Warm Chicken Liver Salad, Little Welsh 'Rarebites'

Meal 118 - December 31st -  Warm Chicken Liver Salad, Little Welsh 'Rarebites'

I kind of feel like the last few days have been a bit of a microcosm of my 15 minute meal experience as a whole. There have been ups and downs, hits and misses and ultimately I feel a bit like I've been organising my life around my 15 minute meal schedule. I'm not going to miss this blogging malarkey when I'm done... I will continue to make 15 minute meals next year, and I may even continue blogging on some trivial subject or other (there is a bit of satisfaction in it) but no way will I set myself a target of doing something by the end of the year. The number of evenings, weekends and days at work* that have been consumed by blog writing, who knows what I might have achieved had I not had this obligation?

Fettucine, Smoked Trout, Asparagus and Peas

Meal 117 - December 30th - Fettucine, Smoked Trout, Asparagus and Peas
 
Ah pasta. We've had our ups and downs and there have been a few disasters in there, but on the whole I've enjoyed cooking the 15 minute pasta meals. Most of Lolz's low ratings have come not because they've tasted particularly awful (well, maybe that prawn linguine...) but because of the amount the ingredients cost (compared to an average chuck it together pasta dinner) and the amount of washing she is subjected to. From a purely taste perspective (arguably the most important of all perspectives) they've often been above average. Some of my particular favourites have been the broccoli pasta, pasta pesto, chorizo carbonara and the fantastic salsa verde tuna - it's really only been the tomato sauce based ones which have been disappointing.

Avo and Crispy Pancetta

Meal 116 - December 29th - Avo and Crispy Pancetta

Yesterday's shopping trip (well more of a pub trip actually with a quick diversion to Waitrose) may have yielded all the required ingredients for the pork taco meal, but sadly my luck ran out for this, my final breakfast. Normally it's avocado which proves to be my downfall but today it was pancetta that was nowhere to be found. Shame because it seems to be a fairly crucial component here.

Ultimate Pork Tacos, Spicy Black Beans & Avocado Green Salad

Meal 115 - December 28th - Ultimate Pork Tacos, Spicy Black Beans & Avocado Green Salad

Well I tried to convince my family to forego the traditional Christmas dinner in favour of a 15 minute meal but sadly no one seemed too keen and so turkey it was. Credit must to go to the chef (who for once was not me) for a fantastic ensemble and even mother outdid herself with four or five palatable desserts. After a few days of eating and drinking to excess with the family though it was back to normality and we resisted the temptation of the pizza delivery man to crack on with a challenge which now requires me to cook 5 meals in just 4 days if I'm going to see it through.

Spicy Cajun Chicken, Smashed Sweet Potato and Fresh Corn Salsa

Meal 113 - December 22nd - Spicy Cajun Chicken, Smashed Sweet Potato and Fresh Corn Salsa

There are some meals in 15 minute meals which you just know are going to be good - tasty, straightforward to make and something you would do again. They're normally meals where, just by looking at the picture, you have a good idea of how you are going to go about cooking them. It helps if the ingredients are all things you like too. This meal, my penultimate chicken meal which I'd been saving for a day where I needed something that would be easy and good comfort food, certainly ticked the first box - it's a bit of fried chicken cooked in the standard 15 minute fashion (bash in some flavourings, fry) with some mashed potato and veg. Mango chutney is a secret ingredient which Jamie added to mashed sweet potato in a 30 minute meal which worked really well, while the salsa looks like a nice combination of sweet and tangy flavours.

Arnold Bennett Fritata, Foccacia and Emmental Waldorf Salad

Meal 112 - December 22nd - Arnold Bennett Frittata, Foccacia and Emmental Waldorf Salad

With the granola proving to be such a shambles, and having plans for the afternoon, I had no option but to return almost immediately to the kitchen to cook what is effectively the second course of our brunch. With neither of us having eaten much granola though, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I have no idea who Arnold Bennett is or what he has to do with frittatas but this looked like a much more straightforward meal to cook. It didn't go quite according to plan though...

Fantastic Granola, Get Up, Get Fed, Get Gone

Meal 112 - December 22nd - Fantastic Granola, Get Up, Get Fed, Get Gone

According to some cricket folklore, it's extremely bad luck to be on 111 not out. The score is known as The Nelson (after Lord Nelson, for some reason) and supposedly bad things happen on this score - mostly people tend to get out. I'm not too sure of the background to this (Wikipedia, my primary source of knowledge, is rather vague on the subject) and I am of course cooking 15 minute meals rather than playing cricket, but after my successful Asian Fish last night, I am on 111 not out. You just know how this is going to go...

Asian Fish, Miso Noodles and Crunchy Veg

Meal 111 - December 21st - Asian Fish, Miso Noodles and Crunchy Veg
 
So after pigging out for lunch on our camembert parcels, Lolz decided that it would make sense to go for something a bit healthier for dinner and, having downgraded her seafood fussiness from all seafood to just shellfish, decided that this Asian fish number might fit the bill. It was a brave choice as, aside from being quite calorific when you actually look at the small print, it looked kind of weird in the picture. The fish looked greasy and wet and slimy and generally unappetizing.
 

Camembert Parcels, Autumn Salad and Cranberry Dip

Meal 110 - December 21st - Camembert Parcels, Autumn Salad and Cranberry Dip

I'm beginning to get into the Christmas spirit - the tree is up, the shopping is done (just hoping Amazon and co don't let me down with their delivery times), family sleeping arrangements have been decided for next week, we're even going to see It's a Wonderful Life at the cinema tomorrow. A crucial part of Christmas for me though is eating humungous amounts of food, and with that in mind we set off for Sainsbury's (Waitrose was not big enough for today's task) to do the shopping. Half an hour or so later, we'd spent £150 (300 nectar points for me - kerching!) and bought the ingredients for 5 (five) fifteen minute meals. It's going to be a busy weekend...

Steak Medallions, Mushroom Sauce and Spring Greens

Meal 109 - December 15th - Steak Medallions, Mushroom Sauce and Spring Greens

In the last few weeks I've finished off the lamb and sandwich/soup sections of 15 minute meals and today I closed another chapter as I decided to cook the only beef meal left. Sadly it was rather heavy in the mushroom department - a sprinkling of oysters, along with a mushroom sauce - I wouldn't be able to pick the mushrooms out of that one. The good news however was that the recipe did include some rather delicious looking, unadulterated fillet steaks. Oh, and some actual cream! Not natural yoghurt, cottage cheese or any other imposter, no beautiful calorie laden single cream! Jamie must have had a few calories to play around with.

Fruit 'N' Nut Combos, Sweetened Cottage Cheese

Meal 108 - December 15th - Fruit 'N' Nut Combos, Sweetened Cottage Cheese

Sunday morning - a good time to squeeze in a cheeky 15 minute breakfast and strike another one of my list. I actually made this a couple of weeks ago but Lolz was unable to eat it due to her first bout of illness so I thought I'd do it again - an unwritten rule of my challenge is that I have to cook it (well, in this case not really "cook" it exactly) for at least one other person to be able to cross it off!

Lamb Lollipops, Curry Sauce, Rice and Peas

Meal 107 - December 14th - Lamb Lollipops, Curry Sauce, Rice and Peas

Lolz got up very early this morning (well, early for a Saturday) to go and do her Christmas shopping and she assures me that everything she bought was for me, and she let me watch a truly abysmal game of football whilst she did the wrapping up, so I thought it only fair that I treat her to a nice 15 minute meal tonight. I decided to make lamb lollipops (slim pickings now with Lolz and her new found fussiness), which, continuing our recent gastronomic world tour, sounded like it might be taking us to some kind of Willy Wonka spin off business. I was excited and scared.

Chilli Con Carne Meatballs

Meal 106 - December 13th - Chilli Con Carne Meatballs

I'm having a bit of a disastrous December, and not just because I have not yet started my Christmas shopping. Two bouts of sickness has meant, nearly two weeks into the month I have only cooked two 15 minute meals. My grand plan of cooking the remaining sixteen 15 minute meals is in serious jeopardy. It doesn't help that Lolz is now threatening to refuse to eat any more fish meals. Still, at least her stomach is now functioning as normal and she chose this chilli con carne/meatball combo as meal number 106, as we continued our gastronomic world tour, which has already taken us to Mexico, Greece and Morocco in the last couple of weeks...

Moroccan Mussels, Tapenade Toasties and Cucumber Salad

Meal 105 - December 8th - Moroccan Mussels, Tapenade Toasties and Cucumber Salad

Well the good news is, Lolz overcame her sickness in time for a festive trip to York. Foodie highlights included Fat Rascals and afternoon tea at Betty's (those who are not of a northern persuasion or have never been to York will obviously have no idea what I'm talking about). The bad news is, I am now drastically behind in my attempt to get this challenge done before big ben strikes midnight on January 1st. I've got 15 meals to do in just 24 days. Since we still had many of the ingredients left over from last weekend, Lolz bravely agreed to give the Moroccan mussels a go (with a fresh batch of mussels of course) - how unlucky would you have to be to get food poisoning twice in 8 days?!

Modern Greek Salad, Spinach, Chickpea and Feta Parcels

Meal 104 - December 3rd - Modern Greek Salad, Spinach, Chickpea and Feta Parcels

So as a result of Lolz's mussel induced bout of sickness what was supposed to be a weekend of three 15 minute meals turned into a weekend with just one 15 minute meal. Unfortunately, one of the two cancelled meals (for which I had already bought ingredients) was the Moroccan mussels which unsurprisingly Lolz wasn't too keen on. So I set about finding another meal in the book for which the ingredients were similar, which is quite a challenge when you only have 16 left to do.

Mexican Tomato Soup, Chilli Nachos, Veggie and Feta Sprinkles

Meal 103 - November 30th - Mexican Tomato Soup, Chilli Nachos, Veggie and Feta Sprinkles

You'd be forgiven for thinking that I've taken my foot off the gas in my 15 minute meal challenge as it has been a while since I posted anything. And you'd kind of be right, as circumstances have been dictating my schedule recently. Today's Mexican tomato soup was supposed to be the first of three meals this weekend, as I looked to take advantage of a rare weekend at home. Unfortunately things did not go quite according to plan...

Mexican Chicken, Wicked Mole Sauce, Rice and Veg

Meal 102 - November 27th - Mexican Chicken, Wicked Mole Sauce, Rice and Veg

There's an episode of Friends where Rachel attempts to make a trifle. Unfortunately, in the recipe book she is working from, two pages have got stuck together and so her trifle ends up being half shepherds pie, with alternating layers of beef, peas and gravy and custard and jam. Hilarity obviously ensues. Today I found myself in Waitrose buying ingredients which included cumin, spring onion, peanut butter, garlic, chocolate, banana, lemon and cocoa powder. I thought nothing of it, assuming they would not all be for the same recipe.

Baked Whole Trout, Jersey Royals, Peas and Mustard Sauce

Meal 101 - November 25th - Baked Whole Trout, Jersey Royals, Peas and Mustard Sauce

The half marathon went well thanks, a solid 1h 38. To achieve that I'd had to consume a mouthwatering cocktail of pasta, porridge, bananas, lucozade and energy gels (not all at the same time obviously) and followed that up with a post race burger and big fry up the following morning. It was time to get back to eating some normal food, and after a 15 minute meal-less weekend, time to return to the challenge. My book is starting to look rather battered and there aren't many recipes that are yet to be crossed off the list but I'd had my eye on this trout recipe for a while and with the day off work, knew we could get to the fishmongers to buy some good quality fish.

Salsa Verde Tuna, Sicilian Tomato & Pasta Salad

Meal 100 - November 21st - Salsa Verde Tuna, Sicilian Tomato & Pasta Salad

So I've made it to a hundred. There have been times over the last few months where I thought I wouldn't get to this point but I've definitely got back on track. Circumstance (Sunday's half marathon) dictated that this landmark would be marked with a pasta dish and although it's a chapter where appearances have sometimes been deceptive, this one looked like it had all the individual components to make my dream come true. Fresh tuna is after all one of the most amazing ingredients on the planet and, accompanied by a zingy salsa and some fresh, colourful Mediterranean inspired salad, I couldn't really see what could go wrong. Famous last words?

Chicken Cacciatore, Spaghetti and Smoky Tomato Sauce

Meal 99 - November 19th - Chicken Cacciatore, Spaghetti and Smoky Tomato Sauce

Thick and fast these 15 minute meals are coming now. If I'm not cooking them I'm writing about them and if I'm not writing about them... well... I should be. I seem to constantly be about three posts behind where I actually am - I'm writing this about a week after I cooked it. But I guess that's what happens when it gets to the point where I have to pretty much cook a meal every other day in order to complete the challenge. I hope Lolz isn't expecting a crazy New Years Eve - on December 31st I'll be cooking my way through whatever is still left to do and so our midnight champagne may well be accompanied by some steak medallions or camembert parcels or one of the other 20 meals I have yet to cook...

Beef Stroganoff, Fluffy Rice, Red Onion and Parsley Pickle

Meal 98 - November 17th - Beef Stroganoff, Fluffy Rice, Red Onion and Parsley Pickle

After all my Saturday exertions, Sunday was a predictably quiet day. I was hoping (and felt that I fully deserved) to spend the entire day in my pyjamas, but sadly Lolz foiled this plan by insisting that I go out and do the shopping. On my list was a couple of lovely sirloin steaks - normally a surefire way to ensure a good mark from Lolz (the crazy Korean fried rice and steak meal was the first 15 minute meal with sirloin steak that scored less than a 9).

Butterflied Sardines, Tuscan Bread Salad

Meal 97 - November 15th - Butterflied Sardines, Tuscan Bread Salad

It's Friday today. Most people will be looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend, but not me. I have a cold, I have to get up at 5:45 tomorrow morning to go to work, and I need to fit in a decent run. This doesn't really have any bearing on tonight's 15 minute meal, I just felt the need to vent a little bit. But anyway, in spite of everything I have to look forward to tomorrow (or perhaps because of - I sure as hell won't want to do any cooking then) I decided to make it a 15 minute meal Friday, and we had butterflied sardines and Tuscan bread salad on the menu.

Thai Chicken Laksa, Mildly Spiced Noodle Squash Broth

Meal 96 - November 12th - Thai Chicken Laksa, Mildly Spiced Noodle Squash Broth

Unlike many others, I can't help but feel the title of this meal is selling it short a bit - no sizzling or mighty or flashy or killer or crackin', just mildly spiced. It's almost apologetic. But to be honest everything about this dish looked appealing to me. The chicken in particular looked reminiscent of a certain sticky kicking chicken, and the soup, although not something I'd normally have on a weeknight, looked chunky and flavourful enough to just about fill me up. Plus the soup we'd had last week proved to be a massive winner.

Minestrone, Poached Chicken & Salsa Verde

Meal 95 - November 7th - Minestrone, Poached Chicken & Salsa Verde

Being a man with a rather healthy appetite, I wouldn't normally consider making soup as an evening meal. I need carbs, calories and dollop of saturated fat. Flavoured water doesn't cut it. But, Lolz had a cold and it was a pretty grim night, and to be honest, this looked like it had a bit more about it than your average can of Baxter's... "souped up" you could say... so I thought I'd give it a go.

Pesto Spaghetti, Lemon Steamed Fish

Meal 94 - November 5th - Pesto Spaghetti, Lemon Steamed Fish

I have a dream. It's not quite as profound as Martin Luther King's. To be honest it's not even as profound as Abba's. I dream simply that one day Lolz will give a pasta dish a 9/10. I'm not that greedy - I don't need a 10 - just a score which elevates one of these dishes above the level of mediocrity. I'd even take an 8 to be honest. But I'm running out of time and recipes - just four pasta dishes separate me from now and the end of the year.

Seared Asian Tuna, Coconut Rice & Jiggy Jiggy Greens

Meal 93 - November 3rd - Seared Asian Tuna, Coconut Rice & Jiggy Jiggy Greens

I've been feeling a bit like the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest lately - seriously lacking in the points department. It's not quite been "nul points", and I don't know if it's because Lolz has been getting annoyed with all the washing up or if the meals just genuinely haven't been that good as earlier in the year or if I'm just off my game, but the scores really have been weak. I've not had a 9 since September. I've not had a 10 since the summer (which to be fair sounds like longer ago than it actually was). Anyway I'm due a good score and these Asian themed meals have mostly been good so perhaps today is the day I'll get my mojo back.

Lamb Kofte, Pitta & Greek Salad

Meal 92 - October 31st - Lamb Kofte, Pitta & Greek Salad

I can't claim to have the biggest collection of JO recipe books (currently just the four) but I do like to have a bit of a flick through from time to time, and when I'm in a bookshop I'll often pick up another one and see what I'm missing. As a result you do see certain dishes which run through the back catalogue. There's sausage pasta, a version of which seems to appear in every Jamie book. There's braised peas and lettuce, the 15 minute version of which I'm yet to actually do. Today I'm doing Greek salad, perhaps not really a Jamie signature dish, but it's one of my fave recipes in the "Jamie does..." book and so inevitably, I'm going to compare them.

Korean Fried Rice, Steak, Mushrooms and Pickles

Meal 91 - October 29th - Korean Fried Rice, Steak, Mushrooms and Pickles

Sirloin steak is one of those ingredients where you just don't want to faff about with it too much. There's a reason why most restaurants serve it - and most recipes tell you to cook it - as simply as possible: it is melt-in-the-mouth delicious. As long as you don't mess around too much, you can't really go too far wrong. Which boded (bade?) well because this dish looked mental.

Classic Cheese & Mushroom - Viva La Toastie

Meal 90 - October 27th - Classic Cheese & Mushroom - Viva La Toastie

I think the mark of a true chef (other than Michelin stars - and I'm probably still a few years off that level) is an ability to change a recipe depending on circumstances. To be able to freestyle a little depending on what is in your fridge, or what mood you are in. Today's breakfast (our fourth and final toastie) was supposed to be a classic cheese and mushroom but instead turned out to be a classic cheese. Lolz didn't want to buy a whole box of mushrooms when the recipe only called for three and I was only too happy to agree.

Rosemary Chicken, Grilled Polenta & Porcini Tomato Sauce

Meal 89 - October 26th - Rosemary Chicken, Grilled Polenta & Porcini Tomato Sauce

I feel like I've mentioned my spreadsheet quite a lot recently in this blog. It's basically a list of all the meals I've cooked so far, cross referenced with the chapter in which the meal is found and the score Lolz gave it. It means I can work out the average score per chapter and other wildly exciting statistics. I have also written some formulas which mean that every time I add a meal to the list, it works out what percentage of that chapter I have made. Prior to today, my spreadsheet was telling me that the chicken chapter was lagging behind with only 69% completed.

Chorizo Carbonara, Catalan Market Salad

Meal 88 - October 24th - Chorizo Carbonara, Catalan Market Salad

I've not had much luck when it's come to cooking these 15 minute meals in, well, 15 minutes. My unofficial record is probably somewhere just over 15 minutes, but my average is probably hovering around the 25 minute mark (with a couple of anomalies clocking in at an embarrassing 45-ish minutes - curse those sage dumplings). Today I would be stepping things up by attempting to cook this chorizo carbonara during the half time break of a football match I was watching. The stakes were high - I don't like missing the start of the second half. And it would be an important test of the much maligned pasta dishes - could I prove to Lolz finally that they can be cooked as quickly and easily as any other midweek pasta meal?

Prawn Cocktail, King Prawns & Sun-Dried Pan Bread

Meal 87 - October 20th - Prawn Cocktail, King Prawns & Sun-Dried Pan Bread

Ah prawn cocktail. Conjures up images of Fanny Cradock and 80s dinner parties, where it would be followed by duck a l'orange and blackforest gateau. Back in those days, it would probably be served in a stemmed cocktail glass, with a few prawns on a bed of iceberg lettuce, smothered in a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise (masquerading of course as the much posher sounding Marie Rose sauce), with a wedge of lemon.

Chorizo & Squid, Greek Style Couscous Salad

Meal 86 - October 17th - Chorizo & Squid, Greek Style Couscous Salad

You could argue that squid deserves it's own chapter in 15 minute meals. Not just because it isn't a fish, but because it has three meals to it's name - not bad for a rather marginalised member of the seafood community. I had never actually cooked squid before starting this challenge - now I can say I have griddled it, made it into "squidballs" and today I would be completing the trilogy by frying it with chorizo and peppers. And this looked like it would be the best of the three...

Squash Soup, Sagey Chestnut Dumplings

Meal 85 - October 13th - Squash Soup, Sagey Chestnut Dumplings

It's been a while since I last did a soup/ sarnie 15 minute meal, and, lo and behold, my spreadsheet told me it was time to rectify that particular problem. It turns out I've done all the sandwiches, so, with the weather conveniently cold, grey and miserable I turned to the soups. We got some squash in our veg box, so decided to have a go at this one.

Crispy Duck, Hoi Sin Lettuce Parcels

Meal 84 - October 10th - Crispy Duck, Hoi Sin Lettuce Parcels

And you thought it was just chicken, beef, pork, lamb, fish, pasta, veggie, soups and sarnies? Nope, hiding at the back of the chicken section is this 15 minute version of the Chinese restaurant favourite, which I thought I would have a "quack" at tonight...

White Fish Tagine, Carrot, Mint and Clementine Salad

Meal 83 - October 8th - White Fish Tagine, Carrot, Mint and Clementine Salad

I've recently started a new job which brings with it many perks. One is that I earn more money. Another is that I get home in time to watch Pointless. I can also now make it to the fishmongers before they close on a weekday. So why not kick off a new era of 15 minute meals with a good old fish dish?

Mushroom Farfalle, Blue Cheese, Hazelnut & Apple Salad

Meal 82 - October 3rd - Mushroom Farfalle, Blue Cheese, Hazelnut & Apple Salad

My last meal was a success not just because it was surprisingly tasty, but because it was really quick and easy - the end result didn't match the work that went into it. The same can often be said of the pasta dishes, although in a very different way - the end result has often been disappointing compared to the amount of effort involved. And so it was with some despair that I looked my spreadsheet and was told that I should be cooking a pasta dish today. In the end I decided to grab the bull by the horns and use it as an opportunity to strike off my list the one 15 minute meal I've really been dreading cooking - the mushroom farfalle.

Glazed Sizzling Chops, Sweet Tomato & Asparagus Lasagnetti

Meal 81 - October 1st - Glazed Sizzling Chops, Sweet Tomato & Asparagus Lasagnetti

Although many of my 15 minute meal choices are dictated by what is in the fridge or what mood we are in, I have been trying to rotate around the various chapters so that I don't run out of chicken dishes by mid-October or still have 8 fish to do in December. I actually rigged up a spreadsheet to tell me what percentage of each chapter I had left to cook (I love a good spreadsheet) and it told me that it was time for some lamb.

Blackened Chicken, San Fran Quinoa Salad

Meal 80 - September 28th - Blackened Chicken, San Fran Quinoa Salad

In a moment of potentially disastrous judgement, several months ago Lolz and I signed up to the Ealing Half Marathon, either forgetting or ignoring the fact that it would be happening just days after my sister's wedding. In a typical week prior to a half marathon, I would ensure I was well hydrated by drinking lots of water, I'd ease off the alcohol, go for a couple of short, easy runs, and do a bit of carb loading in the few days prior to the race. Unfortunately this tried an tested regime was abandoned in favour of lots of meat, booze, dancing and general unhealthiness. Lolz had conveniently sustained an injury forcing her to pull out of the race by this point but, I, being much more hard core, would be seeing it through. After getting home from the pub on Saturday afternoon, I decided it was time for a healthy pre-race meal. I opted for this salad, full of quinoa, spinach, lean chicken and other energy-boosting goodness.

Moroccan Bream, Couscous, Pomegranate and Harissa

Meal 79 - September 25th - Moroccan Bream, Couscous, Pomegranate and Harissa

A weekend away forced a brief hiatus on my 15 minute meal challenge but it was nonetheless a weekend with several noteworthy events of the culinary kind. We were headed down to Cornwall for my sister's wedding and being a journey of several hundred miles, we stopped en route several times. The first stop was at a service station in a town called Wincanton, for petrol. We popped into the adjoining Morrison's for a bit of liquid refreshment and I couldn't believe what I saw. Let me just explain first of all that Wincanton is a small town with a population of about four thousand. According to the Wikitravel website, it's third most popular attraction is the A303 bypass. Morrison's, meanwhile, is generally regarded a fairly downmarket chain of supermarket. And yet in this Morrison's in sleepy Wincanton I was greeted by an array of fresh fruit and veg to rival even the finest supermarket we came across in the Loire Valley a couple of months ago. It even had a little sprinkler system to keep the produce refreshed.

Green Tea Salmon, Coconut Rice and Miso Greens

Meal 78 - September 17th - Green Tea Salmon, Coconut Rice and Miso Greens

I don't often venture east on my holidays but a few years ago I went to Japan where I got to experience all the culinary weird-and-wonderful-ness that they have to offer. My staple diet on that trip, like that of most Japanese people, was rice, noodles and soup. There were however two paticular things that stick out in my mind. One is staying at a ryokan in Kyoto where the proprietor (who was also the chef) insisted on cooking us a "Western" style breakfast every morning. His interpretation of a Western style breakfast would be, for example, a boiled egg with some chopped tomato and a side of sliced apple. Individually, all the elements would be quite typical "western" foods, but they would be things that you would never typically put together. Despite all the amazing, fresh, cheap sushi I ate, those breakfasts were probably the culinary highlight of the trip. The other is that everything seemed to be available in green tea flavour.

Chicken Tikka, Lentil, Spinach and Naan Salad

Meal 77 - September 14th - Chicken Tikka, Lentil, Spinach and Naan Salad

To be honest I'm not sure whether my cooking has really improved over the course of this year but I have certainly learned a few things. One is to cook the "Jamie Oliver way": multitasking, battling the clock, showing a little flamboyance but complete disregard for whoever will be doing the washing up. I have also become very well acquainted with my local supermarket - things like tikka paste, lentils, cashew nuts - I can find them with my eyes closed. If only Supermarket Sweep hadn't ended back in 2007 - I'd have been nailed on for the jackpot. Although that would have meant interacting with Dale Winton.

Winter Squash Penne, Mint & Avocado Chopped Salad

Meal 76 - September 10th - Winter Squash Penne, Mint & Avocado Chopped Salad

It's not quite winter admittedly but I've taken to donning a jacket when I go to work and I make the rules so decided to have a bash at this wintery pasta recipe. We'd also received what was apparently a "pattipan squash" in our veg box and I thought I could substitute that in for the butternut squash. Upon further investigation, the pattipan variety is actually quite different to the butternut equivalent and is in fact more like a courgette, but I'm beyond worrying about such details so decided to press on regardless. To be fair this was another of the notorious "book exclusives" so god only knows how it might turn out.

Jerk Pork, Grilled Corn and Crunch Tortilla Salad

Meal 75 - September 5th - Jerk Pork, Grilled Corn and Crunch Tortilla Salad

Other than dousing my chips in reggae reggae sauce, I couldn't really say that my cooking up to now has ventured much into the realm of the Caribbean. It's not that I don't like it - Jamie's Jerk Chicken recipe was one of my favourites in the 30 minute meals book - it just doesn't really get a lot of coverage over here. So I was quite excited to try out this 15 minute meal version and see whether it would really cut the mustard - or cut the scotch bonnet if you like.

Simple Spaghetti, Tomato, Basil and Creamy Curd Salad

Meal 74 - September 2nd - Simple Spaghetti, Tomato, Basil and Creamy Curd Salad

I'm a big fan of simplicity, in both a culinary sense and as a life choice. Unfortunately though, as a result of technicalities such as having to earn a living, pay taxes, plan for the future etc etc the latter is rarely possible. In the kitchen though, it's a different matter - anyone, regardless of emotional, mental or psychological clutter, can achieve culinary simplicity by using good quality, fresh ingredients and cooking them in the least complex way possible. This seemed to be the thinking behind this latest pasta meal I would be cooking.

Sticky Squid Balls, Grilled Prawns and Noodle Broth

Meal 73 - September 1st - Sticky Squid Balls, Grilled Prawns and Noodle Broth

September for me has always been a bit of a watershed month. It signifies the end of the summer holidays. The weather gets cooler, the days shorter. The countdown to Christmas begins. It's normally around this time I start to think (cue the miniature violins) of all my unfulfilled new years resolutions and what I still want to do before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. Today, I am particularly thinking of the 47 15 minute meals I still need to cook, at the rate of almost 12 per month. Given that I have never cooked more than 10 in a month, things are not looking promising. I was actually hoping to squeeze one more 15 minute meal into August in order to beat this record but unfortunately, my plan was scuppered by a night of semi-impromptu drinking, which ended with a trip to the chippie and a chicken shish kebab.

Golden Scallops, Sun-Blush Mash and Greens

Meal 72 - August 28th - Golden Scallops, Sun-Blush Mash and Greens

There are some recipes in the 15 minute meals book which, for whatever reason, have been deemed unfit for the TV show. This includes all the breakfast recipes, eight fish recipes and an assortment of others. Some of them are a bit weird. There's that Mexican Salad for instance which stretches the definition of "meal" a bit. The Mustard Lamb which was wrong on various levels. Most of them have a hint of afterthought about them and I wonder whether they really are the creative fruits of JO himself or whether some office bod just dreamed them up after deciding the book needed padding out a bit more. This particular recipe looked like it had been thrown together by a work experience kid.

Falafel Wraps, Grilled Veg and Salsa

Meal 71 - August 25th - Falafel Wraps, Grilled Veg and Salsa

Is it me or do some 15 minute meals bear a rather striking resemblance to each other? We decided to cook this one because we had a few of the ingredients already in our cupboards, but it turns out that the reason for this is that they are almost identical to the fajitas we cooked the other day: grilled veg? Check. Salsa? Check. Wholewheat tortillas? Check. The only real difference was the falafels, which were not drastically different to the veggie burgers I made recently. This was not a good sign - those veggie burgers were mediocre at best.

Sizzling Chicken Fajitas, Grilled Peppers, Salsa, Rice and Beans

Meal 70 - August 23rd - Sizzling Chicken Fajitas, Grilled Peppers, Salsa, Rice and Beans

It's Friday again, bank holiday weekend again and another opportunity to tick a few more 15 minute meals off my list. For some reason I haven't done any chicken meals for over two months so I decided to fix that anomaly by attempting these sizzling fajitas. Fajitas are something which I used to cook on a semi regular basis, particularly as a quick, risk free option to cook for friends, but to be honest I always used pre-made fajita spice mix - I've never really considered the DIY option. According to Jamie, that DIY option consists merely of a heaped teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika. Have I been wasting my money on this pre-made stuff all this time, or is this Jamie equivalent overly simplified in order to save time, money and calories?

Seared Asian Beef, Best Noodle Salad and Ginger Dressing

Meal 69 - August 20th - Seared Asian Beef, Best Noodle Salad and Ginger Dressing

I love a good surprise. Like when you find a fiver in your pocket that you didn't know was there. Or when someone brings cake into the office. Today I was not expecting great things from this seared Asian beef meal. The picture made it look like someone had been on a bit of a rampage around a greengrocers and chucked together whatever they could find, along with some noodles and rump steak. There was nothing about it which made me think it would have any wow factor.

Crab Bolognese and Crunch Fennel Salad

Meal 68 - August 17th - Crab Bolognese and Crunch Fennel Salad

This weekend marks the return of Premier League  and I'm writing this post just as THFC kick off their opening match against Crystal Palace. I'm a little nervous - Palace are newly promoted and are most people's favourites for relegation but Tottenham have a knack of cocking things up. Anyway, speaking of cocking things up, I decided to attempt another crab dish, just a couple of weeks after my last one, which, I'm sure you'll remember was a disaster.

Happy Cow Burgers, Old-School Coleslaw and Corn on the Cob

Meal 67 - August 14th - Happy Cow Burgers, Old-School Coleslaw and Corn on the Cob

I have no problem with vegetarians or vegetarianism (what with our weekly veg box I have actually come to embrace it this year) but have never really felt any desire to become a full-time veggie. This is partly due to a lack of imagination. I would probably eat a lot of lettuce, beans on toast and Linda McCartney sausages. Perhaps an omelette if I was feeling adventurous. I'd probably miss out on a plethora of crucial vitamins and minerals. Secondly, I have always been mildly disturbed by the way that some food manufacturers make vegetarian foods look like their meat based equivalent. I've been to Thai buffet restaurants that make tofu look like bits of chicken in a stir fry. They even pump it with some dodgy vegetarian flavourings to make it taste like the real thing.

Greek Style Toastie - Hot Sandwich Heaven

Meal 66 - August 11th - Greek Style Toastie - Hot Sandwich Heaven

With a trip to the phenomenal Burger and Lobster planned for this afternoon, breakfast would be very much taking a back seat on the eating front today - an amuse bouche to the main event if you will. Still, we would need something to see us through the afternoon and thought that this toastie might do the job. If it was anywhere near as good as the smoked salmon and egg toastie we would be in for a treat.

Mexican Salad, Charred Avo and Popcorn Beans

Meal 65 - August 10th - Mexican Salad, Charred Avo and Popcorn Beans

There is obviously quite a variety of meals in the 15 minute meals book. Some have been real 15 minute wonders. Some however have not taken 15 minutes. And some are just not meals. Case in point: this Mexican salad.

Ricotta Fritters, Tomato Sauce and Courgette Salad

Meal 64 - August 7th - Ricotta Fritters, Tomato Sauce and Courgette Salad

Weekday evening time has been at a premium lately and this lack of midweek 15 minute meals is putting my challenge in serious peril. Today I had to get up at 5:30 for an early start at work so wasn't exactly feeling top of my game. So surely I'd choose a meal which was a guaranteed winner right? Err, no - I handed meal choice responsibilities to Lolz who chose a mushroom heavy veggie number which looked like it could easily go wrong.

The Best Fish Baps, Mushy Peas and Tartare Sauce

Meal 63 - August 3rd - The Best Fish Baps, Mushy Peas and Tartare Sauce

It's a sunny Saturday afternoon and, rather than our regular Saturday evening 15 minute meal, I decided to make an impromptu lunch before we head to the park to catch some rays and drink some ale. You may remember that my last attempt at a fish dish was a bit of a disaster so, rather than let that memory linger and cloud my views on the 15 minute meals fish section which has, on the whole, been excellent, I decided to dive right back in and tackle the issue head on. (How many fishing puns can you spot there!)

Avo and Egg on Toast

Meal 62 - July 28th - Avo and Egg on Toast

As a bit of a perfectionist I was quite disappointed by last night's Crab Brik debacle. I needed to rediscover my form and fast. Rather fortunately, on yesterday's shopping trip, we had also bought ingredients for breakfast - thus presenting a perfect opportunity to erase the memory of Crab-Brik-Gate and have a delicious breakfast in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, though, poached eggs is not exactly my forte. I'd tried various techniques before, from the Delia method (shallow water, simmer for one minute, then rest for 10 minutes) to "Poachets" (another Lakeland invention) and never quite got it right. Jamie's own instructions are scarily vague but he does advise swirling the water as you crack in the egg. This proves extremely difficult for someone like myself who has not yet mastered the one handed crack technique.

Crackin' Crab Briks, Couscous Salad and Salsa

Meal 61 - July 27th - Crackin' Crab Briks, Couscous Salad and Salsa

I'm not going to beat around the bush here - this was a f*cking disaster. Allow me to set the scene...

Superb Box Grater Fruit Salad

Meal 60 - July 21st - Superb Box Grater Salad

The 15 minute meals book contains a whole chapter of breakfasts which aren't included on the TV show. They're not supposed to take 15 minutes but on the whole they have been clever, tasty and straightforward recipes that I would do again. I can't help but feel a little dubious of this fruit salad though. Aside from the fact that a fruit salad is not a breakfast I don't understand why the fruit needs to be grated. It's as if Jamie decided that the bog standard fruit salad was not exciting enough to be 15 minute meal worthy so he rummaged around in his kitchen cupboard until he found a suitable utensil to funk it up. I said funk it up.

Smoked Salmon, Potato and Asparagus Salad

Meal 59 - July 20th - Smoked Salmon, Potato and Asparagus Salad

Jamie seems to be quite big on fish. A few years ago I remember he did a TV show called "Jamie's Fish Supper", where basically he was bigging up a variety of underused fish, like coley, pouting and dab. Here in 15 minute meals, not only is the fish section by far the biggest in the book, but it features some 17 different species. I've been ticking off the dishes as I go but it just feels like this fish section is never ending.

Quick Lamb Tagine, Pan-Fried Aubergine and Cumin Crunch

Meal 58 - July 17th - Quick Lamb Tagine, Pan-Fried Aubergine and Cumin Crunch

Being the busy city dwellers that we are, it's been hard to find time lately to cook many 15 minute meals, let alone write about them. The summer has finally arrived in London and with it has come a variety of social events and al fresco temptations. I guess it's lucky I'm not doing 30 minute meals!

Mexican BLT, Chillies, Guacamole and Salad

Meal 57 - July 14th - Mexican BLT, Chillies, Guacamole and Salad

Although not an academic superstar, I did gain some renown at university, amongst my flat mates at least, for my sandwich making ability. My repertoire was not huge - in fact it only contained one sandwich: a double decker featuring three slices of toasted bread smothered in (probably full fat) mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, bacon and chunks of chicken. There may have been some cheese in there on occasion. It was neither healthy nor refined but was great for a hangover and at one point I decided once I graduate I would show off my cooking skills by opening an establishment called Big G's Pie Shack. Unfortunately though, probably due to my limited sandwich repertoire, not to mention my lack of pie making ability, the venture never got off the ground.

Griddled Tuna Kinda Nicoise Salad

Meal 56 - July 12th - Griddled Tuna Kinda Nicoise Salad

I don't want to really be turning this into a travel blog (maybe that'll be next years project) but I couldn't write this post without saying anything about our recent trip to the Loire Valley. Despite the rustic, laid back (not to mention foodie-friendly) surroundings it was a surprisingly active holiday as I successfully persuaded Lolz to explore the area on bike, canoe and foot. There was certainly no calorie deficit however - the excellent breakfast provided by our B&B set the tone for the day. This would be followed by lots of bread and cheese, and the occasional crepe, galette or ice cream and a two or three course meal in the evening. That's not to mention the wine - local producers seem desperate to get you in their doors and are only too happy to let you quaff away at all their different varieties to help you choose what to buy.

Where am I?

Bonjour mes amis! As you may have gathered, I am taking a short hiatus from my 15 minute meal challenge as I enjoy a summer holiday in sunny Loire Valley, France. In between all the crepes, croissants and Chenin blanc, we have visited some shops where I found a veritable treasure trove of tomatoes. Just take a look at this...

I'll be buying some of those before I head home.

Au revoir et a bientot!

Beef Chimichurri, New Potatoes and Crunch Salad

Meal 55 - June 27th - Beef Chimichurri, New Potatoes and Crunch Salad

With Lolz off on what she insists will not be a drunken weekend tomorrow, this will be my last 15 minute meal of the month, and therefore my last one before we hit the second half of the year. With 55 down and still 64 to go I'm a little behind schedule but nothing a few indulgent, 15 minute meal heavy weekends won't solve. In the six months I've been going so far, I've cooked 7 chicken dishes, 8 beef, 4 pork, 3 lamb, 9 fish, 6 pasta, 3 soups and sarnies, 5 veggie and 9 breakfasts. There have been hits (Asian Sea Bass) and misses (Prawn Linguine). I've experienced cooking with new ingredients, learned new cooking techniques and discovered whole new places to shop. Who knows what surprises the second half of the year will have in store?

Tapas Bruschetta, Golden Grilled Sardines

Meal 54 - June 23rd - Tapas Bruschetta, Golden Grilled Sardines

Here in England, we play a game called cricket. Basically, the bowler hurls the ball toward the batter who tries to play away a fine leg. He endeavours to score by dashing between the creases, provided the wicket keeper hasn’t whipped his bails off. Games can last for up to 5 days, so the players break for tea in the mid afternoon, during which they traditionally eat cucumber sandwiches. Today England are competing in a rare final (well they will be if the bloody rain stops!) and so what better occasion to break out this very summery looking DIY type open sandwich thingy? There may not be any cucumber involved but the picnicy element is very cricket friendly.

Smoked Salmon & Egg - Hot Sandwich Heaven

Meal 53 - June 22nd - Smoked Salmon & Egg - Hot Sandwich Heaven

My love of toasties and the utter mess I made of Sweet Naughty Beginning meant that I was really up for this smoked salmon and egg sandwich - a perfect Saturday morning breakfast. This time I would be showing my Breville who is boss.

Black Bean Beef Burgers, Noodles and Pickle Salad

Meal 52 - June 21st - Black Bean Beef Burgers, Noodles and Pickle Salad

Well I'm pleased to report that we did successfully make it to Brighton last weekend. Fuelled by the Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad and Lolz's pear tart, not to mention an army of Jelly Babies, we negotiated rain, shine, hills, bike jams and even some brake issues before we caught sight of Brighton beach at around 6:30. It wasn't quite 15 minute meals standard but I think I'd thoroughly earned the greasy chicken and chips from the beachfront caff which I ate before heading home (in the car, obviously, although Lolz did make me drive). A busy week meant this was my first post bike ride opportunity to return to my 15 minute meal challenge and with various other trips away over the next few weeks I knew I'd have to make this weekend count - I will be aiming to add three meals to my tally before returning to work on Monday.

Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad

Meal 51 - June 15th - Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad

Regular readers of my blog may be wondering why it's been almost two weeks since my last post. Have I become lazy? Have I succumbed to the temptations of the chippie down the road? Have I fallen victim to some gruesome food processor related accident? Well no (well, strictly, I have succumbed to the chippie a couple of times), I have been away on a business/pleasure trip to Northern Ireland. Without digressing from the main point of my blog for too long, I will quickly say that it is a beautiful part of the world and Belfast, amongst all the other many things it has going for it, is home to the Ginger Bistro - one of the best and least pretentious restaurants I have been to in a long time. Somehow, over the course of the 6 days I was away, I managed to consume seven cooked breakfasts. Not only that, but on Sunday I am due to be taking part in the 55 mile London to Brighton cycle ride . To successfully complete the ride I would have to conquer the gruelling Ditchling Beacon - a 4 km slog up a winding country road to the third highest point in the South Downs. It's not quite the Tour de France but something healthy would definitely be required.

Pasta Pesto, Garlic and Rosemary Chicken

Meal 50 - June 4th - Pasta Pesto, Garlic and Rosemary Chicken

It was with some trepidation that I reboarded the pasta train as my last trip took me to Prawn-Linguine-Ville - a destination that lay somewhere between the uninspired and the downright scary. I was planning to cook seared asian beef and best noodle salad but was foiled by my inability to find alfalfa sprouts (or, for that matter, establish exactly what they were) and this was a hastily chosen back up option. I was encouraged however by the fact that the dish required just two pans and one platter - no faffing about with side salads or breadcrumb sprinkles -  and also had fond memories of the only other pesto pasta dish I cooked, the "inventive and brilliant" (© One Man and His Food Processor) Broccoli Pasta.

Purple Super Smoothie

Meal 49 - June 2nd - Purple Super Smoothie

I said I was kick-starting my challenge and with this, my third "meal" of the weekend, I was doing so with a vengeance. I had some fairly ripe pairs left over from our last veg box, so although this would be the end of the smoothie repertoire, I thought it would be a good recipe to do, especially as I was taking Lolz on a bike ride in the afternoon and she would need some invigorating.

Sweet Naughty Beginning - Hot Sandwich Heaven

Meal 48 - June 2nd - Sweet Naughty Beginning

There's a shop in the UK called Lakeland, which some people (specifically their marketing/branding people and Lolz, who bought a fancy citrus zester from them the other day) say is the home of creative kitchenware. Others would say it's home of pointless crap which clutters your kitchen. I stand somewhere in the middle, but some five years or so ago I came across, via Lakeland, a toastie bag which at the time I thought was the most genius invention ever. It meant you could basically make a regular sandwich, put it into the bag, and then toast it in a regular toaster to create an authentic toastie! Genius. My awe of the product was however mitigated by the fact that I had not had a toastie prior to this for a good ten years. Back then we used to have cheddar and pineapple toasties, which I seem to remember being a formative part of my upbringing. The reality is these toastie bags merely toast the bread and heat it's contents - a lazy man's replica of the genuine article.

Sticky Kicking Chicken, Watermelon Radish Salad and Crunchy Noodles

Meal 47 - June 1st - Sticky Kicking Chicken, Watermelon Radish Salad and Crunchy Noodles

Although I would never claim to be any kind of technological pioneer, I must say that I was surprised with the number of "cook your way through a cook book" type blogs that exist on the internet. Probably the most famous, which I have only discovered since starting this challenge, is that belonging to Julie Powell. She apparently cooked her way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in 2002. The blog does not appear to exist any more, but has been made famous by the movie "Julie and Julia". I haven't seen the movie but since learning of it I have been pondering various things. How, for instance, did she manage to eat all 524 dishes that she cooked? Was she eating Beef Bourguignon for breakfast? Did she have someone to do her washing up after her? Who will play me in a movie when Hollywood come calling?

Grilled Cajun Prawns, Sweet Potato Mash and Holy Trinity Veg

Meal 46 - May 25th - Grilled Cajun Prawns, Sweet Potato Mash and Holy Trinity Veg

This week, Lolz bumped into Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace on the tube. I say "bumped in to" - apparently he got into her carriage, she smiled at him awkwardly and proceeded to Tweet about it. It's not unusual to celeb spot in London - I once bumped into The Hoff in Brent Cross shopping centre* but what is was surprising is that Gregg retweeted her. Rather than be concerned about the fact that he ends up dating most women who tweet him I decided that this was a sure sign that BBC bigwigs and experts in the culinary industry have spotted my cooking/blogging talent and I would shortly be securing some celebrity endorsements and, possibly, my own TV show.

Sweet and Sour Veggies, Szechuan Eggy Rice & Crunch Salad

Meal 45 - Sweet and Sour Veggies, Szechuan Eggy Rice & Crunch Salad

In a rather comedic moment on Friday night Lolz was rummaging through the freezer when something made her turn around rather quickly, bang her head on the door and collect a rather nasty gash on her forehead. Cue a trip to A&E, stitches and Lolz declaring that she was unfit to cook dinner for me as promised. But although it was me who had to step up and save the day, driving her to the hospital and cooking dinner while she rested her poor little head, apparently it was all my fault because she was only looking in the freezer in order to satisfy my request to add prawns to the stir fry she was going to cook.

Mighty Mackerel, Mixed Tomato and Quinoa Salad

Meal 44 - May 15th - Mighty Mackerel, Mixed Tomato and Quinoa Salad

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a grain like crop, grown primarily for it's edible seeds. I am of course talking about quinoa, the nature of which I was as clueless about as it's pronunciation. I am exaggerating of course - eating quinoa is a crucial rite of passage for all middle class wannabes and although I had never tried it before, I knew that it was basically a posher variety of cous cous.

Mustard Lamb, Irish Mash and Watercress Apple Salad

Meal 43 - May 12th - Mustard Lamb, Irish Mash and Watercress Apple Salad

After a very lazy Saturday, Lolz and I decided we would add another string to our middle-class bow by visiting the Parsons Green Farmer's Market on Sunday morning. Surely that would deliver a hit of inspiration to save me from this 15 minute meal slump that I am going through? Well, I did make one important and rather momentous discovery (details to follow in my next post...) but, unless you are looking for home made cakes or artisan breads, it was rather lacking in the inspiration department.

Orange Super Smoothie

Meal 42 - May 11th - Orange Super Smoothie

It's been a bit of a funny old week - a change appears to have occurred whereby Lolz has become chef and I am chief washer-upper. Desperate to redress this balance (I don't like washing up) but wanting to ease myself back in to the 15 minute meal routine, I decided to make a nice straightforward smoothie. This had the added benefit of using up the copious amount of oranges we have accrued from our weekly veg boxes.

Sizzling Beef Steak, Hoi Sin Prawn and Noodle Bowls

Meal 41 - May 4th - Sizzling Beef Steak, Hoi Sin Prawn and Noodle Bowls

Ahhh, bank holiday weekend!  After a long week of work I can't describe how excited I am about 3 days of lie ins, alcohol, football and of course 15 minute meals. With respect to the latter, we found ourselves watching an episode of the 15 minute meals TV show as we had lunch, featuring this particular recipe. Lolz gave me some nervous looks when she saw that the recipe needed 4 separate pans, but we both agreed it looked sufficiently appetizing to kick off a new month of 15 minute meals! Today is of course also Star Wars Day - time will tell as to whether this particular attempt was out of this world...

Beef Kofta Curry, Fluffy Rice, Beans and Peas

Meal 40 - April 30th - Beef Kofta Curry, Fluffy Rice, Beans and Peas

Now here's a thrilling statistic: according to the Office for National Statistics around 92 percent of UK households own a microwave. Lolz and I are one of the 8 ish percent who rely on more traditional cooking techniques. Therefore, these 15 minute meals are about as fast as it gets when we are looking for a speedy dinner. As I got to Waitrose on my way home from a crazy day at work I was torn between doing a 15 minute meal or taking advantage of their curry themed dinner for two for £10 deal. I wasn't exactly overflowing with enthusiasm but, given that our lack of a microwave meant that "ready meals"  would take longer to cook than the Jamie alternative I decided to opt for the former.

Prawn Linguine, Sicilian Shaved Fennel Salad

Meal 39 - April 26th - Prawn Linguine, Sicilian Shaved Fennel Salad

Up until now I'd assumed that the scariest thing to come out of Sicily was the Mafia. Well today I would be aquainted with a Sicilian Salad which, although less murderous, was just as terrifying.
 

Spring Frittata, Tomato Toasts, Watercress and Pea Salad

Meal 38 - April 24th - Spring Frittata, Tomato Toasts, Watercress and Pea Salad

As a big fan of lazy Saturday mornings I regularly watch Saturday Kitchen on BBC1 where celebrity chefs make omelettes to varying degrees of success within a matter seconds. I am yet to make an appearance on that show but today I would be making a frittata - I'm not sure exactly what the difference is and I would hope that mine will be slightly more appetizing than Paul Rankin's 17.52 second record, but in 15 minutes I would expect to be able to make a pretty knockout omelette.

Poached Fish, Coddled Eggs and Tomato Loaf

Meal 37 - April 21st - Poached Fish, Coddled Eggs and Tomato Loaf

If you glance to the right you may notice that I've joined this revolutionary communications / socialmedia tool called "Twitter". For those unfamiliar with such technological wizardry it's basically Facebook with the status bar and nothing else. I'll be posting various food related nonsense that you couldn't care less about, so why not follow me?! And you needn't worry you'll be the only one - I already have two followers, although I suspect they may be spam. Anyway I've already Tweeted the picture so you probably already know what I'm going to write about.

Chicken Pasta, Herby 6 Veg Ragu

Meal 36 - April 18th - Chicken Pasta, Herby 6 Veg Ragu

I wonder if Jamie was struggling for ideas to fill his 15 minute meal pages when he got to the pasta section. It seems sometimes like he may have rigged up a kind of fruit machine system with one wheel as the type of pasta, one for the type of meat, one for vegetable base and one for sauce. As a result, although the meals are quite different on some levels, they do seem like they lack imagination somewhat. Today's offering was, basically, wholewheat fusilli, grilled chicken breast, a kind of "soffritto" vegetable mix and tomato sauce.

White Super Smoothie

Meal 35 - April 14th - White Super Smoothie

After a rather energetic Saturday which involved building a new flat pack wardrobe, going for a run and of course cooking a rather impressive 15 minute meal, I was looking forward to a rather lazy Sunday of watching football and golf. So it was rather unfortunate that Lolz had planned an afternoon trip to Westfield Shopping Centre for us, and had specifically mentioned the labour intensive possibility of buying shoes and jeans. Good times were certainly in store...

Lucky Squid 'n' Prawns, Spicy Vegetable Noodle Broth

Meal 34 - April 13th - Lucky Squid 'n' Prawns, Spicy Vegetable Noodle Broth

With a disproportionate number of seafood dishes in the 15 minute meals book (26, compared to 16 chicken for instance) I knew I had to get in touch with my inner Rick Stein and cook some of them or risk a real fish frenzy towards the end of the year. Amongst those 26 dishes there are three squid ones which I'd been putting off making as, although I do enjoy a good calamari, my knowledge of cooking the things are quite limited.

Killer Kedgeree, Beans, Greens and Chilli Yoghurt

Meal 33 - April 11th - Killer Kedgeree, Beans, Greens and Chilli Yoghurt

With THFC due to kick off their crucial Europa League second leg quarter final fixture against Basel at 20:05 I decided to set myself a one-off 15 minute meal bonus challenge today. I would attempt to run home from work and have dinner on the table in time for kick off. Basically I had two hours and five minutes to get changed, run 7.5 miles, shop, shower, prep and cook. I knew it would be tough - I remembered meal 22 when I only plated up in time to watch the second half of a game that night. Ever confident of my talents, Lolz literally laughed in my face when I told her of my plan.

Crispy Polenta Chicken Caesar Salad

Meal 32 - April 5th - Crispy Polenta Chicken Caesar Salad

I blame Lolz for the fact that this post is 48 hours late. Having told me I would be getting the run of the house on Saturday as she was having a girlie day out with her friends which included going to see the "hit" Spice Girls musical Viva Forever, she went and introduced me to a new iPad game. I won't tell you what this game actually is as work place productivity around the world will be in serious peril once word gets out. Suffice to say it was (and is) extremely addictive and aside for a brief break watching Match of the Day, and a very brief break for dinner, I did very little else. Today we have been out for a birthday brunch with friends which included "freeflowing" prosecco (or, "drink as much as you can" as we decided to interpret it). So apologies if this is in any way incomprehensible.

Grilled Mushroom Sub, Smoky Pancetta, Melted Cheese and Pears

Meal 31 - March 31st - Grilled Mushroom Sub, Smoky Pancetta, Melted Cheese and Pears

I'm a quarter of the way through my challenge and in that time there have been a few hiccups - failing to find the right ingredients, timing issues, nearly setting fire to the kitchen. And now, err, poisoning people. Maybe.

British Burgers, Shred Salad, Pickles and Things

Meal 30 - March 30th - British Burgers, Shred Salad, Pickles and Things

Forgive me for stating the obvious but a big part of the 15 minute meals book is that you are (supposedly) able to cook the meals in 15 minutes. And so it shouldn't really be a surprise therefore, that when I tell people about my challenge they ask me if I'm timing myself and how long they are taking me. It never really occurred to me to time myself - to be honest I'd rather take 20 minutes or 25 minutes if it meant the meal was nicer. This viewpoint was reenforced (subconsciously maybe) when, during one of the early meals, Lolz did, without my knowledge, time me and claimed I took 45 minutes. Now in my defence that did include the time it took to clear away all the washing up and get all of the ingredients out of the fridge, but I think it was pretty clear I wouldn't exactly be smashing the 15 minute barrier any time soon.

Pork Masala, Porcini Rice and Spring Greens

Meal 29 - March 26th - Pork Marsala, Porcini Rice and Spring Greens

Almost a quarter of the way through my challenge I must say I'm surprised how well it's going. Lolz, despite being only too happy to complain when something is not to her taste, has given me an average score of well over 8/10, and her lowest mark, a 3/10, was awarded only because of her aversion to bananas. It's inevitable that something was going to give, and at one point I thought this rather innocent looking pork dish would be that something.

Keralan Veggie Curry, Poppadoms, Rice & Minty Yoghurt

Meal 28 - March 23rd - Keralan Veggie Curry, Poppadoms, Rice & Minty Yoghurt

I've been getting pretty good lately at maintaining some degree of order in the kitchen as I cook my 15 minute meals. Occasionally this is at the expense of going very slightly over 15 minutes but I've definitely developed a bit of a technique for minimizing mess. And so I was surprised when, taking a step back to survey the damage and assess the amount and difficulty of washing up that lay in store for Lolz, that the kitchen resembled some kind of bomb site. The picture below I feel does not really do it justice, but the rather large glass of wine is telling.

Lamb Meatballs, Chop Salad & Harissa Yoghurt

Meal 27 - March 20th - Lamb Meatballs, Chop Salad & Harissa Yoghurt

Increasingly lately, my 15 minute meals seem to be coinciding with running - at some point I may have to do some kind of analysis to see if there is any correlation between distance run and the score that Lolz gives me. Today's run was particularly arduous as I nearly got run over by an Audi pulling out of a driveway. I also encountered more fast runners than normal and so, desperate as always not to be overtaken, my pace was a little quicker than normal. So any effect that running has on my cooking skills was likely to be exacerbated today.

Koh Samui Salad, Chilli Tofu and Thai Noodles

Meal 26 - March 17th - Koh Samui Salad, Chilli Tofu and Thai Noodles

When I cooked my broccoli pasta meal last week I was quite excited at the prospect of embracing occasional vegeterianism. I even cooked (sorry, we, it was a joint effort...) some Chinese leaf parcels for dinner on Friday night. Today's dish however, despite including a range of vegetables and that gastronomical enigma tofu (seriously, I have no idea what it is or where I might find it in a supermarket), is not actually vegetarian. And, ironically, despite my cluelessness surrounding tofu it was actually the prawns which proved the most elusive ingredient on the list. For some reason Waitrose were all out of prawns. Refusing to accept defeat though, I cunningly purchased a pre-made prawn cocktail pot, rinsed off the Mary Rose sauce, and hey presto - 100g of prawns!

Broccoli Pasta and Chopped Garden Salad

Meal 24 - March 14th - Broccoli Pasta and Chopped Garden Salad

It's been a bit of a momentous week for Lolz and I, gastronomically speaking. Not just because Lolz cooked for once (chilli - delish - 9/10 I'd say), but because the one thing I'd been looking forward to most about co-habiting finally happened.

Avo and Smoked Salmon on Toast

Meal 24 - March 10th - Avo and Smoked Salmon on Toast

Being as it was that I was "representing" three siblings this Mother's Day, I thought it only fair that I accompanied my hilarious Mother's day card with a slap up breakfast and so I chose the second of four avocado on toast recipes. I have had mixed fortunes thus far in my attempts to find good quality, ripe avocados and this time decided to play it safe and stick with Waitrose. They were all out of their "perfectly ripe" but thankfully the two I chose were a nice, fresh, vibrant green colour inside.

Grilled Steak, Ratatouille and Saffron Rice

Meal 23 - March 9th - Grilled Steak, Ratatouille and Saffron Rice

Being Mother's Day tomorrow I spotted an excellent opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and so, after packing up almost the entire kitchen bar the kitchen sink (and the food processor, which was not required for this dish) we set off towards the West Sussex countryside, with my parents being the latest benefactors of my 15 minute meal challenge.

Glazed Pork Fillets, Cajun-style Pepper Rice and BBQ Sauce

Meal 22 - March 5th - Glazed Pork Fillets, Cajun-style Pepper Rice and BBQ Sauce

Going through my worldly possessions at the weekend, Lolz decided a fairly large pile was expendable and hence we took a car load of stuff to one of our favourite weekend hangouts, Smugglers Way tip in Wandsworth (it really is quite an experience).

Asian Sea Bass, Sticky Rice and Dressed Greens

Meal 21 - March 1st - Asian Sea Bass, Sticky Rice and Dressed Greens

Towards the end of last year, Lolz and I agreed that we would move in together. Some 6 months later, having run out of delaying tactics, that day is finally upon us. Which means I have spent today cleaning, tidying, packing, sorting and throwing out. By the time I'd run the 7.7 miles to Lolz's in the evening, I was pretty knackered. And so my initial reaction upon being presented three whole sea bass was something along the lines of "Oh bugger"... It's not unusual for us to have fish on a Friday evening. It's just that normally it is of the battered, deep fried variety and this looked like something that could easily go wrong...

To be honest, that trepidation that I experienced last time I made a "proper" fish dish was still there. There's something about the smell and sliminess of a whole fish that causes a different reaction to when you are cooking, say, a whole chicken. Maybe it's the fact that the fish, even when scaled and gutted, still largely resembles a living, swimming fish in the way that a prepared chicken does not look like a live chicken. Maybe it's just the eyes. Anyway, with three huge sea bass, there was no way that, unlike last time, we would be lacking in fish. 

Once again, the cooking of the dish is a doddle - everything just needs to be put in it's respective pan and left to do it's thing. I did however forget to include the sugar snap peas. The end result is pretty remarkable. It's not that it's necessarily the most delicious of all 15 minute meals that I've done so far (although it may well be). It's just that it's the first one that really seems like it should be more than a 15 minute meal. Dishing it up, it looks amazing.

Lolz gave the dish a thoroughly well deserved 10/10. Difficulty rating 4/10 - it's probably harder to eat than to make - thanks to Nikki for providing advice on how to eat whole sea bass without ending up with a mouth full of bone. Incidentally I accompanied this with a glass of Fuller's Bengal Lancer - highly recommended for any IPA fans!

Mushroom Soup, stilton, apple and walnut croutes

Meal 20 - Feb 24th - Mushroom Soup, stilton, apple and walnut croutes

With poor Lolz feeling under the weather I agreed to make her a Sunday afternoon soup. We weren't able to make our minds up on which one though so Lolz rigged up a basic lottery system involving a hat and three bits of paper with "tomato", "mushroom" and "squash" written on them. And rigged is probably the operative word as, surprise surprise, I picked the dreaded mushroom option. My demand for a recount was ignored, and, with some loud and suggestive coughing on Lolz's part, I was "encouraged" into the kitchen to begin making our lunch.

My problem with mushrooms is not just the taste - they actually offend pretty much all my senses. I can't stand the smell. They look weird. They even feel like they are alive, like a creature that you would expect to find under a rock. Basically wrong on all kind of levels. I was glad to finally get them in the pan and get them cooked. Alongside the soup we made some "croutes" and in doing so established, several times, that our smoke detector was working well. Fortunately, no major damage was done and with the soup successfully handblended, we plated up.

In an attempt to keep calories under control, the recipe uses basmati rice instead of cream. It kind of works, but maybe at the expense of a bit of richness. It was also quite delicate on the mushroom flavour - for me this was great, but mushroom fans may prefer something a bit more powerful. The croutes were really good - mushrooms are obviously not to my tastes, but apple, walnut and stilton is a classic combination which go really nicely with the lightly charred, garlicky ciabatta.

Lolz gave the dish 8/10. She moaned that the soup was underseasoned and wasn't keen on the walnuts or apples. Difficulty rating 2/10 - extremely straightforward.