The Easter holidays are approaching, and having the kids home from school for two whole weeks can take a toll on your best-laid catering plans. Say goodbye to clean counter-tops, and hello to fourteen straight days of trying to cobble together breakfasts, lunches and dinners with too many “cooks” in the kitchen.
To stop your kitchen from getting out of control over the Easter holidays, recipe box provider Gousto’s chef Sophie Nahmad shares her top tried-and-tested tips for running your kitchen like a professional restaurateur.
1 – Think about your cooking space
“Before you start preparing any food,” says Sophie, “think about your cooking space. Easter can be a busy day and you don’t want cooking or cleaning up to get in the way of the fun.
“The first thing I do before I start to cook is clean and tidy the area, and empty the dishwasher. You can’t cook in a messy kitchen, and this way will make it easier to clean up on the fly.
2 – Gather everything you need before you start
“Second, get together all the ingredients and equipment that you’ll need, so the whole cooking process can run smoothly. This is usually step one in all our recipes, because it makes such a difference to your experience of cooking with our recipe boxes.
“Once you’ve gathered the right things in the right zones, then it’s all about cleaning as you go. When you’ve finished eating you can just pop the last few plates in the dishwasher, and everything’s done!
3 – Use a timer
“There’s nothing worse than being halfway through prepping your show stopping dinner and smelling something burning – especially if you’re hosting the Easter lunch and have a lot going on!
“If this is your worst kitchen worry, then a timer will be your best friend in the kitchen. Set it running, and then you can chop while something is cooking and not worry about burning anything.
4 – FIFO: First In, First Out
“Food waste is a challenge for a lot of people, and helping people to reduce food waste is part of our ethos as a company. To reduce waste, I use a classic restaurant technique in my own home: “First In, First Out.” or “FIFO”. This is all about storing your freshest food at the back of your cupboards and keeping older food at the front – so when you go to reach for something, it’ll be the food that will go out of date first.”
Ready to put your new professional cooking tips to the test? Here’s a fresh Gousto twist from our Easter CookBook on the classic Good Friday fish dish to flex your culinary muscles.
Mustard Salmon With Crushed Potatoes And Tenderstem Broccoli
For a succulent dinner, you’ll zap waxy potatoes in the microwave and serve them with seared salmon fillets, a creamy dill sauce and Tenderstem broccoli. Sizzle, dollop, smash, done!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
160g Tenderstem broccoli
80g crème fraîche
2 x 110g skin on salmon fillets
10.5g wholegrain mustard
300g waxy potatoes
10g dill
1 garlic clove
- Before you begin…
- Get all your ingredients and equipment ready
- Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg
Note: Equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 min)
- Now, let’s get started!
- Boil a kettle
- Add the waxy potatoes to a heatproof bowl, then cover the bowl with cling film and pierce a few holes in the top with a fork
- Put the bowl in the microwave for 4-5 min or until the potatoes are fork-tender
- Meanwhile, heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat
- Once hot, add the salmon fillets (skin-side down), season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 min, turning once halfway
- While the salmon is cooking, add the Tenderstem broccoli to a pot with a pinch of salt and cover with plenty of boiled water
- Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 3-4 min or until tender with a slight bite
- Once cooked, drain, then return to the pot and set aside until serving
- Chop the dill roughly
- Peel and gently crush the garlic clove with the back of a knife, discard the skin
- Add the crème fraîche, half of the wholegrain mustard (not a mustard fan? Go easy!) and 2 tbsp cold water to a bowl and mix it all together – this is your mustard sauce
Tip: Cooking for 2? Save the remaining wholegrain mustard for another recipe!
- Add the crushed garlic to the pan with the salmon and cook for 1 min or until fragrant
- Once fragrant, reduce the heat to medium, then add the mustard sauce and most of the chopped dill (save some for garnish!) and cook for 2 min further or until the salmon is cooked through – this is your mustard salmon
Tip: Your fish is cooked through when it’s opaque and flakes easily
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, add a large knob of butter and a generous pinch of salt and pepper
- Crush the seasoned potatoes lightly with a fork – these are your crushed potatoes
Tip: Just crush them gently, or they’ll turn to mash!
- Serve the mustard salmon over the crushed potatoes with the Tenderstem broccoli to the side
- Pour over any remaining mustard sauce and garnish with the reserved chopped dill
Enjoy!
