Cooking help !

Leodido

Leodido

Leodido

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Joined
30 Dec 2006
Posts
1,270
Location
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Guys i need your help! I offered my gf to cook for her tonight and i'm not really sure what to do and i'm a noobish cook too :p
What would be good and easy to do, it must not be too long to make either and the ingredient should not be too hard to find. I'm from switzerland so i don't know if we have the same shops as you guys, i know you have plenty of indian shops and stuff that we don't have over here :(

Every advice is good ! :p
 
Large migros have a thai section, you can get curry paste and even stuff like hoi sin sauce. But yeah, the selection of indian and chinese stuff here is generally appalling!
 
[welsh]ahh un romand :p sa fait plaisir. Merci du conseil![/welsh]

Lasagne could be a good idea, i'll look into it thanks
 
A proper bolognaise is both easy and very tasty as suggested.

There are plenty of pasta recipes that are easy and taste great.

Stew related things like a slow cooked lamb shank would work well too.

Remember, if you're aiming to impress, presentation is key too! An average meal can still impress if it's presented well...
 
Not really looking to impress, i'd like to make something eatable ;)
We are both not really great cooks and she already made me a homemade pizza so it's my turn!
 
Think I can help

Heres a dead easy and very tasty pasta and spicey tomato sauce receipe

Boil some pasta.

Chop half an onion, a red pepper and a glove of garlic and fry until the onion is brown

Put the onion, red pepper & garlic into a food processor and add 2 tins of chopped tomato's, 1-2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon worchester sause, add some chilli's (or dried crushed chilli's) depending on strength, salt and pepper.
Blend into a sauce.

Fry some chorizo( or any other salami type meat) and some mushrooms .

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put back in the pan add the sauce, chorizo and mushrooms and let it heat up again until the sauce starts to bubble.

Serve with some parmesan
 
I was thinking
Thai fishcakes
followed by pad thai or if you don't want seafood a thai curry
Then something although not Thai
Pumpkin fritters which are simply amzing.
 
Another simple one is Matriciana.

Presuming you like decent sized portions...

2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 large onion
6 rashers bacon
chilli sauce

Fry up the bacon and onion in some olive oil, until the bacon is just about to brown, and the onion is translucent, and then add the tomatoes. Reduce for about 10-15minutes, and then add chilli sauce to taste. Continue reducing until the sauce has all thickened and there is no actual liquid left. Mix in with the pasta, and serve. Topping with cheese doesn't really suit this, but garlic bread goes very well. Recipes don't get much simpler!
 
Thai Fish cakes

Ingredients for fish cakes
1 lb fresh white fish, prefer cod or halibut
1 egg
3/4 cup finely sliced Chinese longbean, or stringbeans (or French beans)
6 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 tablespoons red curry paste
3 cups vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for cucumber relish
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
3 shallots, finely sliced
1-2 fresh Thai chile pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon roasted peanuts crushed in a mortar and pestle

Method for fish cakes
Cut the fish into small pieces, then grind it up in a food processor or pound it in a mortar and pestle
until it's a paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil).
For spicier taste, add a bit more red curry paste. Using your hands, knead the mixture until sticky enough
to form it into a disc about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan at med/high
heat. Add fishcakes and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on
paper towels.

Method for cucumber relish
Cook vinegar and sugar in small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. In a small serving
bowl put cucumbers, shallots and Thai chile. Pour vinegar mixture over that, then top with roasted peanuts.


Butternut sqaush and prawn curry (can always use chicken instead)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Curry Red Paste
2 tbsp Palm Sugar (or dark sugar)
1 medium Squash Butternut
1 large Sweet potato
1 can Coconut Milk Canada
2 tbsp fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Lemongrass Soup
Raw King Prawns I would say 5-10 each
egg noodles
2 Mixed Chillies
1 Garlic clove
1 Basil Leaves


Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat and add the red curry paste. Fry for two minutes, until fragrant, then add the palm sugar and cook for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is sticky and fragrant.
2. Add the squash and sweet potato, stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk, coconut cream, fish sauce and the lemongrass and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the squash and potato are tender but not mushy.
4. Add the lime pickle and king prawns and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until the prawns are pink and cooked through.
5. For the garnish, heat a little oil in a wok over a low heat. Add the sliced chilli and cook slowly until all of the moisture from the chillies has evaporated (at which point the oil will stop bubbling), then turn up the heat slightly, so the chillies caramelise and crisp up.
6. Remove the chilli slices with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat this cooking process with the sliced garlic and the shallots.
7. To serve, divide the noodles among four shallow bowls. Top with several spoonfuls of the curry, then sprinkle each bowl with a little of the bean shoots, coriander leaves and basil leaves. Garnish each dish with a pinch of each of the crisp fried chillies, garlic and shallots.

Pad Thai
6½ oz (200g) dried rice stick noodles
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
5 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
12 uncooked shrimp (prawns)—peeled and deveined (tail left intact)
3 cloves garlic—finely chopped
2-4 small fresh red chili—deseeded and finely sliced
2 eggs—lightly beaten
2 scallions (spring onions)—finely sliced on the diagonal
3 cups bean sprouts
3 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
Fresh lime wedges to garnish


SOAK the noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes, rinse under cold water and drain well. MIX together the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and brown sugar in a small bowl until well combined. HEAT a wok over a high temperature until very hot. ADD 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the shrimp for 1½ to 2 minutes until just cooked and pink. REMOVE the shrimp from the wok and set aside on a plate. HEAT the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the hot wok and stir-fry the garlic and chili for 30 seconds. ADD the drained noodles and stir-fry 30 seconds. PUSH the noodles to the side of the wok, add the eggs and cook until they start to set then stir through the noodles. ADD the sauce mixture and stir-fry 30 seconds. REMOVE from the heat and toss through the scallions, bean sprouts, and 2 tablespoons each of peanuts and cilantro leaves until thoroughly combined (being careful not to break up the noodles). SERVE on plates garnished with the reserved peanuts and cilantro leaves on top and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Variation: Replace the shrimp with chicken or tofu.

I assume you can get pumpkins all year round

For the fritters:
2 cups plain flour
1 cup cooked pumpkin drained
1/2 teaspon cinnamon
salt
oil

For the syrup:
1 stick cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon powder
peel of one orange
1 cup water
1/2 cup of demerarra sugar
1 clove

1) Mash the cooked pumpkin and sift the flour, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Make a dough, kneeding well.
2) Take about a heaped tablespoon and roll in your hands to make a small patty shape about 2" big. Slight squashed sphere, but not as flat as a bugger.
3) heat oil in a pan and when it is very hot (test with a little bit of bread). put the fritters in a couple at a time and fry till golden and cooked through. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove. Place on kitchen towel to drain.
4) Heat the water in a pan until boiling. Then add the sugar cinnamon, orange peel and clove. Boil for about 10miniutes contently stirring till all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is starting to carmalise. Remove from heat.
5) dip the fritters in The hot syrup and server immediately.
 
Last edited:
Just checked my recipe stash on PC, got these if you fancy any of them...

Glazed chilli ginger chicken wings
sticky toffee puddings with pecan toffee sauce
rogan josh (no, not out of a jar :P)
sweet and sour pork spare ribs (maybe not the best choice, tastes great but it's not exactly a tidy meal)
spaghetti bolognaise (again, no jar)
toad in the hole with onion gravy.

I'll happily email you the recipes if you fancy anything, they're just sat in here in doc files.
 
Leodido said:
wow awesome full recipes! thanks ;)
Click to expand...

More added

If you cant get pumpkin could always do mango fritters

1 Mango
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons sugar

1) Sift the flour into a bowl add the sugar
2) whisk the egg and milk together then add to the flour to make the batter.
3) cut the mango into bit size chunks, cover in batter and deep fry until golden

serve with the same syrup as the pumpkin fritters, but instead of orange use a bit of lime and pour over rather than dunking. Add a bit of ice cream or cream to counter the sweetness.
 
Makhaira said:
Just checked my recipe stash on PC, got these if you fancy any of them...

Glazed chilli ginger chicken wings
sticky toffee puddings with pecan toffee sauce
rogan josh (no, not out of a jar :P)
sweet and sour pork spare ribs (maybe not the best choice, tastes great but it's not exactly a tidy meal)
spaghetti bolognaise (again, no jar)
toad in the hole with onion gravy.

I'll happily email you the recipes if you fancy anything, they're just sat in here in doc files.
Click to expand...

Thank dude could i get the Spaghetti bolognaise and the Glazed chilli ginger chicken wings please

Thank you Acidhell, i see you know what you are speaking about :p
 
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