Top 10 brand-new April recipes picked by our editor

Nat

Editor's picks: Top 10 recipes from April 2024

Arroz con gambas y calamar

José Pizarro is a friend of Good Food and long-time contributor for a reason – his Spanish recipes are a masterclass in flavour and technique. This epic paella is a bonafide showstopper, topped with juicy whole king prawns and rings of tender calamari. Serve it with plenty of bread for mopping up the beautiful juices.

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Arroz con gambas y calamar

Peanut butter-stuffed French toast

French toast is a prime example of taking simple ingredients and turning them into something spectacular. This pan-fried brunch dish is made using simple storecupboard ingredients, including condensed milk. It’s inspired by deep-fried French toast from Hong Kong and if you’re not a peanut butter fan, you can use chocolate spread instead. It’s one gutsy way to start the day.

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Peanut butter-stuffed French toast

Air-fryer fish fingers

The unstoppable rise of the air-fryer has led to just as big a spike in interest in air-fryer recipes. Each month, our expert food team think of new ways to use this energy-efficient appliance. Air-fryers are a genius kitchen addition when it comes to cooking frozen convenience food like fish fingers, but our new air-fryer fish fingers recipe takes things to a new level. White fish is covered with panko breadcrumbs before being air-fried and served in a sarnie. Super-soft white bread is an absolute essential for this one.

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Air-fryer fish fingers

Lamb stew with fluffy rosemary & cheddar dumplings

I love the nostalgic and hefty hit of a good old-fashioned dumpling. These cheesy, herby balls of comfort top an adaptable meat stew that can be made with lamb, mutton, hogget or goat. We’ve seen alternative centrepieces become really popular since the cost of living crisis, and this recipe has been designed to work with cheaper cuts of meat as well as traditional spring lamb.

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Lamb stew with fluffy rosemary & cheddar dumplings

Curried spring veggie pilaf

I love the switch from winter cooking to lighter, brighter spring dishes, and this vibrant jasmine rice pilaf ticks a lot of boxes. It uses cheap ingredients like spinach and frozen peas, so it’s ideal for a fridge clear-out day. The rice is spiced with turmeric, cumin, cardamom and curry powder giving it depth of flavour, plus it’s vegan and purse-friendly. What better way to celebrate the new season.

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Curried spring veggie pilaf

Slow-roasted mutton shoulder with garlic bean mash & gremolata

Mutton isn’t the most fashionable meat – it has a much gamier flavour than lamb and a higher fat content. However, it’s often a more sustainable option and can handle bolder flavours, which is why it’s so popular served in curry. Our beautiful mutton centrepiece is slow roasted and served with a butter bean mash. I love that pulses are having their moment in the sun as they are such an underrated ingredient. The dish is freshened up with a herby gremolata.

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Slow-roasted mutton shoulder with garlic bean mash & gremolata

Next-level chocolate babka

It’s not often I have time in my busy family schedule to spend a few hours kneading dough, but when I do get a window I plan to make this epic chocolate babka. This twisted loaf is layered with a chocolate and almond filling, and the dough is delicately spiced with cinnamon. It’s glazed with a sugar syrup for the trademark glossy top. If you nail this one, expect serious cooking kudos.

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Next level chocolate babka

Lemon thumbprint cookies

On the easier side of the baking scale are these cute lemon cookies. The simple biscuit dough is cut into small balls which are squished with thumbprints, big or small. Kids will love getting hands-on and spooning in the lemon curd. You can make them into fried eggs by dusting the edges with icing sugar. I’ll be making these with my children over the Easter break.

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Lemon thumbprint cookies

Lemongrass & lime pork meatballs with pickled veg

Pork mince is one of my favourite midweek ingredients as it’s cheap, versatile and a flavour sponge. This rice bowl is a whole new way of serving it that I’ll be trying this spring. The mince is flavoured with fish sauce, sriracha, lemongrass, lime, coriander and spring onions. The flavours are layered up even further with a side of pickled veg, all served on sticky rice.

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Lemongrass & lime pork meatballs with pickled veg

Goat mole chilli with pickled radishes

If you’ve never cooked with goat, this recipe is a good place to start. The method is similar to classic chilli but the mole sauce elevates the dish. Ancho chilies, chipotle paste, peanut butter and dark chocolate are flavour highlights, and the dish is slow-cooked on the hob or in the slow cooker. There are also pressure cooker instructions if you want to fast-track the process. It’s served with picked radishes to cut through the richness and bring the dish to life.

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Goat mole chilli with pickled radishes