The recipes we’ve tried – and loved – from around the web.
Savoury
RICE & Grain DISHES
Jambalaya
Cafe Delites
One of the most frequently cooked meals in our house.
A smokey and spicy pot of rice, meat and vegetables – makes a big batch with plenty of leftovers.
We skip the okra, use Lidl Kielbasa (smoky Polish sausage) or chorizo and top with jarred Jalapeño!
Check out our Cajun seasoning recipe for use in this dish.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Cafe Delites
Chorizo, Rosemary and Pearl Barley Risotto
BBC GoodFood
Chorizo gives this risotto a deep, smokey-spiced flavour and pearl barley is a great alternative to rice, it’s filling with a chewy al dente texture. We mix in 2 tbsp dried rosemary with salt, pepper and sugar during the simmer.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Cumin-Scented Lentils with Sausage
Serious Eats/Sasha Marx
A truly delicious one-pan recipe that heats up even better the next day. We substituted spinach for the dandelion greens and white wine vinegar for the sherry, and used Lidl deluxe sausages – treat yourself 😉
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Vicky Wasik/Serious Eats
Mushroom Risotto
BBC GoodFood
This recipe is surprisingly simple and entirely delicious – it takes all the mystery out of what we thought was a very difficult dish to master! Make it more substantial by topping with some roast or fried chicken breast.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © Immediate Media Company Ltd. 2021
Mushroom Dhansak
BBC GoodFood
This recipe is surprisingly simple and entirely delicious – it takes all the mystery out of what we thought was a very difficult dish to master! Make it more substantial by topping with some roast or fried chicken breast.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Chicken Perloo
MUNCHIES
A wonderful one pot dish, the ‘rib rub’ is a fantastic find alone!
We added two sliced carrots along with the onions and celery, used tinned chopped tomatoes and added green beans along with the stock. If using raw chicken breasts marinate them with some rib rub and lemon juice and add along with the stock.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Jerelle Guy / VICE MEDIA GROUP
PASTA & Noodle DISHES
Best Spaghetti Bolognese
BBC GoodFood
A super rich and savoury bolognese – no overly sweet jarred sauces in sight.
We add diced bell pepper and mushrooms with the rest of the vegetables and stir in 2 tsp of pesto during the final simmer.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Ultimate Spaghetti Carbonara
BBC GoodFood
We like to add sautéed mushrooms and wilted spinach.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
BA’s Best Lasagna
Bon Appétit
The Ragù is fantastic and worth the extra effort.
We save time by using Lidl Béchamel (white sauce) and lasagna sheets.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Condé Nast
One Pan Sausage Carbonara
Good Housekeeping
A great meal when the only protein in the house is a few leftover sausages.
Loved by Stephen (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Hearst UK
Rigatoni Sausage Bake
BBC GoodFood
A hearty pasta bake packed with flavour and some hidden veggies.
Loved by Stephen (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Delish
Simple, quick and delicious – what’s not to love? Homemade meatballs and sauce can be whipped up using cupboard staples. We used turkey mince for a healthier meatball.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Ethan Calabrese / Hearst UK
Singapore Rice Noodles
Serious Eats
Although some of the ingredients are a bit harder to come by, the result is a stir-fry that can match or rival your favourite Asian restaurant.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Shao Z. / Serious Eats
vegetable & potato DISHES
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Cookie + Kate
A perfect blend between boiled potatoes and chips, we served them with fish and a lemony parsley sauce.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Cookie and Kate
Oven Chips
BBC GoodFood
They taste ‘almost’ as good as fried chips.
Perfectly crispy on the outside but fluffy and soft on the inside, much better than frozen!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Fancy Bubble and Squeak
The Spruce Eats
A great way to use up leftover spuds.
We cook this quick and hearty dinner in a dutch oven.
Loved by Stephen (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Elaine Lemm / The Spruce Eats
Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
Serious Eats
So simple yet so delicious. This humble dish is delicious as a side or as a quick salsa for tacos, we like to mix it with some fresh tomato and plenty of lime.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Vicky Wasik / Serious Eats
SOUP
Creamy Tomato Soup
Bon Appétit
Simple and cheap tinned tomatoes take on a deep, meaty flavour thanks to the Worcestershire sauce. Better than any tinned soup we have tried.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Condé Nast
Scotch Broth
Jamie Oliver
The great grassy flavour of the lamb stock and earthy root veg makes for the most hearty soup. We made home-made lamb stock from some leftover leg bones – delicious!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Jamie Oliver Enterprises
Chicken DISHES
Korean Fried Chicken
New York Times
The sauce alone is to die for. Rather than brushing on we like to gently toss the fried chicken in a wok with the sauce and some garlic.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Garlic Chicken With Guasacaca Sauce
New York Times
The chicken turns out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside with deep garlic flavour, perfectly offset by the bite of the guasacaca. The carrots basically turn into sweets – be warned!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © David Malosh for The New York Times
Sheet-Pan Gochujang Chicken and Roasted Vegetables
New York Times
A good introduction to the flavours of gochujang, as well a simple all-in-one meal…although we like to have some greens on the side. The korean chilli paste takes on a rich, meaty yet sweet flavour when roasted.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © Christopher Testan for The New York Times
Pollo en Fricasé
New York Times
One of the most unique flavours we’ve ever tasted. Even with some strong-tasting ingredients (like capers) no single ingredient overpowers the rest, it’s just delicious.
The fall-off-the-bone tender chicken is also to die for.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © Christopher Simpson for The New York Times
Chicken Katsu Curry (Stock-based)
Good Housekeeping
A super simple curry dish which packs a punch. Make it even easier by using frozen breaded chicken.
This varient uses a chicken stock based sauce, click here for a coconut version from BBC Good Food.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Hearst UK
Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato and Apple
Binging With Babish
A surprising hit, given the unconventional ingredients. This recipe is super simple and surprisingly delicious. We love to flambé the bourbon… even if it’s just for show!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Binge Entertainment, LLC
Creamy White Wine Chicken
BBC Food
A deliciously rich sauce, we like serving it with boiled potatoes and green vegetables.
Loved by Stephen (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Parmesan Roasted Chicken and Cauliflower
Snixy Kitchen
Quick, easy and delicious. The zesty cauliflower pairs really well with the succulent herb-roasted chicken.
Loved by Stephen (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Snixy Kitchen
BEEF DISHES
BA Smash Burgers
Bon Appétit
As tasty as they are effortless – cheap too!
We used lean(ish) beef mince, brought to room temperature before smashing and served with homemade oven chips.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Condé Nast
Boeuf Bourguignon
Binging With Babish
A super-rich beef casserole with a terrific sauce. We serve it with mash/boiled potatoes and extra veg.
Loved by Alister (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Binge Entertainment, LLC
Cottage Pie
BBC GoodFood
Rich and meaty with a lovely sticky sauce. We definitely recommend the red wine!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
PORK dishes
Pork & Cabbage Gyoza
Serious Eats/J. Kenji López-Alt
Deliciously aromatic with a crunchy-silky exterior. Although pleating takes a bit of practice these Japanese dumplings were actually relatively easy to make, we used dumpling wrappers from our local Asian supermarket.
We wrapped leftover filling in puff pastry to make gyoza sausage rolls!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 J. Kenji Lopez-Alt/Serious Eats
Pork Chops
Inspired Taste
This recipe introduced us to a great way to cook juicy, tender pork chops with a super simple yet delicious pan sauce. We paired it with mashed potato, turnip and green beans.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Inspired Taste, Inc.
LAMB dishes
Lamb Kleftiko
The Guardian/Felicity Cloake
Todd’s dad first tried this slow-roasted lamb dish in Cyprus over a decade ago, and he hasn’t stopped talking about it. Extremely simple to make, all this low and slow Greek Cypriot dish needs is a bit of time. After a 12 hour marinade and 5 hour cook the lamb fell off the bone. The lemony caramelized potatoes and acidic tomato sauce were just as good as the meat!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Felicity Cloake/The Guardian
SEAFOOD dishes
Prawn Curry
Jamie Oliver
Super simple and surprisingly tasty. We like to stir in some tenderstem broccoli, green beans and baby corn.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2021 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited
SAVOURY BAKING
Burger Buns
King Arthur Baking
These burger buns – or baps as we call them – came out tasting fantastic, with a fluffy centre and great chew; perfect with a smash burger!
We followed the tip and coated in and egg-white wash and sesame seeds – just make sure you space out the dough balls during the second prove, or you’ll get hexagonal buns!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 King Arthur Baking Company, Inc
Soft Pretzels
King Arthur Baking
Deliciously salty and buttery, we couldn’t help but eat these straight out of the oven. For a sweet twist we found they taste great with a little bit of honey!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 King Arthur Baking Company, Inc
Sweet
SWEET BAKING
BA’S Best Banana Bread
Bon Appétit
One of the best cakes (?) ever baked in our kitchen – the smell alone was amazing!
Fantastic flavour and deliciously moist, we loved it toasted with butter or nutella and with hot custard.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Condé Nast
BA’S Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bon Appétit
Probably the best textured and tasting cookie recipe we’ve tried – slightly crisp on the outside but soft in the middle. Stick to the cooking time of 8 – 10 minutes, the cookies will feel like a semi-solid puddle but don’t worry, they will set out of the oven!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Condé Nast
Scones
BBC GoodFood
Really quick and simple, we use about 1 tsp of bottled lemon juice to make the “buttermilk”.
Delicious with butter and raspberry jam – or just about anything!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Victoria Sponge
BBC GoodFood
Foolproof – it’s Todd’s mum’s favourite cake.
Just make sure you keep an eye on it in the oven and test it with a knife when it looks golden brown.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Clementine Cake
Binging With Babish
One of Al’s favourites. This cake is deliciously moist and brimming with clementine flavour.
We found half the recipe is enough for one cake!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Binge Entertainment, LLC
Chocolate Cake
BBC GoodFood
Another foolproof cake – rich, chocolatey and delicious.
We halve the buttercream ingredients and still have enough to fill and top the cake.
Mixing a teaspoon of instant coffee into the batter can help bring out the chocolate flavour!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Best Ever Brownies
BBC GoodFood
The name doesn’t lie and the recipe couldn’t be simpler.
Adjust the cooking time to achieve your preferred cake-y or fudge-y texture.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Immediate Media Company Ltd.
Macarons
Tasty
A pretty fool-proof recipe to create delicate, sweet macarons. Make sure to watch the accompanying video before you start to learn all the tips and tricks.
We found a tart lemon buttercream helped round out the sweetness of the biscuit.
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © Hannah Wong / Buzzfeed
Drinks
cocktails
Bramble
Difford’s Guide
For gin fans and fruity fans alike. This sweet, sour and botanical cocktail is a go to when I want something refreshing that doesn’t rely on overly sweet fruit juices. Mint garnish to stir in is a must!
Loved by Todd (Cork Cooks)
Image © 2020 Odd Firm of Sin
Cork Cooks 