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.

Tasty Daal Curry, Warm Tomato Salad and Naan

Meal 19 - Feb 23rd - Tasty Daal Curry, Warm Tomato Salad and Naan

I do find it a little strange how some meals in the 15 Minute Meals book have incredibly positive adjectives attached to their names. "Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad" or "Gorgeous Greek Chicken" for instance. That this particular dish is described merely as "tasty" makes me think it may turn out to be a bit meh.

Anyway, Lolz has been struck down by the same man-flu bug that I was afflicted by last weekend (although apparently when transferred to females it becomes just "flu") and she was requesting something spicy to clear her sinuses. Curry was an obvious choice and despite being vegetarian, we thought this would be a good option for a cold February evening. The first task, obviously, was to do the shopping and, as is becoming a frustratingly regular occurrence it wasn't without it's difficulties. I was unable to find mixed colour cherry tomatoes and had to make do with the standard red cherry variety (although one did have a slight orange tinge). Curry leaves also eluded me and I concluded that you would need to find an Indian supermarket to find such an item. I also begrudged buying rapeseed oil when I already have an array of oils in my cupboard so decided to make do.

The cooking would have been straightforward if my food processor hadn't refused to work. Lolz helpfully suggested I check it was plugged in, and although that wasn't the problem, I did manage to patch it up.  I also discovered that mustard seeds are fairly excitable little things. Upon hitting the hot pan they promptly jumped straight back out, popping like popcorn. Some did remain in the pan (probably because at that point I decided to put a lid on) thankfully and I managed to crack on with the tomatoes.

The dish was nice but lacked a bit oomph. Lolz described it as being a bit like an Innocent Veg Pot and I think she hit the nail on the head - nice but not really a meal in itself. Personally I would have loved to have added some prawns or something into the equation. The tomatoes were bizarre – does the recipe really tell you to chop the whole lemon or have I misread something? Unsurprisingly, the outcome is really bitter. If you cook this dish, only use the juice and zest!

Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Difficulty rating 3/10.

Sausage Gnocchi, Warm Kale and Bean Salad

Meal 18 - Feb 19th - Sausage Gnocchi, Warm Kale and Bean Salad

Once again I found myself not 100% on my game today. Not this time because of a hangover resulting from a night of heavy drinking and falling asleep on the night bus, or because I was distracted by a stack of mostly cooking themed birthday presents. No, this time I felt the dreaded tickly beginnings of man-flu. I was, however, quite excited about this dish because a) a fellow Jamie enthusiast highly recommended it and b) I'd never tried gnocchi before and so, to a hilarious backdrop of Arsenal getting schooled by Bayern Munich, I soldiered on.

When laying out my ingredients (I have adopted a stress-relieving and mess-minimizing strategy of laying out pre-measured quanities of all ingredients prior to stating cooking) I was initially struck by the similarity of this dish to the last sausage pasta dish I cooked last month. I remembered how underwhelmed I was with that particular dish while Lolz was also nervous about the gratuitious use of fennel seeds, but any doubts quickly faded away once the rosemary leaves hit the casserole pan and kitchen was filled with that incredible aroma that only happens when fresh herbs hit a hot pan.

It's actually one of the trickier recipes I have tried so far. You have three pans on the stove, all of which require attention and additional ingredients added to them over the course of the 15 minues. The sausages in particular require constant stirring to avoid burnage. I was also highly confused by apparent requirement (as specified in the prep section of the recipe) of the food processor (slicing attachment). At no point was this required. Still, the end product was a success. The sauce had an incredible richness (probably as a result of the wine) which the other sausage pasta lacked, whilst the greens and especially the maple glazed bacon, were a hit.

Lolz gave the dish 7/10. She felt there was a bit too much going on and felt the sauce would have been better with pasta than gnocchi. I personally would have scored it higher, particularly in the categories of leftoverability and use of trendy platters! Difficulty rating 7/10.

Smoky Maple Pancetta, Fluffy Corn and Chilli Pancakes

Meal 17 - Feb 17th - Smoky Maple Pancetta, Fluffy Corn and Chilli Pancakes

Today is my birthday (21 if you're interested) but, as explained yesterday, excuses don't fly in this game. Lolz did however allow me to open a few presents before proclaiming loudly that she was getting hungry and ordering me into the kitchen. Incidentally, my presents did include some measuring spoons, an "Antipasti Plank", a serving platter and a lemon squeezing gadget.  Definitely a bit of a theme going on...

Anyway, this is my second breakfast of the challenge and at this point I should mention that the title is slightly misleading since my sweetcorn is still sitting patiently in the freezer unopened, as I somehow missed that particular line of the recipe. All the other ingredients did however make it in and the end result was a really nice, healthier twist on the traditional pancakes and bacon dish. The cheese and chilli adds a subtle savoury kick to the pancakes without detracting from their fluffy lightness. 

Lolz loved the maple glazed pancetta but felt the coriander was slightly overpowering. She gave the dish 9/10. Difficulty rating 3/10 - tossing pancakes is not my strong point.

All in all an excellent start to my 22nd year!

Cajun Steak, Smoky Baked Beans and Collard Greens

Meal 16 - Feb 16th - Cajun Steak, Smoky Baked Beans and Collard Greens

I may be hungover today but that doesn't mean I can ease the pace in my 15 minute meal challenge. My readership now extends to nine countries (hello Ukraine!) and I don't want to let my fans down.

My delicate state of wellbeing today partly dictated my meal choice - anything salad based, vegetarian or containing mushrooms was immediately ruled out - today I needed good, solid meat and stodge to suck up all the excess booze in my system - it would have to be comfort food at it's finest. Steak was therefore an obvious choice, especially when accompanied by some beans which looked like they would blow your head off!

Steak is always a good option for the weekend as it means we can buy better quality stuff for less from the butchers (Dickenson's closes at 5pm weekdays - not ideal for a post-work shop). So I set off up North End Road and bought 2 steaks for a bargain £5.98 (compare that to Waitrose where one "essential" sirloin steak is around £5), whilst a stop off at a charity shop en-route also yielded a delightfully retro platter to add to our collection of tableware.

Once again, the cooking of the dish is very straightforward. Dare I say I might have actually been close to 15 minutes on this one? The real success of the dish however is in the eating - it is an absolute triumph! The steak and greens were always going to be good, but the beans were a surprise. Looking at the picture in the book I was a little dubious (I won't attempt to describe what they look like... ahem, vomit, ahem...), but the end product was great. Turbocharged baked beans if you will. And what's more, the ingredients are things you would typically have in your cupboard.

Lolz gave the dish 10/10 - her second maximum of the task so far! Clearly in a generous mood,  she also made some cupcakes! Difficulty rating 2/10.

Smoked Salmon, Yorkshire Pud, Beets and Asparagus

Meal 15 - Feb 12th - Smoked Salmon, Yorkshire Pud, Beets and Asparagus

After another 15 minute meal-less weekend (Lolz and I ventured to Norfolk to watch the bore-fest that was Norwich 0 Fulham 0) I was eager to get back in the kitchen and resume normal 15 minute meal service. Being Shrove Tuesday, we cunningly chose this meal knowing that a little extra batter could be used for some pancakes for dessert. Much like last weeks Chicken Dim Sum however, I couldn't help but think, looking at the recipe, that this meal is a bit style over substance and ordinarily not something I would be looking to cook on a Tuesday evening, let alone after a swift 5k run. It did however offer an opportunity to use the brand new Le Creuset 28 cm frying pan which I had purchased with this recipe in mind - Jamie had been very specific about the need for a 28 cm pan if the Yorkshire Pudding was going to work and who am I to doubt him?

Anyway, after whipping up the batter and getting the Yorkshire in the oven, it didn't take long to prep the asparagus and beetroot salad and I found myself with nothing to do but look through the oven door waiting for the Yorkshire to rise. This is without doubt the easiest 15 minute meal I have cooked so far - "cooked" is actually a slight exaggeration as there is very little work to do. My Yorkshire pudding did end up a little bit floppy round the sides (to be honest I have no idea how Jamie achieves the little peaks and ridges that you can see in the picture in the book and on the TV show) - although in my defence, Yorkshire pudding responsibilities normally fall to Lolz when we are doing a roast - whilst I also inexcusably forgot to buy natural yoghurt for the horseradish sauce.

The end result was actually a pleasant surprise. Although not particularly filling, the Yorkshire pudding, salmon and beetroot salad go really well together, especially with a little dollop of Horseradish to go with it. The asparagus was a bit too lemony for my tastes, although it does pad out the meal a bit. Lolz took charge of making pancakes with the left over batter, and did an excellent job, not dropping a single one! She went for lemon and sugar, I went for banana and nutella if you're interested. Yum.

Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Difficulty rating 2/10 - maybe there's a trick for perfecting the Yorkshire pud?

Chicken Dim Sum, Coconut Buns, Cucumber Pickle and Hoi Sin Sauce

Meal 14 - Feb 6th - Chicken Dim Sum, Coconut Buns, Cucumber Pickle and Hoi Sin Sauce

If it wasn't for the fact that I have pledged to cook every single recipe in the 15 Minute Meals book, I would most likely have skipped over this one. Not just because I imagined making buns from scratch would be a bit of a faff, or because, surprise surprise, I don't have a bamboo steamer kicking around in my cupboard. But mainly because I detest mushrooms with a passion. With the exception of a few weeks in hospital when I was seven (the medication must have interfered with my taste buds) I have hated and done whatever I can to avoid them for my entire life. Even when my mother would craftily chop them up really small in a spaghetti bolognese, I would still sift through my plate and extract the offending vegetables. Unfortunately, since I will be sticking as closely as possible to the recipes (and yes, I'm aware there are many more mushroom dishes to go...) avoiding them was not an option, and upon getting home, Lolz happily informed me she had sourced not one, not two but THREE different varieties of mustrooms to terrify my tastebuds.

Anyway, I went for my now almost ritualistic pre-15 minute meal run and, having obtained a steamer, got to work. The dough was made and chicken prepared without too much drama  and was all transferred to the steamer.

Once it was all cooked and garnished and plated up it was possibly the most fancy looking dish I have prepared so far. Unfortunately taste wise it was a bit hit and miss. The chicken, having marinated in hoi sin sauce was very nice. The mushrooms were, well, mushrooms, although I can report that shiitake and oyster were marginally more palatable than the horrific closed cup. The garnishes were all good. Unfortunately though, the buns were a bit of a disaster. This may admittedly be partly the chef's (i.e my) fault - I may have overworked the dough or over or undercooked it (although I did follow the rather vague instructions in the recipe to a tee).  But most of all they were just a bit bland and tasted more of flour than anything else. I may experiment more in the future, but to be honest what wrong with some noodles on the side?!

Lolz gave the dish 7/10. Difficulty rating 6/10 - those buns may need a bit more practice.

Spiced Chicken, Bacon, Asparagus and Spinach Lentils

Meal 13 - 3rd Feb 2013 - Spiced Chicken, Bacon, Asparagus and Spinach Lentils

With friends coming over to enjoy the third 15 minute meal of the weekend, the pressure was on to deliver and I had barely finished my spinach smoothie when Lolz ushered me back into the kitchen and back to work. I chose this dish not because of some bizarre spinach infatuation (although we will have got through nearly half a kilo over the course of the weekend) but because it looked like a good, hearty, warming Sunday lunch.

I was quite excited as, although I had been unable to find tinned Puy lentils in any local supermarket and ended up using something called "Bijoux Verts" lentils (which actually turned out to be Puy lentils after all), we had purchased four incredibly plump, juicy looking chicken breasts from our new friends at the butchers. After flattening them out and deliberating somewhat, I decided there was no way all four would fit in our frying pan. Because they were so big, I decided to make do with three breasts and cook the first two and let them rest and then cook the third one, adding the asparagus and pancetta towards the end. It all went pleasingly according to plan and I ended up with a HUGE pot of creamy lentils and spinach (although I'm not sure blitzing the spinach in the processor really adds anything - I think adding whole leaves may have even given it a bit more texture), three suitably golden chicken breasts accompanied by crispy pancetta and some nicely charred asparagus.

The dish was enjoyed by all and the crusty bread was a welcome addition. If Greg Wallace had been dining with us he may have complained that the lentils lacked seasoning or maybe a squeeze of lemon juice or that the chicken would have benefitted from slightly more than a meagre half teaspoon of cayenne pepper (especially for a dish called "Spiced chicken"). Thankfully the only food critic in attendance was Lolz who gave the dish 9/10. She also cooked a lemon souflee which was much more delicious than the picture below suggests...

Difficulty rating 3/10.

Super Smoothie - Green

Meal 12 - Feb 3rd - Green Super Smoothie

Not really a meal but if it's in the book it's in the blog. To be honest I'm not really a fan of smoothies and the combination of spinach and banana, amongst other things, did not look appealing. Still, I knocked it up in about 15 seconds and gave it a go...

Taste wise, the smoothie is a pleasant surprise. The spinach, despite making it look a rather toxic green, is a fairly neutral flavour and overpowered by the apple juice, lime and banana. Unfortunately however, Lolz tends to take offence to banana and gave it a mere 3/10.

Veggie Chilli, Crunchy Tortilla & Avocado Salad

Meal 11 - 2nd Feb - Veggie Chilli, Crunchy Tortilla & Avocado Salad

As I write this on Sunday night I'm reflecting on what's been a fairly stressful weekend, in a culinary sense. Poor Cinderel-Lolz claims to have washed up 20 times, I'm debating whether to go to A&E after slicing off the top of my finger in the food processor (slight exaggeration maybe) and three 15 minute meals were cooked to varying degrees of success...

The first of the three was this rather funky looking chilli, my first veggie attempt. After getting through ten dishes in January including a knockout Swedish meatballs on Wednesday maybe we were due a bit of bad luck. The first problem was finding dried smoked chipotle or ancho chillis... Waitrose did not stock them, nor, after an internet search do any other major supermarkets. Even our trusty Lebanese corner shop could not fix us up. Not a major disaster though as we had some chipotle paste from a previous dish. The second problem was finding a ripe avocado, we bought the best we could find and decided to make do.

The centre piece of this dish - the chilli - is extremely simple - basically chuck it all in a pan and turn on the stove. The salad however, although simple on paper, relies on the dressing to pull it together. Unfortunately, our unripe avocado meant we couldn't blend it effectively, even after switching from the hand blender to the liquidizer. It did liquidize eventually, but the flavour wasn't right. What we ended up with was a fairly basic/ boring salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, chilli and rather odd "croutons" (which also didn't really work) with an overly limey dressing.

Thankfully, the chilli was a 15 minute miracle with all the flavour of any other chilli I've ever cooked. The chipotle adds a really good zing and the dried chillis were not missed.

Lolz gave the dish 8/10, think I probably added too much chipotle paste. Said it was too spicy for her delicate lady palate. Difficulty 2/10. Just make sure you get a good, ripe, soft avocado!