Dinner in 10 minutes?

These aren’t all my recipes, but I thought I’d share five (it’s just a nice number)of my 10 minute after work quickies. Now, I know Jaime Oliver does it in 30 minutes and manages to make three courses, but I don’t think all of that is necessary every night for dinner and in fact, is very likely to make you obese if you ate one of his full 30 minute meals every night. He also has a billion gadgets on the go, which would then need washing up.

 

I guess I should also confess that these 10 minute meals, might actually take a little bit longer, but my point is that you shouldn’t really need to be chopping, stirring or tending to stove for longer than 10 minutes in total. These meals are generally for two and I mostly cook by eye, so don’t really measure. My frame of reference is therefore usually spoon size.

 

 

1) Green bean, beetroot and feta salad (this one is Olive magazine)

This is so simple and delicious and looks so pretty. Simply blanch a packet of green beans for 2-3 minutes in boiling water. Quarter some vac-packed beetroot and then crumble over the feta cheese. Dress with a white wine vinaigrette (3/4 oil to ¼ vinegar–ish), I of course add chilli flakes to mine, and some lemon thyme.

 

   2) Artichoke and lemon spaghetti

This is a really light and refreshing pasta dish for summer. No calorific sauces here. Put enough spaghetti for two onto boil. Drain and quarter a tin of artichokes (you can use artichokes from a jar, but I don’t like that they are often drenched in oil). Drain the pasta, reserving a couple of spoons of the water and return to the pan. Add the artichokes, two cloves of crushed garlic, salt, a teaspoon of chilli flakes (or to taste) and the juice of one lemon. Stir through for a minute to heat through. Serve with lots of grated parmesan and lemon thyme and fresh basil. This is a store cupboard saviour.

 

3) Butterbeans and halloumi (this one is Bill's from Cook, Eat, Smile)

     This is one of my favourite dinners. I could eat this all day every day. It is also so simple to prepare. Add a drained tin of kidney beans and one of butter beans to a pan. Add salt and a teaspoon of paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon and 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric and put onto to heat. After a minute or two, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and the juice of half a lemon, 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce and I add a teaspoon of omega 3 seeds (I think Bill suggests some other seed). Let all of this heat though and reduce for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, slice and grill your halloumi. Serve the beans with 3-4 slices of bubbling and brown halloumi. This meal never fails to satisfy my hunger on a cold winter’s night, without the need for any carbs!

 

 

 

4) Yoghurt and feta pasta (in Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem)

I had picked this recipe out of ‘Jerusalem’ as one to try and was re-inspired to make this after our Turkish holiday and sampling the Turkish stuffed pasta dish manti, which is also served in a yoghurt sauce. This is also very simple. Put the pasta (shells in this case) on to cook in salted water. In the meantime blend together 5-6 heaped tablespoons of yoghurt with 2 cloves of garlic and 2-3 heaped tablespoons of peas. Reserve a tablespoon of cooked peas to dress the pasta with. In a frying pan, add a couple of good glugs of olive oil, fry off a teaspoon of chilli flakes and a tablespoon of pine nuts until the pine nuts brown and the oil turns red.

 

 

Add the yoghurt sauce to the drained pasta slowly so it doesn't split, along with the peas and heat through. To serve, drizzle over the chilli sauce and pine nuts; add crumbled feta and plenty of fresh basil. Delicious.

 

If you are a massive Ottolenghi fan like me, you might also find this FT article interesting.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7698ad52-d2ee-11e2-aac2-00144feab7de.html

 

I have to admit... I do Ottolengh!

 

 

5) Cheese and sweet corn fritters.

Cheese and sweet corn is a classic combination, the salty cheddar offset by the sweetness of the corn. Another store cupboard saviour means simply opening a tin of sweet corn (of course frozen or indeed fresh could be used), chopping an onion and grating some cheese. Bind the lot together with a couple of tablespoons of gram flour and enough water to make a pancake batter. I add whatever extra spices or herbs I fancy at the time. Then fry the batter in small circles for a couple of minutes each side until they bubble and brown. I like to eat these with a tangy and refreshing tomato salsa.

This method also works with various other fillings such as leek and feta or tomato and mozzarella.

 

 

The first three are part of Gipsy Spread’s repertoire for when I’m at yoga because of their simplicity; alongside the baked potato dinner. Don’t get me wrong, he does like to cook, but usually not after work. He likes to keep it ‘manly’, his preference being the more time consuming (and messy) likes of pasta making.

 

 

So, moving swiftly from cooking myself to having others cook for me, I’m heading to Cinnamon Soho next week, so will let you know what I find. I have high expectations, already being a fan of the Cinnamon Club in the old Westminister Library. You can get a taster of the menu here http://www.cinnamon-kitchen.com/Soho-Home.