One Pan Wonders Nigel Slater's Dish of the Day

I'm Nigel Slater.

I'm an instinctive and impulsive cook.

I tend not to do much planning, I'm much more likely to make things up as I go along,

depending on how I feel at the time.

I'd no idea how that was going to turn out. I'm really quite pleased with that.

I don't write a shopping list either,

I just buy whatever catches my eye and looks good on the shelves.

It sometimes means I have to experiment a little and be creative,

but I find it's a great way to make delicious meals every day of the week.

I'm going to show you how I make the most of my weekly shop,

to give you ideas how not to waste a bit of yours.

This week I want to keep things really simple

so my plan is for a range of one-pan wonders.

It's such an easy and comforting way to cook

and suits some ingredients perfectly.

Sometimes I look forward to my weekly shop.

I love the idea of bringing new ingredients home

but I don't like shopping when I'm hungry so I always make sure

I have a few treats left for a delicious snack before I go.

I've got some mushrooms left and they're one of the things

that I love to find in the fridge at the end of the week

because, over a few days in a brown paper bag,

mushrooms become much more woodsy, much more interesting.

They sort of mellow and I think the flavour becomes richer.

And there's not a lot here to use up

so I'm going to make a great big beautiful sandwich.

As soon as the butter's melted,

I'll put the mushrooms in

and a little bit of sage.

It's not that versatile, but it works deliciously with cheese.

A couple of leaves, no more.

Then drop these into the butter.

And, yeah, sometimes I've got field mushrooms

or maybe even some little chestnuts

but these are rather beautiful oyster mushrooms

and they just need using.

So I've got a bit of bread here to use up, I'm going to toast that.

I've also been saving some taleggio cheese

but I don't want it hanging around any longer

and I know it'll be perfect for this.

It's one of those cheeses that melts beautifully,

very quickly and very lusciously.

Once the mushrooms are starting to brown,

just pop the cheese on top,

pop the lid on and let that cheese melt.

This is cheese on toast with a difference.

I could have let the taleggio bubble under the grill,

but I've got so much more flavour in the pan

for all the ingredients to absorb.

It's that wonderful moment

when you've realised that you've made something for nothing,

something that could have ended up,

rather naughtily, in the bin.

I'm not sure a sandwich could ever be better than that.

Look at that. How good is that?

It's everything I want food to be,

and I was just cleaning out the fridge.

Sometimes it's the unplanned meals that are the most satisfying.

Although there are a few items that will always make it into my basket,

I like to keep my weekly shop varied.

'It's the same when it comes to the stores I visit.

'I love discovering new places, packed full of treasure.'

-Hello.

-Morning.

'Sometimes that nostalgic little corner shop can really inspire you.'

This shop is full of things that either I haven't seen for years

or ingredients that I just wish were more widely available.

My two policies are kind of, try and find things without a barcode

and I know the name of the person that made it.

And presumably you know the name of some of your customers.

Pretty much all of them, yeah, and they all know our name.

I mean, that relationship, I think, is really important.

They come in and they see us every day and they...

-These are the principles of the old-fashioned, what I call proper, corner shop.

-Yeah.

'Sometimes it's the simplest kind of cooking

'that makes the biggest impact.

'It's really just about getting the combination of ingredients right.'

So any plans for the... for the mustard?

It's one of those ingredients I have to have.

I feel lost without lemons and without mustard,

but this one, it's slightly different.

Yeah. It's got that kind of slightly deeper and richer taste

than some of them, less kind of peppery upfront.

-Right. Thank you.

-Cheers.

One-pan cookery may seem humble,

but it really is one of my favourite ways of making the best

of what I've got with the least amount of fuss.

And that's what this week's recipes are all about.

The idea of cooking up a great big pan of ingredients has always appealed to me.

There's nothing flashy or pretentious about this kind of food.

My Sunday supper is simply a way of letting all of the fresh vegetables

that end up in my shopping basket just quietly do their thing together.

These are the things I just come home with.

I don't have a specific recipe in mind, I just know that I need them.

The vegetables that are usually in the background.

I think of them as sort of the backroom boys.

I just like to do a dish with them every now and again

where they get their chance to shine.

Chop all the vegetables into small pieces

so they'll soften in the pan quickly.

Give the more robust ones like parsnips that little bit longer.

Now these are on a sort of moderate heat.

I don't really want them to brown and caramelise,

I don't want that sweetness.

So I've got onions, a couple of carrots, a parsnip in there,

I'm also going to put in a rib of celery.

And all of the earthy flavours will sizzle gently together,

but I can give them a helping hand. I want to put some herbs in there,

and definitely some thyme, a little bit of rosemary.

I'll see what else is out there.

Herbs love stews.

It's when they're given their chance

to show off their incredible flavours.

Now, I've got some oregano and the reason I'm putting that in

is because there's going to be some beans going into this stew

and I think of oregano as the bean herb.

I always put it in bean casseroles, I put it in bean salads.

Some rosemary too.

These are quite robust herbs, they've got big flavours.

They're the sort of back note of vegetable dishes.

So the vegetables are softening.

They've taken a little bit of colour but not much

so I'm going to put some stock in.

And because I want to keep this as a vegetable recipe

I'm using a vegetable stock, but you could use chicken

or whatever else is about. I'm going to bring that up to the boil

and then turn it down and let it simmer with a lid on

until the vegetables just start to be tender.

To give this dish a bit more substance, I want to add some beans.

Now, you can use anything for this. You can use cannellini,

you can use any of the little haricot beans.

I'm using flageolet simply because they're my favourite.

It's a good hearty soup stew

but I want it to have just that little something

and I'm adding one of my favourite ingredients.

They're a little bit of a luxury but they're artichoke hearts,

and they're really rather good.

You only need a few of these

to give a wonderful flavour right the way through the stew,

and just a little fresh note at the end,

some chopped parsley, I think.

There's something gentle about this at the same time,

something quite soothing.

The flavours are mild and they're quite sweet.

It's just one of those very comforting recipes,

an experiment that's... that has really worked.

A hearty dish like this just sings the praises of the rustic, earthy veg.

If you thought cooking was complicated,

this is one of the simplest ways to elevate an everyday stew

into a vibrant, colourful treat.

I rarely have time for adventurous cooking on a Monday

and the advantage of a big Sunday stew

is that the flavours intensify overnight

and you can quickly transform it

into a completely different but delicious dish.

For my Monday lunch, I'm dipping into last night's supper

to make a wholesome soup.

A little water added to the leftovers

and a quick blend will give me a whole new consistency.

You can add as much or as little water,

depending on how you like your soup.

Some fresh heat will work its way through the mellow flavours.

Now for something spicy and cool.

Halve a few chillies and blend with some oil for a burst of heat.

And for a second, cooler oil, repeat with a handful of mint leaves.

These will liven up the soup

and any leftovers will also make a great dipping sauce

when you've got some crusty bread.

Some days you just know are soup days.

But this is instantly pleasing.

And by simply trickling the oils on the soup to serve,

I've got a wonderful collision of flavours.

I really don't want my leftovers to taste like leftovers.

Just a couple of exciting ingredients mixed in

and it's a whole new recipe, it's a different dish, a different day.

No week in the kitchen would be complete

without fish finding its way into my meals.

And mackerel is one of the most versatile fish I know.

But today is going to be an experiment

to see if I can make it pep up one of my favourite one-pan recipes.

It's one of those incredibly useful fish.

I love to have them in the fridge.

But I've got a fancy for a sort of salad-stroke-pate,

something not as smooth as a usual smoked mackerel pate

but something that has a little bit of crunch to it, a bit of freshness.

So I just take the skin off

and just check there aren't any bones sticking out.

Sometimes there's a few but they're very big

and very easy to pull out.

So I'm keeping the pieces really juicy and large.

When I eat smoked mackerel on its own I like to have something slightly warm with it.

To me, mustard isn't just a condiment,

it's a brilliant seasoning

and when I bought it at the little corner shop this week,

I knew I could make great use of it here.

I'm using grain mustard just cos I like the little seeds in there.

And it's really quite mild so I can use quite a bit of this stuff.

Probably sort of a couple of teaspoons worth.

Mackerel's a really rich fish, a little goes a very long way.

I'm going to use a little drop of lemon just to bring the flavour

and just to cut that fatty richness.

It's kind of a knee-jerk seasoning with oily fish

but it really does work, it does the job.

So I've got mustard and lemon juice,

a tiny little bit of olive oil in there.

I don't want one of those really fine purees.

I want to keep it quite textured so it only gets a very quick blitz.

What I've got with just those two little blitzes

is a coarse, lovely, fibrous mixture.

I'm going to leave it like that.

I'm trying to keep everything in one pot today, cut down on washing up.

I have an idea that this is going to work with celeriac.

I think of it as a winter vegetable but it's available all year

and it'll keep for several days, if not for longer.

It's one of those things that people don't use enough.

People often say to me that it's not a very attractive-looking vegetable

but I think it's beautiful with this crisp white flesh

and its wonderful celery flavour.

Just take off the very coarse outer skin

and then into pieces that will fit into the blender.

What I want is lots of texture to this.

They're like little shards of root vegetable

and they'll lighten up this whole thing.

And then, to bring the mackerel and the celeriac together,

I'm just going to use a little bit of soured cream.

I don't want this to be gloopy, I'm not going to put too much in.

And just fold the fish through the grated roots

and then that is ready to eat, just as it is.

There's something very satisfying about an idea that works.

You know, you have something in your head,

a couple of ingredients that might get on well together

and when they do...

..it just makes you realise why you cook.

This really has been an experiment that's worked.

With mustard and mackerel paired with a simple root veg,

the marriage of everyday ingredients

has become something completely irresistible.

During the weekly shop I met Philip,

who sells an array of individual ingredients in a quirky corner shop

full of nostalgia, where even the coffee brewing

is like stepping back in time.

Philip lives above his shop but at the end of a busy day

he's little time to enjoy the produce he sells,

so I've offered to come back to see if I can cook him something quick,

quirky and delicious from the contents of his own kitchen,

but using an ingredient from his shop I've always had my eye on.

So, our kitchen.

I love your kitchen immediately.

Yeah, well, it's a domestic kitchen but it gets a huge amount of use.

I can tell that, because everything seems to hand.

And can I just sort of root around? You're fine with that?

Go ahead, see what you find.

Liking these onions. Need to grab those.

If in doubt, start with an onion.

-I'll have a look in your fridge if I may.

-Yes.

-See, you've got a chicken in your fridge.

-Everyone has chicken in their fridge.

I know.

And some bacon.

Looks very nice too. OK.

-All this...

-What are you thinking?

The star of this recipe was always going to be your lovely cider

because it just looks great and it's just such a lovely product.

-How do you think that's going to go with a chicken?

-Good question.

I would normally...my kneejerk answer is I'd use it with pork,

always, but that looks like all brown meat,

which I think will work very well, but let's see.

'To get things going in the pan,

'I'm going to soften the onions in butter,

'if I can get Philip's ancient cooker to light.'

So, good luck. Maybe one person should turn and the other...

Oh, no, you're doing well, it's OK.

'It's funny, cooking in Philip's kitchen

'is so evocative of my childhood, just like browsing around his shop.'

Walking into the shop, it feels like, I mean,

to be honest, more like the shops of my childhood than a modern shop.

Because also they were such...

they were such an essential part of the community.

We couldn't have done without a corner shop.

Me with my pocket money and my sweets,

Dad with his tobacco and then Mum with her shopping.

Yeah.

'This dish is going to elevate a few traditional ingredients

'like chicken and bacon,

'the ordinary staples of anybody's weekly shop.

'A few moments to brown with the onion will really get this pan of glory going.'

These little apples, I'm going to put these in.

I'm not going to bother to peel them.

When I was a kid we had these discovery apples in our garden.

I was brought up with these, and whenever I see them

I can't resist them.

'And I certainly can't leave them out of this dish.

'Their sweetness will really help to balance the dryness of the cider.'

I'm not a huge one for cooking with alcohol.

I put a little bit of wine in things

but I can never resist a nicely made British cider.

That was a good one, it's very bittersweet,

which I love, completely flat, you know, no fizz.

That is autumn. It's autumn.

It smells like when you find your perfect country pub.

-Yeah.

-That's what it smells like.

'This is the moment where something magical happens in a one-pan recipe.

'All of the ingredients just start working together.'

Oh, you can smell that smell now, can't you, suddenly?

-Suddenly.

-Yeah, apples.

-It's like the countryside.

I'm just going to let that sort of putter away for a bit.

'It'll need ten minutes or so, just until the alcohol cooks off

'and the chicken is nice and tender.' Let's have a little look.

-This is where I find that chicken and cider don't work.

-Well, at least you tried.

-That's quite good.

-OK.

'There are some kinds of cooking that just invite you

'to get stuck straight into the pan and this is one of them.

'This isn't the time for table manners.'

-Thank you very much.

-Tell me what you think.

Mmm, yeah, delicious.

I love the combination, the apple, the cider,

the chicken and that little bit of richness from the bacon.

It's that thing about cooking with good ingredients,

that it's almost impossible to go wrong.

That and having a very nice pan,

-and a very nice kitchen to go with it.

-It all helps.

I've tried all the tricks in the book for using up those fresh fruit

and veg in my weekly shop, but there's one old-school method

that I've simplified which I return to again and again.

Pickling is a great way to ensure that none of your vegetables go to waste.

And this is a recipe for the impatient pickler.

Squeeze the juice from any citrus fruits you've got sitting in the fruit bowl.

Then finely slice all your leftover vegetables.

Thin slivers work best in this recipe.

The dish just needs a splash of red wine vinegar

and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.

Then let the veg soak up the citrus flavours

for a good hour or so in the fridge.

When the vegetables have had their time pickling,

I like to balance the acidity with some creaminess.

Mozzarella works deliciously well.

A final finesse with some seasoning, a fresh squeeze of lime

and a little of the pickling sauce will finish off this dish nicely.

This is the best way to completely transform some familiar veg.

It's such a simple method,

and proof that you can pickle without the palaver.

I find cooking to be such a soothing, evocative pleasure.

There are some dishes that instantly conjure up memories of suppers

from days gone by, and I find a bowl of dessert

made from fruit gently warming in the oven to be one of them.

You know, I eat a lot of fruit.

What I buy and put in the fruit bowl,

I always go for the best ones first

and then I'm left with ones that need using up.

I never quite know what to do with them.

If I get it right and I match one fruit to another

I can put them all in one dish.

Today I think I'm going to make a crumble.

It's just one of those instantly gratifying recipes

where something wonderful happens in the pan,

with virtually no effort at all.

I've got pears and I've got an apple,

some odd bits and pieces that I haven't eaten

and I'm going to put them into the pan with a little bit of lemon juice

and a wee bit of sugar and just soften them first,

let all those juices get flowing.

Then they end up really soft and juicy underneath the crisp crust.

Even if you've got some under-ripe fruit, throw it in.

A little bit of heat and sugar is all it takes to make good.

If you've got some soft fruits, some blueberries, some raspberries,

some blackberries, they can go in as well.

I don't think it works with tropical fruits.

Maybe the odd banana but pineapple, mango, don't.

Now, there's some lemon juice in there

and just to draw out all those juices

I'm going to put a little bit of sugar in.

Now for my crisp crust.

200 grams of plain flour and about 100 grams of butter.

You can rub the butter into the flour in seconds with a food processor.

It's that moment when you get your hands in there

and you feel the soft flour and you feel the cold butter

and you realise why you cook and what's so wonderful about it.

You know, as much as I love a simple crumble crust,

I also like it when it's got lots of different textures going on.

So when I go to the cupboard, I think of what will work.

So a few big oats, they're rolled oats.

I've got some pumpkin seeds. Sunflower would be really good too.

I've got a few flaked almonds here.

And sesame. I'm just after things of different sizes,

different textures.

It just makes the crust more interesting.

And then some sugar.

I don't add too much sugar to my crumble

because the fruit is quite sweet as it is.

And I'm using Demerara but caster will do.

So what I've got is a very rich crust here

with all that butter and sugar

but it's also got all the seeds and nuts in it.

Now, delicious as that is, I've got a banana to use up as well.

Everybody likes their bananas at a different level of ripeness,

but for me once they get a little bit too ripe

they get a little bit sickly and that's when they end up in the kitchen.

I always like to add something that'll feel like a little surprise

underneath the crumble.

This is one of those really easy desserts,

I mean, it's a matter of minutes.

You make it in one dish, so there's not a lot of washing up,

and I've never known anybody who didn't just tuck in.

And then that goes in the oven,

about 180-200, for about half an hour.

This is going to be a real treat for the weekend

and a conscience-clearing dish that just helps me out.

You know, I'll be honest, if I hadn't have used that fruit in this,

it might have ended up on the compost.

So this is actually what I call my compost crumble.

And the only thing that needs is a little bit of sour cream.

This is everything I want a one-pan recipe to be.

And do you know what? That's a delicious end to the week.

This week, I've let my imagination run wild with simple dishes

that make light work of washing up, but pack a punch on the plate.

And I've used up all of my weekly shop.

Next time, I'll be having fun with those thrifty ingredients

that give you their all, showing how, with the right kind of cooking,

you really can get every last bit out of them.

It just feels so good to make something out of the peelings,

and I've got these little delicacies,

I just love the idea of using everything.

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