One of our favourite type of cooking is to have a rough idea of what we're going to cook and then constantly add to it based on what's in the cupboard and fridge. This one started life as a simple salmon and orzo  - then we found half a pack of chorizo, a jar of sundried tomatoes lurking at the back of the fridge and a tin of beans in the cupboard, and it turned into something a lot more interesting. The sauce is creamy without being heavy, the orzo means the kids will actually eat it, and the whole thing lands on the table in half an hour. Apparently it's called "Marry Me" because it's good enough to propose over. We'll let you be the judge.

Cooking Time

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Equipment needed

1x saucepan

1x deep frying pan

1x baking tray

Ingredients (2 adults & 2 kids)

2x salmon fillets

Drizzle of olive oil

100g diced chorizo (optional)

 1x yellow pepper roughly chopped

4x garlic cloves crushed

200g cherry tomatoes halved

8x sundried tomatoes finely chopped

1x teaspoon of mild smoked paprika

150g orzo

400g tinned beans drained and rinsed (butter beans or cannellini both work)

2x tablespoons of crème fraîche

Basil to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the salmon fillets on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and cook for 13 minutes until just cooked through and flaking easily.
2. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in the frying pan and add the diced chorizo. Cook for 5 minutes until it crisps up and releases its oil. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving the oil behind.
3. Add the yellow pepper to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes, then add the crushed garlic, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and smoked paprika. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the peppers have softened and the tomatoes have started to collapse into a rough sauce.
4. While that's going, cook the orzo in a pan of boiling water as per pack instructions. Save a mugful of the cooking water before draining.
5. Add the drained beans and the chorizo back into the frying pan and stir through for 2 minutes to warm.
6. Turn the heat down low and stir in the crème fraîche. Add a splash of the orzo water to loosen it into a silky sauce.
7. Add the drained orzo to the frying pan, flake the roasted salmon in, give it a good mix and serve with basil torn over the top.

Our tips

For the little ones: flake the salmon into their portion rather than serving it in chunks, and go easy on the chorizo. If you're cooking for a baby or younger toddler, leave the chorizo out entirely and split the pan before it goes in.

Don't skip the orzo water: the starch is what pulls the crème fraîche and the tomatoes together into an actual sauce rather than a puddle.

Swaps we've made: red pepper instead of yellow, a handful of spinach wilted in at the end, or frozen peas thrown in with the beans. Whatever needs using up.