Recipies/ideas for beginners?

Mills

Anyone got any recipies or "serving suggestions" or anything like that for complete cooking novices? I'd like to be able to make a few simple dishes that taste good at least, but that are quite quick and easy to prepare, I'm visiting my local takeaways far too much recently Something that you know, from first hand experience preferably, tastes good and is easy would be welcomed, any ideas?

Samson

How about French Toast and Streaky Bacon;
Very simple and very tasty (my usual Sunday morning breakfast/brunch but good anytime).

Break 3 eggs into a bowl, add pepper and salt and beat well with a fork.
Cut four slices of white bread in half and dip them into beaten egg (covering both sides).
Throw into a very hot well oiled pan and fry on each side until golden brown.
Have 6 slices of streaky bacon grilling whilst you are doing all of the above.
Serve while hot.
Serves 2.

GreenHell

Pasta and some spicy sauce the spicer the better. Any poen can make pasta.

MiCr0

easy
get a wok
take your favourite ingredients
cook for 10 minutes
serve

Evil Phil

Take a fillet of Trout (or Salmon).
Grill it under a medium heat, skin side up on bed of sliced orange for about 25 minutes.
Server with baby potatoes and sweet corn. Place the sweet corn on the orange slices so they will have a hint of orange to them.

neuro-praxis

Pasta Salad

Put some pasta (3 - 4 oz. per person) in boiling water and leave to cook until tender.

A the same time, chop some onions and cook in a little oil until soft. Add sliced mushrooms, tinned tomatoes, sweetcorn, diced ham (or cooked rasher pieces), tomato purée, herbs and black pepper. Allow to simmer until you've got a good consistency.

Drain the pasta. Add the sauce and mix well. Serve with garlic bread or salad, or nothing. Yum!

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Give me back my towel. I'll sue.

Kix

Take a large potato or two, scrub them well under a cold tap (I find a green pot scrub v. good for this ) and use a knife to pick out any nasty bits on the skin.

Put them on a plate and sprinkle them with a good covering of salt.

Pop them into a hot oven (top setting on mine is 200C, that's good).

Depending on the size and your oven, they'll take about an hour or so. Go watch some TV.

When you think they might be done. give then a squeeze between your thumb and forefinger before taking them out - if they give a little they're done - otherwise leave them a bit longer. Of course, protect your hand with a tea cloth or oven glove when you're doing this, they'll be hot!

Take them out, give them a sharp tap with the side of your hand (makes them burst open and fluffs up the contents) and serve with whatever you like. Suggestions for fillings might be:

1. Pile in loads of butter and grated cheddar. Have a side of coleslaw. (nice)
2. As above but perhaps with a chopped streaky rasher added. (non vege.)
3. With a tin of baked beans and some raw chopped onion. (my gf's fave )
4. Pour over a jar of warmed pasta sauce.
5. Just a little butter in the spuds and a nice side salad of lettuce, onion and pepper with a little Italian dressing

There's no limit to the topping ideas...

Easy as all hell and tasty as anything.

Edit: Have a look at my vege sandwich idea too. That's a perfect "for one" evening meal if you bulk it up with a few chips.

[This message has been edited by Kix (edited 09-07-2001).]

bonkey

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mills:
Anyone got any recipies or "serving suggestions" or anything like that for complete cooking novices? </font>

Novice? No such thing. Honest.

Unless you go for really tough meals (where careful quantities, blending, and weird techniques are needed), then the art of cooking can be reduced to a few simple rules

1) Do not be afraid
2) Remember that 10 mins at low heat is not the same as 3 mins at high heat
3) Learn to figure out "whats missing".

This last one is the golden rule. I cook using very approx quantities. Then taste. Figure out that theres too much of A, or too little of B. Modify. Retaste. Repeat until something credibly edible is ready.

Oh - there is one last rule...but really, I wouldnt hold it against anyone for breaking it...its more a personal philosophy

4) STAY AWAY FROM UNCLE FSCKING BEN.

What type of food do you like Mills - oriental, italian, "regular", anything???? if you give me an idea of what you like, I can deffo supply some quick n easy recipes.

jc

Kix

I couldn't agree more with what Bonkey said above, except perhaps for the "Uncle Ben's" part. The advantage of pre-cooked sauces, as I see it, are that they:

a) Build confidence
b) Develop a longing for something better

I will say that of all the pre-cooked sauces, the Uncle Ben's range have to be some of the worst I've ever tasted - quite nasty and tacky.

K

bonkey

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Kix:
I couldn't agree more with what Bonkey said above, except perhaps for the "Uncle Ben's" part. The advantage of pre-cooked sauces, as I see it, are that they:

<snip>
</font>

I have no problem with pre-cooked sauces in general. As you say, they build cofidence, and are good in certain situations.

Its just UBs sauces that generally turn my stomach. I mean "Sweet and Sour"? Hello? Can I report you to the standards authority for false advertising? Thats fscking sweet and sugar sauce. Bleargh.

jc - will post S&S recipe on request

MiCr0

the food board gets some thign to hate...
we don't have lpb's or tk's, but we got ready made sauces

Kolodny

An old college recipe of mine. This is really easy to make and tastes pretty good too (if you like tuna fish):

What you need:

Packet of 2/4 pitta breads or naan breads (the garlic ones are delicious if you're into that kind of thing).
Large tin of tuna (in brine not sunflower oil)
Mayonnaise
Tin of sweetcorn of if you prefer a more Italian flavour a small jar of black or green olives (or both).
1 onion
Packet of pre-made up salad and dressing (the one's you get in Tesco or Superquinn)

What you do:

Chop the onion up very fine.
Drain the tuna, put it in a bowl and add a huge dollop of mayo.
Add the onion and sweetcorn/olives to the tuna mix.
Fill up the breads with the tuna mix and cook at a medium heat in the centre of the oven for about 10-12 mins (just to warm the bread - not toast it).
Serve with the salad on the side.

Takes about 20-30 mins in all.

beaver

This one's simple. It's best if you have a few hours, although the work only takes about half an hour... spaghetti bolognese.

This assumes you like garlic, tomatoes and herbs by the way.

Required:
1lb steak mince
Packet of spaghetti
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tin of tomatoe puree
Few cloves of garlic (as much as you like)
Herbs/spices: nutmeg, oregano, basil, dill
Milk
Water/white wine
Olive oil
Onions

Procedure:
1. Put 3 tbl spoons olive oil in pot. Turn ring up to medium/high. When oil is hot, add half a very finely chopped onion. Turn heat down to medium after onion has become translucent.

2. Crumble mince into pot with a few pinches of salt. Cook at medium until meat is no longer raw red, but isn't yet brown either. Add about 1/8 pint water/white wine. Add garlic, finely chopped, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

3. Add 1/8 pint milk and cook on low heat for 5 - 10 mins. Add tin of chopped tomatoes followed by the tin of tomatoe puree. Add nutmeg at will. After about 20 mins add other herbs.

4. Cook on very low heat for anything up to 3 hours (1 hour will do fine, less isn't great).

5. About 20 mins before you want to eat, put the spaghetti in a saucepan about 3/4 filled with boiling water. Add salt and a tbl spoon olive oil. Cook at high heat for about 10 - 15 mins. Cover the saucepan and turn heat down so that the water isn't spilling out under the lid. Leave for another 5 mins. Strain well.

- If you've got any garlic left over, mix it with some butter, put some slits in a French stick and fill with butter. Put it under the grill for about 10 mins.

7. Serve and eat. Should do 4 people.

-Ross

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When I was young my mother told me not to look into the sun; so once, when I was six, I did...

Mythago

Back in college (when Tesco's was quinnsworth) we used to wander the aisles picking up different sauces & then gettin all the ingredients for the suggested recipe. Worked out well most of the time. At least it weened my flatmate off his fave curry of rice & hot curry sauce!? Anyway, after a while at that you pretty much start figuring out recipes for yerself.

Evil Phil

Here's a simple one:

Fry some sliced banana
Serve on top of sliced vanilla ice cream
Pour a little honey over it

hmmmm, fried banana .....

bonkey

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Kolodny:
An old college recipe of mine. This is really easy to make and tastes pretty good too (if you like tuna fish):

<SNIP>
</font>

If you like that idea, here's one for winter which is a soup using siilar ingreds.

I've left the curry quantities deliberately vague. It depends on the powder you use, andhow spicy you like your food. You can use any curry powder for this (including home-made), but for appearance, you want one with plenty of tumeric (yellow) in it.

For larger tins of corn/tuna, use more milk. This may then require more white-sauce mix if you thin the soup too much.

requires :

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3/4 to 1 pt of milk (350 to 500 ml)
1 pkt white sauce mix
1 tin tuna (in brine or oil - your pref, but Id recommend brine), say 150-200g
1 tin sweetcorn 100-150g
Curry powder

Method

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Heat some oil, and lightly fry the tuna.
Add the corn, and toss for approx 30 secs.
Add some currypowder
Add about 1/5 of teh milk (approx 100ml)
SLOWLY Stir in the white sauce mix
Add rest of milk, and bring slowly to the boil, stirring continuously
Simmer for 2-3 mins to allow corn to cook fully through
Add more curry powder if desired.

Best served with large chunks of baguette.

Yum yum.

WARNINGS - if not stirred sufficiecntly, the curry powder will tend to seperate out and float to the top. This is solveable by more stirring.

If you add the white sauce mix too fast, it will lump up. more stirring and/or use of a fork/whisk on the lumps will get you out of this one.

jc

Mills

I'd kind of orgotten about this thread because it went a long time without replies then got loads..... and I picked a really bad time to read through it, haven't eaten in 12 hours, my mouth is quite literally watering after a few of those replies than I had to stop reading.

And bonkey, I like a bit of everything, including oriental dishes, there are very few things that I don't like in a properly prepared dish, a few things would be sauce that's much too runny or excessively creamy, that's about it. I'll try anything once

noog

god im hungry.

Mills

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">jc - will post S&S recipe on request</font>

Um, yes please I've tried my hand at S&S before, it was barely edible But it's a dish I like if it's made properly......

bonkey

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mills:
Um, yes please I've tried my hand at S&S before, it was barely edible But it's a dish I like if it's made properly......</font>

OK, I dont know what you classify as "proper", but this is my quick n easy recipe which usually has 'em lining up for seconds.

for 2 people

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400g Pork or chicken, cut into 1/2" chunks
1tlbspn flour
1 green pepper (other colours are fine too)
1 large onion (white if you can get it)
1-2 cloves garlic
ginger
3 tblsp white wine vinegar or malt vinegar
3 tblsp sugar
2 tblsp tomato ketchup
1 tblsp soya sauce (pref dark soya)
small tin of pineapple chunks w. juice
cornflour

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Cut a chunk of ginger about the same size as the clove(s) of garlic you have. Dice both (crush if youre lazy).
Roll/toss the pork lightly in the flour
Heat oil in pan, add garlic & ginger.
Add pork, and stir briskly to seal the pork quickly. The flour on the pork will soak up the oil a bit, so you may need to add a dash more oil at this stage
Reduce heat slightly, add onions and peppers. Fry for another 3-4 minutes. At this stage, the onions & peppers should be beginning to go soft, and the pork should be almost cooked thru.
Add the vinegar, then the soy, ketchup and sugar. Stir in well.
Add the pineapple chunks, and 1/2 the pineapple juice.
Allow to simmer for about 10 mins.
Taste. If you taste before this, all you will taste is vinegar. The 10 mins allows the flavoura to belnd and mellow a bit.
Figure out if the blend is ok. If too much ketchup, add a dash of soy, and vice versa. Sugar and Vinegar offset each other too. The pineapple juice smoothens the whole lot a bit, as well as acting as a sugar alternative.
Once you have the right taste, all that remains is to thicken the sauce.
Mix some cornflour (about 2 heaped teaspoons) with some COLD water (1/2 cup). Add SOME of this to the sauce, and stir in. Keep adding gradually, until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency.

Voila. Bung onto plates with some rice of your choice, and enjoy.