Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes ep.5 – Get Moving: For step five of his plan, Tom motivates his gang to up their exercise and eat the right food to fuel their bodies. He starts with his homemade energy bars – fruit and nut-filled flapjacks, the perfect snack for a workout. He takes a tin of them to his local tennis club where he meets up with the Roy Choudhury family. They have a history of heart problems in their family and want to make lifestyle changes to stay healthy but they don’t know what sort of exercise they can all do together. Tom thinks that a tennis lesson from Chris, another member of the Fresh Start gang, will inspire the family to play the sport on a regular basis.
Later Tom invites the Roy Choudhurys to his kitchen to show them how to cook his warm crispy salmon salad. While many of Tom’s gang are new converts to exercise, the Clarke family have built their lives around fitness. Kerry’s passion is rowing but she is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and exercise has been put on the backburner. Tom suggests to Kerry that, as a gentle return to the water, she could coach a couple of the women in the gang. Another nutritious recipe Tom sends his gang to try is his new potato, goats cheese and spinach frittata. He shares his top tip for keeping herbs fresh in the fridge.
The day of the first rowing session has arrived and Kerry welcomes Claire and Abii to her rowing club and they agree to return to take up Tom’s challenge; a thousand metres up river and back. Tom explains that a dessert once or twice a week is an acceptable indulgence as long as it is worked off by the appropriate amount of exercise. He makes a classic British fruit fool with plums and ginger.
Tom asked his Fresh Start families to keep track of the amount of time they spent doing exercise, so he could compare it to how much they did before the experiment began. They up their activity levels by 150%, doing a whopping 5,000 minutes more exercise in the previous week alone. And all this fuelled by delicious home-cooked food.
Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes ep.5 – Get Moving
Apricot, date and pistachio flapjacks
With sweetness from dried fruit and agave nectar, and speckled with seeds and nuts, these flapjacks make a great snack or a worthy school fete bake. Apricots, dates, and pistachios are three ingredients that come together in a delicious and nutritious flapjack recipe. These flapjacks are perfect for those looking for a quick and easy breakfast or snack that they can enjoy on the go. The sweet, juicy apricots add a natural sweetness to the flapjacks, while the dates provide a rich, caramel-like flavor. The crunchy pistachios add a touch of texture and a nutty flavor, making these flapjacks a perfect combination of sweet and savory.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 20cm x 30cm/8in x 12in baking tin, at least 5cm/2in deep, with baking paper. Line a baking tray with paper too.
- Scatter the porridge oats on the lined baking tray and lightly toast in the oven for 10–15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Heat the agave nectar and coconut oil in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smoothly combined. Take off the heat and stir in the orange zest and juice, and the cinnamon.
- Put the toasted oats into a large bowl and add the flour, dates, sesame seeds, dried apricots, pistachios and desiccated coconut and mix well. Tip into the melted mixture and stir well to combine, making sure all the dry ingredients are well coated.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, pressing it down firmly. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden-brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then score into pieces with a sharp knife. Leave the flapjack to cool completely before lifting out of the tin.
- For the topping, if using, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (check the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water). Remove and let cool, then drizzle over the top of the flapjack.
- Cut the flapjack into bars along the score lines. These flapjacks will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
New potato, spinach and goats’ cheese frittata
A delightful frittata that will make a great light supper with a green salad and some crusty bread. Frittatas are a versatile and nutritious option for breakfast or brunch. This particular recipe features fresh new potatoes, nutrient-rich spinach, and tangy goats’ cheese, making it a delightful and satisfying dish.
The new potatoes add a natural sweetness to the frittata and provide a delicate texture that pairs well with the slightly bitter spinach. Goats’ cheese is a great alternative to traditional cheese in frittatas, and its flavor is light and tangy, making it a great addition to this dish. The preparation of the frittata is relatively simple, with the ingredients being cooked in a single pan on the stovetop. This makes it a convenient option for busy mornings or when entertaining guests.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the potatoes with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring for 8–10 minutes. Toss in the red onion and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the cream, nutmeg, chopped mint and some salt and pepper and whisk well. Set aside.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then toss in the spinach and sauté until it begins to wilt. Pour the cream mixture into the pan, stir around for one minute, then remove from the heat.
- Dot the goats’ cheese evenly over the surface of the frittata and scatter over the sage leaves. Place on the top shelf of the oven for 8–10 minutes, or until the egg has set and the cheese is golden.
- Remove the frittata from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes to cool slightly before serving.
Warm crispy salmon salad – Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes ep.5
A bright, crisp veg-packed salad with salmon that would make a lovely light summer supper when you have friends over. Warm crispy salmon salad is the perfect combination of flavors and textures. The dish starts with succulent salmon fillets, seasoned and pan-fried until they reach a golden crisp exterior. The warm salmon is then paired with a bed of greens, such as lettuce, spinach, or arugula. Fresh vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion, provide a pop of color and flavor. The finishing touch is a drizzle of a tangy dressing, such as lemon vinaigrette, that brings all the ingredients together.
Not only is this salad delicious, it’s also incredibly healthy. Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have numerous health benefits such as reducing inflammation, improving heart health, and aiding in brain function. The greens and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, making this a well-rounded meal that will leave you feeling satisfied and nourished.
Method:
- Put the fennel, asparagus and radishes into a bowl of cold water with a handful of ice added and leave to crisp up for 10 minutes or so.
- Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper and dust both sides with flour. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Place the salmon skin-side down in the pan and hold down with a spatula for 30 seconds or so. Cook, without moving, for 7–8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the broccoli and beans into a sauté pan with 200ml/7fl oz of cold water and extra virgin oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook over a medium heat, moving the veg around so it cooks evenly. When the liquid has almost all evaporated, add the frozen peas. Once the peas are cooked, remove from the heat and drain off any excess water.
- When you can see that the skin on the fish is crisp, flip the salmon fillets over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the heat and leave to rest while you make the dressing.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl and pour over the warm veg in the pan. Drain the fennel, asparagus and radishes and add to them the pan. Toss to mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the warm salad between serving plates and top each portion with a salmon fillet, crisped skin side up, to serve.