Get saucy and enjoy cooking and raising money for Comic Relief

Feel Seriously Good this winter with new recipes from Gordon Ramsay for Comic Relief. Cook up one of these simple dishes for a tasty midweek treat and raise money for a Seriously Good cause at the same time.



With at least ten pence from the sale of every jar of Seriously Good sauce going to Comic Relief you can help make a difference every time you make one of these delicious meals. The money raised goes towards transforming the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the UK and some of the poorest countries in the world (and Gordon doesn’t get a penny).



The Seriously Good range consists of five great sauces including Spicy Red Pepper & Spianata Sausage; Bolognese & Red Wine; Tomato, Black Olive & Mixed Herb; Wild Mushrooms & Mascarpone; and Cherry Tomato & Balsamic - so pick your favourite and create one of the delicious recipes below to feel Seriously Good this winter.

Chickpea, pancetta and butternut squash
Serves 4

1 jar Seriously Good Spicy Red Pepper & Spianata Sausage sauce

200g pancetta (sliced into bite size pieces)

1 tbsp olive oil

½ butternut squash, peeled and small dice 1 to 2 cm

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced

2 x 400g tin of chickpeas

400ml water

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of half a lemon, or to taste

Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped



Place the pancetta in a large pan, and cook for a few minutes until the pieces begin to colour and release their oils.



Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Place the butternut squash, the garlic, red onion and red pepper into the pan with the olive oil. Fry for 6-8 minutes until the onion and butternut squash are golden and soft. Tip the pancetta back into the pan and add the Seriously Good Spicy Red Pepper & Spianata Sausage sauce, chickpeas and water. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for 20 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.



Scatter with chopped parsley and serve in warm bowls with some crusty bread or steamed white rice on the side.



Venison and pumpkin meatballs
Serves 4

1 jar Seriously Good Wild Mushrooms & Mascarpone Sauce

280g venison mince

100g pumpkin (1cm dice)

4 tbsp fine breadcrumbs

Milk, enough to cover breadcrumbs

4 tbsp flat leaf parsley (chopped)

2 tbsp grated parmesan (plus another few tbsp for garnish)

2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tbsp plain flour, to coat

Vegetable or olive oil, for frying



First, pan fry the pumpkin until soft in a little oil.



To make the meatballs, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk in a large bowl for about 5 minutes. Add the minced venison to the bowl along with 2 tbsp of the chopped parsley, 2 tbsp of the grated parmesan, the cooked pumpkin and garlic. Add a generous pinch of seasoning and mix well, preferably with your hands.



With damp hands, shape the mixture into walnut sized balls, trying not to squeeze them too hard to get a light texture. Place them onto a flat tray until you have no mixture left. Lightly coat the meatballs in the flour.



Heat a thin layer of oil in a wide pan. Fry the meatballs until golden brown all over. Pour in the Seriously Good Wild Mushrooms & Mascarpone sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for another 10 minutes or until cooked through. Add the remaining chopped parsley and take the pan off the heat. Serve with spaghetti or boiled basmati rice garnished with a sprinkling of parmesan.



Autumnal addition: Try adding a few handfuls of spinach in the last few minutes of cooking for a fresh, seasonal taste.



Baked haddock with tomato and balsamic sauce
Serves 4

1 jar Seriously Good Cherry Tomato & Balsamic sauce

4 haddock fillets (approx 500g in total)

Olive oil, to drizzle

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Handful of mixed herbs (such as basil, tarragon and chervil), roughly chopped



Preheat the oven to 220ºC/Fan 200ºC/Gas 7.



Rub the fillets with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Spoon a thin layer of the Seriously Good Cherry Tomato & Balsamic sauce over the base of a roasting tray. Arrange the haddock fillets on top, leaving a bit of space between each one. Spoon over the remaining sauce and scatter over the chopped herbs.



Bake for 10-12 minutes in the hot oven until the fish is firm and just cooked through. It should flake easily when prodded with a fork.



Using a fish slice or large spoon, gently lift the haddock onto a large plate and dress with the warm sauce. Serve with sautéed potatoes and steamed green beans.



Autumnal addition: For a more autumnal dish, serve with mashed sweet potato and curly kale.


Mediterranean tomato soup
Serves 4

1 jar Seriously Good Tomato, Black Olive & Mixed Herb sauce

500g cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

Small bunch of basil, leaves picked and stalks chopped (and kept separate to the leaves)

1 tsp sugar

4 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

30g capers, rinsed and drained



Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, add the sliced garlic, basil, sugar, salt and pepper, and half of the finely chopped onion. Sweat down until golden brown then add the cherry tomatoes and mix well until soft and an attractive glazed colour is achieved.



In another large pan, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the other half of the onion and basil stalks and fry for 4-5 minutes until the onion has softened. Pour the Seriously Good Tomato, Black Olive & Mixed Herb sauce into the pan, then fill the jar with water and add this to the pan also. Stir well, bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for 15 minutes.



Mix the contents of both pans together. Blend the soup until smooth and season to taste.



For an extra special finish heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, add the drained capers and fry for 2-3 minute until crisp. Scatter the capers over the soup along with a drizzle of olive oil just before serving.



Autumnal addition: For added taste try dicing 1 large aubergine and 2 courgettes and adding them to the pan when you sweat down the garlic and basil.





Mushroom lasagne
Serves 4–6

1 jar Seriously Good Bolognese & Red Wine Sauce

400g mixed mushrooms (such as ceps, girolles, chestnut mushrooms), cleaned

4 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Splash of Marsala or dry white wine

Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Small handful of chives, chopped

Leaves from a few sprigs of thyme

8 sheets of dried lasagne

250g fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced

2-3 tbsp grated parmesan



Trim off the hard ends of the mushrooms and chop any large ones into smaller pieces. Heat a wide frying pan with the oil and add the onion and garlic. Sweat over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Fry over a high heat until any liquid released from the mushrooms has cooked off and they are lightly browned. Add a splash of Marsala or dry white wine and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until it has almost all evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in the Seriously Good Bolognese & Red Wine sauce and stir in the chopped herbs.


Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Fan 160ºC/Gas 4. Spread about a third of the mushroom and sauce mixture over the base of a lightly greased ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, followed by the mushroom mixture, and then add a layer of mozzarella. Repeat layering process twice, finishing with a layer of sauce. Top with any remaining cheese, and sprinkle over the grated parmesan.


Cover the dish with a piece of foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the topping is golden-brown and bubbling. Let the lasagne stand for a few minutes before slicing and serving with a green salad.