20 Minutes, Big Flavour

Jamie Oliver has built a career out of making good food feel less complicated, more accessible and, most importantly, a lot more fun. Now, with 20 Minute Meals, he’s tackling one of our favourite kitchen dilemmas: how to get something genuinely delicious on the table when time is not on your side. Think clever shortcuts, fresh ingredients and plenty of flavour, without sacrificing the pleasure of cooking.

For this issue, we’re dipping into Jamie’s latest collection with three recipes that prove speedy suppers can still be seriously satisfying: a clever Carbonara Crouton Salad, fresh and zingy Zesty Salmon Tacos, and a comforting Pea, Paneer and Potato Curry. Three very different dishes, all with one thing in common: dinner is served in 20 minutes. Now that’s a recipe we can get behind.

CARBONARA CROUTON SALAD

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 160g frozen peas
• 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
• red wine vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• 160g asparagus
• olive oil
• 4 rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
• 150g ciabatta
• 2 free-range eggs
• 50g pecorino or Parmesan cheese
• 1 romaine lettuce
• 60g rocket

Method

1. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with the frozen peas, tossing regularly for 3 minutes, or until hot through. Put the mustard into a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, mix together and season to perfection. Speed peel the asparagus into delicate ribbons, discarding the woody ends. Add to the dressing with the peas.
2. Return the pan to a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Finely slice the bacon and add with a generous pinch of black pepper. Fry until golden, then use a slotted spoon to add the bacon to the dressing, leaving the fat behind.
3. Slice the bread into 6 pieces, add to the pan and fry until golden on both sides while you crack the eggs into a shallow bowl, finely grate in half the cheese and beat together. Transfer the toasts to the bowl of eggs and toss well, then return to the pan, drizzling over any excess egg. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden, finely grating over the remaining cheese when you turn them.
4. Click apart the lettuce and tear the leaves into the bowl of dressing, then add the rocket, toss well and divide between your plates. Add the croutons and finish with an extra grating of cheese, if you like.

ENERGY	FAT	SAT FAT	PROTEIN	CARBS	SUGARS	SALT	FIBRE
694kcal	43.5g	12.2g	29.9g	47.1g	8.5g	2.6g	9.2g

ZESTY SALMON TACOS

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 x 200g tin of sweetcorn
• ½ a bunch of coriander (15g)
• 2 limes
• 80g white cabbage
• 1 heaped teaspoon chipotle chilli paste
• ½ a ripe avocado
• 2 ripe tomatoes (160g)
• 2 x 130g salmon or trout fillets, skin on, scaled, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
• olive oil
• 6 small corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons soured cream

Method

1. Tip the corn into a blender with just a splash of juice from the tin, tear in half the coriander, stalks and all, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and blitz until smooth, then season to perfection. Use a speed peeler, box grater or good knife skills to finely shred the white cabbage, then toss with the chipotle paste.
2. Finely grate and reserve the zest of the remaining lime. Destone the avocado, then scoop the flesh out of the skin, finely slice, and squeeze over half the remaining lime juice. Finely slice the tomatoes and season with a little sea salt.
3. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat. Slice each salmon fillet lengthways into 3 equal pieces. Season with salt, pat on the reserved lime zest, then spritz the pan with olive oil and fry the salmon for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through, briefly warming the tortillas on top.
4. To serve, spread a spoonful of the corn salsa over each warm tortilla, then divide up the tomatoes, avo and chipotle cabbage. Sit the golden salmon on top, and finish with the soured cream and remaining coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges and the rest of the corn salsa, for drizzling over.

ENERGY	FAT	SAT FAT	PROTEIN	CARBS	SUGARS	SALT	FIBRE
561kcal	25.1g	5.5g	36.5g	47.7g	10.7g	1.1g	3.5g

PEA, PANEER & POTATO CURRY

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 5cm piece of ginger
• 150g basmati rice
• olive oil
• 250g small potatoes
• 200g paneer cheese
• 1–2 fresh red chillies
• 1 onion (160g)
• 2 heaped tablespoons Kerala-style curry paste
• red wine vinegar
• 1 bunch of coriander (30g)
• 250g frozen peas
• 250g natural yoghurt

Method

1. Boil the kettle. Roughly peel and finely chop the ginger. Place a 26cm frying pan on a medium heat, add the rice, ginger and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Pour in 300ml of boiling kettle water, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is fluffy with a crispy bottom.
2. Meanwhile, prick the potatoes and microwave on full power (800W) for 5 minutes, to soften. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and the paneer. Halve the chillies lengthways, deseed and add to the pan. Cook it all for 4 minutes, or until golden, turning halfway.
3. Peel and finely chop the onion. Chop the softened potatoes into 1cm dice. Remove the golden paneer and chillies to your board, then add the onion and potato, curry paste and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar to the pan. Stir for a minute, then pour in 300ml of boiling kettle water and simmer for 8 minutes.
4. In a blender, blitz half the coriander, stalks and all, half the peas, all the yoghurt and a splash of water until smooth. Pour over the veg, add the remaining peas, return the chillies to the pan, break in the paneer, and simmer for 4 minutes.
5. Turn out and divide up the ginger rice, spoon over the curry, sprinkle over the rest of the coriander leaves, and serve. Delicious.

ENERGY	FAT	SAT FAT	PROTEIN	CARBS	SUGARS	SALT	FIBRE
865kcal	35.8g	15.8g	40.1g	100.4g	19.4g	10.7g	2g