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Idiot proof recipe
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Good afternoon all.
Okay, i'm thinking of cooking something for the girlfriend at the weekend, it's not for any reason, no special occassion so it doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something a little different.
But i'm pretty pathetic in the kitchen, the nearest i get to home made cooking is chopping up some chicken/peppers/onions and whacking in a sweet and sour sauce! Or perhaps some chops and veg.
But when i try anything more adventurous it usually ends up in the bin!
I was just hopeful one of you lovely people could give me a really simple idiots guide to making something a little different.
Ideally I want it to be very low in fat (for me) yet, with something that could be added / done quickly to make it rather more fattening (for her) e.g. if we have chops and veg, we'll do mash spud and i'll get mine then add some butter and milk/cream for hers.
No real food hates, she's not really keen on fish, but we both like chicken which is an healthy safe bet.
Anyway i'll shut up, so if any ones bored for a few minutes and has a proper beginners recipe it would be appreciated!
Okay, i'm thinking of cooking something for the girlfriend at the weekend, it's not for any reason, no special occassion so it doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something a little different.
But i'm pretty pathetic in the kitchen, the nearest i get to home made cooking is chopping up some chicken/peppers/onions and whacking in a sweet and sour sauce! Or perhaps some chops and veg.
But when i try anything more adventurous it usually ends up in the bin!
I was just hopeful one of you lovely people could give me a really simple idiots guide to making something a little different.
Ideally I want it to be very low in fat (for me) yet, with something that could be added / done quickly to make it rather more fattening (for her) e.g. if we have chops and veg, we'll do mash spud and i'll get mine then add some butter and milk/cream for hers.
No real food hates, she's not really keen on fish, but we both like chicken which is an healthy safe bet.
Anyway i'll shut up, so if any ones bored for a few minutes and has a proper beginners recipe it would be appreciated!
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Recipe no 1 - Pasta with bacon, spinach and pine-nuts.
You will need:
Unsmoked streaky bacon
baby spinach
linguine pasta - fresh tastes better but dried works fine
1 lemon
olive oil
pine nuts
Use the finest section on your cheese grater and zest the lemon, then chop it in half and put 2 tablespoons of juice (or 6 teaspoons) into a jar or bowl, along with the zest. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir well. Leave to one side.
If you're using dried pasta, put it on now.
Get some unsmoked streaky bacon (dry cured is best but more expensive than regular stuff). Take 3 strips per person, and cut them up into strips 1-2cm wide. Fry them in a hot pan, stirring constantly. Once they are nearly done, if you're using fresh pasta put it on. Add a small handful of pine nuts to the bacon pan and gently (on a low heat) brown the pine nuts so that they are golden. Take the pan off the heat and check the pasta.
Once the pasta is done, drain it and put it back into the pan with the lid on. Quickly chuck in a LARGE handful of baby spinach (more than you think you need, it wilts loads) and stir it into the pasta, then put the lid back on. It'll wilt in the heat of the pan. Give it a couple of minutes, then pour in the bacon and pinenut mixture, and the lemon dressing.
Stir. Serve.
Recipe no 2: Mediterranean Pork Chops
You will need:
Two pork chops/pork loin slices (the loin cooks faster)
1 lemon
2 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil.
Turn on the oven to gas mark 6/200c(ish, i'm not good at conversions). Chop the lemon into quarters and the tomatoes in half. Crush the garlic with the side of a knife and rub it onto both sides of the pork, along with some olive oil, salt and pepper, then squeeze a bit of lemon juice on to it. In the base of a roasting tin, lay out the tomato, garlic and lemon, then rest the pork chops on top of them. Cover it loosely with foil and put it in the oven. After about 30 mins, check it and if it's not done (looking cooked when cut into it by the bone with the chop, juices running clear etc.) turn the chops over on the veg and leave for another 15 or so minutes.
This goes really well with mashed potato or couscous - you can get flavoured couscous, and it tastes really good. Serve with the oven baked tomatoes and pour the juices from the bottom of the pan over the mash or couscous - it'll taste good, and if you want it to be lower fat (though this isn't too bad), then don't have any of the juice.
Recipe no 3 - Tomato and onion baked fish
You will need:
small blocks of cod (found in the freezer section of the supermarket) OR another type of white fish, in a fairly regular shape (so not tail end) - full marks for sustainability if you don't use cod
An onion
Two tomatoes
Mixed herbs
Lemon (to taste)
Olive oil.
Cut the onion into half, then quite thin half moons. Do the same with the tomatoes. Take a piece of foil - large enough to wrap the whole piece of fish in - and in the middle place a layer of tomatoes, a layer of onion, some salt and pepper. On top of that, place the fish, then do a layer of onion, tomato, salt and pepper. Sprinkle some mixed herbs, olive oil and lemon (if using) then wrap the whole thing up into an airtight parcel. Repeat for as many people as are eating. Place them into a gas mark 6/200c oven, and bake for about 30mins. When you open them, there's going to be lots of tomatoey fishy juices, which are good if you pour them on mashed or boiled potatoes.
There! Three idiot proof recipes.
I guess you better google for a recipe tho (Surely not hard to find), since my english culinary vocabulary is very limited.
I am most definetely trying that!
Fantastic ideas!!! I do like the sound of all three, even the fish, but the Mediterranean Pork Chops sounds a winner for us both!!
Many thanks, i'm looking forward to trying all three!
I'm sure more of us could do with easy recipes!
You talk about Your loads, I bet You accually don't have one. :chin:
You're right, i'm cooking for my xbox
Ingredients:
1 pack of smoked salmon
enough pasta for however many people
fresh dill
onions
cream
To do it:
Dice the onions and gently cook them in a frying pan. Cook the pasta. Add the salmon but not for too long. Add the cream and stir it all in. sprinkle the freshly cut dill over the whole lot, mix it with the pasta, and you're done. Tates really good with some black pepper too.
2 chops
1 onion
4 mushrooms
Sprinkle of Mixed herbs
Fry the chops/loins when nearly done, add the onion, when slightly caramalised add the mushrooms if using them. Pour in about half a pint of gravy and simmer for a few minutes.
3/4 Large potatoes
One teaspoon of mustard
For the mash, Just boil the spuds, then when soft, mash with Cream/milk/butter/herbs or just a teaspoon of Mustard.
My own recipe. aren't I kind