crumble in the feta.

Mix it all together, then season to perfection with black pepper.

Divide the salad and baby mint leaves between your plates.

Slice the soft aubergines down the middle and place on top, then smother with the incredible, moreish, pesto-style dressing.

I like to attack the whole thing, chopping, tossing and mixing everything together as I tuck in.

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Delicious hot or cold.

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