Tahini chicken and sausage with fritters: easy midweek dinner recipes | Food

Root vegetables as fritters and slaw with sausage and mustard (pictured above)

Prep 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

150g parsnip, coarsely grated
150g carrot or beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 large red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
150g white or green cabbage, shredded
Salt and black pepper
200g potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
2 eggs, beaten
4 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
Sunflower oil, for frying
100g creme fraiche, sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 tsp dijon mustard, plus extra to serve

8 sausages, cooked, to serve

Mix the parsnip, carrot (or beetroot), onion and cabbage in a bowl and add a big pinch of salt. Squeeze as much liquid out of the vegetables as you can, then divide into two equal portions. Add the potatoes, eggs and flour to one portion, seasoning well, then press into eight thin, equal-sized patties (or röstis).

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a nonstick or cast-iron frying pan or skillet over a moderate heat. Working in batches, fry the patties for about three minutes on each side, until crisp and golden all over. Put the fried patties on a plate lined with paper towels and keep somewhere warm while you cook the remaining patties.

Meanwhile, mix the remaining grated vegetables with the creme fraiche and mustard, season to taste and put to one side.

To serve, put two röstis on each plate, pile on some of the slaw, then add sausages and some mustard on the side.

Brussels sprout galette with pancetta and chestnuts

Prep 15 min
Cook 50 min-1 hr
Serves 4

40g unsalted butter
1 large leek, thinly sliced
200g brussels sprouts, thinly shredded
Salt and black pepper
75g parmesan, aged gruyère or gouda, finely grated
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
350g shortcrust pastry (homemade or shop-bought)
1 egg, beaten
3 or 4 slices pancetta, or streaky bacon (optional)
10 peeled chestnuts, coarsely grated (optional)

Melt the butter in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the leek and fry for five minutes, until softened. Then add the sprouts and cook for a two minutes, until softened slightly. Season to taste, turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Mix half the cheese and all the thyme into the sprout mixture. On a sheet of baking paper, roll the pastry into a large circle about 3mm thick. Spread the leek and sprout mixture on top, leaving a 4cm border around the edge.

Brush the edge with egg and fold in the sides up and over the filling. Press down gently to form a crust. Brush the edge with egg again, then top the galette with the reserved cheese, pancetta slices and grated chestnut, if using.

Transfer the galette on its paper base to an oven tray, and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown and filling has taken on a bit of colour. Remove and leave to rest for at least five minutes before serving.

Cavolo nero and polenta soup

Prep 15-20 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 onion, peeled finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
6 sage leaves, finely chopped (or 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
500g cavolo nero, tough middle stalks discarded, leaves cut into ribbons
1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock, or water
80g fine polenta
Salt and black pepper
1 x 400g can borlotti or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of ½ lemon, to taste
Parmesan, grated, to serve

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the herbs and garlic, cook for two minutes, until fragrant, then add the cavolo nero and cook for eight to 10 minutes, until well wilted.

Add the stock or water, season to taste, then simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the cavolo nero is completely tender. Pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream, stirring all the time so it mixes in well among the cavolo nero and other vegetables.

Reduce the heat slightly to moderate-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the polenta is fully cooked; add a little more liquid if the soup gets too thick. About two minutes from the end of the cooking time, add the beans just to warm through, and simmer until the flavours are melded and the soup tastes good. Adjust the seasoning, and add lemon juice to taste.

Serve in warmed bowls with plenty of parmesan grated on top and a good slug of olive oil.

Tahini chicken on hummus with crispbread, spring onions and garlic

Prep 15 min
Marinade 2 hr
Cook 45 min
Serves 4

12 garlic cloves, peeled, 8 left whole, 4 peeled
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 lemons
2 tsp paprika (sweet or hot, as you like)
120g tahini
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the onions
8 boneless chicken thighs, skin-on
2 bunches spring onions, trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths
Salt and black pepper
200g hummus (shop-bought or homemade), to serve
4 good-size crispbreads or crackers, broken into bite-size pieces
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

In a large bowl, whisk the crushed garlic, cumin, juice of half a lemon, paprika, half the tahini and all the olive oil. Season the chicken pieces, then add to the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours (and up to four).

To make the tahini sauce, mix 100ml water and the juice of another lemon half into the remaining tahini and whisk smooth. Season to taste, then set aside at room temperature.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Put the marinated chicken on one of the lined trays and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the cooked through. Remove from the oven, rest for at least 10 minutes, then tear or cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, put the spring onions and whole garlic cloves on the second lined tray, add a good seasoning of salt and enough olive oil to coat. Roast alongside the chicken for the last 15-20 minutes of its cooking time, until soft and charred.

To serve, smooth the hummus over a large, flat serving platter (or four indiviual plates), then top with alternate layers of chicken, crispbread, spring onion and whole roast garlic cloves, and parsley. Spoon over the tahini sauce and serve with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.

• Recipes extracted from Home Cookery Year by Claire Thomson, published by Quadrille at £30. To order a copy for £26.10, go to guardianbookshop.com