I need to make a meal for 4 - suggestions?

[Vini]

The partner and I take it in turns with another couple at cooking, it's all basically part of a plot to get me cooking, which I dont mind... Heck I'd love to be able to cook, but I dont have the patience or desire to spend 2 hours prepping and 5 minutes eating.

Anyway thats by the by, It's my turn in the rota to prepare a meal for us all.

Last time, my first ever effort at real cooking, I made home made beef burgers with mozzerella insides, on Ciabata with homemade chips and a side salad. I'd say it was worth the effort, but to do it everynight, I couldn't...

I'm stuck for idea's, a nice yet simple dish.

I've been toying with Garlic Mushrooms/Prawns as a starter, Tuna Steaks for Main, but I have no idea what to do with it.

Am I way off the mark with this? Any other ideas?

[g8ina]

If you like fishy stuff then paella is fairly straight forward and is a one pan solution.

A good hearty beef stew always goes down well, another one pan solution

Even Irish Stew is fairly easy.

Tuna ? I've never used it, sorry

[Zak33]

ok....ready? Mediterranean style going in here.

Buy :

4 chicken breasts, skin still on
Bag of sweet potatoes (orange coloured, like long spuds) 5 or 6 in a bag
Bag of new potatoes about 20-30 in a bag
Bag of carrots
Bag of tomatoes

You also need olive oil, and salt and pepper. That's it.

Turn oven on, gas mark 7 or about 200'C

Wash new potatoes (don't peel), and chop into halves.
Peel sweet potatoes and chop into lumbs about the same size as the spuds are now
Peel the carrots and cut into random chunks

Drop all of these into a large oven tray, and pour oil over them, and mix with your hands. Put into oven.

pour olive oil over chicken, and then grind salt and pepper onto them, and mix with your hands. Put into the oven in WITH the veg 5 minutes after the veg went in.
this is ONE TRAY cooking great washing up

every 10 minutes move it all around.

Leave for about 30 mniutes until chicken skin is golden, and veg are cooked and softened and lovely.

Add tomatoes and cook for 3 mniutes until split.

Serve in one big huge bowl of lovely coloured gorgeousness

[Sair33]

I always find an easy but yummy starter is Goats Cheese with Pear and Walnuts.
Buy the Goats cheese with a rind (usually about 3" diameter with rind top and bottom), then slice in half to give you two rounds, and place them rind side down under a grill for a few mins until softened and slightly golden (if you don't have a rind underneath, it's ok, but tends to run out and make a mess so you need to cook for less time), then serve with warmed pear slices and rocket leaves sprinkled with chopped walnuts and maybe a mix of honey and olive oil drizzled over. Mmmmm

Tuna is lovely, but it does need to be cooked lightly otherwise can be a bit dry... never actually cooked it myself I must admit!

As g8ina says, a one-pot "shove in the oven until you are ready to eat" type thing for main course is a good plan (Jamie Oliver has been doing some great things in his new series on TV)
There are loads of things you can do that way.... Chicken thighs with chopped onions and new potatoes all mixed together with a bbq sauce (from memory tomato ketchup, brown sugar and worcester sauce mix) in a roasting tin for 45 mins or so, then served with a green salad is good

[Vini]

Originally Posted by Zak33

ok....ready? Mediterranean style going in here.

Buy :

4 chicken breasts, skin still on
Bag of sweet potatoes (orange coloured, like long spuds) 5 or 6 in a bag
Bag of new potatoes about 20-30 in a bag
Bag of carrots
Bag of tomatoes

You also need olive oil, and salt and pepper. That's it.

Turn oven on, gas mark 7 or about 200'C

Wash new potatoes (don't peel), and chop into halves.
Peel sweet potatoes and chop into lumbs about the same size as the spuds are now
Peel the carrots and cut into random chunks

Drop all of these into a large oven tray, and pour oil over them, and mix with your hands. Put into oven.

pour olive oil over chicken, and then grind salt and pepper onto them, and mix with your hands. Put into the oven in WITH the veg 5 minutes after the veg went in.
this is ONE TRAY cooking great washing up

every 10 minutes move it all around.

Leave for about 30 mniutes until chicken skin is golden, and veg are cooked and softened and lovely.

Add tomatoes and cook for 3 mniutes until split.

Serve in one big huge bowl of lovely coloured gorgeousness

Think I;m going to try this tonight with a small amount of risotto. Hopefully it'll surpise her!

[Vini]

Not sure if it's right, but it certainly tasted good, she enjoyed it and it was as said, simple. Made it for 2 so loads left over, maybe next time, more veg: broccoli, parsnips etc and less new potatoes, oil.

In all, liked it!

[Zak33]

that's the kiddy mate Less oil next time so it crisps more.

The nicest thing about that dish is you can do it for more and more people and it's just as easy

If yuo see any green tomatoes, put them in too (earlier, as they are harder) for extra colour

[Zak33]

hope you didn't do risotto....that would have been overkill

[Vini]

Yeah didn't bother. Always defies my eyes food, didn't think I'd have enough room in the tray, then didn't think there'd be enough food, then this, then that... all worked out pretty well in the end

Cheers!

[tiggerai]

Looks yummy that!

I'd have some of that with some 'sperges and other non descript greens

[Brucelles]

Holy crap Zak. That is brilliant. I hope you don't mind if I pass that one onto my daughter.

(and pretend it's my own)