See through the lockdown with exclusive recipes from Jamie Oliver (2024)

TELLY chef Jamie Oliver today proves you can still make delicious recipes from kitchen staples.

He even tells you an easy wasy to make your own pasta if you missed out at the shops when the panic-buyers struck.

Jamie’s show Keep Cooking And Carry On, on Channel 4 every day this week, features easy-to-follow recipes tailored for the nation on lockdown.

The 44-year-old told The Sun: “Cooking nutritious meals for yourself and your loved ones has never been more important.

"This show is packed with easy and delicious recipes that the whole family can enjoy, plus loads of tips, tricks and hacks for simple swaps and ways you can make the recipes work with what you’ve got. Let’s big up those store cupboard and freezer faves and hero recipes you can take lots of ways.”

Here Jamie shares six recipes exclusively for Sun readers.

• Jamie: Keep Cooking And Carry On, 5.30pm on Channel 4 today.

Easy carbonara with bacon, eggs and parmesan

Serves 2

JAMIE says: “This easy pasta sauce will cook in about the same time it takes to cook some dried pasta in boiling salted water. Learn how to make your own pasta down below. These amounts serve two but are easy to scale up or down.”

Total time: 10 minutes.

Cals: 454; fat: 17.4g; saturated fat: 5.9g; protein: 23g; carbs: 55.7g; sugars: 2.6g; salt: 0.8g; fibre: 2.2g

You need:

• 75g dried pasta per person
• 2 rashers higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
• Olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 30g Parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating

Method:

1. Put the dried pasta on to cook in a large pan of boiling water as per pack ­instructions.
2. Slice the bacon and place in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with half a tablespoon of olive oil and a really good pinch of black pepper.
3. Leave it to get super-golden and crispy, tossing occasionally, then turn off the heat.
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then finely grate in the Parmesan and mix.
5. Use tongs to transfer your pasta straight into the pan and toss with the bacon.
6. Pour the Parmesan eggs into the pan and keep everything moving, loosening with splashes of the pasta cooking water until you have a silky sauce. Make sure the pan isn’t too hot, otherwise the eggs will scramble.
7. Plate up the pasta and finish with an extra grating of Parmesan.

Easy swaps: Use Cheddar instead of Parmesan. If you haven’t got any eggs, don’t worry – the starchy pasta water will be enough.

Easy tomato sauce with garlic and olive oil

Serves 2

JAMIE says: “Remember you want about 75g of dried pasta per person – use whatever shape you’ve got. Or, I’ve given you a super-simple method for fresh pasta below, using just flour and water.”

Total time: 10 minutes.

Cals: 354; fat: 8g; saturated fat: 1.1g; protein: 11.3g; carbs: 63.3g sugars: 10.1g; salt: 0.1g; fibre: 3.8g

You need:

• 2 garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Method:

1. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then place in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir regularly until lightly golden.
2. Pour in the tomatoes, either scrunching them through your hands or breaking them up with a wooden spoon.
3. Let it simmer on a low heat until your pasta is cooked. Use tongs to drag the pasta straight into the sauce, letting a little starchy cooking water go with it.
4. Toss well over the heat, then serve.
5. I like to finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Flavour bombs: Add any of the following to the sauce as it cooks: Finely chopped fresh chilli or a pinch of dried chilli flakes; a few baby capers; a pinch of dried herbs, such as oregano.

Super-quick fresh pasta using just flour and water

Serves 2

JAMIE says: “My easy homemade pasta recipe is great. You don’t need a pasta machine, just a rolling pin.”

Total time: 15 minutes.

Cals: 167; fat: 0.4g; protein: 7g; carbs: 33.8g; sugars: 0.8g; fibre: 1.3g

You need:

• 2 large handfuls plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• Tap water

Method:

1. Put the flour in a bowl then gradually mix in just enough water to bring it together into a ball of dough (if it’s sticky, add a little extra flour).
2. Knead for just a couple of minutes or until smooth and shiny.
3. On a flour-dusted surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta to about 2mm thick.
4. Dust it well with flour then loosely roll it up. Use a sharp knife to slice it ½cm thick, then toss it with your hands to separate the strands.
5. Cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then drain and toss with your chosen sauce.

Versatile veggie chilli with sweet potatoes, peppers and beans

Serves 4

JAMIE says: “This is a hearty, delicious veggie alternative to traditional chilli con carne that can be tweaked depending on what you have.

“Use butternut squash or regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. No onions? Try using a leek or a few spring onions.

“I’ve used cayenne pepper here, but paprika would be equally delicious.”

Total time: 1 hour.

Cals: 369; fat: 10.1g; saturated fat: 1.6g; protein: 21.5g; carbs: 58.3g; sugars: 14.4g; salt: 0.9g; fibre: 12.9g

You need:

• 500g sweet potatoes
• 1 level tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 heaped tsp ground cumin, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 level tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
• Olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 mixed-colour peppers
• 1 bunch fresh coriander (30g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 fresh mixed-colour chillies
• 2 x 400g tins beans, such as kidney, chickpea, pinto, cannellini
• 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
• Lime or lemon juice, or vinegar, to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks, then place on to a baking tray.
2. Sprinkle with a pinch each of cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, salt and black pepper, drizzle with oil then toss to coat. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and tender.
3. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Halve, deseed and roughly chop the peppers, then peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks. Deseed and finely chop the chillies.
4. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat, then add the onion, peppers and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Add the coriander stalks, chillies and spices and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened and starting to caramelise, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the beans and the juice. Tip in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then stir well.
7. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to tick away for 25 to 30 minutes, or until thickened and reduced – keep an eye on it and add a splash of water to loosen if needed.
8. Stir the roasted sweet potato through the chilli with most of the coriander leaves, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
9. Finish with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice or a swig of vinegar to taste, then scatter over the remaining coriander.
10. Delicious served with yoghurt or soured cream, guacamole and rice or tortilla chips.

Tips: Double or triple this recipe if you’ve got the ingredients, portion it up, and freeze for future meals.

Sweet pea fish pie topped with lovely pea mash

Serves 8

JAMIE says: “Fish pie is one of my favourites and seems to be one of yours too. This clever, delicious, thrifty dish makes use of your freezer staples – and I have to say, it’s one of my best (using smashed sweet peas in the mash is a revelation).

"In theory, fish pies have always been about stretching fish a long way, and by using quality frozen fish fillets, it’s unbelievable how cheaply you can make it.”

Total time: 90 mins.

Cals: 366; fat: 12.9g; saturated fat: 5.5g; protein: 25.2g; carbs: 39.3g; sugars: 8.8g; salt: 1.3g; fibre: 4.2g

You need:

• 1kg potatoes
• 400g frozen peas
• 1 lemon
• 40g unsalted butter
• 2 carrots
• 2 onions
• Olive oil
• 500ml semi-skimmed milk
• 2 x 150g frozen salmon fillets
• 2 x 100g frozen white fish fillets
• 65g plain flour
• 100g frozen spinach
• 125g frozen cooked peeled prawns
• 1 heaped tsp English mustard
• 40g Cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into large, even-sized chunks, then cook them in a large pan of boiling, salted water for 15 minutes, or until soft, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes.
3. Drain and mash well with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, the zest from the lemon and the butter. Set aside. Peel and chop the carrots and onions, then fry them in a large, ovenproof pan (roughly 30cm in diameter) with 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a pan on a medium heat.
5. Once simmering, add all the frozen fish fillets and cook for around 10 minutes or until cooked through, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate, taking the pan off the heat.
6. Stir the flour into the carrots and onions then gradually add the warm milk, a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the spinach until thawed and incorporated, then season to perfection.
7. Flake in the cooked fish fillets (carefully remove and discard any skin or bones), add the prawns and mustard, along with the juice of half the lemon. Grate in the Cheddar and stir gently to combine.
8. Tip the fish sauce into an ovenproof dish and gently shake to level it off.
9. Top with the pea-spiked mash and smooth out, scuffing it up slightly with a fork to give it texture that will crisp up.
10. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until ­beautifully golden.
11. Serve with a good old helping of baked beans (if you like). ­Delicious!

Easy swaps: I’ve used a mixture of frozen salmon, white fish and prawns in this recipe but you can use whatever you’ve got in the freezer – just aim for the same total weight, about 600g.

Don’t worry if you don’t have any frozen spinach, leave it out this time and pick some up next time you’re shopping. It’s great in so many dishes.

Jam jar dressings

JAMIE says: “The most important part of any salad. I like to make my dressings in jam jars because it’s so easy to see what’s going on and you can shake them up easily.

“With the exception of the yoghurt dressing, they’re all based on a ratio of three parts oil to one part acid (vinegar or lemon). Generally, this ratio is a really good benchmark for making any dressing, but it’s always sensible to have a little taste once you’ve shaken it.”

Total time: 5 minutes each.

French dressing

You need:

• ¼ garlic clove
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp white or red wine
• vinegar
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Put the garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
2. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Yoghurt dressing

You need:

• ⅓ cup natural yoghurt
• 2 tbsp white or red wine
• vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Put the yoghurt, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
2. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Lemon dressing

You need:

• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Put the olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
2. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Balsamic dressing

You need:

• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Put the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
2. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Tips: If the seasoning is there but you are finding it a little too acidic, you’ve cracked it, because once the dressing is on the salad leaves it will be perfect.

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Topics

• Jamie Oliver