Need some cooking advice

jp_bl_68

jp_bl_68

jp_bl_68

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3 Jan 2009
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There are a handful of meals that I cook on a regular basis (spag bol, lasagne, pasta bake, beef stew, Spanish chicken, tagine, fajitas, some kind of curry, maybe a spicy korma) so I'm looking for some new dishes to add to my repertoire. Any suggestions? What's the one meal you couldn't do without?
 
Oh yeah, I do burgers and meatballs as well (try using cumin instead of pepper, it makes them extra beefy). I might try my hand at a roast next weekend. Is there a full proof way to get moist chicken with crispy skin or is it a case of practise makes perfect?
 
shepherds pie, risotto, mussels with pasta/bread.

3 Simple dishes. However pt your own tk on them, all of them how ever 'basic' can taste amazing with the right touch. Personally think about what you put in before actually following a recipe.

If you understand what the ingredients 'do' you will be fine!
 
My main tip for roasts is to rest the meat on a plate under tinfoil for 30 mins after it leaves the oven (I cook everything bare minimum time wise). Unfortunately that makes skin / crackling soggy, so I remove it when I take it out of the oven, and put it elsewhere. Can be popped back in then if you want it super crisp :)

But roasts are certainly all down to experience and experimenting :)
 
Meal I could not do without is beef lasagne al forno. I love it!

perhaps add some kind of side dishes? some can go with all kinds of foods.

A favourite of mine is par-boiling sliced potatos with some chives (skins left on, of course) for 10 mins, then shallow frying them (sauteed really) in butter, garlic (fresh or garlic tinted olive oil) and seasoning. no salt though, as the butter and chives will already add that salty tang - adding salt will only ruin it.

Sauces are probably not made a home as much as they should be too. you tend to take them for granted when eating out, but forget about them when cooking at home. tings like pepper sauce on steaks and so on.
they're sometimes a chew on but can add that missing element to a dish.


One more thing I guess you could do - if you're not already - if you're buying the base of your bolognase sauces and currys etc in jars (dolmio, ragu etc) is to start making them from scratch, it's easy enough to do. I cringe when I see people buying white sauce in jars to top lasagne :( but I guess the bolognase sauce is still okay to buy in jars :P I do as I'm a student now, so it works out better. I still make everything else from basic ingredients though.


I'm living in student halls at the moment and we have no oven (just a microwave with heating elements which act as a grill, so it can still perform basic oven tasks) so if anyone has suggestions for decent grub which can be mostly cooked on the hob, fire away :)
 
Grab a load of random associated vegatables, make up some funky sauce, cook with some chicken/beef and rice/pasta. Boom, instant-meal.

Experiment with things that you wouldn't usually: spices, herbs, sauces (e.g. pesto). Obviously it tends to help if you're only cooking for yourself. :p

One of the most random meals I made a year or so ago which was stupidly easy and very tasty simply involved a frozen vegetable mix and some chinese curry powder turned into sauce. Not for everyone but I find mucking about with what's the cupboards to be quite fun.
 
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Chicken in a cream, wine and dijon mustard sauce. Very easy to make, just brown off two large chicken breasts in some butter, add a little mustard and continue browning for another minute then douse in most of a bottle of wine, add another largeish dollop of mustard and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Take chicken to one side and leave covered in a warmer (or top oven on very low) reduce wine down, thicken slightly with some cornflour and then add a few dashes of cream (to take the edge off the acidity)...serve over a bed of tagliatelle - job done.
 
Streeteh said:
Steak and ale pie, search for Haircuts recipie on these forums, it's a doddle and mega tasty.
Click to expand...

:cool:

Something I would add is stir fry - it's damn easy to do, generally quite healthy and you can get a lot of variations on the theme by just changing a few ingredients.

A basic recipe is:
Add chopped garlic, ginger and chilli to a hot wok.
Add meat of your choice (I find chicken thighs always work well)
Add soy sauce, vinegar (rice, white wine or cider) and a teaspoon of sugar
Add noodles
Add veggies of your choice
Cook for a few minutes
Serve

You can substitute fish sauce for soy sauce and lime juice for the vinegar for a more thai flavour, add oyster sauce for a richer sauce - once you have the basic recipe down you can work on the variations.
Half of the skill in cooking is knowing what flavours go well together IMO.

I do a teriyaki marinated steak served on a bed of stir fried noodles and vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce that is really good if I do say so myself!
Will post a recipe thread next time I make it.
 
Stews are amazingly easy and awesome at this time of year.

edit: doh - always read OP carefully before posting.
 
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