Tag: cooking

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #37: Broccoli Orecchiette
This was our 37th cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. I’m still catching up on the backlog! For this one, we made “Broccoli Orecchiette, Courgette & Bocconcini Salad, Prosciutto & Melon Salad.” We picked it because we knew we were getting rockmelon (cantaloupe) in our weekly veggie box, and we had some zucchini to use up as well. I was on chef’s duty for this one, and I managed it in an easy 26:14!

Substitutions: The only change – and it’s an obvious one – is that we used fusilli instead of orecchiette, simply because that’s what we could find! Everything else was as written in the recipe.

Quick verdict: This was great! A tasty and easy pasta dish along with two flavoursome salads. I think the anchovies and chilli were the key to the pasta and kept it from being boring. I was actually dreading the prosciutto and melon, mostly because I’m not a huge fan of cantaloupe. Ours was perfectly ripe though, and it went SO WELL with the prosciutto. I loved it. The courgette salad was good, if a bit messy! We both rated this one 9.5 out of 10. It’s a nice summery Italian feast that you could whip up for a group pretty easily.

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The kettle was filled up and heated. We had a big pot for the cooking the pasta and a frying pan for the pasta sauce. The food processor was ready with both the grater and the blade, and we also needed a mortar & pestle.

First up are the ingredients for the pasta: parmesan cheese, broccoli, “sprouting broccoli” (broccolini), anchovies, capers, dried chilli, garlic, thyme, and dried fusilli.

For the courgette salad, we had mint, red chilli, lemon, courgettes (zucchini), and a tub of bocconcini.

For the other salad, we had: basil, lemon, prosciutto, cantaloupe, and balsamic vinegar.

Pots and pans, ready to go! Big pot for pasta, fry pan for pasta sauce.

Food processor with grater and blade, and mortar & pestle.

And I’m off! I started by trimming the rind off the parmesan cheese.

Then I fed that into the food processor to grate it up.

I set the cheese aside for later and switched in the blade attachment in the food processor.

Next I trimmed off all the florets from the broccoli.

I also trimmed the ends from the broccolini and cut the spears in half.

I added the chopped up broccoli stalk to the food processor along with some anchovies and their oil.

I also added capers, dried chilli, and three cloves of garlic.

Then I whizzed it all up into a paste.

I put the broccoli paste into the hot frying pan with some olive oil.

Next I picked in some thyme leaves…

…and added some water, along with the parmesan rind.

Time to get the pasta going! I filled the big pot from the kettle and added the fusilli.

While those were cooking, it was time to prep the salads. I picked some mint leaves and de-seeded a red chilli.

I grated on some lemon zest…

…then chopped it all together.

I put this on a serving plate with some extra virgin olive oil and then squeezed over some lemon juice.

I next used a speed peeler to turn the zucchini into thin ribbons.

Time to add the broccoli and broccolini to the cooking pasta!

I piled the zucchini ribbons on to the dressing and took it to the table with the bocconcini.

Next I picked a handful of basil leaves and bashed them up with some salt in the mortar & pestle.

I also added some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice to loosen it up a bit. It was the most brilliant green.

The pasta and broccoli was cooked, so I drained it in the sink (reserving part of the cooking liquid).

The sauce was finished, so I removed the parmesan rind.

Then I added the pasta to the sauce along with some cooking liquid and tossed a couple handfuls of grated parmesan on top.

To prep the cantaloupe, I cut it in half and removed the seeds.

Then I used a spoon to remove large chunks of melon flesh to the serving plate.

I then draped over the slices of prosciutto.

To finish the salad, I drizzled over some balsamic, extra virgin olive oil, and cantaloupe juice. (The basil sauce was added just before serving.)

Here’s the finished broccoli pasta with extra parmesan on top.

Here’s the finished zucchini salad, all tossed together and with the bocconcini added.

And here’s the finished melon salad, complete with basil sauce.

Lastly, the complete meal!

Tasting notes: The Snook also liked the anchovy in the broccoli pasta. He is anti-broccolini though, just because he thinks it’s expensive and doesn’t taste any different from normal broccoli. But he enjoyed the dish nevertheless. We both enjoyed the zucchini salad, but you may want to add some salt as the mozzarella balls can be a little bland. And the prosciutto and melon! It was a revelation. We were fighting over the last pieces. I think the key factors there were having a ripe cantaloupe and some excellent (slightly funky, in a good way) prosciutto. Having only three dishes means this meal is a fast one to cook, and I easily finished in under thirty minutes. We both rated it 9.5 out of 10. Highly recommended!

Stay tuned for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #36: British Picnic
This was our 36th cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, and I’ve now got a backlog of THREE meals, so get ready for a flood of posts! The weather has finally gotten appropriately “summery” here in Sydney, so we chose to make the “British Picnic” for this one: Sausage Rolls, Mackerel Pate, Lovely Asparagus, Crunch Salad, and Pimm’s Eton Mess. That’s a lot of different dishes! We watched the TV episode to prepare. The Snook was on chef’s duty, and he managed it in a respectable 38:54.

Substitutions: We couldn’t find real Lancashire cheese, so we used cheddar instead. We also couldn’t find prewashed watercress (and couldn’t be arsed picking it off ourselves), so we used rocket for that. We had a plain orange instead of a blood orange in the dessert, as well as little meringues instead of big ones. Other than that, everything was as written in the recipe.

Quick verdict: How lovely! We might have been sitting in the stands at Wimbledon, I tell you. The sausage rolls were excellent, and for once Jamie’s use of fennel seeds was appropriate. The cheese went a bit ick on the asparagus, but it was still tasty. I had been worried about the mackerel pate, but it was very nice! Strongly fishy, but nothing I couldn’t handle. The pickled onions and pear worked surprisingly well together in the salad. And you can’t really go wrong with Eton mess, can you? We washed it all down with a big glass of Pimm’s Cup. Summertime bliss in only 38:54…

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The grill pan was put on high heat and the oven turned on to 205C. The food processor was fitted with the standard chopping blade.

First up are the ingredients for the sausage rolls: flour, puff pastry, egg, chipolatas, fennel seeds, Parmesan cheese, and sesame seeds.

For the asparagus, we had asparagus, lemon, and cheddar cheese. For the pate, we had creamed horseradish, smoked mackerel, cream cheese, parsley, and lemons. (We don’t like radishes so we didn’t bother with those.)

We also had a loaf of sourdough to have with the pate. For the crunch salad, we had rocket, pickled onions, pear, and lemon.

Lastly, for the dessert we needed: strawberries, sugar, orange, vanilla paste, Pimm’s, yoghurt, meringue nests, and mint.

Pots and pans, ready to go! The grill pan is for the asparagus, and the baking sheet is for the sausages.

We also needed the food processor for this one.

And he’s off! The Snook started by preparing the puff pastry. He cut a single sheet in half.

He then laid sausages down on each piece along the edge.

Next he bashed up some fennel seeds in the mortar and pestle…

…before sprinkling it over the sausages.

He also grated some Parmesan over the sausage. Then he painted the opposite edges with egg wash.

Then he carefully rolled up each sausage roll…

…and crimped the edge with a fork to seal it.

He brushed them with more egg wash and sprinkled on sesame seeds.

Finally, he cut each roll into several pieces…

…before popping them in the oven on a floured baking sheet.

He also put some of our sourdough into the oven to warm.

Now for the asparagus. He prepped them by snapping off the woody ends.

Then they went into the hot grill pan to cook.

Mmm, smoked mackerel! We were surprised we were able to find it, actually. (We got it at Harris Farm Markets at Broadway.)

The mackerel went into the food processor along with creamed horseradish and creamed cheese.

Then he added a bunch of parsley along with salt and pepper.

Finally, he grated in some lemon zest and added some juice as well.

Whizz!

And here’s what the finished pate looked like.

The asparagus were charring nicely, so he flipped them over.

Now for the crunch salad. He started by slicing up the pickled onions.

Then he sprinkled them on the bed of rocket.

Next he sliced up the pear…

…and then cut each slice into matchsticks. These went onto the salad along with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

To finish the asparagus, he drizzled over some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

He put the hot asparagus on a plate and shaved over some Cheddar cheese to melt.

Time for dessert! He started by squashing the strawberries with a fork.

You might want to wear an apron for the squashing. The Snook, alas, did not.

He added sugar, Pimm’s, and orange zest to the strawberries…

…and then started adding broken-up meringues.

He also added yoghurt and vanilla paste and swirled everything together.

He finished the Eton mess with some sprigs of mint.

Here’s the finished British Picnic (outdoors!): sausage rolls (with English mustard), crunch salad, bread and mackerel pate, and lovely asparagus. Oh, and Pimm’s cup.

And the finished Eton mess, which we just slurped out of the same bowl together.

Dubious Kris trying the mackerel pate. It was pretty good!

Happy Snook chowing down on sausage rolls.

Tasting notes: The Snook thought the sausage rolls and asparagus were very good. He thought he probably overdid the parsley in the mackerel pate, but we both still enjoyed it. (The recipe makes a LOT, so be prepared for leftovers!) The crunch salad worked well, and the rocket seemed a fine substitute for the watercress. Everybody loves Eton mess. We both rated this one very high: a 9.5 out of 10! Highly recommended for your next outing to Wimbledon, or the next time you feel like being posh in the backyard.

Stay tuned for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #35: Steak Indian-Style
This was our 35th cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. We haven’t given up yet! We are still going! We’re just a few weeks behind. This is one we had a couple weeks ago, and frankly it wasn’t that memorable. It was “Steak Indian-Style with Spinach & Paneer Salad, Naan Breads, and Mango Dessert.” We chose it primarily because mangoes came into season! Unfortunately I don’t have the time saved on my phone, but I seem to remember it coming in around the 34 minute mark. The Snook was on chef’s duty for this one.

Substitutions: We couldn’t find Patak’s Jalfrezi paste, so we went with Balti instead. We left the cress out of the salad. We also had an unplanned substitution for the naan breads, but you’ll see about that soon enough. Other than that, everything was as written in the recipe.

Quick verdict: Okay, Indian style steak?? THAT’S NOT A THING. Most Indians don’t even eat beef, much less marinate it in curry paste. It doesn’t taste bad; it’s just a weird idea. That aside, this meal was mostly okay. However, it’s one of the ones where I don’t really know how to eat it. There are just lots of small components, along with dips and such, and it’s just kind of confusing. Like, am I meant to be making a little open-faced sandwich? Or is it more of a salad? We liked all of the individual components well enough. We both rated it an 8 out of 10. I’m not really sure who you’d make this for, though. I sure won’t be serving it to my Indian friends!

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The grill pan was put on high heat and the oven turned on to 180C.

First up are the ingredients for the steak: Patak’s curry paste, lemon, rump steaks, and coriander.

For the curry sauce, we used some more of the paste along with a tin of coconut milk. For the yoghurt dip, we used yoghurt, mint, and lemon.

Here are the naan breads along with the ingredients for the salad: baby spinach, coriander, alfalfa sprouts, carrot, paneer, sesame seeds, and lemon.

For the dessert, we needed mangoes, icing sugar, mint, and lime.

Pots and pans, ready to go! We had a grill pan for the steaks, a saucepan for the curry sauce, and a frying pan for the paneer.

And he’s off! The Snook began by making a marinade for the steaks out of curry paste and lemon juice.

He added olive oil, salt, and pepper and mixed it up.

Then he rubbed the marinade all over the steaks and set them aside for a while.

Now for the yoghurt dip. He spooned yoghurt into a bowl and then added mint, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

He started the salad by tipping the spinach into a bowl and tearing over most of the coriander leaves.

He topped it with alfalfa sprouts, and then sliced over thin ribbons of carrot.

For the naan– WAIT! THE NAAN WERE ALL MOULDY. GROSSSSSSS. So, no naan for us. We made do with some slices of sourdough. (We just bought those naan too! I got Coles to give me a refund.)

Time to cook the steaks! They went into the grill pan.

For the curry sauce, the Snook mixed some of the curry paste together in a saucepan with coconut milk and left it to heat up.

Next he sliced up the paneer…

…quickly jumped to turn over the steaks…

…and then placed the paneer into the frying pan with olive oil to fry. Multi-tasking!

Curry sauce is just about done.

Once the paneer was golden on the bottom, he flipped it over to cook the other side.

The steak was finished so he put it into a board to rest.

To finish the paneer, he sprinkled on salt and sesame seeds.

Lastly, the dessert. He started by cutting off the mango cheeks…

…and making the customary “hedgehog.”

Then he sprinkled the cheeks with icing sugar.

A bit of mint and a squeeze of lime finished them off!

He finished the salad by placing the cooked pieces of paneer around the edge of the bowl and tipping the excess sesame seeds over the top.

Here’s the finished salad!

Lastly, he sliced up the pieces of steak…

…before dressing them with coriander and the juices from the board.

The final condiments: curry sauce and yoghurt dip.

And here’s the completed meal: Steak Indian-Style, Spinach & Paneer Salad, “Naan” Breads, and Mango Dessert.

Tasting notes: Meh. Everything was fine. It probably would’ve been nicer with naan rather than sourdough, but that was out of our control. The salad was nice and crunchy, and everybody likes fried paneer. The steak was good, though I don’t think such a quick marinade imparts much to the final product. The two dipping sauces were mostly wasted, since we didn’t really know what to do with them. And the dessert was really just a mango! So a simple one, and also a weird one. This one feels a little like filler. We both rated it an 8 out of 10, but I can’t really see us bothering to make it again.

Stay tuned for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #34: Meatball Sandwich
This was our 34th cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. We’ll be going on hiatus for a few weeks due to our annual Halloween party as well as a small trip I’m taking to Victoria. Also, this time of year is just insanely busy… which is why I’m only just now getting around to posting this meal, which we actually made last weekend. Whoops. Anyway, for this one we chose “Meatball Sandwich, Pickled Cabbage, Chopped Salad, and Banana Ice Cream.” We chose it because we took a punt the week before and bought bananas, reckoning they’d ripen up in time to use. They did! I was on chef’s duty for this one and – though I thought I was speeding along – I clocked in at a disappointing 40:46. It was tasty though.

Substitutions: I actually made a double-batch of the meatballs (simply because I accidentally thawed too much hamburger). Other than that, we followed the recipe pretty much exactly!

Quick verdict: Nothing too challenging or objectionable here! Just a nice simple meal, and probably one that would appeal to kids as well. The sandwich was hearty, but I thought the meatballs were a little bland. The red cabbage really perked up the sandwich though, especially with the chilli and mint. (The recipe makes more than double the slaw actually need. We were eating it all week.) The chopped salad was very good, with the avocado and feta giving it an almost creamy texture. The “ice cream” was a bit of a gimmick, and I’m not sure the coconut added much. We both rated it an 8 out of 10. A pretty good meal, but nothing that really stood out as amazing. You could feed this one to just about anybody though!

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The oven was turned on to 160C. The food processor was fitted with the slicing disc. We had sliced and pre-frozen the bananas as directed. We had two frying pans for the meatballs (since I cooked so many), and a roasting pan for finishing them in the oven.

First up are the ingredients for the meatball sandwich: basil, minced beef, wholegrain mustard, lemon, egg, pancetta, ciabatta, and Jarlsberg cheese.

For the red cabbage: red cabbage, red onion, mint, red chilli, and lemon.

For the chopped salad: cucumber, tomatoes, avocadoes, basil, salad leaves, English mustard, red wine vinegar, and feta cheese.

For the ice cream: pre-sliced and frozen bananas, yoghurt, honey, desiccated coconut, and crunchy biscotti.

Pots and pans, ready to go! All of the pans are for the meatballs.

The food processor, fitted with the slicing disc. (You also use the blade later on the ice cream.)

And I’m off! I began by roughly chopping the basil for the meatballs.

I added the basil to the minced beef and added lemon zest.

Then I separated an egg yolk…

…before adding it to the mix.

To finish the meat mixture, I added salt, pepper, wholegrain mustard, and olive oil.

Once I scrunched all the meat up with my hands to thoroughly mix it, I divided the bowl into even segments so my meatballs would be roughly the same size. They all went into the hot frying pans to cook!

Now for the slaw. I started by breaking down the red cabbage.

I ran the cabbage through the food processor to slice it, then dumped it in a bowl.

I finely chopped up a chilli…

…before adding it to the bowl along with sliced red onion and mint.

My meatballs were brown at this point, so I combined them all into the roasting pan. Then I draped the pancetta slices over the top and put the whole thing into the oven to keep cooking. I also chucked the ciabatta on the bottom shelf to warm.

I finished the slaw by dressing it with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and lemon juice.

After a thorough scrunch, it was done!

Next I moved on to the chopped salad. Jamie assembles all of this on a wooden board, but I couldn’t be bothered. I chopped each component up and chucked it in a bowl. First, the cucumber.

Next tomatoes.

I then added the avocado flesh and some chopped basil.

To make the dressing, I combined English mustard and salt…

…with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.

I added the salad leaves to the bowl, then poured the whisked dressing over the top.

To finish it, I gave it a toss and then crumbled feta on top.

Now for the ice cream! I cleaned the food processor and chucked in the frozen bananas, yoghurt, and honey.

Then I whizzed it all up!

I put the coconut into a bowl and tried to roll each spoonful of ice cream in it to cover. It didn’t work that well; my ice cream wasn’t very stiff. (I think the bananas may have thawed too much.) Eventually I just spooned the ice cream into the serving bowls and sprinkled coconut on top.

Time to assemble the sandwich! I took out the warm ciabatta and carefully cut it in half.

I drizzled each slice with extra virgin olive oil and then laid slices of Jarlsberg cheese on top.

Then I added a good handful of slaw to each one.

Here’s how the meatballs and pancetta looked as they came out of the oven.

I added the meat to the sandwiches…

…and here they are finished!

Here’s the completed meal of meatball sandwich with chopped salad (and beer).

And here’s the finished dessert (after it had firmed up a bit more in the freezer) with some biscotti on the side.

Tasting notes: I think to an American, a “meatball sandwich” is an entirely different beast. I was expecting something in a sauce, frankly. The Snook explains that this is more what he thinks an Australian or British person might expect. It was a good sandwich though, and I think the red cabbage slaw is the key. It really adds some nice texture, colour, and zinginess to what is otherwise pretty much just a burger. The chopped salad was a nice accompaniment, giving the meal a summertime picnic feel. As for the ice cream, I wish he’d give up these attempts to fake it with whizzed up fruit! I get that fruit and yoghurt is “healthier,” but it never seems to come out firm enough within the time allotted. The Snook thinks it might have been more exciting if I’d had time to refreeze the little balls before rolling them in the coconut, and I tend to agree. Still, overall we liked all the components of this meal just fine. It might be a good one to try with kids, as it’s mostly familiar but introduces some interesting elements. Overall an 8 out of 10 for us.

Stay tuned in a few weeks for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #33: Stuffed Cypriot Chicken
This was our 33rd cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. (ARE WE DONE YET? Sheesh.) For this one we chose “Stuffed Cypriot Chicken, Pan-Fried Asparagus & Vine Tomatoes, Cabbage Salad, St. Clement’s Drink, and Vanilla Ice Cream Float.” We chose it because we had the episode recorded, and it didn’t use anything we couldn’t get this time of year. HOWEVER – we realised quickly that the book version is very different from the one on the show! It has an extra dish (the “Ice Cream Float”) and some of the instructions were different. Very sneaky, that Mr. Oliver! The Snook was on chef’s duty and managed it in a respectable 35:43.

Substitutions: We only did a half-recipe of the chicken, and we left out the rosemary sprigs. We also only did 2 flatbreads. We didn’t bother with mint for the drink, and we used espresso rather than instant coffee for the dessert. Other than that, everything was as written in the recipe.

Quick verdict: Pretty good! Nothing to complain about here. The chicken did take a bit longer to cook than we expected, but it’s visually impressive when you slice it apart. The flavours were all nicely complementary. The cabbage salad was better than I expected, with the onion giving it a welcome bit of bite. The flatbreads fluffed up without catching fire, which was a bonus. (We always seem to have trouble with his “damp greaseproof paper” instructions.) Tomatoes and asparagus are always good, and the drink was fine (if a bit unnecessary). The dessert was basically an affogato, so we both liked that. We both rated it an 8.5 out of 10. It was a nice, tasty meal, but it didn’t really have any stand out elements. It sure looks pretty though!

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The book said to put the oven on at 220C, but on the show he only put it to 150C. So we went with the 150C instead. The food processor was fitted with the slicing disc. We had one frying pan for the veg, and another for the chicken.

First up are the ingredients for the chicken: parsley, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, feta, lemon, and skin-on bone-in chicken breasts.

For the veg, we had: garlic, cherry tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, asparagus, and black olives. For the flatbreads, we had: dried oregano, garlic, and flatbreads.

For the cabbage salad, we needed cabbage, onion, parsley, basil, red chilli, and lemon.

Here are the ingredients for the St. Clement’s Drink: ice cubes, lemon, oranges, and sparkling water. For the dessert, we had: vanilla ice cream, espresso, sugar, and biscotti.

Our two frying pans, ready to go!

And he’s off! The first step was to make the stuffing for the chicken. He piled up parsley, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. Then he seasoned it with pepper and crushed over some garlic.

Then he did his best to chop it all together.

Next he added some feta and lemon zest…

…before chopping it all up together again.

He got the veg going by drizzling some olive oil into one of the hot frying pans. Then he threw in cherry tomatoes, squashed garlic, thyme, and a bay leaf.

Now for some knifework. He carefully cut a pocket into each side of the chicken breasts.

Then he filled the pockets with the stuffing mixture and folded the chicken back together.

Here are the prepped breasts ready to be cooked!

He poured a few lugs of olive oil in the other hot frying pan and then put the chicken in, skin side down.

He then made a “cartouche” out of wet greaseproof paper to cover them. (On the show Jamie was all fancy about making it circular, but in the book he doesn’t bother. Snook went for the circle.)

Next he prepped the flatbreads. He sprinkled salt and pepper on the chopping board (still messy from the stuffing), as well as some dried oregano and olive oil. Then he minced up a couple cloves of garlic as well.

He then wiped and rolled the flatbreads around on the messy board to coat them.

He stacked them and wrapped them up in more wet greaseproof paper, then put it in the oven. (Where, thanks to the lower temperature, it did not catch fire.)

Back to the veg. He trimmed the asparagus by breaking off all the woody ends.

Then he added it to the pan along with some black olives.

Now for the cabbage salad. He shredded the cabbage in the food processor…

…along with onion, parsley, basil, and chilli.

Here’s everything all shredded up.

Then he did a quick check on the chicken, which was crisping up nicely.

To dress the cabbage salad, he squeezed over some lemon juice and then added extra virgin olive oil and salt. Then he scrunched it all up with his hands.

Here’s the completed cabbage salad!

Time to turn over the chicken! It was golden and beautiful underneath. He put a heavy pan lid on top to weigh it down at this point.

For the St. Clement’s drink, he juiced the oranges and lemon…

…before adding it to the pitcher of ice (along with the orange halves).

Then he topped it off with sparkling water.

Here’s the finished St. Clement’s drink!

The chicken ended up taking a bit longer than we thought. (When we first cut it open, it was still a little raw.) This is how it looked when it was finally cooked through. Pretty!

He poured the pan juices over the chicken slices to finish it.

Here’s the finished meal of Stuffed Cypriot Chicken, Pan-Fried Asparagus and Vine Tomatoes, Cabbage Salad, and St. Clement’s Drink.

The actual dessert was assembled after we finished eating. He just put ice cream into each cup and then topped it with espresso and a biccie. Yum!

Tasting notes: Since chicken breasts are pretty boring, this is a good way to jazz them up in terms of both flavour and visuals. We were both worried that the breasts would fall apart and leave stuffing everywhere, but they actually held together pretty well. The cabbage salad was simple but effective, and it made a nice textural contrast. You can’t really go wrong with sauteed asparagus and tomatoes, so no complaints there. The flatbreads were a great way of sopping up the juices on the plate. The St. Clement’s drink was mostly a novelty, but it was tasty enough. And everybody likes an affogato, right? So 8.5 out of 10 overall. A not-too-challenging meal that should please just about everybody. Definitely recommended.

Stay tuned for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #32: Tomato Soup
This was our 32nd cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. (HA! I just noticed that on the Amazon.com page, it’s actually called “Meals in Minutes” in the USA. I guess they’ve given up on the whole 30 minute aspect over there!) For this one, we chose “Tomato Soup with Chunky Croutons, Crunchy Veg and Guacamole, and Sticky Prune Sponge Puddings.” We actually picked this one simply so we could justify buying a fresh ciabatta loaf and using the excess to make French toast. Lucky for us, it turned out to be one of the best meals in the book! I was on chef’s duty, and I finished this one in a blistering 28:27. (I should clarify for my fellow Americans that “pudding” in this case doesn’t refer to a custard like we tend to think. This is an English “pudding,” which is more like a sweet, steamed cake.)

Substitutions: We did half-recipes of the entire meal to avoid leftovers. We used “mini-Roma” tomatoes rather than cherry tomatoes on the vine. We had fresh green beans instead of fennel and left out the breadsticks. Instead of pitted prunes, we had dried ones that we rehydrated in syrup. We used yoghurt instead of creme fraiche. Other than that, everything was as written in the recipe.

Quick verdict: I fully expected this one to boring. I mean, tomato soup? Veggie sticks and dip? Microwave puddings?? And instead it totally blew me away. The soup was way better than anything from a can, and it was very simple to make. The Snook liked that he could taste the flavour of the red chilli without having the heat. The guacamole was so good I went back to the greengrocer to get another avocado to make more today. And the prune puddings were terrific! We both rated it a 9 out of 10. This would be an excellent dinner to make for your vegetarian friends.

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The oven was turned on to 220C and the food processor was fitted with the standard blade. I had a roasting tray for the tomatoes, another for the bread, and saucepan for the soup. I also got out our immersion blender for liquidizing the soup.

First up are the ingredients for the soup: cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, red chilli, garlic, ciabatta loaf, red onion, balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil.

Next are the bits for the guacamole platter: cherry tomatoes, red chilli, fresh coriander, avocado, lime, carrot, cucumber, and green beans.

Finally we have the dessert ingredients: pitted prunes, flour, brown sugar, unsalted butter, ground ginger, baking soda, egg, and milk. (The honey is to serve.)

Pots and pans, ready to go! The two baking trays are for the tomatoes and the croutons. The cups are for the puddings. The saucepan is for the soup.

The food processor had the standard blade attachment. We also used the immersion blender for the soup.

And I’m off! The first step was to prep the tomatoes. I cleaned all the cherry tomatoes and dumped them on the baking tray. Then I sliced the large tomatoes into wedges.

I then drizzled them with olive oil.

I also chopped up some red chilli and added that to the tray, along with a few smashed garlic cloves.

Lastly, I seasoned everything with salt and pepper and put the tray into the oven to roast.

To prepare the croutons, I simply ripped the bread into hunks and drizzled each with olive oil. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and then put them into the oven as well.

Now to start the other components of the soup. I began by chopping up some red onion.

The onion went into the hot saucepan along with olive oil and salt.

While the onions cooked, I started prepping the puddings. I divided the prunes into each cup and added some of the syrup as well.

Back to the soup. It was time to add the balsamic vinegar.

Back to the puddings. (Lots of multi-tasking in this one!) I measured out the flour, sugar, butter, ground ginger, and baking soda into the food processor.

Then I whizzed it up!

While it was whizzing, I added the egg and milk. (I only needed half an egg, so I beat one first in a cup.)

I ran back over to give my onions a stir. The balsamic vinegar was caramelizing nicely.

Next I spooned the pudding batter into each cup. It wasn’t as stiff as I was expecting! These cups then got set aside until the end.

Now for the guacamole. I started by chopping up a few cherry tomatoes.

I also added some finely chopped (and deseeded) red chilli.

I next chopped up and added a big handful of coriander leaves and stalks. (I like coriander.)

Then I halved the avocado and scooped out the flesh.

Then I just chopped everything together on the board, Jamie-style. This was kind of messy, I’ll admit, but it sure looks impressive. I finished the guac with some salt and lime juice.

For the veg, I peeled a carrot and chopped it into sticks. I also chopped up a cucumber and topped-and-tailed some green beans.

And here’s the finished guacamole platter!

My tomatoes were done roasting, so I added them to the saucepan and mixed everything together.

I also tore in some fresh basil…

…before liquidizing it to “a fairly rustic consistency” as directed. (Immersion blenders are awesome.)

My croutons were well and truly toasted by now, so I added them to the serving bowls.

Then I ladled soup into each bowl to cover the croutons.

I started to garnish the soup with yoghurt but realised quickly that the version we bought was sweetened! So I scooped it out and made do with just some bits of sliced basil.

Here’s the finished meal of tomato soup with chunky croutons and crunchy veg with guacamole.

To finish the desserts, I simply zapped them in the microwave for a few minutes. This is how they looked when they came out.

I used a spoon to flip each pudding over in the cup to reveal the fruit. Then I topped each one with yoghurt and honey. YUM!

Tasting notes: The tomato soup was more complex than I expected, and it’s definitely a step up from your normal canned soup. The chunkier consistency also made it feel more filling. The croutons were another way of adding bulk without much work. The guacamole was simple but very tasty, and I plan on using that recipe again. (It even had me eating raw carrots, and I hate raw carrots.) The Snook had been worried that the ground ginger would overwhelm the pudding, but he was happy to find instead that it was quite well-balanced. It wasn’t that “sticky,” but that may be because we didn’t use the tinned prunes. This method of making microwave puddings surprised me with how well it worked. Definitely a fun trick to show off for your guests! We both loved this meal and rated it 9 out of 10. Definitely one to repeat, especially if you have a bumper crop of tomatoes to use up.

Stay tuned for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!

Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals #31: Sticky Pan-Fried Scallops
This was our 31st cooking/blogging experiment from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. As the Snook put it: “Are we done yet??” Hey, we’re in the home stretch. For this meal, we picked: “Sticky Pan-Fried Scallops, Sweet Chilli Rice, Dressed Greens, and Quick Brownies.” We picked it because we were in the mood for seafood, we had some greens to use up, and we had the episode to watch. The Snook was on chef’s duty for this one, and he managed it in a respectable 34:19!

Substitutions: We used regular broccoli instead of “purple sprouting broccoli.” We only did half-recipes of both the rice and the brownie. For the latter, we subbed in walnuts and dried cranberries instead of pecans and dried cherries. We also had it with whipped cream instead of creme fraiche. Other than that, everything else was as written in the recipe!

Quick verdict: This one was great! We both really enjoyed this one. Sure, it’s a little light on protein just because how expensive scallops are as an ingredient. (From our fish monger, they worked out to about $1 per scallop!) But the flavours were all fantastic and really complementary. I was dubious about the rice, but it was probably my favorite component of the whole meal. The greens weren’t sexy or fussy, but they added some nice contrast in both colour and texture. And the brownie! Well, it’s not really a brownie. More like a dense chocolate cake. I loved it. (The timing, however, was way optimistic and we ended up cooking it for a lot longer.) Overall, we both rated it a stunning 9.5 out of 10! This meal is easy and quick to prepare but it would definitely impress your guests.

Read on for a photo essay of the preparation.Pre-start prep: We got out all the necessary ingredients, tools, and cooking vessels. The kitchen was clean (well, as clean as it gets) and everything wiped down and ready to go. The oven was turned on to 180C, the kettle was boiled, and the food processor was fitted with the standard blade. We had a big pot with a steamer basket for the greens, a large saucepan for the rice, a frying pan for the scallops, and a cake pan for the brownies.

First up are the ingredients for the rice: basmati rice, spring onions, eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon, coriander, and sweet chilli sauce.

For the greens, we had: bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, and lime.

Here are the ingredients for the scallops: scallops, lemon, Chinese five-spice, sesame oil, red chilli, garlic, honey, butter, and coriander.

Lastly, the bits for the brownie: 70% chocolate bar, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, self-raising flour, crystallised ginger, eggs, walnuts, dried cranberries, and orange.

Pots and pans, ready to go!

And here’s our trusty food processor with the blade attachment fitted.

Ready set GO! The Snook started by getting the rice on to cook. He put one mug of rice into the big saucepan along with two mugs of boiled water. He also added a pinch of salt, covered it, and left it to cook.

Next up is the brownie. He smashed up the chocolate and added it to the food processor along with the butter.

He next added sugar, flour, a pinch of salt, and quite a lot of cocoa powder.

He also added a small handful of crystallised ginger.

Whizz! While it was whizzing, he cracked in the eggs.

Here’s the finished batter, which was quite thick.

Rather than Jamie’s silly trick of (yet again) using wetted greaseproof paper (which always seems to catch fire in our oven), the Snook used some silicone baking paper to line the cake pan. He then spread the batter out evenly in it.

He scattered walnuts and dried cranberries on top and grated over some orange zest before putting it into the oven to bake.

Time to prep the scallops. He started by delicately scoring them in a criss-cross on one side.

He then drizzled them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then he grated over some lemon zest.

He finished them with a dusting of Chinese five-spice and a drizzle of sesame oil. These were then set aside to be cooked at the last minute!

Now it was time to go back to the rice, which was mostly finished cooking. He chopped up some green onions…

…before mixing them with beaten eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and olive oil.

The egg mixture was then poured on top of the cooked rice. He squeezed over some lemon juice and added some black pepper. Then he put the lid back on to let it cook a bit more.

Now it was time to prep the greens. Here he’s slicing the bok choy into quarters.

He also cut up some broccoli and asparagus.

It all went into the steamer to cook over some boiling water.

Time for the last bits of work on the rice. He finely chopped some coriander…

…before piling it on the rice. Then he drizzled sweet chilli sauce over it. That’s the rice finished!

It was finally time to cook the scallops. He placed them score-side down in a hot pan with olive oil.

A few minutes later, he turned them over to reveal their beautiful golden undersides. He added fresh chilli and crushed garlic as well.

To finish them, he squeezed over lemon juice and drizzled them with honey. He also added some butter to the pan as well.

The greens were well-steamed, so he piled them up on a plate.

He dressed the greens with soy sauce, extra virgin olive oil, and lime juice.

Here are the finished sticky scallops, garnished with coriander.

And here is the completed meal of sticky pan-fried scallops, sweet chilli rice, and dressed greens!

The brownie actually took nearly twice as long to cook as he suggested. It was fantastic though. We had it with plain whipped cream, and I actually forgot to photograph it until after I’d had a few bites! It’s really great still warm from the oven.

Tasting notes: The Snook thought the garlic and chilli flavour of the scallops was maybe a little strong, in that it rather overwhelmed the delicate flavour of the scallop itself. I think it fits Jamie’s style though, where he always goes for POW instead of subtlety. (I also think it works better for folks who maybe aren’t as comfortable with seafood.) The rice was really creamy and moreish from the egg, and we polished off our half-recipe really quickly. The greens were fine if unimaginative. (He’s done something similar in many of the other recipes.) As for the brownie, the Snook thought that the ginger flavour came through quite a lot – and that was a good thing. He likes ginger. I didn’t think it made for a very traditional brownie, but it made for an excellent moist, dense chocolate cake! The walnut and cranberry combination we did worked quite well too. Overall we both really enjoyed this one and rated it 9.5 out of 10. Highly recommended.

Stay tuned for another recipe from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals!