Solo Food. Janneke Vreugdenhil

sheet of nori, cut into ribbons with scissors or a knife

      Prepare the ramen according to the packet instructions.

      Soft-boil the egg in a pan of boiling water for 4–5 minutes. Plunge the egg straight into a bowl of cold water to stop it cooking and leave until cool enough to handle. Once cool, peel and cut in half.

      Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a small saucepan, add the shiitakes and boil for 1 minute. Put the miso in a bowl, stir in a small splash of the hot stock, then add this to the saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in soy sauce to taste.

      Place the noodles, spinach and the egg halves into a bowl, and pour over the stock and mushrooms. Garnish with nori ribbons to serve.

Ridiculously easy spaghetti caprese

      Resist the temptation to add extras like garlic, balsamic vinegar, olives, capers and the like, this dish is all about simplicity and the contrast between hot and cold.

       Preparation Time

      15 minutes

      125 g spaghetti

      3 ripe medium-sized vine tomatoes

      1 small ball of buffalo mozzarella

      a small handful of basil leaves

      a generous splash of olive oil

      salt and freshly ground pepper, to season

      Cook the spaghetti until just tender in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.

      Coarsely chop the tomatoes and mozzarella. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, a generous splash of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.

      Drain the spaghetti and mix it into the tomatoes and mozzarella while it’s piping hot. And that’s it! Eat immediately.

Frittata with red onion, baby kale & goat’s cheese

      Preparation Time

      15 minutes

      2 eggs

      olive oil, for frying

      1 small red onion, sliced into half rings

      40 g baby leaf kale

      few drops of balsamic vinegar

      75 g soft goat’s cheese

      salt and freshly ground pepper, to season

      Preheat the grill. to high Beat the eggs together with a little freshly ground pepper and a small pinch of salt. Heat a small splash of oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and a small pinch of salt, and sauté for about 10 minutes. Turn up the heat to high halfway through so that the onion caramelises a little. Then add the baby kale and a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and let the leaves wilt for 30 seconds.

      Add the beaten eggs to the pan and make sure the onion and kale are distributed evenly. Dot the goat’s cheese over the egg mixture and put the pan under the grill. Leave for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and the omelette is nice and puffy, and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.

Griddled white tuna with cucumber, avocado & ginger salad

      Oh, what a wonderful solo supper this is. And what a salad! The spiciness of the chilli pepper, the heat of the ginger and the sour of the lime juice are nothing less than thrilling. The avocado acts as a cool and creamy foil for all of these intense flavours, and if your avocado is very ripe, give the salad a stir and it almost forms a sauce. It might not look all that great, but it tastes divine.

       Preparation Time

      15 minutes

      juice of 1 lime

      1 tbsp olive oil

      coarse salt, to taste

      a small pinch of chilli flakes

      1 white (albacore) tuna steak, around 150 g

      ¹/₂ cucumber

      ¹/₂ red chilli pepper, sliced into thin rings

      1¹/₂–2 cm root ginger, minced or grated

      1 ripe avocado, cut in half and sliced

      soy sauce, to taste

      Combine the juice of half the lime, the olive oil, the salt and chilli flakes, and marinate the tuna in this mix for 10 minutes.

      Meanwhile, make the salad. Halve the cucumber lengthways and pull a teaspoon down the middle to scoop out and remove the seeds. Cut the cucumber into thin slices and place them in a bowl. Add the chilli rings, ginger and avocado. Sprinkle with the remaining lime juice to taste. The salad should be quite hot and sour. Lastly, add a tiny bit of soy sauce (around a teaspoon) and a pinch of salt.

      Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until it’s very hot, then add the tuna steak. Griddle for 1 minute on either side until griddle marks appear but the tuna is still pink inside.

      Transfer the tuna to a plate and spoon the salad alongside.

Tagliatelle with prawns & smoky whisky–tomato sauce

      Preparation Time

      15 minutes

      100–125 g (fresh) tagliatelle

      200 g raw prawns, peeled (but with the tail left on) and deveined

      olive oil, for frying

      a splash of whisky

      1 small garlic clove, crushed

      a pinch of chilli flakes

      2 vine tomatoes, finely chopped

      a knob of butter

      a small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

      coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to season

      Cook the tagliatelle in boiling water until just tender, according to the packet instructions.

      While the pasta is cooking, sprinkle the prawns with a little salt. Heat a small splash of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the prawns over a medium–high heat for a few minutes until they’re pink and cooked through, then add the whisky to the prawns over the heat. Shake the pan a bit and if you’re using a gas hob the contents will ignite on their own. Stand back and let the flames die down, then turn out the prawns on to a plate.

      Put the pan back over the heat, add a little more olive oil, if needed, and sauté the garlic and chilli flakes for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and get a little sauce-like, around 3–5 minutes. Add the prawns and the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Add a tiny splash of the pasta cooking water to the sauce, then drain the pasta in a colander.

      Add the tagliatelle to the sauce, stir to coat in the sauce, then heat through for another 20–30 seconds. Tip out on to a plate and sprinkle with parsley.