New Classics: Inspiring and delicious recipes to transform your home cooking. Marcus Wareing

ROAST CHICKEN, SEMI-DRIED TOMATO, GRILLED GEM LETTUCE AND BASIL SALAD

      This is a great ‘go to’ modern version of chicken salad that works well for lunch or a light summer supper. Grilled gem lettuce is a perfect accompaniment – the smoky sweetness adds even more flavour to the salad.

      Serves: 2–4

      Preparation time: 10 minutes

      Cooking time: 20 minutes

      2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (about 220g each)

      100g semi-dried tomatoes (from a jar or supermarket deli section), sliced, and 1 tbsp of the oil

      2 baby gem lettuces, quartered

      1 tbsp olive oil

      ½ bunch of basil, leaves picked

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

      2 tbsp white wine vinegar

      1 tsp runny honey

      100ml extra virgin olive oil

      1 tsp Dijon mustard

      1 tsp wholegrain mustard

      Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

      Lay the chicken breasts on a roasting tray, skin side up. Drizzle with the semi-dried tomato oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear and the skin is crisp. Remove from the oven, covered loosely in foil, and set aside to rest.

      To make the vinaigrette, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

      Heat a large griddle pan until almost smoking. Brush the gem wedges with the olive oil and season them with sea salt and pepper. Grill the gem wedges, in batches, on each cut side, for about 2 minutes, until they begin to wilt slightly. Remove from the pan and set aside.

      Assemble the grilled gem lettuce wedges on a serving platter, slice the chicken then place it on top, along with the semi-dried tomatoes and basil leaves. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.

GREEN BEAN, CRISPY BACON, SHALLOT AND ONION SEED SALAD

      This recipe is great all year round. It goes really well with any meat, and also more robust fish dishes. Try it with lamb chops or grilled chicken breasts for a simple, tasty dinner. Onion seeds add a lovely savouriness to any dish, so do keep a packet in your cupboard.

      Serves: 4

      Preparation time: 15 minutes

      Cooking time: 35 minutes

      25g butter

      8 shallots, thinly sliced

      300g green beans, stalks removed

      1 tbsp onion seeds

      8 streaky bacon rashers, cut into 1cm dice

      2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

      2 tbsp olive oil

      sea salt

      Put the butter in a deep frying pan and melt over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sliced shallots, season with sea salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots begin to turn a golden brown.

      Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the green beans and blanch them for 3–4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water, until cool. Set aside.

      Add the onion seeds and bacon to the shallots and cook gently for a further 10 minutes, until the bacon is slightly golden. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for a further 5 minutes.

      Add the beans to the pan along with the olive oil. Mix well, then remove from the heat. Taste and season with more sea salt if required, then serve.

CHICKEN, BARLEY AND THYME SOUP

      This is comfort food at its best. It is a great soup to take out in a flask, on a cold winter’s day. I take it when I watch my sons play rugby, to have after their match – it instantly warms me from the inside out. The Marmite really enhances the savouriness of the soup, too.

      Serves: 6

      Preparation time: 10 minutes

      Cooking time: 2 hours 40 minutes

      1 whole chicken (about 1.7kg), giblets removed

      2 carrots, quartered

      2 celery sticks, quartered

      2 onions, quartered

      2 bay leaves

      2 tbsp Marmite

      1 bunch of thyme

      200g pearl barley, rinsed

      2 leeks, white part only, rinsed and finely chopped

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Place the chicken, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, Marmite and three-quarters of the thyme in a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken.