The Times Weekend - UK (2020-08-01)

Body + Soul 5

your intake gradually

Celeriac and salmon

fishcakes

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30–35 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

½ small celeriac (about 280g), peeled

and cut into 2cm cubes

200g (medium tin) red or pink salmon

5g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

5g fresh dill, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

40g panko breadcrumbs

20g plain flour

1 medium egg, whisked

1 tbsp olive oil

100g mixed leaves, such as watercress,

spinach or rocket, to serve

Method

1 Place the celeriac in a colander or

steamer over a pan of simmering water.

Cover with a lid or tinfoil and steam for

20–25 min, until soft. Transfer to a bowl

and leave to cool.

2 Mash the celeriac and flake in the salmon.

Add the herbs, lemon zest, 10g of the

breadcrumbs, a generous pinch of salt and

pepper, and mix until evenly combined.

3 Shape into four fishcakes, making sure

to squeeze each one tightly between the

palms of your hands so they don’t fall apart

when cooking. Refrigerate for 10 min to firm.

4 Meanwhile, place the flour, egg and

remaining breadcrumbs into three separate

bowls. Dip each fishcake first into the flour,

making sure it is evenly coated, then into

the egg, shaking off any excess, and finally

into the breadcrumbs.

5 Place the olive oil in a frying pan over a

medium heat. When hot, fry the fishcakes

for about 6 min in total, turning halfway

through, until golden brown on each side.

Turn the fishcakes on to their sides and

brown the edges, being careful not to burn

your hands. The fishcakes should be solid

enough to stand on their sides quite easily.

6 Serve with a handful of green leaves.

Note To make a low-calorie tartare sauce to

serve with the fishcakes, use a 100g Greek

yoghurt base, adding 5g of Dijon mustard,

100g of capers, 4 cournichons, a little fresh

dill and tarragon, plus the juice and zest of

half a lemon.

Hearty veggie chilli

Prep: 15 min

Cook time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 orange pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 courgette, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 × 400g tin of chilli beans or kidney beans

1 × 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

Pinch of chilli powder

Handful of fresh coriander leaves,

roughly chopped, to garnish

Method

1 Fry the onion in oil for 2 min. Add the

pepper, courgette and garlic, and cook for

a further 5 min, stirring frequently. Stir in

the beans, tomatoes and chilli powder,

and season. Simmer for 10-15 min.

2 Serve the chilli on top of a small

roast sweet potato with coriander

leaves across the top and some crème

fraîche, if you wish.

Calories

per portion

420

Calories

per portion

275

CHRIS ALACK

Easy breakfast bake

Step 3 — long-term slimming

Bulgur wheat kedgeree

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 25-30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

300g undyed smoked

haddock fillets

160g bulgur wheat

2 medium free-range eggs

2 tsp olive oil

1 small leek (about 150–200g), trimmed,

quartered lengthways and finely sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder

½ tsp chilli powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp mustard seeds (black or yellow)

20g fresh coriander, finely chopped

Method

1 Place the fish in a medium saucepan, cover

with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the

heat and simmer for 5 min. Remove the fish

and set aside, keeping it warm.

2 Place the bulgur wheat in a saucepan and

cover with 320ml of water. Add a pinch of

salt and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce the

heat and simmer very gently for 7–10 min,

or until the bulgur wheat has doubled in

size and the water is fully absorbed.

3 Place the eggs in a separate pan of boiling

water and cook for 7 min. Remove from the

heat, run under cold water to cool, then peel.

Meanwhile, place the olive oil, leek and

garlic in a frying pan and sauté over a

medium heat for about 5 min, stirring from

time to time. Add the curry powder, chilli

powder, turmeric and mustard seeds, and

cook for a few minutes. Remove from the

heat, stir in the bulgur wheat and season.

4 Flake the fish and add it to the bulgur

wheat with the coriander. Serve topped

with a halved hard-boiled egg.

Mexican tacos

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10-15 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 small chicken breasts (about 300g

combined weight), finely sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1½ tsp chilli powder

300g cherry tomatoes, quartered

15g fresh coriander, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

4 mini soft tortillas

60g sour cream

1 baby gem lettuce (about 100g),

shredded

Method

1 Mix the chicken, olive oil and chilli powder

in a bowl, until the chicken is evenly coated.

2 In a separate bowl combine the cherry

tomatoes, coriander and lime, season

and set aside.

3 Place the chicken in a frying pan over

a medium heat and cook for about 10 min,

or until thoroughly cooked. Season with salt

and pepper and set aside, keeping warm.

4 Place a frying pan or griddle over a high

heat and toast each tortilla for 1 min on

each side, until browned and puffing up.

5 To serve, spread some sour cream on each

tortilla, top with some lettuce, tomato mix

and finally the chicken.

Fish pie with celeriac topping

Prep: 30 min

Cook time: 40-45 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 frozen fish fillets (cod, haddock, pollock)

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 courgette, sliced

Bunch of fresh dill, chopped

1 small celeriac, peeled and chopped into

2cm chunks

2 tbsp cream cheese (or crème fraîche)

Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of grated nutmeg

1 tbsp grated parmesan

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Fry the

onion in the oil, until it turns translucent.

2 Place the fish in a lidded casserole dish

with ½ a cup of water. Add the onion,

pepper, courgette and dill on top. Put on

the lid and bake in the centre of the oven

for 25 min.

3 Meanwhile, cook the celeriac in a pan of

boiling water for 20 min. Drain, then return

it to the pan and add 1 tablespoon of cream

cheese. Mash, adding some water from the

casserole for additional moisture if required.

4 Drain most of the water from the

casserole dish. Add the remaining cream

cheese, a splash of Worcestershire sauce,

a pinch of grated nutmeg, and season.

5 Cut the fish to break it up a bit and stir

well to combine all the flavours.

6 Spoon the mashed celeriac on to the

fish mixture and spread out with a fork.

Scatter over the parmesan.

7 Return the dish to the oven, without

the lid this time, and cook for a further

15 min. Serve immediately.

Calories

per portion

535

Calories

per portion

310

Calories

per portion

560

Mexican tacos

Celeriac and salmon fishcakes