Chef Jamie Oliver’s air fryer Valentine’s feast is everything you’ve been dreaming of
CAN'T find a babysitter, or don't want to shell out on a hefty restaurant bill this Valentine's Day?
This three-course feast is just the ticket - and you can make it all in your air fryer.
Jamie Oliver is known for his easy recipes and for keeping things affordable, so his new cookbook (£26, Penguin Michael Joseph ©Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited) is a must.
The TV fave is making it his mission to bring us big, bold, delicious recipes, with super salads, veggie heroes, roast dinners for one and mega weekend spreads.
He's also just launched the new Jamie Oliver by , which will be the perfect upgrade if you've found that one drawer just doesn't cut it for your family.
So, will love be in the air (fryer) this Valentine's?
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Broccoli Soup & Cheesy Soldiers
Serves: 2
Prep time: 8 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
*400g frozen broccoli
*4 spring onions
*Olive oil
*20g mixed seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds, poppy
*1 large slice bread
*80g cheddar
*1 organic veg stock cube
*1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
*Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Method:
1. Remove the shelf from the large air fryer drawer, chuck in the broccoli, then trim, roughly chop and add the spring onions, drizzle with 1tbsp of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and toss well. Cook for 15 minutes at 200°C, or until the broccoli is soft, shaking the drawer occasionally.
2. Use your fingertips to press the seeds into the surface of the bread, drizzle with 1tsp oil and grate over a layer of cheese. Cook in the small drawer for 7 minutes at 180°C, or until golden and crisp, then slice.
3. Once the broccoli is soft, remove the drawer from the air fryer, grate in the remaining cheese, crumble in the stock cube, tear in most of the bunch of parsley, stalks and all, and pour over 400ml boiling kettle water.
4. Carefully blitz with a hand blender until smooth, adding an extra splash of water, if needed. Season to perfection, then gently return the drawer and cook for 5 minutes at 180°C, or until piping hot.
5. Divide between mugs or bowls, pick over the remaining parsley, and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, if you like. Serve with the soldiers.
Energy: 387 cal, Fat: 27.9g, Sat fat: 10.9g, Protein: 25.9g, Carbs: 33.4g, Sugars: 6.4g, Salt: 1.8g, Fibre: 9.1g
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Lemon Fish, Spuds & Spinach Sauce
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 22 mins
Ingredients:
*400g potatoes
*Olive oil
*20g cheddar cheese
*1tsp creamed horseradish
*2tbsp soured cream
*250g baby spinach
*1/2 bunch dill
*1 lemon
*2 x 130g chunky white fish fillets, skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
*Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Method:
1. Scrub the potatoes, chop into 1cm cubes, place in the large air-fryer drawer and toss with 1 1⁄2tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 20 minutes at 200°C, or until golden, shaking halfway.
2. Place the cheese, horseradish, soured cream, half the spinach and most of the dill, stalks and all, in a blender with 50ml water. Squeeze in a quarter of the lemon juice and blitz until smooth, then season to perfection. Remove the shelf from the small drawer, then pour in the sauce and replace the shelf.
3. Season the fish fillets and place in the small drawer. Finely slice 4 lemon rounds, place on top of the fish, spritz with oil, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes at 170°C, or until the fish is just cooked through and the sauce is hot.
4. Tip the potatoes out of the large drawer and pack in the remaining spinach. Cook for 2 minutes at 200°C, or until just wilted, while you remove the fish from the small drawer so you can divide the sauce between plates. Arrange the fish, spuds and wilted spinach on top. Pick over the reserved dill and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if you like.
Energy: 451 cal, Fat: 18.8g, Sat fat: 5.7g, Protein: 34.5g, Carbs: 37.9g, Sugars: 4.3g, Salt: 1.5g, Fibre: 2.8g
Mint Choc Chip Whoopie Pies
Makes: 8
Prep time: 10 mins, plus chilling
Cooking time: 37 mins
Ingredients:
*1 x 145g bar of mint Aero
*150g full-fat cream cheese
*85g unsalted butter
*200g self-raising flour
*100g caster sugar
*3tbsp cocoa powder
*1⁄2tsp bicarbonate of soda
*100g milk or dark chocolate chips
*2 medium free-range eggs
Method:
1. To make the filling, snap 120g of Aero into a heatproof bowl and melt in the air fryer for 3 minutes at 170°C, then stir until smooth and mix in the cream cheese. Cover and leave to firm up in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl for 4 minutes at 170°C. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarb, then stir through the chocolate chips. Mix in the melted butter, then the eggs, until the mixture is well combined. With wet hands, roll into 16 balls and place on a lined baking sheet, pushing them down slightly to flatten.
3. Line the air fryer shelf with greaseproof paper. Transfer 4 to 6 cookies into the drawer, making sure there’s a 1cm gap between them. Cook for 10 minutes at 170°C (12 minutes from chilled or 15 minutes from frozen) then, using the paper to help you, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and repeat.
4. Once the cookies are completely cool, sandwich them with the filling, crumbling up the leftover Aero to sprinkle into each one, before sandwiching.
Get ahead
If not cooking straight away, cover the raw cookies and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months, ready to cook to order! Or, once cooked, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, stashing the filling in the fridge, ready to assemble.
Energy: 451 cal, Fat: 25g, Sat fat: 15.1g, Protein: 6.7g, Carbs: 52.2g, Sugars: 32.5g, Salt: 0.6g, Fibre: 1.9g
Jamie Oliver's career history
1999 - Jamie Oliver's first television series, The Naked Chef, premiered on BBC Two. It quickly gained popularity and lead to his first cookbook.
2000 - The Naked Chef won a BAFTA Award.
2002 - He launched the Fifteen restaurant in London, providing opportunities for disadvantaged young people to train as chefs.
2005 - Began the Jamie's School Dinners campaign to improve the quality of school meals in the UK, leading to significant changes in government policy.
2008 - He received the TED Prize for his efforts to improve unhealthy diets and food practices.
2015 - Campaigned for a tax on sugary drinks, which was then introduced in the UK in 2018.
2023 - Announced plans for new restaurant ventures and still works on campaigns for better food education and sustainability practices.