Recipes

This is a slightly sweet Anglo-Indian soup, and one that I always loved as a child. The nice thing for me is that although has very little beef in it, the little it has makes all the difference. The quick-cook rice is good because it softens nicely as the rest of the soup cooks. Ingredients: 120g minced beef, 1 eating apple, 2tsp mild curry powder, 1tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of black pepper, 1 beef stock cube, 500ml carton of tomato passata, 50g quick-cook white rice, 600ml water, 1 heaped tsp cornflour, 1 heaped tsp flour/GF flour, olive oil ...

This is a fast go-to when we want something tasty midweek, as it can be made largely with cupboard ingredients with whatever veg happen to be knocking around in the fridge on the side (we always keep a few blocks of extra firm tofu in the fridge). Ingredients: 1 tin coconut milk, 150ml water, 2 tbsp cashews, knob of ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp curry powder, 2 tsp fenugreek leaves (optional), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 block extra-firm tofu, 1 tbsp olive oil ...

Ingredients: 1kg potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks, 25og nuts (pine nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts), 250g parmesan, 2 large bunches fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 400ml extra virgin olive oil, juice of a lemon, salt & pepper Method: Toss potatoes in oil and salt and air fry for 35-40 minutes till crisp and tender, shaking every now and then. Meanwhile, put everything else in a blender and process until quite smooth. Check seasoning. Toss half the pesto through the cooked potatoes and serve (save the other half in an airtight container in the fridge for something else). ...

Ingredients: 1kg of potatoes, two red or yellow peppers, half a small jar of harissa, half a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in their oil (about 175g), 2 cloves of garlic, salt Method: Cut clean but unpeeled potatoes into bite-sized chunks, toss with olive oil and salt and air fry until cooked and crispy, 40-45 minutes. Meanwhile in a blender, blend all the other ingredients to a smooth sauce. Pour half over the potatoes, or toss them in it (save the other half for another day). Serve. ...

I tried these having learned that pinole is a nutritious complex carb, so is great for running fuel. They last 4-5 days in an airtight container. This is adapted from a recipe found in the book Born To Run 2, which in turn borrowed it from a trail runner called Andrew Olson. Ingredients: 2 tsp chia seeds, 300g pinole, 100g dates, 2-3 tbsp honey/maple syrup, 150ml water Method: Preheat over to 200°C. Process all the ingredients until they form a thick paste. Divide and shape into 6 cookies on greaseproof paper on an oven tray. Score with the prongs of a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to crack and colour. ...

This recipe is a campervan favourite, and nicer than the meat equivalent. I usually transfer it to another saucepan once made to simmer/rest while I make the rice in the same pressure cooker afterwards. Ingredients: 1 onion, 1 pepper, 1 carrot, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 mug dried beans, soaked overnight (mix of kidney, black & mung), 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon miso paste (optional), 1 square dark chocolate ...

This is a fast camper van crowdpleaser, because it uses pre-cooked chickpeas and the sauce is naturally creamy and thick thanks to the combination of peanut butter and coconut milk. The lime is a nice addition because it adds an unusual and complementary sharpness at the end. Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tin full-fat coconut milk, 4 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 2 tins chickpeas (drained), 1 veg stock cube, 1 lime ...

A simple curry that we never get bored of. For us, if you’re going to try to avoid meat, you should replace it with things like beans and pulses, so dishes like this feature pretty much daily on our menu. Ingredients: 1 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 medium red pepper, 1 medium sweet potato, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 mug red lentils, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tin coconut milk. Optional: Small bunch of coriander, thumb of ginger, 1 tsp nigella seeds, juice of half a lemon. ...

It’s not really a risotto due to the pressure cooking of course (see below), but it works for us. It’s filling, tasty and highly nutritious, and thus a great one-pot meal both for van life and for carb loading before long runs etc. Ingredients: 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1.5 mugs any short-grain rice, large splash of white wine (optional), 4 mugs water, 2 veg stock cubes, 250g mushrooms, 2 large handfuls spinach, 1/2 mug grated parmesan, big knob of butter (optional) ...

I’ve been ‘in charge’ of food for our household ever since Faye and I met, when I DJed at weekends, Faye worked in the week, and so it fell to me to make the weekday evening meals. We’ve made every mistake, tried all diets, and honestly you couldn’t make up some of what we’ve done/been through (how about being diagnosed coeliac and living gluten-free for 8 years, only to figure out that the diagnosis was wrong?). Over the decades, we’ve boiled out ‘food philosophy’ down to these few rules to live by: ...