Feeding the Family Mary Berry Everyday

I'm Mary Berry, and in this series

I'll be celebrating the very best of my everyday cooking.

Day-to-day cooking needn't be mundane.

Even the simplest recipes can be a joy.

I want to show you easy ways

to transform dishes into something really special.

From my hearty, wholesome delights...

Wow! Look at that.

..to my truly indulgent treats.

It's sheer heaven on a plate.

Mm!

..and those fabulous crowd-pleasers.

How about sorbet?

I think we've got enough for everyone.

In this programme...

..my everyday recipes inspired by the people who eat my food the most,

my family.

-Not bad, is it?

-Very, very good.

There's nothing more important to me than my family.

-Gosh, we're lucky with the weather today, Annabel.

-It's amazing.

And when we all get together, we have such fun.

You don't have to get that wet.

They're a hungry lot, and they keep me on my toes

when it comes to what they like to eat.

How about that?

So in this programme,

I'll be showing you how to make your family's meal

just a little bit more interesting.

A wonderful way to brighten up an everyday salad,

perfect for a hot summer's day...

..one of our favourites, chicken, but served with a bit of a kick.

A brilliant idea to make your fish pie extra special.

And an old classic, that's more than stood the test of time.

But first, a no-fuss supper, bursting with flavour.

When I go to an Italian restaurant, I nearly always have melanzane.

I love it because it's just tomatoes and aubergine and cheese,

but I've got a version to make it with pasta,

which makes it really more substantial for the family.

If you soften the pasta first, it's as crisp as can be...

..and you put that in hot water.

It begins to soften,

and also you can break it when you put it in the dish quite easily.

While the pasta softens, slice two good-sized aubergines,

coat evenly in olive oil and seasoning.

Then pop them in the oven at 180 fan, for about 20 minutes.

So there are two sauces for this - a white sauce and a tomato sauce.

First of all I'm going to make the white sauce.

We begin with a simple roux,

with 50g of butter and the same amount of flour.

So I've just cooked that for a few moments,

and I'm going to add the milk...

little by little.

For a good white sauce, always heat the milk first,

and then add slowly,

as it helps to get a really smooth result.

That's a pint in total.

I think people get into real trouble

by having cold milk and adding it too quickly.

This way, it really works a treat,

and it's the way that I always make a white sauce.

Look at that. I'm pleased.

To turn this into a rich cheese sauce, I'm adding Dijon mustard,

pepper and salt, and some delicious Parmesan.

I've got 100g of Parmesan cheese. I'm adding two-thirds of it.

There it is. Just enough to keep to go all over the top.

Now on to the tomato sauce.

You're going to be really pleased about this,

because there's no cooking,

it's just assembling things together.

All I do is make a really well-flavoured tomato sauce,

which we'll cook in the oven with the dish.

I like to have the mixture, cos get a bit of texture.

In go two teaspoons of caster sugar,

a couple of crushed cloves of garlic,

and give it a lift with a little seasoning.

Just give it a good stir...

Just needs some fresh basil, which makes it very Italian.

There's nothing I like more than cooking for the family,

and I like to do it in quantities, too.

I'll very likely make two of these, and put one in the freezer

and have one for supper.

I think it's because I was trained originally in catering

so I'm never put off by cooking for numbers.

Just give that a stir.

Just checking that that lasagne is not sticking together.

No, it's not, but look how flexible it's become.

With the aubergines looking gorgeous and golden brown,

I can get on with the assembling.

Now, this is where I have to concentrate.

Begin with about a third of the tomato and basil sauce on the base.

And then add a few dollops of the rich cheese sauce.

And I like it to be separate,

cos it looks better when you're actually serving it.

So I've got my two sauces and now I need to put the aubergines,

and it doesn't matter a bit if some of these overlap,

they just want to be fairly even.

Then you need a layer of pasta,

and remember I soaked the pasta which made it much easier.

Make sure the pasta goes right to the edges.

If you overlap it, the pasta doesn't cook evenly.

That's logical, isn't it?

So you can see I've done it beautifully there,

and with the greatest of ease because it's all soft.

Simply repeat the process for another couple of layers.

So this is the last third...

And this is really quite a substantial family meal in one pot.

Now, I'm going to put some Parmesan cheese over the top...

And I would very likely make this in the morning for the evening.

Put clingfilm over the top and have it in the fridge.

It's a lovely feeling, if you've had a busy day with the family, that it's done,

and all you've got to do is to put it in the oven,

and then you can go and

have a drink on the side or play with the young or do what you like.

Pop in the oven at 180 fan, for about 40-45 minutes.

This is a perfect idea to liven up the supper table.

That looks amazing.

And I certainly cannot wait to try it.

The spoon's going through beautifully...

Wow! Look at that.

I think it looks most tempting.

Mm! I could have this twice over.

It is absolutely delicious.

-Whoa!

-Howzat?

'While the family play,

'I'm taking Annabel and Atalanta to have a go at making goat's cheese,

'starting with the milk. Bear with me!'

So, Atalanta, have you ever milked a goat?

No, I've never milked anything.

You've never milked anything?

'We kept goats during the war, which my mother used to milk,

'but the one thing we never did was to make cheese.

'So all this is rather new to me.'

Hello!

-Look who's here...

-Ooh!

-And who is this?

-This is Bea.

Hello, Bea. So will you show me how to milk her?

-Of course.

-Right.

You squeeze at the top,

and then run your fingers down just like that.

Would you like to have a go?

Reach and squeeze...

and reach and squeeze.

Well done, Atti.

You've done very well.

I don't think I'll do nearly as well as that.

'Right! Here's my moment.'

-So you just...

-You were better... Ah! Oh!

Come on, Bea. It's only me.

-Shall I pop this underneath again?

-There we are.

-Whoopsie!

Yes, we're going to be friends.

Sorry...

Granny's lost her goat!

Goats can provide over three litres of milk a day,

and it's the most consumed milk in the world.

But there's not much chance of getting any more from Bea today.

Come on round...

Hello, my beauty.

So, see what joy we get from Annabel.

That's it...

Look at that. I could write my name in it.

There we are.

-Very good, Mum.

-Not bad, eh?

It takes a lot more milk to make a hard cheese than a soft one.

-So for the soft cheese

-I

-want to make,

we're going to need four pints.

Thank you very much, Karen, and Annabel, you've done us proud.

-Thanks, Mum.

-And the other one, too. Come on. Onward we go.

Good girl.

Cheese-making in the UK is at an all-time high,

and there's a rise in popularity of making it at home too.

So we're giving it a go.

And I must confess we did need a top-up.

-Steady hand is needed.

-Steady hand.

The only ingredients you need, apart from the goat's milk,

are sea salt and citric acid, which you dissolve in the water.

"Drizzle the citric acid solution into the milk, stirring thoroughly."

You can be the stirrer. How about that, Atti?

We've got to bring it all to 180 Fahrenheit,

and the curds should begin to separate from the whey.

This is very exciting.

-It is very exciting.

-It's just beginning to separate.

It should be curds, which is the solid part,

and the whey which is the runny part.

'After half an hour, off the heat,

'you can pour it through a muslin cloth.'

It's all solid at the top.

-Wow!

-And what have we got...?

The whey at the bottom.

'A good goat's cheese needs salt,

'and I'm adding fresh thyme for extra flavour.'

I'm full of anticipation now,

because it has separated beautifully.

In it goes...

That looks brilliant.

We're going to tie it up and drain it a little bit,

and then shall we hang it on a tree?

It needs to hang for half an hour,

to drain off the last of the moisture.

We'll come back, and then we'll have some magic cheese.

How much fun is that?

Good teamwork.

In my book, the secret of feeding the family

is keeping it uncomplicated, and interesting at the same time.

This sumptuous one-pot wonder fits the bill perfectly.

It's often difficult thinking of different meals

to serve to the family,

especially when time is short. And I think I've got an answer.

It's sort of a cheat's fish pie.

This is a real favourite of mine, and it's remarkably simple to make.

Start with 350g of potatoes, and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, I'm going to skin the fish.

Take a knife, just start from the tail end

and do a sawing action

all the way along, and the skin should come off very easily.

And you're very unlikely to go through the skin because it's tough.

When I was at college I worked in a fishmonger's,

and they taught me all about fish.

And so when I see something like this,

I can tackle it with lots of confidence.

That's it.

And then, you never know - if you feel here,

there might be a bone.

In our house, he that sits at the end of the table

nearly always gets a bone in his fish pie,

and quietly he puts it at the edge of the plate

as much as to say, "You didn't take that extra care."

I don't comment!

I like to cut the haddock into good generous pieces.

Once the potato has had about four minutes,

pop in the cauliflower florets.

You'll want to make sure they still have bite in them.

You need something with fish when it's white potato,

white cauliflower and off-white fish.

So to set off the colour and flavour of the fish,

I'm using masses of fresh chives and parsley.

Drain the vegetables well, and tip them in an oven-proof dish.

Then I'm going to just put a soupcon of salt over the top of there,

a little bit of pepper...

Now for my favourite bit.

Grate 100g of nutty Gruyere cheese,

and sprinkle half over the vegetables.

As it heats it will become a little bit stringy,

because it's Gruyere cheese.

Then you can scatter over those beautiful herbs.

So the next thing I'm going to do is to add the fish,

and just mask the whole of the top of it with the fish.

If you've got any thin bits of fish there,

make sure that they point towards the centre

because the heat will come from the side.

So thickest at the outside...

It's a little bit like a jigsaw here,

I'm just pushing them in.

And I can tuck that one with its tail underneath.

And all that remains is for me to put a very easy sauce over the top.

This is a time-saving trick for a creamy sauce.

All you need do is whisk a heaped tablespoon of cornflour

with 300ml of pouring cream.

And mix it really well so it's got no lumps.

If you use cornflour

it gives a good shine to the sauce,

and it's rather smoother than using flour.

Little there...

Fairly evenly, just pulling it to one side.

And it'll find its way to the bottom.

There couldn't be an easier sauce than that.

Then sprinkle the last of that rich Gruyere cheese over the top.

And to add extra colour, I'm going to put a little paprika.

So a little pinch of that all over...

That goes into the oven at 180 fan,

and it'll take about 20 minutes.

Bubbling at the edges, it's a gorgeous brown colour.

Should be done.

What I'm liking is to see all those herbs in there.

It looks good, and it tastes even better.

Great for all the family.

You're wet...

So am I!

-They always eat more out of doors, don't they?

-They do.

And we'll have to watch this little person,

cos she'll think a picnic is great. Won't you?

Hello. Come on, then.

Oh!

Were you waiting?

-Cheers, Mum.

-Cheers.

-Happy days.

But there's no rest for the wicked.

While the children are playing happily

I'm going to get on with lunch,

and what could be better on a gorgeous day like this than a salad?

This isn't just any old salad,

it's bursting with flavours and textures.

And what really gives it a lift is the dressing.

Start with a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar,

some fresh thyme,

and a couple of teaspoons of runny honey.

This really gives the dressing a lift.

It sweetens it and it goes really well with the fennel.

Add some good olive oil.

As you stir it, it'll just blend in beautifully.

No, a little bit more. Or as my husband would say,

"A drop - you can't have a bit of liquid," as he pours the wine.

To give it a little sharpness,

I want the zest and the juice of half a lemon.

Really good squeeze...

Finish it off with half a clove of garlic.

Next, finely chop one bulb of fennel.

And the trick is to put it straight into the dressing

so it can marinate.

And the other thing I'm going to put in there

are these lentil sprouts.

I'm putting all things that are sort of tough into the dressing,

so that the flavour will really get into them.

So in goes the sprouts here -

They give a little bit of crunch,

and as you can see it is a lovely mixture.

I'll leave that to one side - now to the other ingredients.

I love the texture of cucumber in a salad,

but you don't want it too wet.

So make sure you remove all the seeds.

Granny, what's for lunch?

Fennel and melon salad.

Is it one of your things that you like most in the world?

I do too.

Now for a wonderfully plump watermelon.

I use about a quarter in the salad.

Though today, it might be a little less!

-One for...

-Louis.

-Louis.

One for...

Mummy.

Right, is that enough?

I think your husband's there as well.

You mean your grandpa?

-Yes.

-He doesn't like it anyway so much. So there you are...

Off you go.

Now to bring it all together.

In goes all the marinated fennel...

Now, the secret is to leave that

to go on soaking up that wonderful dressing.

Then start building the other things on top.

First to go on are the crisp leaves of two Little Gem lettuce.

Next, that fresh watermelon and cucumber.

Also I'm going to put

a little bit of pepper and salt,

as I build up these layers.

In goes the lamb's lettuce.

That's it. A few spring onions going in there,

and lastly, more melon.

Doesn't it look lovely, the colour?

And I think that looks most tempting.

So, it's absolutely ready to serve.

OK, lunch is ready.

Come on, Atti, you can go first. First one gets the sausages.

My fennel and watermelon salad goes down a treat.

There's watermelon in there, Daddy.

Is there? Lovely. My favourite.

While the children eagerly tuck in,

I can't wait to sample our very own goat's cheese.

Just perfect with bruschetta and tomatoes, seasoned with thyme.

And look at it. Isn't that perfect?

Well, there we are, Tom,

you couldn't have fresher goat's cheese than that.

-That's amazing.

-See what you think.

Give it a go.

-Not bad, is it?

-Very, very good.

The goat's cheese is really good.

-Delicious.

-Atti definitely did a good job.

Well done, Atti.

Even though we weren't brilliant at milking,

we managed to get SOME, didn't we?

It's so important to keep family meals interesting with fresh ideas.

And my next recipe is a glorious, colourful stir fry,

just perfect for a weekday supper.

And it's so simple to make.

I've called this dish panang chicken stir fry.

It's a little bit spicy,

and my lot think it's really good. Let me get going.

Start off with 225g of long grain rice.

While that bubbles away

I can fry off the chicken, and my secret weapon is a drizzle of honey.

And the reason that I've added honey

is it helps it to brown quickly.

If you don't put honey in,

it takes a long time to brown and you overcook the chicken.

And look at that, isn't it coming a gorgeous colour very quickly?

Don't be tempted to cook it any longer.

Use the same pan,

splash in some olive oil, and we're ready to stir-fry the veg.

What could be easier?

One good size onion, in it goes...

And just let it soften.

A couple of sticks of finely diced celery,

red pepper, and a courgette.

Give that a turn...

So that's looking beautifully colourful.

What makes this dish really zing are the spices I add,

which get soaked up by all the vegetables,

starting with fresh ginger.

I don't like to chop it,

because somebody's going to get bits of it

and you don't get a really good infusion of the flavour.

That looks perfect.

In goes the ginger...

Next, add crushed garlic,

curry powder,

and the juice of half a lime.

Then I'm going to add

three tablespoons of soya sauce...

One...

two...

three.

One of chilli sauce.

Give that a stir...

Now it's time for the all-important rice,

and I have an excellent tip to keep it light and fluffy.

I'm just going to wash that through,

because if there's any surface starch,

I don't want it.

So that wasn't too difficult, was it?

Toss it all together,

so the rice really takes on all the flavours in in the pan.

And finally, in goes the chicken, juices and all.

And that's ample for four people.

Not too expensive, and I promise you, very delicious.

I think that looks really tempting.

It's a good family meal,

makes every day a little bit special.

As much as I adore trying out new and exciting recipes

with the family,

there are some everyday classics

I return to time and time again.

I've always loved traditional rice pudding.

I had it as a child,

I made it for my own children,

and now I make it for the grandchildren.

It's amazing you can make such a delicious pudding

out of such easy ingredients.

I've got a pint and a half of full cream milk,

which I just want to heat.

You can do it from COLD milk,

but it gets going quicker if you use hot.

That's it. Then the rice -

I've got 75g, and it's short grain rice.

It absorbs the milk better

than the long grain rice, that's why we use it.

So I'm just going to put that in like that...

A jolly good tablespoonful of caster sugar...

I've really well buttered the dish -

not only does that make it easier to clean, it also enriches it.

Once the milk is piping hot - but you mustn't let it boil -

simply pour over the top.

Give that a good stir,

cos at the moment the rice is all at the bottom...

Rice pudding is something so simple to make, and it's all in one dish.

Less to wash up.

The secret to a good rice pud

is a long, slow cook at 140 fan.

After about half an hour, there'll be a light skin on top.

Carefully give it a gentle stir.

Now, by no means is the rice done,

it's just beginning to absorb the milk.

Now, if you like nutmeg, and that's traditional and classic,

just grate a little on top...

So just a light dusting of nutmeg.

SHE SNIFFS It's very aromatic,

it's a lovely flavour.

Back in the oven it goes at the same heat for a couple of hours,

and I can't wait for the result.

The memories come flowing back of one's childhood.

That skin is just perfect.

You either love the skin or you loathe the skin -

I just love it.

All that needs is a nice dollop of jam.

That's it. Wow...

Here goes.

That is absolutely beautiful.

It's creamy,

it's piping hot,

it's scrumptious!

And I want some more.

'Next time,

'my surprisingly easy showstoppers,

'for when you really want to show off.'

Feels like firework day!

How about that, then?

I have finally succumbed to a blowtorch.