First Time Buyer

First Home, First Meal

• 

  SALMON EN CROUTE

  SALMON EN CROUTE* Serves 6 INGREDIENTS 375g shop-bought puff pastry For the filling 200g baby spinach Pinch of nutmeg 2tbsp double cream 500g salmon fillet 1 egg, beaten Freshly ground black pepper Salt Use a large piece of salmon. It's best to get a section from the middle of the fish that doesn't include the tail as it will cook more evenly. If you are short of time, don't bother with the spinach and cream, just season the fish with salt and pepper before encasing it in the pastry. Chopped dill is another very tasty alternative to the spinach. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put a tiny amount of water in a large pot with a lid, just enough to cover the bottom. Put it on the heat so the water begins to boil. Pile in the spinach and pop on the lid. Cook the spinach for 3 minutes, strain through a sieve, then, using a spoon, squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible by pressing it into the sieve. Rinse the pan and return to the heat, chop the spinach and plop in the pan. Stir around to dry it out further, sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream. Cut the pastry in half, then roll out. The pieces need to be big enough to sandwich the fish in the middle, leaving about 3cm around the edge to seal. Place your fish on to one of the pastry halves and brush the edges with egg. Spread the spinach over the fillet. Cover with the other piece of pastry. Gently press the pastry over the fish so it fits snugly, trim the edges to about 1.5cm, then press down with your thumb to seal. Cut four diagonal slashes in the top and brush with egg. Bake in a non-stick roasting dish for 15 minutes. Serve with new potatoes tossed with chopped dill and baby french beans. It's also delicious served cold with both a potato salad and a cucumber salad. Cookery writer, designer and daughter of iconic designer Terence, Sophie Conran has created this delicious recipe, which is simple to make but looks very impressive - perfect for that special dinner! ...

• 

  FUSILLI CON ZUCCHINI ALLA SCAPECE

  Pasta salad with courgettes and balsamic vinegar Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 400g fusilli 2 large courgettes 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 15 fresh mint leaves 100g feta cheese, cut into 1cm cubes Salt and pepper, to taste Cooking time: 10-15 minutes Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta through a colander and rinse under cold running water immediately, to stop the pasta cooking. Once cold, drizzle over the oil and leave on the side to drain for 5 minutes. Give the pasta a good shake every minute or so. Meanwhile, cut the courgettes in half lengthways and then slice into 0.5cm half discs. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the courgettes for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Splash with the balsamic vinegar, add in the garlic and continue to cook for a further minute. Scatter the mint over the courgettes, season with salt and pepper and mix all together. Set aside to cool. Tip the pasta into a large bowl with the courgette mixture and feta cheese. Gently mix everything together to allow the flavours to combine. Leave to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once ready, serve immediately or keep in a sealed container in the fridge for the day after. Do not keep longer than 48 hours and always eat it at room temperature. Taken from Gino's Pasta (Kyle Cathie, £16.99), published 1 November 2010. Renowned for his appearances on Ready Steady Cook, This Morning and Daily Cooks Challenge, celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo has created this simple yet tasteful Italian dish. ...

• 

  PIRI PIRI CHICKEN

  PIRI PIRI CHICKEN with dressed potatoes, rocket salad and quick Portuguese tarts INGREDIENTS CHICKEN 4 large chicken thighs, preferably higher welfare, skin on and bone in 1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 6 sprigs of fresh thyme SEASONING Olive oil Extra virgin olive oil Sea salt & black pepper POTATOES 1 medium potato 2 sweet potatoes ½ a lemon 1 fresh red chilli A bunch of fresh coriander 50g feta cheese PIRI PIRI SAUCE 1 red onion 4 cloves of garlic 1-2 bird's eye chillies 2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika 2 lemons 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce A large bunch of fresh basil SALAD 1 x 100g bag of prewashed wild rocket ½ a lemon TARTS (makes 6) Plain flour, for dusting 1 x 375g pack of pre-rolled puff pastry Ground cinnamon 125g crème fraîche 1 egg, preferably free-range or organic 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract 5 tablespoons golden caster sugar 1 orange TO START Get all your ingredients and equipment ready.Turn the oven on to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Put a large griddle pan on a high heat. CHICKEN Put the chicken thighs on a plastic chopping board, skin side down, and slash the meat on each one a few times. Drizzle with olive oil and season, then put on the griddle pan that is heating up, skin side down. Cook until golden underneath, then turn over. Wash your hands. TARTS Dust a clean surface with flour. Unroll the sheet of pastry, then cut it in half so you end up with two 20 x 20cm squares of pastry (put one in the fridge for another day). Sprinkle over a few good pinches of ground cinnamon, then roll the pastry into a swiss roll shape and cut into 6 rounds. Put these into 6 of the holes in a muffin tin, and use your thumbs to stretch and mould the pastry into the holes (just like in the picture) so the bottom is flat and the pastry comes up to the top. Put on the top shelf of the oven and cook for around 8-10 minutes (set the timer), or until lightly golden. POTATOES Wash the potato and sweet potatoes and halve lengthways. Put them into a large microwave-safe bowl with ½ a lemon. Cover with clingfilm and put into the microwave on full power for 15 minutes. CHICKEN Turn the chicken over. TARTS Spoon the crème fraîche into a small bowl. Add the egg, vanilla paste or extract, 1 tablespoon of golden caster sugar and the zest of 1 orange. Mix well. PIRI PIRI SAUCE Peel and roughly chop the red onion and add to the liquidiser with 4 peeled cloves of garlic. Add the chillies (stalks removed), 2 tablespoons of paprika, the zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1 lemon. Add 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, a good pinch of salt & pepper, the large bunch of basil and a swig of water. Blitz until smooth. CHICKEN Slice the peppers into strips and add to the griddle pan. Turn the heat down to medium and keep moving the peppers around. TARTS Take the muffin tin out of the oven, and use a teaspoon to press the puffed up pastry back to the sides and make room for the filling. Spoon the crème fraîche mixture into the tart cases, and return to the top shelf of the oven. Set the timer for 8 minutes. CHICKEN Pour the piri piri sauce into a snug-fitting roasting tray. Lay the peppers on top and put aside. Add the chicken to the roasting tray with the sauce. Scatter over the sprigs of thyme, then put the tray into the middle of the oven. TARTS Put a small saucepan on a high heat. Squeeze in the juice from the zested orange and add 4 tablespoons of golden caster sugar. Stir and keep a good eye on it, but remember caramel can burn badly so don't touch or taste. POTATOES Finely chop the red chilli and most of the coriander on a board, mixing as you go. Add the feta, and keep chopping and mixing. CHICKEN Take the tarts out of the oven, and move the chicken up to the top shelf to cook for around 10 minutes, or until cooked through. TARTS Pour some caramel over each tart (they'll still be wobbly, but that's good). Put aside to set. SALAD Quickly dress the rocket, still in its bag, with extra virgin olive oil, a good pinch of salt & pepper and the juice of ½ a lemon. Tip into a bowl and take to the table. POTATOES Check the potatoes are cooked through, then use tongs to squeeze over the cooked lemon. Add the coriander mixture from the chopping board and mix everything together. Season, then take to the table. TO SERVE Get the tray of chicken out of the oven, sprinkle over a few coriander leaves and take straight to the table. Taken from Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, published by Penguin Books, £26 Recipe © Jamie Oliver; jamieoliver.com Photography © David Loftus ...

• 

  CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SAVOURY PUY LENTIL RAGOUT

  Cooking time:1 hour 30 minutes Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 8 chicken thighs with bones 2 leeks, trimmed and finely diced 2 carrots, finely diced 2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely diced 225g (8oz) dried Puy lentils Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil Remove the bones from the chicken thighs and trim the thigh meat. Place the bones and trimmings in a pan with half of the leeks, carrots and celery. Pour in 1.2 litres of water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour for a well-flavoured stock.  Strain 300ml of the stock through a fine sieve and place in a jug. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and put the chicken thighs in, skin-side down. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for 20-25 minutes until the skin is crispy. Avoid shaking the pan or touching the chicken thighs whilst they are cooking. Once the chicken thighs are browned and the flesh is almost but not quite cooked through, turn them over and cook for another 5-6 minutes until completely cooked and tender. Remove from the heat and leave to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes. While the chicken thighs are cooking, if using dried lentils, rinse in a sieve under cold running water, then place in a pan with 600ml of water. Add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until al dente (just tender but still with a little bite). Drain in a sieve and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan and gently cook the rest of the leeks, carrots and celery for 10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in the cooked lentils and the stock. Season to taste and simmer for a few minutes until most of the stock has been absorbed and the vegetables are tender. Carve each chicken thigh into 2/ 3 slices. Spoon the savoury lentils onto warmed plates and arrange the slices of crispy chicken on top to serve. TV chef and presenter of Ready Steady Cook and Can't Cook, Won't Cook, Ainsley Harriott, gives us his five easy steps to creating a crispy chicken thigh and lentil ragout. ...

Market Watch

Featured Properties

 

KILBURN HIGH ROAD

£70,000

 

Beaufort Park, Hendon

£55,000

 

Caulfield Park, Acton

£69,125

 

Morrello Apartments, North Wembley

* Based on a 25% share of a one bedroom apartment and allotted parking space with a ...

£46,250*

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER