Tomaszk Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I don't know what to cook along with some asparagus that I bought. this really made me laugh and I have no idea why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaretMahoney Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 /hospital intercom/ "Paging Chef peterms, Paging Chef peterms" Sometime in the next week I'll be cooking dinner for my new lady friend, and I don't know what to cook along with some asparagus that I bought. I was thinking a nice hollandaise sauce, but what to accompany this? (I plan on using a packet hollandaise sauce, unless you have a 'from scratch' recipe for it that would be easy).. I was thinking maybe a lemon pepper chicken breast and some couscous? Ideas? This recipe is for Hollandaise with a liquidiser, this one without. If you do it without, the most common problem is overheating, so mix it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, the bowl bigger than the pan so it doesn't touch the bottom. But the asparagus must be flown in from somewhere in another hemisphere at this time of year, no? Asparagus is also good as a starter on its own. Roll it in olive oil, place on a medium hot grill pan (preferably ridged, to get the dark stripes) and grill for 10 mins or so, tuning occasionally. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice, shavings of parmesan, serve with a bit of rocket or something. Thanks for the advice peterms.... I think I'm gonna just go with the asparagus as a side to the dish (and just boil it and top it with some hollandaise sauce), this isn't goin to be any 5 course meal, just something simple and easy is what I'm going for...Think I'll go with grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with asparagus and a cous cous, unless you have a better idea of something that would go well with it... Not sure where the asparagus is flown in from, I actually bought it at a Walmart of all places :oops: In my defense my company gave me a gift card there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted November 18, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 18, 2009 Rather stupidly (or not as it may be) me and a housemate are determined to lose some weight after the beer took it's toll over the last 3 years and are cutting carbs. The problem now is we're a bit stumped for stuff to do with a predominately protein based diet, so does anybody know anything low fat you can do with a chicken breast (preferably easy/cheap/basic) to make it taste a bit less bland? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Stir fry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I think I'm gonna just go with the asparagus as a side to the dish (and just boil it and top it with some hollandaise sauce), this isn't goin to be any 5 course meal, just something simple and easy is what I'm going for...Think I'll go with grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with asparagus and a cous cous, unless you have a better idea of something that would go well with it... tbh I'd be inclined just to have simple boiled potatoes in their skins, just because cous cous feels like something for spicy food, so it feels like it's mixing two different kinds of dishes together. But it's about personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Rather stupidly (or not as it may be) me and a housemate are determined to lose some weight after the beer took it's toll over the last 3 years and are cutting carbs. The problem now is we're a bit stumped for stuff to do with a predominately protein based diet, so does anybody know anything low fat you can do with a chicken breast (preferably easy/cheap/basic) to make it taste a bit less bland? You could make a simple sauce with onion, garlic and chili gently softened in a small amount of olive oil, then add some chopped tinned tomatoes and reduce down until it's quite thick, add salt and pepper and maybe some fresh herb like coriander at the end. Should be pretty low cal? Esp if you lose the chicken skin and poach it instead of frying. And it won't be bland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaretMahoney Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I think I'm gonna just go with the asparagus as a side to the dish (and just boil it and top it with some hollandaise sauce), this isn't goin to be any 5 course meal, just something simple and easy is what I'm going for...Think I'll go with grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with asparagus and a cous cous, unless you have a better idea of something that would go well with it... tbh I'd be inclined just to have simple boiled potatoes in their skins, just because cous cous feels like something for spicy food, so it feels like it's mixing two different kinds of dishes together. But it's about personal preference. Sooo asparagus + hollandaise sauce Lemon Pepper Chicken Boiled potatos... I like it. Simple and healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I think I'm gonna just go with the asparagus as a side to the dish (and just boil it and top it with some hollandaise sauce), this isn't goin to be any 5 course meal, just something simple and easy is what I'm going for...Think I'll go with grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with asparagus and a cous cous, unless you have a better idea of something that would go well with it... tbh I'd be inclined just to have simple boiled potatoes in their skins, just because cous cous feels like something for spicy food, so it feels like it's mixing two different kinds of dishes together. But it's about personal preference. Sooo asparagus + hollandaise sauce Lemon Pepper Chicken Boiled potatos... I like it. Simple and healthy. Yes, that works. Add a simple fruit salad (4 or 5 nice fruits of different colour, eg pineapple, orange, black grapes, kiwi, cubed and turned over in the juice of half a lemon, maybe with plain yogurt or creme fraiche or possibly ice cream as accompaniments), and your meal is simple, healthy, rounded, and even sophisticated. Most women would like something like that. Home-made gets extra points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted November 18, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 18, 2009 Cheers for that Peter, we managed to knock that up no trouble and it wasn't bad at all. I'd never have thought of something that simple, and that is why I ain't a chef. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Cheers for that Peter, we managed to knock that up no trouble and it wasn't bad at all. I'd never have thought of something that simple, and that is why I ain't a chef. Glad you liked it. Here's something from this evening, which I think is probably fairly healthy and low fat, though I have to confess counting calories has never preoccupied me. It's for smoked fish, possibly oily ones, which score pretty high in the healthy eating stakes. It's from an Iraqi recipe based on taking fish from a river, gutting and smoking them, and then cooking them. But this one assumes you get your fish ready prepared and smoked. I got it from a book called Mezze, but I've adapted it a little, not least to accommodate Arbroath Smokies. (My local Chinese fishmonger this week had an order for Smokies from London, which pleased her immensely - her rep has spread almost 400 miles). One Arbroath Smokie per person (you can use any other smoked fish, whole or filleted, it just won't have that Iraqi-Scottish je-ne-sais-quoi, though it will certainly have less bones than a Smokie) A 2-inch piece of cinnamon 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp coriander seeds maybe 3 dried chilis, to your taste seeds of 4 green cardamom pods 4-10 black peppercorns (to your taste) sea salt juice of one lemon half tin of tomatoes, pref liquidised quarter to half wine glass of olive oil (substitute water if you're on some anti-oil health kick) one onion, halved then sliced very thin two tomatoes, sliced very thin Whizz the spices in a coffee grinder (best) or grind by hand in a mortar and pestle (if you have time) or use ready ground (not so good). Mix in a bowl with the lemon juice, liquidised tomatoes, and oil or water. Place the fish in a baking dish, coat with the spice mixture on both sides. Lay sliced onion and tomato over the fish (the thinner you can slice these, the better). Cover with tin foil, tucking under the lip of the dish, and bake in preheated oven @180c for 45-60 mins. Add a little boiling water to the dish if it looks like it doesn't have enough liquid to steam. While this is cooking, prepare accompaniment. I had rice steamed for 10 mins in chicken stock, and courgette cubed, turned in olive oil, and placed in oven for 30 mins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaretMahoney Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Damn that sounds soooo tasty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant(aka_eddy) Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Cheers for that Peter, we managed to knock that up no trouble and it wasn't bad at all. I'd never have thought of something that simple, and that is why I ain't a chef. I'm on a low carb high protein 'diet' too and probably have a few meals that would be useful to you. I put diet in brackets as really it isnt a diet in the must lose weight sense but a change of habit in stuffing in all the unnecessary carbs, mainly in the form of bread. Havent given it up completely but probably eat about 10% of what i used to and weight falls of you. Anyway... Steak, fat trimmed off....once cooked add in to the juices half tomatoes, handful of spinach and pretty much any other veg/seasoning you want to and heat it all up and serve up the steak on top of this. Chicken breat salad....roast the chicken and allow to cool 1-2 medium chicken breasts should give you 30-60g protein. Bulk out your salad with fruit....lettuce, tomato, peppper, onion, boiled egg, grated carrot, pineapple and pear. Had this in Gran Canaria recently and loved it. Add you favourite sauce to the chicken. Low fat mozzarella, pear (tin, in juice) and tomato salad. Simply chop and mix together with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. The mozzarella gives around 20 grams of protein. Curry with whatever meat you fancy (drain fat off keema) or quorn is ok too...grab a mix jar or follow a recipe on here...add in lots of onion, pepper, fresh chilli, garlic and maybe ginger. Chuck in spinach right near the end. Eat on it's own or with poppadoms rather than nan & rice. Just discoverd Tesco own brand meat free lincolnshire sausages (frozen section) and these are genius. Massive 10g of protein per sausage and unlike every other one out there they actually taste good. In a pasta dish or sandwich you actually would be struggling to tell the difference. You can use them with anything low carb though as a protein boost. Get a bag of mixed root veg (carrots, parsnips, onion, swede/turnip), clean, chop and lightly coat in olive oil. Add a drizzle of honey, mixed herbs and mix together. Roast for 45 minutes on about 200 degrees or until soft. I also add garlic cloves and season with pepper but that's possibly one to play with. Serve with any lean meat. Tacos and fajitas arent bad either if you keep the meat lean and plentiful and top up with lots of fresh salad/salsa. Use one of the kits as a base and adjust accordingly. That's all i can think of for now and I know that isnt the greatest list of instructions but i'm assuming you can cook and can make the basic ideas into something. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Well it appears that nearly all mine and the wifes family are coming to us on Xmas day and would like to make a bit of an effort with the luchtime meal. The wife will no doubt handle the turkey and pork which gives me free range for the rest of the day. Any suggestions for doing some nice homemade roasties, variations on the veg - stuffing etc would be appreciated so I can have a trial run before the big day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Well it appears that nearly all mine and the wifes family are coming to us on Xmas day and would like to make a bit of an effort with the luchtime meal. The wife will no doubt handle the turkey and pork which gives me free range for the rest of the day. Any suggestions for doing some nice homemade roasties, variations on the veg - stuffing etc would be appreciated so I can have a trial run before the big day How many people? I reckon you can do up to about 20 at home, but it's a struggle after that. The common problem with doing christmas at home for large numbers is the pressure on oven space and cooking rings, all at the same time. So there are two things which will really help. First, make sure you take the meat out of the oven and rest it, covered with foil, for at least 20 mins before you want to serve it. You should do this with roast meat anyway, but here it helps your other activities. Second, pre-cook some of the veg the day before, and use that 20 mins of empty oven time to finish them off. That is the big, big winner. If your missus is doing the main part of the meal, she will be seriously stressed. Agree beforehand what space she will need, what time she needs total access to the whole kitchen, and don't get in the way. Getting organised is the big thing. Washing pans and implements as they are finished with is also highly recommended. Depending on what you like, I would suggest preparing roast spuds in one big roasting tin, and a mixture of things like parsnips, carrots, squash and cougettes in the other. All that can be three-quarters done the day before, and finished off at the last moment. In particular, you can do things like add garlic and rosemary to the potatoes, maybe something like grated lemon zest and lemon juice to the other stuff, in these last 20 mins. At the end, have ready some chopped parsley in a bowl, and sprinkle it over. Most people will be struggling to cope with 20 for lunch, you'll be adding presentational touches. Let me know numbers and preferences, and I'll see if I can give some more specific tips. Also check newspaper websites. Theyt always do these "countdown to christmas" pieces, sometimes with some good tips from top chefs - some of these can really help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meath_Villan Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Agreed with above prep is key I would have most things done the day before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starsailor9774 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Veg - cover a baking tray in foil, with enough left to cover the contents. Chop veg into decent size chunks, few twists of salt and pepper and a few knobs of butter. cover tightly with the foil and make a little slit so the steam can escape, in the oven at 200 or 180 for fan assisted. About 45 minutes should be just right..... perfect. I think we are having pork this christmas, we live not far from The Store in Foveran which was on local food heroes, the meat and veg you get is so much better than anything else. And they do a mean Stovie which is great on a cold day. We had gammon at new year from there last year and it was heavenly cooked in coca cola with a few onions in the pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Veg - cover a baking tray in foil, with enough left to cover the contents. Chop veg into decent size chunks, few twists of salt and pepper and a few knobs of butter. cover tightly with the foil and make a little slit so the steam can escape, in the oven at 200 or 180 for fan assisted. About 45 minutes should be just right..... perfect. A note for the inexperienced. Cooking time will vary according the the veg and how tightly packed it is - so carrots will take longer than broccoli, for example. Dropping a knob of butter in is useful, but better is to pour a little bit of olive oil on the foil and spread all over with your fingers, so that anything you cook will be less likely to stick to the foil. Don't cut a hole in the foil - the point is to capture the steam, not let it escape. Wrap it before placing on the baking tray, so you can fold over two or three times on a flat surface to get a good seal. I think we are having pork this christmas, we live not far from The Store in Foveran which was on local food heroes, the meat and veg you get is so much better than anything else. And they do a mean Stovie which is great on a cold day. We had gammon at new year from there last year and it was heavenly cooked in coca cola with a few onions in the pot. I think that may be the same "The Store" as in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh shop closed down last weekend. Shame - it was a good place, with some very good products. Times are getting tough out there. Oh - one more thing. There is never any excuse for cooking anything in coca-cola, anywhere, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starsailor9774 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Veg - cover a baking tray in foil, with enough left to cover the contents. Chop veg into decent size chunks, few twists of salt and pepper and a few knobs of butter. cover tightly with the foil and make a little slit so the steam can escape, in the oven at 200 or 180 for fan assisted. About 45 minutes should be just right..... perfect. A note for the inexperienced. Cooking time will vary according the the veg and how tightly packed it is - so carrots will take longer than broccoli, for example. Dropping a knob of butter in is useful, but better is to pour a little bit of olive oil on the foil and spread all over with your fingers, so that anything you cook will be less likely to stick to the foil. Don't cut a hole in the foil - the point is to capture the steam, not let it escape. Wrap it before placing on the baking tray, so you can fold over two or three times on a flat surface to get a good seal. I think we are having pork this christmas, we live not far from The Store in Foveran which was on local food heroes, the meat and veg you get is so much better than anything else. And they do a mean Stovie which is great on a cold day. We had gammon at new year from there last year and it was heavenly cooked in coca cola with a few onions in the pot. I think that may be the same "The Store" as in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh shop closed down last weekend. Shame - it was a good place, with some very good products. Times are getting tough out there. Oh - one more thing. There is never any excuse for cooking anything in coca-cola, anywhere, ever. Yeah i think it is the same 'The Store' lovely fresh food. I'll keep in mind the veg tips the more veg i eat the healthier imagine i am..... to hell with the fact they are cooked in butter.... re- the coca cola thing, the missus wanted to do it cos Nigella did it. It was actually quite nice. Any tips on making a decent onion gravy, tried one last night, couple of large onions sliced slowly cooked until soft and brown, bit of salt and pepper and added the stock with a bit of cornflour to thicken, was nice but lacked a certain something, would i have been best to add a splash of something like a half decent rex wine or a bit of ale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milfner Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I'm cooking for my girlfriend for her birthday, and i was looking for some ideas. I'm not rubbish in the kitchen but I'm no Gordon Ramsey. I don't particulary like tomatoes, but any ideas would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I'm cooking for my girlfriend for her birthday, and i was looking for some ideas. I'm not rubbish in the kitchen but I'm no Gordon Ramsey. I don't particulary like tomatoes, but any ideas would be great. Could you narrow it down a bit? Is there something she likes/doesn't like? Is she veggie or carnivore? Does she like spicy or plain? Any allergies? Is she weight-watching? Does she like and appreciate good food? Is her taste savoury, or sweet? And you too, as it's a diner a deux. I think most women will give credit for something where you've tried to find out about their preferences, made an effort, and not screwed up too badly. Oh, and if you finish with chocolate, that's at least double points. That is, something that you've done to chocolate, even as simple as warming it gently and pouring it over fruit (avoid citrus, go for something like strawberry, banana, apple or pear). But make sure it's at least 70% cocoa solids, if she has any more that the slightest passing interest in food. If you can go beyond those basics and do something good, it will either pass completely over her head, or else you may find yourself with a long-term dining companion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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