£1 Wonders
By Jamie Oliver
Speedy mackerel spaghetti
Crispy breadcrumbs, broccoli & chilli
15 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 2
About the recipe
Here I’m embracing ingredients that are often wasted by bigging up broccoli stalk (it’s just as delicious as florets – trust me) and turning stale bread into golden, crunchy breadcrumbs. Plus, I’m swapping fresh fish for tinned mackerel: it’s similar to tuna, but actually has higher levels of omega-3 and omega-6. If you’re after a comforting midweek meal that’s on the table in minutes, this ticks a lot of boxes.
Recipe From
Ingredients
1 slice of thick white bread (100g)
olive oil
½ a head of broccoli (180g)
2 cloves of garlic
½ a lemon
150g dried spaghetti
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 x 125g tin of mackerel in tomato sauce
30g mature Cheddar cheese
Top Tip
EASY SWAPS
— Swap the mackerel for another tinned fish of your choice – tuna or sardines would be delicious.
— Use whatever dried pasta you’ve got to hand – think fusilli, penne or linguine.
Method
- Roughly chop the stale bread to create rustic breadcrumbs, then place in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes, or until crispy, stirring regularly, then tip into a bowl for later.
- Trim the tough end off the broccoli stalk. Cut the florets into small, delicate pieces and very finely slice the remaining stalk. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely grate the lemon zest and put aside for later.
- Cook the pasta in a pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli florets for the final 2 minutes, then drain, reserving a mugful of the starchy cooking water.
- Meanwhile, quickly wipe out the frying pan and place it back on a medium heat with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and the dried chilli. Add the sliced broccoli stalk and fry for 5 minutes, or until lightly charred and golden, stirring regularly and adding small splashes of starchy pasta water, letting it bubble away before adding the next splash, and adding the sliced garlic for the final minute.
- Tip in the mackerel (sauce and all), breaking it up with the back of your spoon, then add 1 tin’s worth of starchy pasta water and leave to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the broccoli and mackerel and toss everything together, loosening with splashes of the starchy cooking water, if needed.
- Off the heat, finely grate in the cheese, add a good squeeze of lemon juice, then toss together and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
- Divide between plates, sprinkling over the crispy breadcrumbs and the reserved lemon zest, to serve.
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