Quick and flashy?

[thebigchill]

Anyone know of any tasty and good looking but really really simple dishes i can cook at home for the gf? my cooking skills are...hell, i dont have any cooking skills. Help!

[spudqueen]

How about:

Chop 2 chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan (or wok), chuck in the chicken, making sure it's cooked on all sides. Chuck in 1/2 a chopped onion (or a whole small one), a crushed clove of garlic and some sliced mushrooms. Cook for a bit longer. Throw in a couple of glasses of white wine, let it boil down a bit then add a splash of single cream. Serve with new potatoes (just boil) and some fine green beans (to save on washing up you can throw them in the same pan as the potatoes, but not at the same time, they only need about 5 minutes).

If you're not sure if the chicken is cooked through get the biggest piece out of the pan and chop it in half so you can see. Don't want to give her food poisoning!

[thebigchill]

thanks spudqueen! now does anyone know why my mouth started watering while i was reading that even though i know i dont like onions or mushrooms? bizarre...

[GucciGal]

Hello! I can't cook for toffee but last week I made chicken fajitas (you can buy the pack in any supermarket) but it goes like this ... ry off the onions, add some chopped chicken (fillets) thwn add the peppers, red and yellow for colour ;-) mix it all up, while that's cooking put the tortillas in the oven (in foil) for 15 minutes, back to the frying pan add the mix sachet and continue to cook for a further 10 mins. Serve in a big dish, with a side helpings off sour cream and salsa. They are yummy!

[gpb]

An easy dish is to cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces, fry in butter to seal them. Transfer into a casserole dish. mix a tin of Campbells chicken soup with milk or water and pour over the top. Place on oven at 180C for 40-45 minutes. Serve with rice which you can cook or buy microwave ready prepared. You can use mushroom soup but no good if you don't like mushrooms!

[Bangkok]

Real easy (one from Nigel Slater).  Two chicken breasts, cut a pocket in each, put a lump of fresh mozzerella and a teaspoon of pesto in, wrap some parma ham round the chicken to hold it together.  Rub some olive oil on the ham   Cook for 30 minutes at about 190 C.  Cut yours to check it is cooked if concerned about food poisoning, but it will be ok.

 The sauce is just sun dried tomato paste and creme freshe, heated gently in a pan until hot (try not to boil it, but not a disaster if you do).  Sauce is so simple and tastes so complicated.

Serve with some brown rice

[Xollob]

Quick (under 15 mins). Simple. Looks good. Tastes great:

1. Cut pork fillet into slices of approx 3cm.
2. Take rashers of bacon or slices of parma/serrano ham and brush with pesto (optional).
3. Wrap fillet slices in bacon/ham, with the pesto on the inside.
4. Put pork on skewer.
5. Season with black pepper but be careful with salt depending on the saltiness of your bacon/ham and pesto.
6. Fry in good amount butter/olive oil for about 2-3 mins on each side.
7. Deglaze with white wine or cider.
8. Add cream and perhaps a dash of brandy (if using wine) or calvados if you deglazed with cider.

If you have a decent frying pan not much can go wrong with this.

If you really want to impress, use rosemary twigs as skewers: Remove most of the needles and scrape outer bark from rosemary, leaving about 5cm of needles at the tip. Cut end of twig diagonally with a good kitchen knife to make a sharp point for easier skewering.

[Cetti]

This is easy and very posh! Take 2 skinless and boneless Salmon steaks, place in the middle of well buttered foil (only butter where the steaks will sit, not the whole foil!). Dot extra butter on each steak, fresh dill, sea salt(if poss) & black pepper and finally grated rind of lemon or lime.

Bring foil together to make a pleat, turn up sides to seal completely. It should look a bit like a tent. Carefully place foil onto a baking tray and cook in middle of oven at 180 for about 20 mins. Serve with new pots and peas  or  pasta with a bought cream sauce -  a jar of good  Hollandaise would be fine.

NB. Be careful when opening the salmon parcels after cooking as the steam will be boiling.

[woofgang]

does she like shellfish? Do an assiette de fruits de mer with all her favourites served on a bed of salad with fresh crusty bread and champagne....now my mouth is watering...

Alternatively smoked salmon with a little salad, brown bread and butter and champagne (can you see a theme emerging?)

in either case, for dessert, super chocolates or if you are feeling flash, melt some chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water and dip strawberries in it.