Pan-Fried Tofu

I really like tofu - it's best deep-fried at Japanese restaurants (mmmm, with salt and pepper) - but at home you can make a decent version with a shallow pan, a sharp-edged spatula, and some care. It's nice to marinade it beforehand but it's not absolutely essential. Tonight as a base, I quickly fry up some sesame seeds, thinly-sliced cauliflower and broccoli, and toss in some soaked rice noodles with some soy sauce. Nothing too complicated, so that the sweet and subtle tones of the tofu can come through.

Ingredients:

• 350g firm or extra-firm silken tofu block
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine or mirin
• 2 spring onions, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar

Slice the tofu block in half along its longest axis, then again crossways twice so you have eight large-ish flat pieces. Combine the other ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Put the tofu in a small flat dish and cover with the marinade, then leave for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how much time you have. Prepare anything else you want for the meal in the meantime - e.g. cook rice, slice vegetables.

When you're ready, heat a few tbsp of vegetable or sunflower oil in a heavy-based frying pan - non-stick if you have a very good plastic or wooden spatula, or metal-based if you have only a very sharp metal spatula. Once the oil is hot, gently shake or push off any marinade clinging to the tofu blocks, and add the tofu to the pan, in a single layer. Fry for 4-5 minutes on the top and bottom until golden brown. I emphasise using a good spatula because you want to make sure when you turn it that the fried skin does not separate from the milky body. When the tofu slices are done, remove them to a plate. Reduce the heat and pour the marinade ingredients into the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until reduced, and the spring onions soften. Serve the tofu atop your chosen accompaniments, with the thickened marinade poured over.

Spiced Marinaded Lamb Chops

Something quick to throw together... with a little preparation the night before! Again borrowed from Nigel Slater, but toned down a bit for the benefit of my spice-allergic fiancée, and without the garlic for a change. I found it odd to cook the marinade beforehand, and to be honest I think you don't need the full 15 minutes simmering time that Nigel recommends. And even I didn't add as much salt as he was going to...! I was pleasantly surprised at how the acidity of the tomato made the meat quite tender, and the flavours all worked together. It was barely spicy at all, so if you like it hot, add a couple of dried chillies. We ate this tonight with apricot and cinnamon cous-cous, a simple cucumber and celery salad and a dollop of natural yoghurt, before dashing off to see 'Thor' in all its amusing silliness.

Ingredients:

• 4 lamb chops
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 spring onions
• 1 thumb of ginger
• half a red chilli (or more if you like a kick)
• two tomatoes
• juice of half a lime
• a handful of fresh coriander

Put the lamb chops in a small, shallow dish. Crush the seeds in a mortar and pestle, and finely chop the spring onion and ginger. Fry all of these in vegetable oil for a few minutes, until fragrant. Dice the tomatoes and add them, then cover and simmer for five minutes, until the tomatoes are softened. Remove from the heat and squeeze in the lime juice and the coriander. Season, leave to cool, then pour over the chops, turning them so they are coated. Leave to marinade overnight, then when you are ready to eat, grill them at a high heat for 4-5 minutes each side, until golden brown on the outside and pink in the middle.

Portabella Bun with Taleggio

I popped into the Cambridge Cheese Company at the weekend, and bought some painfully expensive but excellent taleggio, partly inspired by the Stickybeaks supper club I attended a few weeks ago. I thought it would go very well on a couple of juicy portabella mushrooms in between some soft buns. I was right!

Two buns served me for dinner, and one would serve one person for lunch. Very hungry people might want some chips and/or salad on the side.

Ingredients:

• 2 large portabella mushrooms (they shrink when cooked)
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp water or chicken stock
• a few thick slices of taleggio
• lettuce, tomato, or your favourite sandwich leaf
• nice soft buns or ciabatta rolls
• HP sauce (optional)

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and water or stock, and pour over the two mushrooms; marinade at room temperature for at least half an hour, preferably more.

Preheat the grill to a moderate heat, then grill the portabellos about 5 minutes each side: do the round sides first and finish with the gills upright, so as to capture the juices. I've tried frying them in the past, and it works ok but tends to sear the outsides before the inner meat is properly cooked.

Combine on a toasted bun with the rest of the ingredients; I know my youngest sister would then slather with HP sauce and I can't say I blame her :)

Roast Herby Lamb Chops with Tiny Tatoes

Today I adapted another Nigel Slater recipe to suit the chunky lamb chops I bought from the butcher's at the weekend. I also used it as a good excuse to pop out in the fresh spring afternoon to buy some anchovies, for a marinating herb rub. If you don't like anchovies, you could substitute strong black olives. And if you don't like those, I guess you could ... grow some taste buds!

I serve the lamb with some tiny roast potatoes tucked around the lamb. I'd usually flavour potatoes but the lamb herb rub is very strongly-flavoured so it's best to leave them plain. Also I finished off the last of the ruby salad from Saturday; a spinach salad with a splash of lemon juice would be equally delicious with this. As per usual for food this week, this serves one hungry person!

Ingredients:

• 10 sprigs of fresh mint
• 4 medium cloves of garlic, peeled
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 2 lamb chops
• 1-2 medium potatoes
• 1 tbsp duck fat (or vegetable oil)

Whiz the mint, garlic and anchovies in a small food blender, and grind over a good seasoning of black pepper. Cover the chops with the rub on both sides, and leave in a cool place for a couple of hours - you could do this before you go to work and cook when you get home.

Preheat the oven to 220 C. Scrub and de-eye the potatoes - I never peel them, the skins are the best bit! - then chop into 1cm cubes. Parboil for about 8 minutes, keeping an eye on them. You want to cook them until they'll fluff in the pan when you shake them, and they need to roast in the oven in about 20 minutes, so they should be slightly more done than your usual pre-roast parboil.

Put a roasting tin or pyrex tray in the oven with the dollop of duck fat. Drain the potatoes and shake in their pan to give a good fluffiness. Tip into the tray and toss with a spatula to get a good coating of fat. Nestle the lamb chops in amongst the potatoes, trying to give everything enough space to breathe. Roast for 20 minutes; the rub will soften, the lamb will become tender and pink, and the potatoes will crisp around the edges.