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Delicious Spring family-friendly recipes
This week, Anna, from @annasfamilykitchen, shares some of her amazing and easy to follow Spring recipes using delicious seasonal produce.
Spring Chicken One-Pot
A really simple one pot meal, inspired by all things green, including pesto! I have used courgettes, spinach, peas and asparagus but throw in anything green you have in the fridge and feel virtuous! All of your five a day in one really tasty meal!
Ingredients:- 4 portions
4 chicken breasts, skin on
1 leek, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g new potatoes halved
75ml white wine
400ml chicken stock
2 tbsp pesto
350g asparagus, woody stalks removed
200g spinach
100g frozen or fresh peas
4 spring onions sliced
Fresh basil
Method:-
Season the chicken breasts.
Add some oil to a casserole pan and add the chicken breasts skin side down and cook for 3-4 minutes. Lift out and set aside.
Add the leeks together with another lug of oil or a knob of butter and soften for 2 minutes before adding the garlic and potatoes. Season and colour for a minute.
Pour in the wine, let it bubble, then add the stock.
Bring to a simmer then return the chicken to the pan nestling the breasts in but making sure the skin sits proud of the stock so that it stays crisp.
Simmer for 15 minutes then stir in the pesto, and courgettes.
After 2 minutes add the asparagus and peas.
Simmer for 3 minutes then add the spinach to wilt.
Finish with the spring onions and fresh basil.
Spring Sausage Cassoulet
One pot cooking at its best, and a great healthy budget meal – this is a sausage version to my Spring Chicken.
Ingredients:- 4-6 portions
8-12 sausages
2 onions or leeks sliced
500g new potatoes halved
3 tbsp pesto
300ml chicken stock
400g butter beans
600g prepared green veg of your choice – I used asparagus, broccoli and courgettes but peas, spinach, green beans, sugar snaps or broad beans would also work
Bunch of spring onions sliced
Fresh basil
Method:-
Add a lug of oil to a large pan and add the sausages, potatoes and onions. Colour for 10minutes.
Season then add the pesto, butter beans and stock. Simmer for 10minutes.
Add the green veg, give everything a stir and stick a lid on the pan for 5-6 minutes so the vegetables steam cook.
Finish with the spring onions and fresh basil.
Salmon & Orzo Traybake
This requires just a few cupboard staples plus the salmon fillets and takes less than 20 minutes start to finish. I used edamame beans but peas, beans or broccoli will work equally well.
Ingredients:- 4 portions
4 salmon fillets (skinless if poss!)
Bunch spring onions sliced
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste (or use red pesto or tomato puree)
Splash (50ml) white wine (optional)
250g Orzo
300ml vegetable stock
150g fresh cherry tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup frozen edamame beans, peas or green beans
Juice of half a lemon
Method:-
Add some oil to an ovenproof pan that also works on the hob. Add the spring onions and garlic.
Add the tomato paste and white wine, followed by the orzo, stock and green veg of your choice. Give the pan a stir.
Lay the salmon fillets on top. Season them and sprinkle over the dried oregano.
Add the cherry tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil over the tomatoes.
Roast at 180 fan for 10 minutes and serve.
Green Vegetable Risotto
Simple and full of fresh spring/summer flavours, basically anything green I could lay my hands on!
Ingredients:- 4 portions
2 onions finely chopped
4 garlic cloves crushed
300g Arborio risotto rice
150ml white wine
1.4l hot stock
45g/2tbsp grated Parmesan or Pecorino
500g fresh broad beans or 200g frozen podded
100g frozen peas
500g fresh asparagus
Fresh basil and mint leaves roughly chopped ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Snap off the woody ends from the asparagus and discard them.
Method:-
Pod the broad beans then blanch them for 4 minutes. Cool the beans in iced water and pod again. Or cheat and use frozen edamame beans!
Chop the bases of the asparagus spears into 1/2 cm slices keeping the asparagus tips. Set the tips aside.
Colour the onion in a pan with some oil for 10 minutes before adding the garlic and the chopped asparagus stems. Stir for a minute then add the Arborio rice.
After 1 minute add the wine and let it bubble.
Add the stock one ladleful at a time until the rice is cooked (about 25-30 minutes). The texture should be creamy.
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Stir through the asparagus spears, the peas, cooked broad beans and most of the Parmesan or Pecorino. Add a knob of butter and stick a lid on the pan for 5 minutes.
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Season and serve with extra grated cheese and a drizzle of oil plus the fresh mint and basil. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Green Vegetable Frittata
Courgette, Broccoli & Feta Frittata. Feta is such a delicious addition to Frittatas. It adds a lovely saltiness which works so well with the eggs and veg. It won’t be long before I have a glut of courgettes growing (hopefully!) This is a great way to use them.
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Ingredients: 4-6 portions
400g potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces or use new potatoes halved
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
125g tender stem broccoli tips
2 courgettes sliced
50g peas
4 spring onions sliced
8 eggs beaten
100g feta crumbled
Fresh basil and mint or thyme
Method:-
Whisk together the eggs and combine with 75g of the feta, some salt and pepper.
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Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes and drain.
Heat a shallow oven proof pan or skillet. Add a lug of oil and colour the potatoes for a few minutes.
Add the garlic then the courgettes and broccoli tips.
Pour over the egg and feta mixture. Sprinkle over the peas, spring onions, herbs and finish with the remaining feta.
Put in a 200 degree oven for 15 minutes until set on top.
Leave to sit for 5 minutes. It can also be made in advance and left to cool.
Homemade Pesto
Here’s my mix & match pesto recipe: you don’t have to add a green veggie but I like to. Spread it on bread; stir it through pasta, quinoa or rice; add a dollop to a baked potato; serve as a dip side to chicken or fish or use it in the Tuna, Chicken or Sausage recipes above!
Ingredients:-
75g fresh basil leaves
100g fresh spinach, cooked peas or broccoli
200g Cashews or pine nuts
100ml Olive oil
Juice of a lemon
2 garlic cloves
100g Grated Pecorino or Parmesan
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Method:-
Simply whizz together all the ingredients in a blender or bullet.
Tuna, Potato, Greens and Pesto One Pot
A batch of fresh pesto in the fridge will liven up all sorts of dishes, not just pasta. Here it works its magic with tuna and veggies. Make the pesto in advance then 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat, boil seasonal new potatoes, sear the tuna and asparagus in the same hot pan and serve everything drizzled with the fresh pesto.
Ingredients:- 4 portions
4 tuna steaks
300g new potatoes
300g asparagus
For the Pesto:-
150g cashew nuts
50g basil leaves picked
50g fresh spinach
70g grated Pecorino or Parmesan
60ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice of a lemon
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Method:-
Blitz all the pesto ingredients together in a blender.
Half any larger potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes then drain.
Season the tuna steaks.
Heat a large frying/sauté pan, lightly oil and add the tuna steaks together with the asparagus spears.
Assuming the steaks are 3cm thick sear for 90 seconds on each side and set aside.
The asparagus should only take 3-4 minutes. Turn the spears every minute or so and set aside with the tuna.
Add the potatoes to the same pan. Colour for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat and return the asparagus to the pan.
Stir through a couple of tbsp of pesto. Sit the tuna steaks on top and spoon over more pesto.
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