Rick Stein’s quick classics: Meatballs, trifle, a fuss-free fish pie… the TV chef serves up effortlessly divine dishes in his new book

HADDOCK FILLETS WITH SPRING ONIONS, RED PEPPER & LEMON JUICE 

This dish was my first taste of hospital food during a recent stay, and at the time I thought that there could be no better diet for a patient. 

Things didn’t turn out quite like that subsequently, but this is a celebration of how food could, or should be, in hospital in a perfect world.

SERVES 2

• 2 haddock fillets (skin on), each about 160g (5¾oz)
• Salt and pepper
• 1tbsp plain flour
• 50ml (2fl oz) olive oil
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• ½ a roasted red pepper, from a jar, cut into 1cm (½in) dice
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• ½tsp soy sauce

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and then lightly dust with the flour.

Tesco Finest Rioja Blanco 2022 (13%) £10

Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and gently fry the fish over a low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the fish to a plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Add the remaining oil to the pan with the spring onions, red pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce. Stir until warmed through, then spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

Rick says: If you prefer, you could replace the haddock in this dish with pollock, which has a similar firm, flaky texture. 

Olly Smith’s wine pairing: Haddock heaven 

Tesco Finest Rioja Blanco 2022 (13%) £10

White Rioja is handsome value for money, and this bright, crisp white has all the freshness and moreish magic needed for Haddock Fillets With Spring Onions, Red Pepper & Lemon Juice. Dive into its classy dreamy quality.

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA

My mother was a great home cook and one of her favourites, and mine, was saltimbocca. 

The only bit of the recipe that I have changed is to use chicken breast rather than veal, simply because veal is a bit frowned upon these days. 

My dad’s choice of wine to go with this dish was Alsace Gewurztraminer.

SERVES 2

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 4 sage leaves
• 4 slices of prosciutto
• 20g (¾oz) butter
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 80ml (2½fl oz) dry white wine
• Salt and black pepper

To serve

• Sautéed potatoes and wilted spinach or fried courgettes

Flatten the chicken breasts by placing each one in between 2 sheets of baking parchment and bashing them with a rolling pin until they are only about 6-8mm thick. 

Season with plenty of black pepper and place a sage leaf on top of each.

Lay out 2 slices of prosciutto side by side, place a chicken breast on top and fold the ham over. Top with a further sage leaf and secure with a cocktail stick if necessary. 

Repeat with the remaining chicken breast, prosciutto and sage.

In a large frying pan, melt all but a knob of the butter with the olive oil. When it’s foaming, add the chicken breasts. 

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through and the prosciutto is crisp. 

Add the white wine to the pan and bring to the boil, then add the knob of butter and let it bubble and thicken a little. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Olly’s wine pairing: Classic with chicken

Gewurztraminer Cave de Turckheim 2021 (13.5%) £10.95, thewinesociety.com

Rick’s father used to choose an Alsace Gewurztraminer to serve with Chicken Saltimbocca, so in his honour I’m recommending this exotic mellow fruity beauty that is as fragrant as a rose. Cheers to Rick!

HARISSA LAMB STEAKS WITH CHICKPEA MASH & TOMATO SALAD

Here I mash the chickpeas with garlic, lemon, cumin and coriander, and brush the lamb steaks with harissa before grilling, with the aim of creating a dish with a North African flavour.

SERVES 2

• 1tbsp harissa paste
• 2tsp olive oil
• 2 lamb leg steaks
• Salt and black pepper
• For the chickpea mash
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped or crushed
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 400g tin or jar of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• A small handful of coriander, chopped

For the Tomato salad

• 2 tomatoes, finely sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• Olive oil and lemon juice

Mix together the harissa and olive oil. Season the lamb steaks with salt and pepper and brush one side of each with half of the harissa mixture.

Preheat the grill and cook the steaks for 3-4 minutes. Turn them over, brush the second side with the remaining mixture and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

For the mash, heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and cumin and cook for a minute. Add the chickpeas with 3-4tbsp water and heat through well.

M&S Found Saperavi 2021 (13.5%) £10

Mash with a potato masher or stick blender until you have the desired texture, then season with lemon juice, coriander, salt and pepper. If the mixture becomes too thick, add 1-2tbsp boiling water.

For the salad, mix the sliced tomatoes and onion together, then add salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice to taste.

Serve the lamb steaks on top of the chickpea mash with the tomato salad on the side.

Rick says: I’m a late convert to mashed pulses, but like potatoes they will enhance whatever flavours you put with them.

Olly’s wine pairing: Luscious with lamb

M&S Found Saperavi 2021 (13.5%) £10

Deep and radiant as a black cherry in a gold mine, this dark Georgian red matches perfectly with the Harissa Lamb Steaks, having the power for harissa and the silkiness for lamb. Simply top red wine from off the beaten track.

GRATIN OF CHICKEN, LEEK, CIDER AND POTATOES 

I wrote this recipe for a series I filmed in Cornwall last autumn to tie in with a visit to a cider maker in Lerryn, near Lostwithiel. I wanted to make an all-in-one dish, as I know how popular they are. 

The combination of chicken and leeks, bound together with double cream and cider, then topped with potatoes and cheese, makes a perfect autumnal lunch or supper.

SERVES 4

• 50g (1¾oz) butter, melted
• 400g (14oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
• 150ml (¼pt) cider
• 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
• 1tsp soy sauce
• ¼tsp pimentón (sweet or hot, or use paprika), plus extra for sprinkling
• 300ml (½pt) double cream
• ½tsp salt
• 350g (12oz) Maris Piper potatoes, scrubbed and very finely sliced
• 50g (1¾oz) Cheddar cheese, grated

To serve

• Green leafy vegetables

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. You will need an ovenproof dish measuring about 26cm x 20cm.

Heat half the butter in a frying pan and fry the chicken until golden. Transfer it to a plate.

Add the leeks to the pan with the remaining butter. Soften over a low heat without allowing them to colour. Add the cider, then the mustard, soy sauce, pimentón, cream and salt. Boil for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Put the chicken back in the pan with any juices, then tip everything into the oven dish. Arrange the potato slices over the filling and sprinkle over the grated Cheddar and some more pimentón.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until bubbling and golden. About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, preheat the grill. Put the dish under the grill to brown the top, then serve with green leafy vegetables.

SAUSAGES WITH LENTILS & CIDER 

This is the sort of dish that’s good to leave a trayful of in the kitchen, keeping warm, so everybody can help themselves when they come in on a cold evening from football practice, fireworks, Brownies, swimming lessons or just a walk.

SERVES 4

• 1tbsp oil
• 8 sausages
• 30g (1oz) butter
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 3 carrots, cut into small dice
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 200ml (7fl oz) cider
• 300ml (½pt) chicken stock
• 2-3 thyme sprigs
• 250g (9oz) ready-cooked puy lentils
• Salt and black pepper
• Soy sauce
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped 
• Dijon mustard, to serve 

Heat the oil in a shallow, flameproof casserole dish. Add the sausages and brown them all over, then continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Melt the butter in the pan, add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots, and fry gently for 5 minutes, or until softened and golden brown. 

Sxollie Golden Delicious Cider (4.5%, 500ml) £2.35, Sainsbury’s

Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the cider and stock and add the thyme. Bring to the boil to thicken for a minute or so.

Cut each sausage into 3 pieces on the diagonal and add to the pan. Stir in the lentils, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for a few more minutes, until warmed through. 

Season with salt and pepper and a few splashes of soy sauce, then stir the parsley through. Serve with mustard.

Rick says: This sausage stew is delicious served with a dollop of Dijon mustard and perhaps some green beans on the side.

Olly’s wine pairing: Super with sausages 

Sxollie Golden Delicious Cider (4.5%, 500ml) £2.35, Sainsbury’s

Made with no added sugar or concentrate, this lip-smacking cider from South Africa is nothing less than a dazzler to pair with Sausages With Lentils & Cider – and dangerously drinkable! Serve cool.

PUFF PASTRY TOPPED FISH PIE

I love a fish pie but there are a lot of processes involved, although the great thing is that when you come to serving there’s nothing to do except take it out of the oven. 

I made a traditional one for my family, including grandchildren, but that generation were not keen. They didn’t like the mashed potato on top of the sauce. 

Next Easter I’ll serve fish pie like this, with a pastry top.

SERVES 6

• 600ml (1pt) whole milk
• 500g (1lb 2oz) whiting, coley or pollock
• 300g (10½oz) undyed smoked haddock
• 2 egg yolks
• 2tbsp cornflour
• 85g (3oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• A splash of white wine
• A large handful of parsley, chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 150g (5½oz) peeled prawns, fresh or frozen and defrosted
• 320g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
• Milk or egg yolk, to glaze

To serve

• Peas, broccoli or green leafy vegetables

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Heat the milk in a wide pan, add the fish and poach for 3-5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, then lift the fish out with a slotted spoon, leaving the milk in the pan. 

When the fish is cool enough to handle, peel off any skin and gently break the flesh into large chunks. Allow the milk to cool a little.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and cornflour to form a paste. Gradually whisk in about a ladleful of the poaching milk. 

Place the pan of milk back over a low heat and whisk in the egg yolk mixture, then stir over a medium heat until thickened and creamy. Stir in the cheese, wine and parsley, then taste and season.

Add the fish, sauce and prawns to an ovenproof dish, about 20cm x 30cm in size, and gently combine. Top with the pastry and brush with milk or egg yolk. 

Slash the pastry a few times to let steam escape and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and risen. Serve with peas, broccoli or green leafy veg.

Rick says: I’ve made this as simple as possible by not having a proper béchamel sauce or mash, as you would for a traditional fish pie.

MUSHROOM & THYME TART

The idea for this came from the French version of pizza, tarte flambée, which we featured in my television series Secret France. It was such a crowd pleaser, I decided to make a vegetarian version. 

I must confess all I have done here is substituted the bacon lardons in the original recipe with mushrooms and spinach.

SERVES 4 

• 320g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry

For the topping

• 250g (9oz) crème fraîche
• 150g (5½oz) fresh spinach, chopped or 125g (4½oz) frozen spinach
• 20g (¾oz) butter
• 1 onion, halved and finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 200g (7oz) mushrooms, sliced
• 4 or 5 thyme sprigs, stalks removed
• 150g (5½oz) Gruyère or Comté cheese, grated
• Black pepper

To Serve

• Green salad

Preheat the oven to 230°C/fan 210°C/gas 8. Lay the pastry on a baking tray and prick it all over with a fork. Spread the crème fraîche on top.

St Austell Proper Job (5.5%, 500ml) £2, Waitrose

Wilt the spinach in a pan with just the water clinging to the leaves after washing, or, if using frozen spinach, warm it until defrosted. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. Spread the spinach over the crème fraîche.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook over a medium-high heat until golden. Spread on top of the spinach, sprinkle with the cheese and season with black pepper.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the base is crisp and the topping is golden and bubbling.

Cut into squares and serve immediately, with a green salad.

Olly’s wine pairing: Perfection with pizza

St Austell Proper Job (5.5%, 500ml) £2, Waitrose

Beer has always been a classic pairing with pizza, and this Cornish gem contains exactly the right upbeat hoppy vibrancy for your next pizza night treat. Make sure you serve it cold for the best experience.

ONE-POT MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE & ORZO

I tried making these meatballs with minced pork but they were too dry, so I think they are much better made with good-quality sausage meat, by which I mean at least 90 per cent pork.

SERVES 4

• 400g (14oz) premium pork sausages, skins removed and discarded
• ¾tsp fennel seeds, coarsely ground
• ¼tsp chilli flakes
• 4tbsp olive oil
• 250g (9oz) orzo
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 60ml (2¼fl oz) white wine
• 400ml (14fl oz) soffritto passata (I like Napolina)
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 rosemary sprig

To serve

• Parmesan, grated
• Basil leaves, torn

Mix the sausage meat, fennel seeds and chilli flakes in a bowl and shape into balls about the size of cherry tomatoes. 

Specially Selected Toscana Rosso 2021 (14%) £9.99, Aldi

Heat 2tbsp of the oil in a shallow casserole dish or a large pan with a lid and fry the meatballs until lightly browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan, add the orzo and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a minute, then pour in the wine and bring to the boil. 

Add the passata and 650ml water, season and bring to the boil again. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the meatballs and rosemary, season with salt and pepper, then cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a final couple of minutes until the orzo is done and the sauce is thickened.

Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil.

Olly’s wine pairing: Magic with meatballs

Specially Selected Toscana Rosso 2021 (14%) £9.99, Aldi

Tasting like a far pricier ‘Super Tuscan’-style red, this is sensational quality for under a tenner and divine with One-Pot Meatballs With Tomato Sauce & Orzo. A total winner from Aldi.

YELLOW DAL WITH SPINACH AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

I’ve made the basis of this a tarka dal (see tip below) but I also stir in spinach and top with roasted, spiced aubergine, red onion and carrots.

SERVES 4

For the Dal

• 250g (9oz) chana dal, soaked for 1 hour in cold water, then drained
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
• 4 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 5 or 6 curry leaves
• 1tsp salt
• ½tsp turmeric
• 250g (9oz) spinach leaves, washed, or 175g (6oz) frozen spinach, defrosted

For the Roasted vegetables

• 1 aubergine, cut into large cubes
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks on the diagonal
• 3tbsp vegetable oil
• 2tsp garam masala
• Salt and black pepper

To finish

• 2tsp vegetable oil
• 1tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 red chilli, chopped

To serve

• Freshly chopped coriander

Put the soaked dal in a saucepan and cover with about 4cm cold water. Add the remaining dal ingredients, except the spinach, and bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes, until the dal is tender.

Using a potato masher, mash the dal roughly so that it still has some texture. Add the spinach and stir it through until wilted.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Put all the vegetables in a roasting tin and toss them with the oil, garam masala and some salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, or until tender.

To finish, heat the oil in a small pan. When it’s hot, add the mustard seeds and when they are popping, add the chilli.

Take the pan off the heat.

Divide the dal between 4 bowls, top with the vegetables and the mustard seed oil, then sprinkle with coriander.

Rick says: Tarka dal is traditionally a yellow dal finished with a tarka, which is quickly fried black mustard seeds and chilli.

SEAFOOD NOODLE SOUP WITH PAK CHOI

This is a rendition of the famous Vietnamese dish pho. I use bought chicken stock but add traditional Vietnamese flavourings and then some inexpensive seafood at the last minute. 

The secret of success is to add the salmon seconds before serving, so it’s barely cooked and very juicy and tender.

SERVES 4

• 250g (9oz) flat rice noodles
• 200g (7oz) pak choi, trimmed and halved or quartered
• 75g (2¾oz) cooked, peeled prawns, cut in half lengthways
• 150g (5½oz) salmon fillet, very thinly sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
• A handful of fresh mint leaves
• A handful of fresh coriander leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

For the Soup base

• 1.2ltr (2pt) chicken stock
• 3 garlic cloves, bruised
• 1 red chilli, halved
• 15g (½oz) root ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 star anise
• 3tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
• 2tbsp soy sauce

To serve

• Soy sauce
• Chilli sauce

Hans Wirsching Silvaner Trocken 2022 (12.5%) £16.25, thewinebarn.co.uk

Put all the soup base ingredients in a large pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the aromatics with a slotted spoon and discard them.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain. Add the pak choi to the stock, cook for 2 minutes, then add the prawns and salmon. Cook for 1 minute.

Divide the noodles between 4 bowls, top with the salmon, prawns and pak choi and ladle over the stock. Top with the chilli, spring onions, herbs and a lime wedge. Serve with soy sauce and chilli sauce at the table.

Olly’s wine pairing: Stunning with seafood

Hans Wirsching Silvaner Trocken 2022 (12.5%) £16.25, thewinebarn.co.uk

This is wine you can wow your friends with – and a delicious treat with the Seafood Noodle Soup thanks to its peachy-melon purity and delightfully fresh finish (think sea breeze). Amazing.

CHOCOLATE CUPS 

You will think an espresso cup is too small, but this is so rich and smoothly delicious that it’ll be quite enough.

MAKES 8 espresso cups 

• 175g (6oz) dark chocolate, chopped
• 300ml (½pt) double cream
• 1tbsp espresso coffee
• 1 large egg

To serve

• Biscotti

Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Put the chocolate and cream in the bowl and stir until fully melted, then stir in the coffee.

Add the egg and whisk for a minute over the heat until fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into coffee cups and refrigerate for an hour or so, before serving with biscotti.

Rick says: Take the chocolate cups out of the fridge while you eat your main course so they can come up to room temperature.

CLEMENTINE TRIFLE

This is a simplified version of a recipe I wrote for my TV series Rick Stein’s Cornwall to celebrate an aquavit made from an apple spirit flavoured with, and yes this is correct, hogweed. 

It’s produced in Cornwall by a company called Howl & Loer, which in Cornish means sun and moon. 

In the recipe I have suggested using Cointreau or Grand Marnier, but if you can get hold of this spirit, called Hogweed Seed, it is really interesting: slightly bitter, slightly woody, with notes of clementine.

SERVES 8

• 200g (7oz) Madeira cake, sliced, or 6-8 trifle sponges, shop-bought
• 4-5tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau
• 3-4tbsp marmalade
• 8 clementines or 3-4 oranges
• 900ml (1½pt) fresh thick custard (or make custard with custard powder)
• 300ml (½pt) double or whipping cream
• 2tbsp flaked almonds, lightly toasted

Lay the slices of cake or sponges into the base of a glass trifle bowl. Sprinkle them with 2 or 3tbsp of the liqueur and spread the marmalade over.

Take a thin slice off the top and bottom of each clementine or orange. Using a sharp knife follow the curves of the fruit to remove the skin and the pith.

Then slice the fruit into rounds, reserving any juice. Arrange the rounds of fruit around the sides of the bowl so that they look like wheels through the bowl. Top the sponge with any juice and remaining fruit.

Stir the rest of the liqueur into the custard, then pour onto the sponge base. Lightly whip the cream and smooth it over the custard. Scatter with the toasted almonds and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Rick says:  Unlike trifles that you slice, this one is incredibly collapsible. Like tiramisu, I think the fluffier the better.

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE SPONGE PUDDING

I suppose I should have called this Eve’s pudding or something posh, but actually it’s the sort of thing my mum would make for lunch or dinner, as we called it in those days. 

She would use some blackberries that she’d picked on a walk and a few windfalls from under the apple trees in the garden, then add some butter and sugar and a simple lemony sponge. We used to have a pudding at lunch every day.

SERVES 4

• A knob of butter, plus extra for greasing
• 550g (1lb 4oz) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 150g (5½oz) blackberries (frozen are fine)
• 75g (2¾oz) caster sugar

For the sponge

• 60g (2¼oz) butter, softened
• 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 140g (5oz) self-raising flour
• 4tbsp milk

To serve

• Custard or cream

Butter a dish (about 20cm x 15cm) and preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Put the apples, blackberries, sugar and the knob of butter in a pan with about 50ml water. 

Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the fruit has softened, then tip it into the buttered dish.

Simple Suppers by Rick Stein, £28, is published by BBC Books on 26 October. Recipes © Rick Stein 2023

For the sponge, cream the butter and sugar with the lemon zest. Whisk in the eggs, then fold in the flour and add the milk. Spread the sponge mixture over the fruit and bake for 35-45 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

Rick says:  Now this would be something to finish off a simple supper – delicious served with thick custard or cream.

• Simple Suppers by Rick Stein, £28, is published by BBC Books on 26 October.  Recipes © Rick Stein 2023. 
• To order a copy for £23.80 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. 
• Free UK delivery on orders over £25. Promotional price valid until 29/10/2023. 
• Photography © James Murphy 2023 

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