Dinner ideas

[davek_964]

Although it's not something I do very often, I do actually enjoy cooking a proper meal - and I've decided I want to do that on Saturday evening for myself and the g/f.

I'm reasonably capable, but would say that I'm good at following recipes rather than being good at cooking. (G/f's ex is a Michelin star chef so I think we can accept that she'll be disappointed whatever I cook!)

I have recipe books so may well choose something out of them but wondered if anybody has any recommendations? It can be reasonably complicated (eg a few hours prep time) as long as there are clear instructions I can follow!

No special dietary restrictions - we both eat most things.

[Gary29]

davek_964 said:

Although it's not something I do very often, I do actually enjoy cooking a proper meal - and I've decided I want to do that on Saturday evening for myself and the g/f.

I'm reasonably capable, but would say that I'm good at following recipes rather than being good at cooking. (G/f's ex is a Michelin star chef so I think we can accept that she'll be disappointed whatever I cook!)

I have recipe books so may well choose something out of them but wondered if anybody has any recommendations? It can be reasonably complicated (eg a few hours prep time) as long as there are clear instructions I can follow!

No special dietary restrictions - we both eat most things.

I'm planning on doing exactly the same this Saturday evening (but for my gf not yours!) So I'm in for ideas.

[mattnovak]

Top tip. Pick a region of Italy. Study typical cuisine of said region. Starter can (and most likely will be) bread, olive oil, Lardo (look it it up, it’s awesome) balsamico and salt. A small pasta dish next, then fish / meat. Accompany with wine from said region. Grappa to finish, with an affogato desert.

[cbmotorsport]

Go for something rustic. It'll take the pressure off trying to live up to her ex. Easy to eat, easy to cook, no hours in the kitchen.

Try a nice Cannelloni or something. Served up with some ciabatta and a lovely bottle of red. Use fresh lasagna sheets instead of the fiddly tubes, and roll your filling up in them.

Nice fragrant thai green curry and rice, make your own paste.

Really good steak and chips, or homemade fish and chips.

Braise some lamb shanks in Moroccan spices, stock and tomatoes for a twist on a Tagine.

Pork Wellington with a nice bit of pork fillet.

Or do a few tapas dishes, and make dinner a long casual affair. Garlic prawns, chorizo in red wine, padron peppers, patatas bravas, calamari etc etc.

BBC Good Food website is great for ideas, and generally easy to follow recipes.

[counterofbeans]

Baked beans on brown toast with melted cheese and brown sauce on top.

Any more than that and you're wasting your time really.

HTH.

[TTOBES]

Try what we do....

Print off three or four recipes from Hello Fresh, stuff them on a shelf within easy reach so that you'll remember they're there for ingredient ordering and cooking and you've got a good start!

https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/recipe-archive/collec...

NB: When their recipes refer to a punnet of mushrooms/tomatoes etc, they are talking about the punnet size that comes in their food box for that particular recipe, not a whole punnet from the supermarket :-). Yes, i did that once.

[davek_964]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I have made some of those before - including Thai green curry - so they are options, but I was looking for something a bit more unusual.

Regarding the ex - to be honest I'm not really bothered about that. If she really prefers him simply because of his cooking skills she's more than welcome to run off with him!

[cbmotorsport]

More unusual you say:

A really nice bourride with home made aioli?

A laksa with some nice sea food or chicken?

Tom Yum noodle soup?

Red wine braised Octopus?

Rack of lamb?

Confit duck leg?

Home made ravioli/tortellini?

Throw us a bone here! ;-)

[CAPP0]

cbmotorsport said:

Throw us a bone here! ;-)

That's what he's hoping she'll say if he cooks something decent.

[cbmotorsport]

No chance, at this rate she's getting a KFC or a cheeky Nandos.

[davek_964]

Thanks again for the suggestions.

In the end, I've settled on a chicken roulade with honey and pine nut sauce and saffron potatoes (from one of the Masterchef cookbooks). We'll see how that goes.

[sc0tt]

counterofbeans said:

Baked beans on brown toast with melted cheese and brown sauce on top.

Any more than that and you're wasting your time really.

HTH.

Do you eat them or count them?

[brrapp]

davek_964 said:

Thanks again for the suggestions.

In the end, I've settled on a chicken roulade with honey and pine nut sauce and saffron potatoes (from one of the Masterchef cookbooks). We'll see how that goes.

Sounds nice as the main, but if you want to make an impression, make sure you do all the other stuff well too. Sweet, starter, flowers, chat. Meals like this are remembered as the whole experience, not just the main.

[davek_964]

I forgot to take a photo unfortunately, but I the recipe was a big success. In fact one of the nicest things I've ever cooked.

Chicken breasts are flattened and then stuffed with chopped chicken thigh, bacon, mushrooms and shallot and rolled up then wrapped in clingfilm.
They get poached for 20 minutes then browned in a pan for 10 minutes.
Sliced potatoes basically cook in chicken stock with saffron and shallots and a few other herbs (eg bay leaves) and soak up all the liquid.
Sauce was honey, chicken stock, crushed walnuts and pine nuts.

Probably a few ingredients I've forgotten, but that's the basic gist.

Really was very nice and I will definitely be doing it again.