As an exhausted new mum, I’m the first to admit that we all have those times when there’s only enough energy to fry eggs, make toast or boil some pasta. But when you’re low on fresh “prime” ingredients or trying to save money, then creative ideas for how to transform and elevate things that might otherwise sit untouched in the cupboards are very welcome.
Across this article I’m sharing some of my favourites, all of which rely heavily on tins, flours and dry ingredients along with my most-loved seasoning: dried chilli in its flaked and powdered forms. Here you’ll find a feast of broken lasagne sheets and brown butter, gently humming with Aleppo pepper — only slightly more complex than boiling up some pasta; a crisp, savoury panisse with a sweet, smoky paprika mayo for dipping; and a surprising, deeply flavourful tinned sweetcorn and coconut soup topped with a crunchy, curry leaf-laden chilli oil for texture and intrigue.
Coconut and sweetcorn soup with crispy curry leaf chilli oil
This gives much more in flavour terms than you might expect from a dish made with tinned sweetcorn. You’ll have some chilli oil left over — use it spooned over fried eggs or roasted vegetables.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp roasted curry powder
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp grated ginger (or ½ tsp dried ginger)
½ tsp turmeric powder
340g tin of sweetcorn, drained
1 tin of full-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp soy
300ml chicken or veg stock
Squeeze of lime
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For the crunchy chilli oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
50ml sunflower oil or rapeseed
2 tsp Aleppo pepper chilli flakes
2 tsp dried curry leaves
1 tbsp roasted, salted nuts — could be almonds, peanuts or cashews, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp sriracha or other similar chilli sauce
1. To make the chilli oil, put the garlic and oil into a pan. Place over a medium heat, and stir for 4-6 min until just turning golden. Add the chilli flakes and curry leaves and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 min. Stir in the nuts, seeds and sriracha and set aside.
2. To make the soup, heat the coconut oil over a medium heat and add the onion and curry powder. Season with a little salt and then fry for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomato puree, ginger and turmeric, stirring well. Season with black pepper and cook for 4 min, until fragrant and translucent but not colouring. Pour in the corn and coat it in the flavoured onions. Cook for a minute or so and then pour over the coconut milk, soy and stock, turn the heat up and bring to the boil, then down slightly to simmer for 10 min, until thickened and reduced.
3. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth and thick, check the seasoning and pique with a squeeze of lime if you have one. Spoon into warmed bowls and top with spoonfuls of the crunchy chilli oil.
Broken lasagne with chilli brown butter, sage and hazelnuts
This recipe is for anyone who’s got a half-used packet of lasagne sheets languishing on the shelf. There are only a few ingredients here, but there is a knack to emulsifying the sauce. Make sure you read this recipe first a couple of times and have all the ingredients measured out and ready to go before you start.
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Serves 2
Ingredients
85g butter
1 tsp chilli flakes, preferably Aleppo pepper
Small bunch of sage
8-10 lasagne sheets (about 220g), each broken down the length into 2-3 long shards
60g parmesan, grated, plus more for grating over
Squeeze of lemon
Handful of toasted hazelnuts, chopped or crushed in a pestle and mortar
1. Put the butter into a large frying pan and place over a medium-high heat, swirling the pan as the butter melts. Use a silicone spatula to move the butter around so that it cooks evenly, being careful not to burn it. Once it’s brown and smelling nutty, add the chilli, a good grind of black pepper and the sage and stir really well so the leaves sizzle and infuse the butter (and your kitchen) with their incredible scent. Remove from the heat and carefully scoop the sage leaves out onto kitchen towel to use later.
2. In the meantime, bring about 300ml (or just enough to cover the pasta) of well-salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 4 min or so, stirring well to release the starch, until softened but still discernibly al dente. Drain using a colander or sieve over a cup or bowl to catch the starchy pasta water. Working quickly, put the butter pan back over a medium heat, adding a scant ladleful of the pasta water, and whisk quickly to emulsify it with the butter, allowing the liquid to bubble and thicken for a minute. Gradually scatter in half the parmesan and whisk to melt into the sauce.
3. Now use tongs to add in the pasta, stirring to coat in the sauce. Make sure the pasta gets some sauce between the layers as they tend to clump together, but even if they do it will still be delicious. Add in the rest of the parmesan, the sage and a little more pasta water if needed to loosen. Squeeze over a little lemon. Use the tongs to twist into warm bowls, topping with the hazelnuts. Serve with extra parmesan for grating.
Panisse with sweet smoked paprika mayo
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This recipe is one for the times when you fancy something a bit snacky and indulgent. It’s great as a nibble with an aperitif or as a starter for lunch or dinner with friends. You can also cut the strips into cubes and serve them with cocktail sticks for a classy little canapé. If you want these as your main meal, they would be lovely served with a salad or some roasted veg, and I’m not ruling out stuffing them into a fluffy baguette with the mayo and some pickled onions.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
150g gram flour
Pinch of chilli flakes
½ tsp each of dried rosemary, thyme, za’atar
355ml water
½ tsp sea salt
1½ tbsp olive oil
200ml rapeseed or other neutral oil, for deep frying
For the mayo
100g mayonnaise
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp runny honey
1. Sieve the gram flour into a bowl and then mix in the chilli flakes and herbs. Oil a 20cm square roasting or cake tin and pour the water into a large pan with the sea salt and olive oil. Bring the water up over a low-medium heat until warm but not boiling, and stir to dissolve the salt. Now pour in all of the gram flour mix and whisk everything together until well combined. Once you’ve got rid of most of the lumps, switch over to a wooden spoon and continue to stir vigorously over a medium heat for 7-10 min until you have a thick, smooth batter. It should be pulling away from the edges of the pan by the end — glossy and thick like choux pastry. You’ll know it’s at setting point when bits on the edges of the pan are starting to solidify. Now scoop it into your prepared tin and quickly smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect: you’re going to turn it out so it will have one smooth surface. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 2 hours.
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2. In the meantime, put the mayonnaise into a little bowl and mix in the smoked paprika and honey. Taste and adjust with a little more paprika or honey accordingly. Set aside.
3. Grab a high-sided frying pan or small, deep pan and pour in the oil. Take your panisse and use a sharp knife to loosen around the edges, then put a chopping board over it, hold them together and invert. Firmly shake to release the panisse and remove the tin. Now cut it into long strips about 2.5cm wide, and in half again.
4. Heat the oil to about 180C, until a breadcrumb tossed into it sizzles, and then lower your panisse into the hot oil, working in batches of about six, frying for 2-3 min until crisp on the outside and like a sort of set custard inside. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel. Season with a pinch of salt and repeat with the rest of the mix. Serve with the spicy mayo for scooping.
