Gourmet food for a fiver

Jason Atherton shows us how to create exciting, mouth-watering meals on a budget

  • Butternut squash with ricotta and lemon honey
  • Pan-fried fish with patatas bravas
  • Vanilla cheescake with rhubarb and ginger
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Starter
Butternut squash with ricotta and lemon honey

Serves 4
700g butternut squash; sea salt; 50g plain flour, seasoned with salt; 2 eggs, beaten; 70g Japanese panko breadcrumbs; vegetable oil, for deep-frying
lemon honey
60g thin honey; finely grated lemon zest; 3 tsp lemon juice
ricotta cheese
150g ricotta cheese; about 40ml milk
garnish
handful of rocket leaves; about 12 large parmesan shavings; finely shredded zest of 1 lemon

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Cut the squash into large wedges, discarding the seeds. Place in the centre of a large piece of foil on a baking tray and season with salt. Wrap tightly and bake for about 45 minutes, until very tender. Cool slightly, then cut away the skin and roughly chop the squash into 3cm pieces.
  2. Place the squash in a frying pan over a very low heat and cook gently for about 15 minutes to dry out, stirring often. The squash should break down and become pasty; do not allow it to brown. Season with salt to taste, tip into a wide dish and allow to cool. Cover and chill for about 20 minutes.
  3. For the lemon honey: in a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon zest and juice, and 40ml water until smoothly combined. Set aside.
  4. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with enough milk to give a spreadable consistency, using a fork.
  5. Shape the chilled squash into 12 quenelles. To do this, dip 2 tablespoons into warm water, then pass a generous spoonful of the mixture between them, scooping and rolling the mixture as you do so to create a smooth oval. Place the quenelles on a tray lined with clingfilm and chill for at least 20 minutes to firm up.
  6. When ready to serve, have the seasoned flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs ready in separate bowls. One at a time, coat each butternut quenelle in flour, then dip in the beaten eggs, and finally roll in the breadcrumbs to coat evenly.
  7. Heat a 6-7cm depth of oil in a suitable deep, heavy pan until it registers 200°C/gas 6 on a frying thermometer. Deep-fry the squash quenelles in batches until golden brown and crisp all over – about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm while you deep-fry the rest.
  8. To serve, smear 2 spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese on each plate and nestle 3 warm butternut quenelles on top. Scatter over the rocket and parmesan shavings. Drizzle with a little lemon honey and sprinkle with lemon zest and sea salt. Serve the rest of the lemon honey on the side.

Main course
Pan-fried fish with patatas bravas

Serves 4
4 plaice or other white fish fillets (180-200g each), skinned; 2 tbsp olive oil
patatas bravas
1 head of garlic; 4 tbsp olive oil; sea salt; 800g tinned tomatoes; 1 tsp dried chilli flakes; 2 bay leaves; ½ tsp dried thyme; ½ tsp dried oregano; 1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced; 1 red pepper, halved, cored, de-seeded and thinly sliced; 100ml dry white wine; 1-2 tbsp caster sugar, to taste; ½ tsp paprika; 3 large Maris Piper or similar potatoes; vegetable oil, for deep-frying; ½ tsp garlic granules; 3 coriander sprigs, leaves picked

  1. Rinse the fish fillets, pat dry with kitchen paper and check for small bones, removing any with kitchen tweezers. Cover and chill.
  2. For the patatas bravas: break apart the garlic and set aside half of the cloves in their skins. Peel and finely chop the rest. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the chopped garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute until just softened. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 7 minutes, to reduce slightly. Add the chilli flakes, bay leaves, thyme and oregano. Cook, stirring often, until reduced and thickened – about 6-7 minutes. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
  3. Wipe the frying pan clean and place over a medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté the onion and red pepper until softened – about 4 minutes. Add the white wine and let bubble until reduced down to almost nothing. Add the tomato and garlic mixture, sugar and 1 tsp paprika. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce further. Season with salt to taste and a little more sugar if needed.
  4. Cut the potatoes lengthways into wedges and pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat the oil for deep-frying in a suitable pan to 160°C. Deep-fry the potatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves in batches for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and slightly coloured. Drain on kitchen paper.
  5. Raise the oil temperature to 180°C. Fry the potatoes again, for 5 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, then toss with the remaining tsp paprika, garlic granules and a few pinches of salt. Add the potatoes and garlic cloves to the tomato sauce and toss well. Stir in the coriander leaves.
  6. Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. When hot, add the fish, skin side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, until golden brown and just cooked through.

Dessert
Vanilla cheescake with rhubarb and ginger

Serves 4
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways; 150g granulated sugar; 100ml whipping cream; 250g cream cheese; 85g caster sugar; juice of ½ lime; 1½ trimmed rhubarb stalks, about 150g; 50g pickled sliced ginger (from a jar); 60g grenadine; 85g shortbread biscuits; 15g butter, melted
garnish
Small mint leaves; vanilla syrup to drizzle

  1. Scrape the seeds from one half of the vanilla pod and mix them with half of the granulated sugar in a bowl, using your fingers. Set aside.
  2. Pour the cream into a bowl. Scrape the seeds from the other half of the vanilla pod and add them to the cream. Whip lightly to soft peaks.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, caster sugar and lime juice until smooth. Spoon in the whipped vanilla cream and fold together, using a spatula. Chill to firm up for about 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, cut the rhubarb into 8cm lengths and then into batons, about 5mm thick. Place in a bowl with the pickled ginger.
  5. Put the rest of the granulated sugar and 200ml water in a small pan and dissolve over a medium heat. Add the grenadine and bring to the boil. Pour over the rhubarb and ginger and let steep for 10-15 minutes until the rhubarb is just tender but still holding its shape. Remove the ginger and rhubarb with a slotted spoon and dry on kitchen paper. Simmer the liquor over a medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes to reduce by two-thirds. Set aside.
  6. Meanwhile, crush the shortbread in a plastic bag using a rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Tip the crumbs into a bowl and mix with the melted butter.
  7. Pat the rhubarb sticks dry with kitchen paper and roll them gently in the vanilla sugar to coat. Place on a plate and set aside.
  8. Assemble the individual cheesecakes just before serving. Shape a quarter of the shortbread crust into a round on each plate and flatten gently with the bottom of a glass. Scoop the cheesecake mixture neatly on top.
  9. To serve, crisscross the rhubarb batons on the cheesecake and scatter over some of the ginger pieces and the mint leaves. Drizzle rhubarb syrup around the plate and on the cheesecake. Do the same with the vanilla syrup. Serve at once, with the extra ginger on the side.
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