Better weather means lighter meals, so it’s back to some old favourites like chicken breast, pork medallions and maybe some lightweight pasta or salmon, before we start opting for salads and barbecues, although we have had some balmy evenings recently when we did cook outside.

Chicken pieces, whether breast, thighs or legs, must be about the easiest things to cook and are probably everyone’s standby.

You can roast them, fry them, grill them or barbecue them, and there must be 50 different sauces to go with them.

Chicken breasts marinated in Chinese five-spice powder, ginger, orange and soy sauce and then roasted, are tasty and tender, and the marinade makes a very flavoursome sauce.

You can leave them in the marinade for up to 24 hours in the fridge and they only take about 25 minutes to cook, so if you prepare them the night or morning before, you can have supper on the table in a little over half an hour.

My tuna and pasta bake recipe is an old favourite and another one that can be prepared in advance, but sprinkle with the crisps and cheese just before it goes in the oven.

I think I’ve given this recipe before, but it’s so good it’s worth repeating.

The pork schnitzels, which can also be swapped for flattened chicken breast, need to be whacked really well (good therapy after a bad day), but all the fat needs to be trimmed off the medallions first. I used Japanese panko breadcrumbs which are available in the oriental section of most large supermarkets. I’ve not used them before, and although they gave quite a nice crunchy finish, I don’t think there was a lot of difference between them and my own homemade breadcrumbs.

Since my heart problem a while ago, I’ve been eating more salmon – quite an achievement for a not very enthusiastic fish eater – but I’ve started to get fed up with poaching or grilling it and have been trying to find something different to do with it.

I came across a paella-style salmon and leek recipe in an old food magazine which looked good, and after making a few changes, it was good.

I left out the Spanish saffron in the original recipe and added Italian basil, some garlic and red peppers and cooked it on the hob instead of the oven, so a Spanish-style salmon paella eventually turned into an Italian-style salmon risotto.

Pork schnitzels with creamy caper sauce

(Serves 4)

4 pork medallions
Seasoned flour
½ tsp dried sage
6 heaped tbsps dried breadcrumbs
Salt and ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Olive oil for frying
20g butter
1 tbsp flour
200ml chicken stock
2 tbsps capers, plus 2 tsp of vinegar from the jar
1 tbsp chopped parsley
3 heaped tbsps crème fraîche

Trim every scrap of fat and sinew from the medallions and put them, one at a time, between sheets of cling film, then whack them with a rolling pin until they are really thin. Dredge them in seasoned flour and shake off the excess.

Mix the sage with the breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper. Spread half the crumbs on to one plate and pour the beaten eggs on to another. Dip each piece of pork first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, patting them on well.

Egg and crumb all the pieces, add more of the breadcrumbs as necessary, then chill them all in the fridge.

When ready to cook, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the schnitzels in batches for two to three minutes each side until golden and crisp.

Transfer them to a plate and keep warm in a low oven while frying the rest, adding more oil to the pan as required. For the sauce, melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Gradually blend in the chicken stock and simmer gently for two minutes more. Stir in the capers, caper vinegar, parsley and crème fraiche and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour into a sauce boat and serve with the schnitzels.

Tuna and pasta bake

(Serves 4)

300g penne
2 x 200g cans tuna in oil
2 heaped tbsps capers
2 heaped tbsp chopped green olives
2 tbsps chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
400ml béchamel sauce
3 large tomatoes, sliced
2 small packets plain potato crisps
2 heaped tbsps grated Cheddar cheese

Cook and drain the pasta. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. While the pasta is cooking, tip the tuna and its oil into a bowl and flake it with a fork.

Add the capers, olives and parsley and season with salt and pepper, then stir the tuna into the pasta together with half the béchamel sauce. Put half the pasta into a well-buttered deep baking dish, cover with the tomato slices, then add the rest of the pasta and top with the remaining béchamel.

Crush the crisps and sprinkle them evenly over the sauce, then scatter on the cheese.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until browned and crisp and bubbling.

Salmon and vegetable risotto

(Serves 4)

2 leeks, white and pale green parts only
2 tbsps olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, cored, skinned if preferred and diced
250g long grain rice
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
900ml vegetable stock
Large handful frozen peas
500g skinless salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
1 tbsp shredded basil leaves
30g butter

Trim the leeks, then slice them half a centimetre thick. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, leeks and peppers and fry for two minutes more.

Wash the rice in several changes of water, swishing it around until the water becomes clear, then drain thoroughly. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper, add the oregano, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for five minutes, stirring gently once or twice to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Scatter over the peas, tuck the pieces of salmon down into the rice and sprinkle with the basil. Cover and simmer very gently for about six or seven minutes, or until the rice is tender, the stock is almost absorbed and the salmon flakes easily when tested with a knife.

Dot with the butter and leave it to stand, covered, for five minutes, then serve on warm plates.

Five-spice chicken

(Serves 4)

2 heaped tbsps light soft brown sugar
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 tbsps dry sherry or vermouth
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 heaped tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
4 chicken breast halves
150ml chicken stock
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

Mix the sugar and five-spice powder together in a small bowl, then stir in the sherry, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and orange rind and juice. Put the chicken breasts into a shallow baking dish in one layer and pour over the marinade, turning the breasts so they are well coated. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Take off the cling film, put the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, basting once with the marinade. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate, cover and keep warm.

Pour the chicken stock into the dish and swish it around, scraping up all the brown and sticky bits, then pour it into a small pan.

Bring to the boil, add enough of the cornflour to thicken the sauce and simmer for two minutes. Serve the chicken on warm plates and spoon over a little of the sauce, then serve the rest of the sauce separately.

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