should be soft and sloppy.
5 Divide the dough between the prepared tins and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, then remove the bread from the tin and place back in the oven again without the tins for another 10–15 minutes until the loaves sound hollow when you tap them on the bottom.
Rachel’s handy tip
If you slice your bread before you freeze it, then all you have to do is take a piece out of the freezer whenever you want toast.
My sister and I absolutely loved this kind of cheesy pasta when growing up, and now I make it for my children. Sometimes I add chopped parsley. This can be prepared in advance and baked just before you are ready to eat.
SERVES 4–6
VEGETARIAN
375g (13oz) dried pasta, such as conchiglie shells, fusilli or macaroni
300ml (½ pint) single cream
125ml (4fl oz) vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp Dijon mustard
150g (5oz) Gruyère cheese, grated
150g (5oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
50g (2oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
MAKES 750ML (1¼ PINTS)
VEGETARIAN
150g (5oz) honey
600ml (1 pint) water
Juice of 4 lemons
TO SERVE
Ice
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.
2 Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain.
3 Meanwhile, place the cream and stock in another saucepan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and add the mustard, the Gruyère and Cheddar cheeses and half of the Parmesan. Stir to melt all the cheese. Season with some pepper (it may not need any salt). Pour into the drained pasta and stir to mix.
4 Pour into a 25cm (10in) square or similar rectangular ovenproof gratin dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. When you are ready to eat, place the dish in the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes or until brown on top and bubbling around the sides.
This lemonade always reminds me of long, hot summers spent outdoors without a care in the world. The honey adds a much more interesting flavour than sugar. You can add fresh lime juice if you wish, but I love the simple lemon and honey flavours.
1 Place the honey and 60ml (2fl oz) of the water in a saucepan and heat up just enough to liquefy the honey. Then pour into a jug and allow to cool slightly.
2 Add the rest of the water together with the lemon juice and serve with ice.
Sesame Goujons of Fish with Mushy Peas and Oven Roast Chips
Fish ’n’ chips are a rite of passage. They’re such a great and simple combination, and so universally loved. How can you eat mushy peas and not feel like a six-year-old again? The finger-size goujons and the sesame seeds just add a little twist to this old favourite.
SERVES 4
4–6 fillets (about 450g/1lb) of plaice or lemon sole
Sunflower oil, for frying
300ml (½ pint) milk
100g (4oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
3 tbsp sesame seeds
FOR THE OVEN ROAST CHIPS
4–8 potatoes, peeled
30ml (1fl oz) olive oil
FOR THE MUSHY PEAS
225g (8oz) peas (can be frozen)
15g (½oz) butter or 1 tbsp olive oil
1 Prepare the fish by cutting it lengthways or at an angle into goujons (finger-sized pieces), about 1cm (½in) wide and 10cm (4in) long. Place the fish in a small bowl with the milk. Place the flour, salt and sesame seeds in another bowl. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas mark 7.
2 To make the oven roast chips, cut the peeled potatoes into chips, about 1cm (½in) wide. Place in a medium–sized saucepan, cover with boiling water from the kettle and boil for 1 minute, drain and spread out on kitchen paper to dry. Put the dried potatoes in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, spread out in a single layer in a baking tray and cook in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until golden and cooked.
3 Meanwhile, make the mushy peas. Bring a medium-sized saucepan with 500ml (18fl oz) water to the boil, drop in the peas, cover with the lid just until the water comes back to the boil on a high heat. Then remove the lid and boil for 1–2 minutes until the peas are just cooked but still bright green. Immediately drain them (reserving some of the liquid) and whiz them in a food processor with the butter or olive oil; you may need to add a tiny drop of the cooking liquid or cream if the mixture is too thick. Return the mushy peas to a saucepan for reheating later.
4 Next cook the fish. Heat a deep fat fryer with sunflower oil or a large sauté pan with about 2cm (¾in) oil. Take the fish out of the milk and drop it into the sesame flour. Toss it in the flour to completely cover each piece of fish and carefully place the fish into the pan of hot oil. Turn them after a minute and cook for 1 minute more – when the flour coating is golden, the fish should be cooked.
5 To serve, place the crispy goujons of fish on plates with the oven roast chips and mushy peas.
