Mary Berry calls this “a quick and easy pasta dish on weekdays.”
She says, “Adding peas to pesto gives it a lovely natural fresh taste. Use fresh garden peas, if you grow them, instead of petits pois. We used cashews instead of pine nuts in the pesto to give the sauce creaminess.”
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
: 350g
spaghetti
For pea pesto
:
250g frozen petits pois
115g unsalted cashews 55g parmesan
, grated, plus extra serving (optional)
2 large garlic cloves, halved
A
large bunch of basil, chopped approximately
100 ml olive oil
Method:
1. Cook the peas in a saucepan with boiling water for three minutes. Drain and cool with cold water. Drain again.
2. Place half of the peas in a small food processor and add the nuts, cheese, garlic and basil. Stir until finely chopped. Slowly add the oil, a little time, until it has a paste consistency. Season with salt to taste.
3. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 50ml of pasta water before draining.
4. Place the pesto in a large nonstick skillet, add the reserved peas and cooked spaghetti and some of the pasta water. Throw everything over high heat until well covered.
5. Season well with freshly ground black pepper and serve with extra parmesan, if you like.
“Based on a classic, this is one of our favorites for an easy dinner. Use chicken breasts, if you prefer,” Berry says.
Servings
: 6 Ingredients:
6 large skinless chicken thighs, with bone in
2 tablespoons
flour
2 teaspoons paprika 2
tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves,
crushed 2
teaspoons tomato puree
30 g sun-flushed tomatoes, chopped
150 ml white wine 150 ml chicken broth 150
ml double cream poured
150
g
baby spinach
55 g parmesan, Grated method
:
1.
Place the chicken thighs in a bowl. Add the flour and half of the paprika and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together to cover.
2. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and fry for three to four minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Set aside on a plate.
3. Add the onion and pepper to the unwashed pan and fry for four to five minutes over medium heat, until soft. You may need a little more oil. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add the puree, tomatoes, wine and broth and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan with the juices at rest, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until tender.
5. Add the cream and spinach to the pan and stir until wilted. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese and serve hot.
“This is our favorite brownie; it has a wrinkled top and a sticky middle,” Berry says. “Perfect for eating as is, or you can add a dressing of your choice.”
Makes: 24
squares Ingredients
:
360g Bournville natural chocolate (packages of 2×180g), cut into pieces
225g
butter, diced, plus extra to grease 225g
light muscovado sugar
4 eggs, smoothies
75g
self-elevating flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75g
chocolate chips Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and cover a 30×23 centimeter tray with nonstick baking paper.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heat-proof container. Place the container over a pot of boiling water over low heat until melted. Stir to combine.
3. Remove from heat and add sugar and eggs. Mix well until smooth, then add the flour and vanilla and mix again. Add the chocolate chips.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until it is well raised and placed around the edges, with a slightly soft center.
5. Let cool in the can, then cut into 24 squares.
Recipes from
Mary Berry’s ‘Cook And Share’ (published in hardcover by BBC Books, £27; photograph by Laura Edwards), available now.
