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Posts Tagged ‘Quick Supper’
Thursday, July 9th, 2009 by urban foodie
 Some evenings you just haven’t got time to cook but you don’t fancy a ready meal or a takeaway. There’s only one thing for it - stir-fry.
All you need is a couple of different vegetables, a type of onion (spring is best but any will do), ginger, garlic and chili and a protein and you’re away. Dinner in 20 minutes, sooner if you’re a fast chopper!
This is beef one is one of my favourites, you don’t need much meat with stir-fry so you can afford a really good cut. You marinade for just a few minutes whilst you prepare the rest, but with delicate meat or fish that is plenty, I’m not that up on cooking with tofu but I’m pretty sure that the same principles will apply here too.
serves 2
Ingredients
200g highest quality lean beef steak
1 carrot
2 small heads pak choi
2 or 3 spring onions
small thumb of ginger
1 chilli (I like a big red one)
1 fat clove garlic
glug of soy sauce
glug of dry sherry
splash of seasame oil
glug groundnut (or other flavourless) oil, for cooking
1 Cut steak into very fine strips, chop garlic, ginger and chili finely - if you’re having rice I’d put it on now too
2 Mix in beef strips with garlic, ginger, chili, seasame oil, sherry and soy sauce, leave to marinade whilst you prepare veg
3 Wash and chop veg into bite size strips
4 Heat the groundnut oil in a wok until very hot, swirl round to cover the whole of the wok
5 Open some windows, its about to get smoky - add spring onions and carrots to the pan cook for 30 seconds
6 Add pak choi and then 15 seconds later the beef with its marinade
7 Cook until beef is just no longer pink, serve with rice and chopsticks - they’re much more fun than forks
Tags: beef stir-fry, Quick Supper
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Thursday, June 18th, 2009 by urban foodie
This is a classic summer staple, it takes minutes to make and is satisfying enough for a proper supper meal. You’ll feel full with hearty protein and veg without the lethargy of carbs which is ideal in these lovely long summer evenings when you want to be active until much later in the day.
It was one of the first meals I learnt to cook (at a later age than you might expect - this foodie used to be known as the girl who could burn water - how times have changed!). I love the huge dressing, all creamy salt and sharpness, against the crunch of the Cos (call it Romaine if you prefer, they are the same plant - Lactuca sativa).
Caesar Salad is great for summer entertaining as you can make the dressing and prepare all the bits well in advance, just taking a few minutes to flash fry the chicken and assemble at the end. And if you have pescatarian guests simply omit the chicken (no good for veggies because of the anchovies in the dressing I’m afraid).
Serves 2/3
Ingredients
1 medium head Cos/Romaine lettuce
2 small/med breasts of chicken
1 packet croutons (put in as much as looks right)
Parmesan, grate quite a lot with a potato peeler - again to your taste
Dressing
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
1 splash Worcester Sauce
4/5 anchovy fillets (or a tablespoon of anchovy paste)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (not balsamic, use cider vinegar if you haven’t got red/white wine vinegar)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Big squeeze of lemon juice
1 In a bowl, mash up anchovy fillets and then add all other dressing ingredients and mix well - taste and adjust oil/vinegar until you have a happy balance of creamy, salty sharpness.
2 Wash and break/chop up Cos into a bowl, shave parmesan onto a side plate until you have a good pile
3 Chop chicken breasts into thin short strips
4 When you are ready to eat heat a little oil in a frying pan and put in the chicken, leave it to fry on a high heat whilst you assemble the salad
5 Dress the lettuce, mix well, then add parmesan and croutons, mix again
6 Back to the chicken, turn and continue to flash fry until it is cooked through and both sides are nicely browned. Throw onto salad and serve immediately with some bread and a nice rose.
Tags: Chicken, easy supper, Quick Supper, salad
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Saturday, April 18th, 2009 by urban foodie
 I like chard, that sometimes maligned poorer cousin of the spinach, but it can be a little overpowering in its earthiness. I think it needs absolutely to be matched by other strong flavours to mellow it out a bit. If you are wondering what to do with the chard in your veg box (I don’t know many who buy it in the shops), or you fancy a bit of an adventure with a new veg then this omelette with its bold olives, sharp feta and barely cooked garlic is the easy supper treat for you.
It takes under 30 minutes and is a sure fire winner in our house, full of flavour and freshness.
Ingredients
1 medium onion
handful black pitted olives (super plain, tinned are best here, no kalamatas here please)
4 medium eggs
two big handfuls of chard
2 medium cloves garlic
splash balsamic vinegar
1 chop onion into thin strips (cut in half top to bottom then slice across thinly)
2 in a frying pan, sautee the onion gently in a 10cm pool of oil and a mean splash of balsamic (about a tablespoon)
3 after about 10 minutes wash chard, chop olives add to pan
4 crush garlic into pan and mix well, cover with a flat baking tray and cook for 3 minutes until chard is properly wilted
5 meanwhile beat eggs, S&P the mixture and put the grill on
6 add eggs to pan (when chard is done) and crumble feta on top
7 cook on hob for a few minutes and finish off under the grill - serve with bread, salad and a nice table wine
Tags: chard, easy supper, feta, omelette, Quick Supper
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Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 by urban foodie
 Trying to fit in your weekly portion of oily fish can sometimes be a bit of a strech for the imagination. For some reason I never cook salmon, don’t know why, it seems to have dropped off my radar. Maybe I should think about a salmon recipe next… But this is a delicious and easy recipe that uses smoked haddock or mackerel.
Traditionally it is a breakfast recipe, great for Saturday lunch/brunch, but I also like it for a weekday supper. A tasty dish that makes you feel like a Victorian!
When I want to make a traditional recipe I always turn to the master Delia and this is an adaptation of one of hers.
Ingredients
150ml rice (measure in a measuring jug)
300ml water/poaching liquid
450g smoked haddock/smoked mackerel
70g butter
1 onion
3/4 teaspoon hot curry powder
2 eggs
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
100g peas
1/2 lemon
S&P
1 Put the room temperature eggs into just boiling water and simmer for 1 minute, take off heat and cover, put to one side to finish cooking
2 If using smoked haddock poach for about 7 mins in about a pint of water - if using smoked mackerel skip this step
3 Chop onion and fry gently for 5 mins in 2/3 of the butter, add curry powder, fry for half a minute
4 Add rice and stir, add the water/cooking liquid, stir once and cover, simmer very gently for 15 minutes.
5 After 10 minutes add peas
6 Flake fish, chop eggs and parsley and add to pan with a squeeze of lemon and the last knob of butter. I like it piping hot but it can also be eaten warm.
Tags: curry, easy supper, Eggs, oily fish, Quick Supper, rice
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 26th, 2009 by urban foodie
 Mr UF made a very tasty roast chicken on Sunday, sage and lemon, simple and delicious.
As usual we didn’t finish all of it (even a small chicken is to much for two, even when the two are such hearty eaters as us!). This means that a chicken on Sunday is really a wonderfully giving dish, the carcass is whistling away in the stock pot as I write with a couple of bay leaves, an onion and some whole peppercorns for stock, that just leaves the leftover chicken meat…
If you are more numerous in your house I’d always get a slightly bigger chicken than you need to ensure leftovers, highly economical and full of flavour.
Usually the leftover chicken meat would go in a risotto but this time I have knocked up a very easy pasta sauce using one of it’s favourite friends, the mushroom.
Ingredients
250g mushrooms (about 6 large white mushrooms or equivalent fancy ones)
100g leftover chicken (a decent couple of handfuls)
100ml creme fraiche (or cream if that’s your preference, but I love the sourside)
100ml white wine
250g penne
1 teaspoon thyme (dried is fine)
olive oil
S&P
Serves 2
1 Put on the pasta to boil
2 Chop the mushrooms and saute in a little olive oil
3 Once they are cooked, after about 3 minutes, sprinkle in the thyme, add the white wine and reduce by about half
4 Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through (you could also use diced fresh, in which case start with the chicken and then add the mushrooms etc once it is done)
5 Drain the pasta and add the mushroom and chicken mixture to it, stir in the creme fraiche/cream and serve immediately with either a green salad or a bit of baguette if you are after a real carb rush
Tags: Chicken, easy supper, leftover chicken, mushroom, pasta, penne, Quick Supper
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 by urban foodie
 This is a throw it together dish that turned out even better than expected - the sweet leeks and bacon are complimented by the slight sharpness of the creme fraiche. Keep the tagliatelle al dente to maintain interesting textures, oh and the peas keep everything tasting fresh.
Quick and easy, dinner in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
1 leek
1/2 packet bacon (4 rashers)
2/3 tablespoons creme fraiche
big handful of peas (frozen are fine)
5/6 tagliatelle nests
Serves 2
1 Chop and wash the leeks and sautee gently in a pan with olive oil and a little butter. Turn the heat right down and cook, covered, very gently for 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. You should only be able to hear the whisper of a sizzle
2 After 10-15 minutes slice the bacon widthways into thin strips and add to leek pan, don’t put the lid back on, do turn the heat up a bit
3 After 20 minutes, cook the pasta in fiercy boiling water for 5 or so minutes
4 Put peas in pasta pan for last 2 minutes
5 Drain pasta & peas and mix all ingredients in pan, dolloping in creme fraiche. Serve with a crisp side salad
Tags: bacon, easy supper, Quick Supper, tagliatelle
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Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 by urban foodie
 Between my euro city jaunts I did manage to whip up a lovely little recipe that I’d like to share with you. It is very simple, takes half an hour to cook and, so long as you don’t try to pack whilst you do it (and burn the leeks a bit), is a real cinch. The result is a simple but tasty bowl of pasta, the sweet buttery leeks beautifully complimented by the sherry and parmesan.
Ingredients
2/3 medium leeks
Knob butter
Parmesan
Farfalle pasta
Olive oil
Capful of dry sherry
S&P
1 Wash leeks and chop from base to pale green bit in 1cm rounds
2 Heat a biggish knob of butter and a splash of olive oil in a pan with a lid, add the leeks, S&P, cover and cook very gently for 25 minutes
3 After 15 minutes add a capful of sherry to the leeks and put pasta on to boil (I used farfalle but you can use any shape), when it’s done drain and add to leek pan
4 Serve in bowls, grate a good amount of parmesan on top, et voila! Done, supper the easy way.
Tags: easy supper, Kid Friendly, leek, pasta, Quick Supper
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Sunday, August 10th, 2008 by urban foodie
This is just a quickie to remind you what an easy delight a lunchtime omelette is on a weekend.
All you need is a couple of eggs per person, some random bits from the fridge (in our case a few mushrooms and a bit of old cheddar too past it for a cracker) a little butter and hey presto, a simple delicious lunch. Serve with a little side salad, if you have it, or just a hunk of old bread sprinkled with water and heated up in the oven, if you don’t.
A simple forgotten treat, mmmm.
Tags: omlette, Quick lunch, Quick Supper
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Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 by urban foodie
 This one is a real corker, summery pasta in a bowl as the tomatoes and goat’s cheese are zingy and the spinach keeps the green taste fresh.
I found this by pure chance when searching for something to do with the spinach in my veg box, you know when you are just bored of the old favourites and fancy something new - well I think this one is a keeper, a pretty quick supper (35 mins) and certainly a really easy one!
Ingredients
From Jamie Oliver’s jamiesdinners.com website
2 cloves garlic
1 tin toms
Basil stalks/dried oregano
1 red chilli
Dash red wine vinegar (I used balsamic)
Couple of handfuls of spinach
100g fresh goat’s cheese (the kind without a rind)
Tagliatelle (6-7 nests)
Olive oil
S&P
Serves 2 well
1 Heat some olive oil and gently fry the garlic (crushed), chilli (pierced) and basil stalks (chopped) or oregano (sprinkled) for a minute
2 Add the tin of toms (leave them whole, you’ll squash them at the end, Jamie says this stops the seeds becoming bitter), S&P and simmer gently, half covered for 30 mins
3 After 25 mins put the tagliatelle on to boil
4 Back to the sauce, take out the chilli, add the dash of red wine vinegar and squash the tomatoes, turn off the heat and cover
5 Just before the pasta is ready add the spinach to the tom sauce and cover
6 Drain the pasta, mix in with the sauce and crumble the goat’s cheese on top - serve with a green salad and maybe a hunk of bread to mop up the sauce.
Tags: goats cheese, pasta, Quick Supper, spinach, tagliatelle, tomato
Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 by urban foodie
 This is a delicious store cupboard favourite for when the fridge is bare. The only fresh bits you need are a lemon, garlic parsley and some chilli - even that can be subsituted for chili flakes. I keep a spare tin of white crabmeat in the cupboard so that I can make this tasty, quick, Omega rich supper at a moment’s notice. The texture is quite dry, the flavours zesty and spring-like.
Ingredients
200g Spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
olive oil
big bunch parsley (a whole supermarket packet is about right)
1 red or green chili (whichever you have at the bottom of the veg drawer, a good pinch of chili flakes will do as a substitute)
3 shallots (a small onion will do if you don’t have)
S&P
1 Chop the onion and fry gently in a pan. Pop the spaghetti on to boil
2 Pick and chop the parsley, zest and juice the lemon, chop the chili (if using), crush the garlic, open and drain the crab
3 Add the chili and garlic to the onion pan for the last minute or two
4 Drain the pasta, but not too well and mix all the ingredients well, adding a glug of olive oil to keep it moist. Serve immediately, ideally with a green salad, a little bit of bread and a fresh white wine (or dry french cider) on the side.
Tags: Chili, crab, lemon, pasta, Quick Supper, Spaghetti
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