From spaghetti to brownies, this is how Mary Berry cooks for a crowd

Mary Berry’s new book and accompanying BBC series is all about putting sharing food front and centre and making life easier for everyone. Prudence Wade puts it to the test

Like many of Berry’s recipes, this dish is fresh, easy and tasty (Laura Edwards)

Mary Berry calls this “a quick and easy midweek pasta dish”.

She says: “Adding peas to the pesto gives a lovely natural fresh flavour. Use fresh garden peas, if you grow them, instead of petits pois. We have used cashew nuts instead of pine nuts in the pesto to give creaminess to the sauce.”

Spaghetti with peas and pesto

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

350g spaghetti

For the pea pesto:

250g frozen petits pois

115g unsalted cashew nuts

55g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve (optional)

2 large garlic cloves, halved

Large bunch of basil, roughly chopped

100ml olive oil

Method:

1. Cook the peas in a saucepan of boiling water for three minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain again.

2. Place half the peas in a small food processor and add the nuts, cheese, garlic and basil. Whiz until finely chopped. Slowly add the oil, a little a time, until you have a paste consistency. Season with salt to taste.

3. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Reserve 50ml of the pasta water before draining.

An impressive one-pot dish to feed the family (Laura Edwards)

4. Place the pesto in a large non-stick frying pan, add the reserved peas and the cooked spaghetti and a little of the pasta water. Toss everything over a high heat until well coated.

5. Season well with freshly ground black pepper and serve with extra Parmesan, if liked.

Tuscan chicken

“Based on a classic, this is one of our favourites for an easy supper. Use chicken breasts, if you prefer,” says Berry.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 large skinless chicken thighs, bone in

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large red pepper, deseeded and finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp tomato puree

30g sun-blushed tomatoes, chopped

150ml white wine

150ml chicken stock

150ml pouring double cream

150g baby spinach

55g parmesan, grated

Method:

1. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl. Add the flour and half the paprika and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss together to coat.

2. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a high heat. Add the chicken and fry for three to four minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Set aside on a plate.

3. Add the onion and pepper to the unwashed pan and fry for four to five minutes over a medium heat, until soft. You may need a little more oil. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the purée, tomatoes, wine and stock and bring up to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan with any resting juices, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until tender.

You know you’re in safe hands with a Mary Berry baking recipe (Laura Edwards)

5. Add the cream and spinach to the pan and stir until wilted. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the cheese and serve piping hot.

Ultimate chocolate brownies

“This is our favourite brownie; it has a wrinkled top and a gooey middle,” says Berry. “Perfect for eating as it is, or you could add a topping of your choice.”

Makes: 24 squares

Ingredients:

360g Bournville plain chocolate (2×180g packets), broken into pieces

225g butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing

225g light muscovado sugar

4 eggs, beaten

75g self-raising flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

75g chocolate chips

Method:

The book ties in with Berry’s BBC series (BBC Books/PA)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 30×23-centimetre traybake tin with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted. Stir to combine.

3. Remove from the heat and add the sugar and eggs. Mix well until smooth, then add the flour and vanilla and mix again. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes, until well risen and set around the edges, with a slightly soft centre.

5. Leave to cool in the tin, then slice into 24 squares.

Recipes from ‘Cook And Share’ by Mary Berry (published in hardback by BBC Books, £27; photography by Laura Edwards), available now.