Food & Drink

James St Recipes: Niall McKenna's cheat's ratatouille and crumbed cod

Niall McKenna's cheat's ratatouille
Niall McKenna's cheat's ratatouille

This week we have two great dishes. Firstly, ratatouille which is very versatile and great with chicken, lamb chops or on its own with rice or cous cous.

Ratatouille, if done right, will become a staple in your meal planning and a great way for the kids to have an enjoyable meal while also getting in their daily vegetable intake.

I have paired it this week with fish which has been lightly breaded in panko breadcrumbs.

For all budding cooks out there, our 2024 cookery class calendar is online now with plenty of availability. Why not give them a go? Check them out at: www.waterman.house or follow us on Instagram @waterman.house

CRUMBED COD

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

4 skinless cod fillets, approx 120g each

Dijon mustard to serve

4 slices of bread, crumbled into small pieces, approx 100g

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp oil, for the breadcrumbs

Zest of half a lemon

Mix of herbs - 3 sprigs flat leaf parsley, 3 stalks fresh basil chopped

Method

Begin by making the breadcrumbs by crumbing the four slices of bread by hand or a blender, while adding in the garlic clove, oil and herbs. Blend together until it becomes a fine mix.

Preheat the oven to 180C. To cook, place the fish onto a roasting tray and criss-cross over the top, scattering the breadcrumbs and placing into the oven for eight minutes until the fish is cooked and the herb crust is golden.

Remove from the oven and serve with the ratatouille and a wedge of lemon.

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CHEAT'S RATATOUILLE

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

2 red peppers

6 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves

3 courgettes, cut into bite-size chunks

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

400g small tomatoes

1 handful fresh basil

1 handful flat leaf parsley

Method

Begin by preheating the oven to 220C.

In a medium-sized roasting tin, add the peppers, olive oil, garlic and courgettes, and mix well, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes, removing halfway through and shaking the tin until all of the vegetables begin to look golden brown.

Next, remove the tin from the oven after 15 minutes to add the tomatoes, placing back into the oven for a further 15 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and add the basil and parsley and cook for a further 10 minutes before serving with the breaded cod.

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