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.

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.

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.

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!)

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.

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.