Simple and spectacular

[CyprusCraig]

Would some one please give me an insight into something really simple to cook that will impress people.

Few rules can't contain pork or have the use of an oven but can use a grill

thank you

[pad58]

Not a good old british faggot then?

[condor]

freshly caught fish

[CommanderJameson]

condor said:

freshly caught fish

Filleted, skin-on, drizzle of oil and a grind of salt, grilled until skin is crispy. Done in the pan is better* but unless you've got an ace pan, it's easy to end up with bits of fish rather than a pretty fillet.

Serve on bed of fancy mash (if you've got a spud ricer - if you haven't, get one. They're less than a tenner off Amazon, and godlike mash is within your reach) with a few greens.

Looks great, hard to get wrong.

Lovely crisp white wine (which I can't help you with, because I know the square root of fk-all about wine).

Job's a buck.

* I nearly wrote "pan-fried" and then stopped. Of course it's "pan-fried". Versus "dustbin-lid fried", I suppose.

[scirocco265]

Paella

Fry onions, add rice and water and simmer for 20 mins.
In second pan, fry chorizo, add chopped red pepper, then prawns.
Throw everything together with some peas and done.

[OllieWinchester]

Marmalade chicken- Looks great and only four ingredients (Not including your accompaniments!)

Season 2x Chicken breasts, then pan fry in some oil for approx 8-10 mins.

Turn heat down, add 2x tablespoons of marmalade and roughly half a pint of chicken stock.

Stir it up a bit so marmalade dissolves into the stock and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken, and set aside and keep warm. Whack up the heat and boil the stock/marmalade down until reduced by half or more, and it is a nice saucy consistency. Serve chicken with mash/rice/salad/whatever and pour over some sauce.

Boom.

[CommanderJameson]

>adds chicken thing to recipe list<

[tog]

For a quick dessert, lemon posset takes less than ten minutes to make but because it is so smooth ad rich it gives the impression that it must be very complicated or difficult to prepare. Walkers do raspberry shortbread thins that goes very well with these.

Nigel said:

Lemon posset

Whenever I am making this classic dessert, I always wonder if there will be enough - it looks such a small amount in the saucepan. Yet once it is poured into glasses and left to set, it is so rich and lemony that a small amount is all that is required. A crisp biscuit could be useful here - a sugar-coated shortbread or maybe a brandy snap - but there is also something infinitely pleasing about its simplicity. Makes 4 small glasses.

500ml double cream
150g caster sugar
75ml lemon juice

Put the cream and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and leave to bubble for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time. Reduce the heat so that the mixture doesn't boil over, and let it bubble enthusiastically for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to settle. Pour into four small wine glasses or cups and leave to cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

[Wadeski]

People always seem to think its difficult to make thai food. Do a really nice Thai Red Curry with steamed rice and some crunchy cucubmer and peanut salad (use a rice vinegar dressing) to contrast.

[bazking69]

Godo quality pesto mixed into spagetti. Blingingly simple yet so tasty.

The rest of the ingredients ie. meat/cheese are down to you.

[Dan_1981]

OllieWinchester said:

Marmalade chicken- Looks great and only four ingredients (Not including your accompaniments!)

Season 2x Chicken breasts, then pan fry in some oil for approx 8-10 mins.

Turn heat down, add 2x tablespoons of marmalade and roughly half a pint of chicken stock.

Stir it up a bit so marmalade dissolves into the stock and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken, and set aside and keep warm. Whack up the heat and boil the stock/marmalade down until reduced by half or more, and it is a nice saucy consistency. Serve chicken with mash/rice/salad/whatever and pour over some sauce.

Boom.

Think i'll be giving this one a go.

[OllieWinchester]

You can do it with Mango Chutney too, its a winner.

[Wadeski]

isnt it a bit sweet for a savoury course?

[Mobile Chicane]

Try mango salsa. It's a winner alongside any grilled meat (though not beef) or fish. I like it with seared rare tuna.

Mango Salsa

1 large mango, finely chopped (somewhere between 'Dolly Mixtures' and 'sugar')
1 red onion, finely chopped as above
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of a lime
Sugar to taste (it may not need any depending on the ripeness of the mango)
Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped

Mix everything together 30 minutes or so before serving. That's it.

[fatboy b]

Tomato & Basil Risotto topped with fresh haddock fillets pan fried in butter

[OllieWinchester]

Wadeski said:

isnt it a bit sweet for a savoury course?

No, its nicely offset by the salty stock...

[HereBeMonsters]

Ingredients:

2 x fresh tuna steaks
linguine (or spaghetti, but I prefer the poncey stuff)
garlic
olive oil
2 lemons
herbs to taste (I use anything from basil to tarragon. experiment)
veggy stock

Marinade tuna in olive oil/garlic and lemon zest mix. Cook linguine in veggy stock with rest of lemon zzest.
Fry/grill tuna (I do mine on a griddle pan, if you have one) so still rare in the middle.
Drain pasta once cooked, mix in juice of lemons, dash of olive oil, plonk on plate. Tuna steak on the top. Season to taste.

[kiteless]

tog said:

Lemon Posset