Kick-ass Cooking....

bonkey

OK....

I've threatened to do this for a while, so I'm finally getting the ball rolling.

The idea of the thread is simple....recipes which are easy, reasonably quick, and which produce kick-ass results.

Here's an old fave of mine, which I've just managed to re-acquire the recipe for :

Chinese Red Roast Pork


450g pork fillet
groundnut oil

Marinade:
1tblsp hoi sin
1 tblsp soy sauce
2 level tsp soft brown sugar
1 level tsp five spice powder
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tsp finely grated ginger


Trim the pork of any fat and brush with some oil. Mix all the marinade ingredients together, rub over the pork and leave to marinade for several hours - preferably overnight.

Place pork on a rack on a backing tin. Brush with a little more oil and coat with any remaining marinade.

Roast 10 mins at 200C (425F, Gas 7) then reduce heat to 180C (350F, Gas 4) and cook for a further 30 mins.

jc

Dr. Loon

That recipe is not in the least bit quick!!!! Marindae overnight and the roast for 40 minutes. It's a roast pork!? A roast isn't quick.

I thought you were talking about like... 10 minute jobs, like home from the pub style food.

Like waffles a la toaster.

1) Get some potatoe waffles
2) place in toaster
3) toast for 10 minutes
4) smother in cheese once out and place under grill to let cheese melt
5) once cheese is melted slightly sprinkle some black pepper and worcestershire sauce on and eat!!

Quick and tasty.

bonkey

Originally posted by Dr. Loon
That recipe is not in the least bit quick!!!! Marindae overnight and the roast for 40 minutes. It's a roast pork!? A roast isn't quick.

No - I meant in terms of preparation time. It takes about 5 mionutes to prepare the stuff the night before, and about 2 minutes to put it into the oven, after which you have SFA to do, except wait.

Basically, its less than 10 minutes more effort when compared to cooking a frozen pizza or pre-prepared dinner, and about double the actual cooking time. Add in some baked spuds, and you have a kick-ass dinner that requires no effort, and only a little bit of planning.

IMHO, most people eat too much crap food - frozen dinners, junk food, and so on, and most of the people I've asked about it tell me its because cooking is too hard, too much effort, or that they have no recipes. Rarely is it because they simply dont want to cook proper food.

I've spent years practicing "minimalist" cooking. I dont mind if the stew takes 6 hours on the stove, as long as I can leave it alone for most/all of that time. All I care about is the actual preparation time, and the "trickiness" of the recipe - after that its just planning. An easy recipe doesnt require exact measurements, doesnt require large amounts of prep, and a well-stocked kitchen will have all (or almost all) of the flavour-enhancing ingredients (herbs n spices mostly) already lying about.

I have "quick n dirty" recipes as well, but they're not really what I was talking about here. I'm thinking dinner more than after-pub-snack.

Maybe I'm just getting old.

jc

Saruman

I got one of those George Foreman Grill thingies for €65.. im impressed.. here is what i did with 4 pork chops.

Made a marinade with 4 swigs of rosemary, about 250ml of Red wine, some redcurrent jelly (1 teaspoon), 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, few splashes of soy sauce, flour (about 1 tablespoon) about a half cup of water, some garlic (2 cloves) and a but of lamb or vegetable stock.. marinaded the chops (after cutting all excess fat away) for about 30 mins then put on the grill.. meanwhile i thckened the left over marinade to and made a sauce with that.. the chops where done in 7 mins cooked very soft and yummy and the fat removed was a bonus with the grill... then thats it.. also did some egg noodles and carrots... very tasty.. next time i think bigger chops are in order though!

Irish_Ranger_IR

Need more...they all round real good......

TacT

ok get yourself one/two aubergines and tomatoes, some olive oil, some (fresh) mozarella and some herbs to flavour (i like thyme myself)

Thinly slice aubergine and tomato and put into mixed layers (not more than 2/3 max) place sliced mozarella over that, splash with olive oil, add herbs and grill to taste.

takes about 15-20 mins max if you have your grill preheated and I just eat it as is.

Beruthiel

here's my one for the pork chops:

fry the pork chops
when done place on plate

throw the following into the pan

large nob of butter
a dash of white wine
a dash of lemon juice
some chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

stir till butter melts in and pour over chops

a tad fattening but very tasty!