Top 5 restaurant recipes to make at home

It's been a while since we've enjoyed heading out to our favourite restaurant for dinner with friends or family.

But with lockdown restrictions starting to ease up, and a number of eateries and high street shops beginning to open, it might not be too long before we once again enjoy an evening meal without having to do the washing up!

Although, all this free time has certainly improved our culinary skills; we're ready to take on recipes a little more challenging than beans on toast! Why not have a go at recreating some of these restaurant-quality dishes at home? There is something to keep you going from breakfast to dessert!

SAUSAGE AND EGG MCMUFFIN

We're not ashamed to admit - we've missed McDonald's breakfast. If you're having a little weekend treat for breakfast, then you can't really beat a sausage and egg McMuffin.

The national newspapers got on board with this a few weeks ago when Ronald McDonald and Co released the recipe for their signature breakfast item. Don't eat meat? That's cool; you can swap the sausage patty for a veggie patty!

You'll need: 1 English Muffin, Sausage meat patty (or veggie alternative), 1 egg, a slice of American Cheese.

METHOD:

1. Toast English muffin until golden brown.
2. Cook patty (or patties if you fancy a double) in the oven as per instructions on the packaging.
3. Brush the inside of a metal ring with a little oil and place in a small frying pan.
4. Pour in just enough water to cover the base then bring to the boil.
5. Crack the egg into the ring, cover the pan, and cook for two to three minutes.
6. Assemble your McMuffin by layering the patty and egg on top of a slice of cheese.

GREGGS SAUSAGE ROLL

Somewhat of a British classic, the sausage roll is perfect for any lunchtime. Why not have a go at making your own? Depending on how ambitious you are feeling, you can have a go at making the pastry and filling. Or if you're short on time buy some ready-made puff pastry and pork sausages or meat alternatives.

For the pastry: 200g strong flour - ½ tsp salt - 200g chilled butter - 40g chilled water

For the filling: 450g pork sausages - Salt & pepper to taste - 1 beaten egg for brushing and finishing

METHOD:

1. Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl
2. Add the butter and rub in using your fingertips, stop when the butter is pea-sized.
3. Add enough chilled water to form a dough - you may not need all of it.
4. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and work the dough with your hands into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap your disc of dough in cling film.
5. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove the pastry dough from the fridge and dust your work surface with flour.
6. Roll the pastry out to a 30 x 15cm rectangle, then take the short ends of the rectangle and fold towards the middle of the dough. Repeat again to form a book.
7. Repeat step 6 to build up the layers of pastry and then rest the dough in the fridge for a further 30 minutes.
8. While the pastry is resting, remove the sausages from their casings and place in a large mixing bowl along with salt and pepper.
9. Mix to combine and shape into 2 logs 30cm long and wrap in clingfilm. Rest in the freezer.
10. Now split the dough into 2 portions, roll each portion into a rectangle 15 x 30cm.
11. Lay half your sausage mixture down each piece of dough, lengthways in a cylinder shape leaving a 1-2cm edge.
12. Brush the long edge with beaten egg and tightly fold the pastry over the sausage mixture until the edges meet each other.
13. Turn the sausage logs over and cut into 8cm lengths and brush with egg Rest in the freezer for 20 minutes.
14. Bake at 190°c on a greased baking tray for 20 minutes.

NANDOS CHILLI STACK

Anybody else missed Nandos? Luckily supermarkets have been stocking sauces, marinades, and meal kits for some time which has helped curb the peri-peri cravings. But this isn't any old Nandos recipe. This Chilli Stack will take your ordinary Chilli Con (or sin) Carne to a new level. Again - super easy to switch out the meat for a Quorn mince.

You'll need: 65ml PERi-PERi sauce (choose your flavour), 500g minced beef or meat-free alternative, 2 tbsps olive oil, 1 red onion (finely sliced), 1 red pepper (finely sliced), 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (2x 400g), 1 tin of kidney beans, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1tsp ground cumin, 40g dark chocolate, 4 tortillas, 100g grated mozzarella cheese

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c. Heat a large frying pan, drizzle with oil and brown the mince
2. Add the onion and pepper and sizzle away until slightly browned.
3. Turn the heat down and add tomato paste and cumin.
4. Stir and cook until the onion has softened, then add tinned tomatoes and simmer. Cover for 45 minutes.
5. Add PERi-PERi sauce along with kidney beans and chocolate and simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Layer the mixture between tortillas (think like a lasagne) in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the mozzarella.
7. Bake for 30 mins and then finish with a spoonful of sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!

WAGAMAMA KATSU CURRY

We've really taken this food blog up a notch with this treat from the East. 'Kaizen', meaning 'good change' is the Wagamama philosophy, and this Katsu Curry is certainly a good change from your weekend takeaway treat. To make it, you'll need:

For the sauce: 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 onion (finely chopped), 1 garlic clove, peel and grate 2.5cm piece of ginger, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 2 heaped tablespoons of mild curry powder, 1 tablespoon of plain flour, 300ml chicken or vegetable stock, 100ml coconut milk, 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar.

For the dish: 120g rice, katsu curry sauce (made from ingredients above), 2 skinless chicken breasts or alternative, 50g plain flour, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 100g panko breadcrumbs, 75ml vegetable oil for frying, 40g mixed salad leaves.

METHOD

1. For the curry sauce, start by softening the onions, garlic and ginger in a pan.
2. Add the curry powder and the turmeric, and continue to stir.
3. Add the flour to thicken and continue to mix.
4. Slowly add the chicken or vegetable stock, and stir.
5. After the stock, add the coconut milk a little bit at a time.
6. Next, add a little bit of sugar and a dash of soy sauce to finish off the curry.
7. For the chicken, dunk your chicken or chicken-style fillet into a bowl of flour, then into a bowl of lightly beaten eggs, and lastly in a bowl of panko breadcrumbs.
8. Once coated in breadcrumbs, fry in vegetable oil, turning with tongs every so often to achieve a golden colour.
9. Once cooked, slice diagonally in a Wagamama-esque fashion and place on the plate next to the rice and mixed leaves.
10. Finally, pour over the curry sauce for the finishing touch.

LAS IGUANAS TEMBLEQUE

Now, we don't expect you to eat all of these dishes in one day. If you do, you won't have any room left for this delicious vegan pudding from South America. A firm favourite on the Las Iguanas menu, this coconut pudding with mixed berries & mango purée was originally invented in Puerto Rico. It's big in Brazil too, and known as Manjar Branco!

You'll need: 8OOml coconut milk - 2OOg caster sugar - ½ tsp table salt - 1OOml tap water - 1OOg cornflour - Fresh fruit & mango purée to serve.

METHOD

1. Oil & line pudding moulds with cling film, then lightly oil again.
2. Heat the coconut milk, sugar & salt in a stainless steel pan & bring to the boil.
3. Mix water & cornflour together, then whisk into the boiling coconut milk.
4. Keep whisking until the mix thickens.
5. Remove from heat & pour the mix into the moulds evenly. Leave to cool before transferring to the fridge to set.
6. Once set, turn the coconut pudding into a bowl & serve with fresh fruit & mango purée.