5 Minute Food Fix

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Low-stakes, high reward recipes don't get much better than this!  An unexpectedly brilliant and nourishing salad dressing that takes 2 minutes to make, contains 5 simple ingredients and can turn your humble iceberg lettuce into a meal? Halfway through this I suddenly got real with myself and went. "You're going to want more." So this recipe is for the larger amount - it's e...

Here’s your reminder that polenta is excellent and maybe deserves a place on your table tonight?! A cheesy, warm, unctuous polenta is one of the most delectable luxuries to enjoy in cold weather. It’s got a bit of stigma as something you have to stir and stir, but honestly, it only takes about 10 minutes!!     Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.   See omnystudio.com/lis...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Personally, I ADORE the challenge of unexpected guests because I'm a prepper - for food emergencies! HOWEVER, if I didn't already have a freezer bursting with emergency gnocchi, I'd send out for sausages, chicken fillets, more milk, more bread, (check to see if you need) more tomato sauce, and I'd also order in a couple of butter lettuce. The trick? Make that beautiful dres...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Cabbage lasts forEVER but it’s better to USE it than have it sitting in the fridge taking up real estate! In this recipe we talk you through a DELICIOUS cabbage salad that uses up that cabbage and is zingy, delicious and NOT AT ALL TRICKY TO MAKE. A peanut satay saucy dressing is a keeper FOR LIFE, and it’ll use up your cabbage beautifully, as long as you listen to us and H...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    We’re always charging to get pasta into little ones. Why? Well, it goes down extremely easily, the whole family can have it and enjoy it and that means job done for the night/easy win. But are we forgetting how good ‘grown up’ pasta can be?   This recipe is very much a grown-up pasta, leaning into the aniseedy flavours of fennel and dill to give you something sophisticate...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    We talk about that SMUG feeling a bit on this podcast and we simply ADORE the smug feeling of having chicken marinating in the fridge! It’s like having money in the bank - you know it’s sitting there waiting to be GORGEOUS. And chicken is a bit of a BLANK CANVAS (like tofu) and you need to put your art into it to turn it into something wonderful - what better way than wit...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  What's not to love about stone fruit any time of the year? A good-sized plum, or finely sliced nectarine can round out a classy cheeseboard in a way that we underestimate! Try it! Also on today's episode WHAT IS A RUSTIC COBBLER and more to the point WHAT'S A COBBLER WE CAN MAKE TONIGHT?    Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.     RECIPE FRUIT 1kg...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  This is a quick fish pie that delivers all the notes you want! The difference? It employs some BRILLIANT hacks to get it on the table with minimum turnaround. Simon credits it with transforming fish pie from once-in-a-blue moon effort to mid-week wonder.     Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.     THE RECIPE (SERVES 4)  8 sheets (about 165 g) fil...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  You know how there are some brands of clothes that you just KNOW the size is right and the fit will be good on you? Yumi feels that same sort of simpatico relationship with the recipes of Belinda Jeffery. She inspired the Tomato Pie recipe we talked about earlier and that actually appears in our cookbook. She also has this recipe for Snail Scones that is SO GOOD.  Want more...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    EVERYONE has a Bolognese recipe, but guaranteed they all make you have a gassy bottom, and frankly, life’s too short to want to kick YOUR OWN SELF OUT OF YOUR OWN BED. If you’re a bit allergic to onions or don’t like the farts they create, try subbing it out for fennel. Fennel actually has ANTI-fart qualities!    Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instag...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    We’ve talked stews a bit in our slow-cooker episode, but here they are taking CENTRE STAGE. Why? Because when done well, they are amazing things. Nutritious, warming, economical, easy to scale up, make brilliant leftovers. What more could you want?     Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.     RECIPE This stew is a classic Greek stifado - and is...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    It’s soup weather, and you’ve probably got a few ideas of what to make (if not, go back and find my excellent recipe for orzo and sweet potato chicken soup). But what about REALLY making it a “moment” with some homemade bread?     Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.     Potato Bread recipe   200g chopped potato  100g self-raising flour  2 tbs c...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    Simon LOVES sweet potato at this time of year. Why? It’s plentiful! It lasts for ages on the counter! It makes a nice change from potato! It’s also really good for you – tons of vitamin A, vitamin C, fibre and lots of other bits. And when the kids are being unruly it makes for a great weapon to threaten them with! The problem is, it can do with livening up – it’s just too...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    Gnocchi is truly a sensory delight. And you CAN make it from scratch pretty easily. Or not - just buy a packet. The good thing about if you DO make it from scratch is that it freezes fantastically and you can reap the rewards for months after you make it. The meditative quality of this type of food prep is immensely rewarding… And this recipe is IDIOT PROOF, we promise! ...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  The other cheese (and to Simon’s mind, the far superior option to the mac ‘n’ cheese that Yumi loves so much she’s put it in TWO of her books). Why  is it better? Well, veg makes it SO much more nutritious/delicious/interesting; however, it can be made very, very badly. And a bad cauli cheese is a horrible thing – often watery, sulphurous and just generally repulsive.     W...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  When you need something GREEN and GREAT in your life, why not set aside the salads and make this soup? Chances are you’ll have all the ingredients you need in already and it’s one of the easiest things you’ll ever cook. Dress it up with a swirl of pesto and a big old handful of croutons like this (search back through our archive for Yumi’s killer recipes for these, if you l...

Apples and cheese. A FANTASTIC combination… but in a pie ?      Turns out, it’s a thing, and one that’s got Simon very excited. This easy pie makes use of ready-bought puff to keep things simple, while still delivering the goods on the flavour front. Eat it, marvel at it, go back for more. You’ll never look at another apple pie in the same way again.    Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  You know how there are some clothing brands that you just KNOW will fit you? Well, I’m a huge fan of food writer Belinda Jefferey and just KNOW that her recipes fit me! This is one of her most beloved creations – it's a crusty, trusty, cheesy TOMATO PIE.   You can find the full recipe in our new cookbook, THE FOOD FIX, which is out in all good bookstores now!    Want more f...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Our book is jam packed with ideas for quick and easy dinners, but it’s also got a great section on condiments. Why? Because these can really take your food from meh to wow in seconds. Simon recently made Yumi’s SWEET CHILLI SAUCE and is OBSESSED.   The full recipe can be found in our brand-new cookbook, THE FOOD FIX! It’s out in all good bookstores this week.    Want more f...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Need an easy win? This chocolate "crack" recipe went viral for a reason! As far as effort goes, it's low output for EXTREMELY high reward! Main ingredient? Biscuits from the shop that you cover in caramel (easier than it sounds), top with your favourite things (chocolate and nuts) and then once cooled, makes a satisfying "CRACK" sound when you snap a bit off to eat!   Want...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  This is one that blasts Simon straight back to childhood (and he’s not afraid to admit he’d still eat it cold straight from the tin). Yes when it’s bad it can be very, very bad BUT this slow-cooker rice pud takes all the pain out of making it and ensures the whole business is not only guaranteed to be delicious, but it’s also extreeeemely simple.     Want more food tips? Ch...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    I was fully onboard when, as a nation, we all got suddenly much more "curry literate". Understanding SPICES, grinding your own, using a mortar and pestle to bash the flavours alive - it was fun!  The problem is, my new found literacy put me off. I can't be doing all that work for a simple weeknight curry! No way.  So now I am full circle back to a traditional, trustworthy...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Ever feel like you’re teetering on the brink of a cold? A healing, hydrating chicken soup can bring you back from the brink! And it doesn’t have to be complicated. My belief is that you should NOT overstuff your soup. You need the broth to have space. A tiny pasta? Yes! (My fave is risoni or those tiny stars.) A little carrot? Yes, and maybe some celery. Squeeze of lemon to...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]    Another stew! Ok, it’s not really a stew, but this is Simon’s absolute go-to winter dal recipe. It has all the lovely rich, warming vibes that a stew does (thanks very much to the coconut cream for that), and TONS of nutrition in it thanks to the spinach and the cumin-spiked sweet potatoes on top (which are a total GAME CHANGER). Find the full recipe with pictures in our...

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Poached fruit is warming, bloody delicious and extremely ridiculously easy to make good. It’s also the PERFECT WINTER DESSERT w. custard cream or…whipped greek yoghurt, or this INSANSELY good CRUMBLE.     Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.     Killer Crumble   Serves 4–6   600 g–800 g poached fruit (use whatever’s in season – apples, pears, quin...