Diana Henry

Diana Henry shares a frugal Italian-inspired recipe of potatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and herbs cooked in a pan. The potatoes are first partially cooked, then fried with the peppers and aromatics until browned and slightly scorched. The dish can be served with salad, meat or fish, with optional black olives added at the end.

Diana Henry provides a recipe for an upside-down summer cake made with apricots, cornmeal, lime, buttermilk and caramelized brown sugar. The cake is baked in an ovenproof sauté pan, cooled briefly, then inverted so the fruit forms the topping; plain kefir can substitute for buttermilk.

Diana Henry provides a recipe for sea bass baked en papillote with ginger, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Carrots, leeks, garlic and shiitake mushrooms are sautéed, layered with seasoned sea bass in greaseproof-paper parcels, covered with a sesame oil and ginger sauce, and baked at 190°C for 12 minutes. The recipe serves two and takes 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.

Diana Henry’s recipe pairs marinated lamb loin chops with a quick bread-and-almond skordalia, a Greek garlic dip. The lamb is marinated with olive oil, chilli, lemon and oregano, then pan-fried or griddled and served over the skordalia with Kalamata olives, feta and extra-virgin olive oil.

Diana Henry provides a quick family pasta recipe combining browned spicy Italian sausage, fennel, onion, garlic, chilli, wine and cherry tomatoes into a thick sauce. The sauce is served with al dente spaghetti and grated Parmesan; pasta shapes may be substituted, and fennel seeds can be omitted.

Diana Henry’s recipe combines chicken meatballs with spinach, basil, lemon, Parmesan and Gruyère, baked over orzo, cherry tomatoes and chicken stock. The dish takes about 20 minutes to prepare and an hour to cook, serves four, and can also be made with veal mince.

Diana Henry provides an adapted recipe for rajas con crema, pairing roasted pepper strips simmered in crème fraîche and milk with black beans cooked in a tomato, citrus and spice sauce. The peppers are roasted instead of traditionally flame-cooked to save time, and the dish is served with coriander and warm tortillas. Optional additions include sautéed bacon or chorizo.

Diana Henry provides a recipe for a rich burrata salad serving two, pairing burrata with roasted red peppers, thinly sliced raw fennel, anchovies, capers and a dressing of parsley, basil, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. The peppers are roasted for 30 minutes, while the fennel is tossed in lemon juice and the drained burrata is served alongside the vegetables, herbs and salty toppings.

Diana Henry provides a vegetarian recipe for cumin-roasted aubergines and onions served with warmed chickpeas, dates, toasted almonds, coriander and a tahini-yogurt dressing. The dish takes 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook, serves four, and can be eaten with couscous or served alongside roast lamb or grilled mackerel. Preserved lemon can be added to balance the sweetness.

Diana Henry provides a vegetarian recipe for zucchini alla scapece, in which courgettes are fried and layered with garlic, mint, dried chilli, olive oil and white-wine vinegar. The dish requires drying and several hours of resting so the flavours can meld, and may be refrigerated for up to two days before being brought to room temperature and served.

Diana Henry provides a recipe for lamb scottadito, marinated lamb cutlets griddled until browned while remaining pink inside. The chops are served immediately with lemon wedges and fregola mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, softened shallots, cherry tomatoes and basil or parsley.

A summer pasta dish combines linguine with prawns, peas, ricotta, chilli and mint, highlighting the contrast between creamy ricotta and chilli heat, with almonds added for crunch. The recipe provides quick preparation steps for cooking the pasta, aromatics, peas and prawns before assembling with fresh mint and olive oil.

A zero‑waste vegetable soup is prepared by sweating onion and celery, adding mixed tired salad ingredients, herbs, stock and potato, then simmering and puréeing before thinning with milk and finishing with lemon juice and optional cream. It can be served warm or chilled.

Diana Henry presents a quick one-pot dish of browned chicken thighs, onion, garlic, thyme and orzo simmered in chicken stock, then finished with spinach, lemon and feta. The recipe serves four, takes 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook, and can be varied with ingredients such as bacon, chorizo, Parmesan, saffron, olives or tomatoes.

Diana Henry provides a quick lemon-and-basil spaghetti recipe for two. The sauce combines pasta water, butter, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and garlic, with basil added at the end. Preparation takes five minutes and cooking takes about 15 minutes; the pasta should be tossed until glossy and served with black pepper and extra basil.

Diana Henry’s vegetarian recipe combines fried aubergines with a sweet-and-sour vinegar dressing, Greek yogurt, saffron honey, chilli-infused sherry raisins, nuts and mint. The dish requires chilling and infusing time and serves six as a side dish or part of a larger spread.

Diana Henry provides a 30-minute vegetarian recipe for harissa couscous with peppers, chickpeas, fried eggs and yogurt. Couscous is combined with sautéed onion, red pepper, garlic, chickpeas, tomato purée, harissa, coriander and lemon, then topped with fried eggs, Greek yogurt and a harissa oil dressing. The dish serves two and can also be adapted with leftovers or additional vegetables and meat.

Diana Henry provides a one-pot baked rice recipe made with basmati rice, onions, garlic, cumin, orange, stock, green olives, feta and dill. The rice is baked uncovered at 200°C for about an hour, with olives added near the end and feta, orange zest and dill scattered over the finished dish. The recipe serves eight and is presented as a flexible blueprint for creating variations with different herbs, spices, nuts or dried fruit.

Diana Henry presents a Zuni Café-inspired tart made with saffron-scented caramelized onions, puff pastry, vine tomatoes and small black olives. The pastry squares are chilled before baking, while salting the tomatoes removes excess moisture; the finished tarts are served warm with olives and can be prepared as either four light lunches or smaller snack portions.

Diana Henry presents a paella-like Spanish rice dish made with browned lamb, garlic, parsley, onion, smoked paprika, white wine, paella rice, chickpeas and stock. The lamb and rice are cooked together until tender, then rested briefly before serving; piquillo peppers or butter beans are suggested as optional variations.

Diana Henry provides a quick dessert recipe for warm cherries cooked in butter, sugar, lemon juice and grappa. The cherries are served directly from the pan with vanilla ice cream, and the grappa may be flambéed optionally. The recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare and cook and serves four.

Diana Henry shares a family-favourite soy-sesame-honey chicken recipe using bone-in chicken thighs marinated in soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, lime, garlic, ginger and chilli. The chicken should marinate for at least 30 minutes, roast for 35–40 minutes, and be served with sesame seeds, boiled rice and greens or an Asian-style salad.

Diana Henry’s one-pot roast chicken recipe combines bone-in chicken thighs, baby potatoes, cauliflower, onions and thyme in a roasting tin. The ingredients are roasted at 200°C, finished with grated Parmesan, and cooked until the chicken and vegetables are golden and tender. The dish takes five minutes to prepare, 45 minutes to cook, and serves four.

Diana Henry recommends three salads for a simple summer barbecue: tomato and white bean salad with lemon, capers and herbs; potato, shallot and bean salad with mint pesto; and Malaysian-inspired rojak with black rice. She advocates pairing uncomplicated grilled meat or vegetables with a starch salad, tomato salad and pulse-based dish, emphasizing flavorful dressings and ingredients that can be prepared ahead.

Diana Henry provides a one-pan Chicken Provençal recipe for four, combining browned chicken with onion, garlic, anchovies, dry white vermouth, thyme and black olives. The dish cooks for about 50 minutes and is recommended with saffron-flavoured orzo or rice, or plain waxy potatoes.