Clodagh McKenna - Clodaghs Weeknight Kitchen: Easy & exciting dishes to liven up your recipe repertoire

These recipes are a collection of my favourite go-to dishes that I cook during the week when I dont have a lot of time or energy to pull together a meal, but still want something delicious, nutritious and satisfying. Writing this book during lockdown was the perfect time to really hone these recipes with all of us going through the same dilemmas of not being able to go to the shop and cooking at home seven days a week. Dinnertime became a wonderful hour to look forward to every day. I started a daily IGTV cookery series on the first day of isolation and over the months tested all these recipes with you guys. After a few weeks, this amazing cooking community developed, and the tips, ideas and inspiration from all the comments and messages have made this book what it is today. Every day after filming, I spent the afternoon in the garden, planning, potting, weeding and harvesting. This gave me (and still does) such a connection to what is in season and a constant boost of inspiration for creating these dishes.

These recipes are all easy and stress free. There are Quick Fixes that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes perfect for when youve been stuck in the office and need some fast food when you get home, like the soul-lifting Chicken Noodle Soup or Baked Eggs with Ham. One & Done is a variety of one-dish dinners, including roasting tin meals, one-pot stews and casseroles, which mean less washing up, and includes some great batch-cooks like the Bella Bean Casserole or the Spiced Chicken & Chickpea Curry. Then theres vegetarian dishes for meat-free Monday (or any other night of the week) like Harvest Salad with Kale, Apple, Beetroot & Grilled Halloumi and one of my favourite recipes, Roast Pumpkin, Mozzarella & Chilli. Storecupboard Stand-bys are based on storecupboard staples like pasta and canned tomatoes and dont require a long list of ingredients dishes like Margherita Risotto and, our house favourite, Prawn, Chilli & Lemon Linguine. Friday Night Gatherings are satisfying and substantial weeknight suppers for friends and family Fish Tacos with Pea Guacamole and Ricotta Meatballs with Polenta. Finally, Ive also included some easy desserts like my Quick Rosewater Chocolate Mousses and the Lemon Cheesecake that became one of my hit IGTV episodes! Theres also a section on , a curated list of ingredients that I know will make cooking so much more enjoyable, and the recipes for three of my most-used sauces Basil Pesto, Hollandaise Sauce and Pepper Sauce (pages 1011).

My dream is that this book will transform your weeknight cooking make it more fun, and make you happier, as you dance away, spinning around the ingredients in your simmering pot!

Love Clo xx

OILSextra virgin and olive, rapeseed, sunflower, vegetable and coconut

VINEGARSwhite wine, sherry, cider, balsamic, red wine

SPICEScumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, curry powder, chilli flakes, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, fennel seeds, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg, mustard seeds

NUTS & SEEDSalmonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

FLOURSplain, wholemeal, chickpea, pasta, gluten-free

SUGARScaster, granulated, muscovado, brown

RICEbasmati, brown, risotto

PASTAlinguine, penne, spaghetti, tagliatelle

NOODLESrice, egg, soba

GRAINSquinoa, bulgur wheat, couscous, polenta, pearl barley

CANSchickpeas, cannellini/red kidney/aduki beans, cherry tomatoes, coconut milk

JARScapers, gherkins, preserved lemons, sun-dried tomatoes, Dijon and English mustard, harissa paste, honey, tahini, maple syrup, soy sauce, fish sauce, horseradish

OTHERstock cubes, porridge oats, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, raisins, dried yeast

Milk

Butter

Mascarpone

Crme frache