Idiot proof recipes.

[Andy in Germany]

Hi. I'm looking for some recipes for our family. I'm after things that are:

• Idiot proof (because I'm making them)
• Healthy
• Preferably veggie
• Simple ingredients rather than prepared ingredients; prepared stuff tends to be different in different countries.
• Relatively cheap (I'm feeing six at a sitting here)
• Oh, and pasta/potato/rice et c based is all welcome.

Today I'm making Knödel which is a local dish based on soaking old bread in milk and making it into balls with onions and salt and pepper added. I think that's called dumplings in the UK but I'm not sure.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Hi. I'm looking for some recipes for our family. I'm after things that are:

• Idiot proof (because I'm making them)
• Healthy
• Preferably veggie
• Simple ingredients rather than prepared ingredients; prepared stuff tends to be different in different countries.
• Relatively cheap (I'm feeing six at a sitting here)
• Oh, and pasta/potato/rice et c based is all welcome.

Today I'm making Knödel which is a local dish based on soaking old bread in milk and making it into balls with onions and salt and pepper added. I think that's called dumplings in the UK but I'm not sure.

And the prize for the first brand new thread in Food & Drink goes to you.

That should cheer you up on a rainy day! ☔

 

[MichaelW2]

I have a couple of standby recepies when I have student lodgers but dont do much vegetarian only cooking.
My chicken tomato hotpot works best in a wide cast iron dish and uses chicken thighs, tins of tomato, onion, pepper, maybe mushroom, herbs. Takes about 40 mins to cook and is good with rice or small pasta.
I use frozen white fish for Thai coconut green curry. Tin of coconut milk, green curry paste, onion, vegetables.
I love my cast iron dish even if it is only an Aldi cheapo, not fancy French one.

In the UK, bread dumplings are not so common. Flour dumplings with kidney fat (suet) are more usual.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I have a couple of standby recepies when I have student lodgers but dont do much vegetarian only cooking.
My chicken tomato hotpot works best in a wide cast iron dish and uses chicken thighs, tins of tomato, onion, pepper, maybe mushroom, herbs. Takes about 40 mins to cook and is good with rice or small pasta.
I use frozen white fish for Thai coconut green curry. Tin of coconut milk, green curry paste, onion, vegetables.
I love my cast iron dish even if it is only an Aldi cheapo, not fancy French one.

In the UK, bread dumplings are not so common. Flour dumplings with kidney fat (suet) are more usual.

I like the chicken tom Hotpot. any details?

Currently working on a dead simple pizza dough for starters...

 

[MontyVeda]

Salad.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Salad.

Don't bet on it.

 

[CharlesF]

I find Nigel Slater has simple recipes
Nigel Slater

 

[MichaelW2]

I like the chicken tom Hotpot. any details?

Currently working on a dead simple pizza dough for starters...

Heat oil in wide pan. Gently fry onions (don't burn or they taste nasty). Add chopped red/yellow peppers. Add mushrooms, finely cubed courgettes or carrots or anything else. Add crushed garlic ( really don't burn this). Add one or two tins of tomato. The whole tomatoes are better than ready chopped ones. Cut them up in the can.I use either. Add herbs, salt pepper and chicken stock cube. If you need more liquid, rinse out the tomato tins. Place chicken thighs in pan and cover with the tomato mix. Cover with lid and simmer gently until cooked. ( About 30-40 mins).
When you take the lid off it can hold a lot of condensed water. If you have plenty of liquid in the pan, let this drip away so you dont dilute the sauce.

 

[Reynard]

Pasta bake... Can't get more idiot proof than that, plus it's very versatile and good at using up random bits... Mine serves two people for three days, so would work nicely for serving six for one day.

1 carton passata plus a little water to rinse the carton
1 large onion , roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
generous teaspoon smoked paprika
oregano to taste
black pepper to taste
chilli flakes to taste
Whatever other vegetables you have to hand, chopped. Sweet pepper, courgette, mushrooms etc
250g sauteed beef mince or cooked green lentils (100g uncooked weight) or any leftover cooked meat
1 stock cube, vegetable or otherwise
Other stuff to taste: olives, capers, chopped bacon or chopped chorizo

Plus:

300g (uncooked weight) pasta spirals
Enough grated cheese to top. You can mix and match cheese to taste.

This sauce lends itself to doing in a crock pot, but a pan on the hob is fine.

If doing in the crock pot, just load everything in the pot except for the vegetables and meat / lentils, put on low and leave for around 4 hours on low. A couple of hours or so before you want the sauce, add the vegetables and meat / lentils.

If doing in a pan on the hob, dry fry the beef mince and reserve. Use the dripping from the beef to sweat off the veggies. You might need to use a bit of vegetable oil for this if not using beef mince. When the veggies are tender, add the carton of passata, the seasonings, the beef and all the other bits. Bring to a simmer and let cook slowly for around half an hour to 40 mins.

Check sauce for seasoning. You may want to add some salt, and, if the tomatoes are a bit acidic, a teaspoon of sugar.

Cook the pasta according to instructions. When the pasta is cooked, drain, tip into the sauce and make sure all the pasta is coated. Tip this into a large ovenproof dish, cover the top with cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C (fan) for 20 mins.

Serve with a salad and garlic bread on the side.

 

[Ripple]

What's wrong with simply ordering some stuff at local takeaway?

 

[alicat]

What's wrong with simply ordering some stuff at local takeaway?

It fails the 'relatively cheap' test, I fear.

 

[Poacher]

Some good suggestions so far. If you're looking for veggie recipes, soya mince can be substituted for meat in many cases - it would work well in @Reynard 's pasta bake, for example.
I guess you may need a bio/health food shop in Germany for the dried form; I find frozen vegemince easier to use. If you have a local Lidl (almost certain?), they've just introduced a product called Next Level Hack, which is worth investigating. Might also help to have a look on cookingbites.com, which started as a sideshoot from cyclechat and has a few of us as occasional posters, not necessarily under the same name.

 

[Reynard]

Some good suggestions so far. If you're looking for veggie recipes, soya mince can be substituted for meat in many cases - it would work well in @Reynard 's pasta bake, for example.

I should have thought of that. But it's one of those things I very rarely use, as I prefer the lentils. I'll often use lentils to "cut" beef mince or lamb mince.

 

[Reynard]

Pearl barley is a good alternative to rice and makes a fabby mushroom "risotto". The fact that it's wholegrain makes it pretty substantial, and it's one of those things that (again) works well in a crock pot due to the fact that it needs a long cooking time.

Pearl barley
Fresh mushrooms, sliced
Dried mushrooms, soaked.
Vegetable stock
Bay leaf
Thyme
Pepper
Butter
Grated cheese - doesn't have to be Parmesan

Put the pearl barley and stock (to cover generously) in a crock pot set on high. I can't give you quantities here, as it's a while since I've made this, but for the barley, look at the portion size on the packet and work from there. Add the bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and the soaking liquid, taking care not to add the grit. Let this cook, stirring occasionally.

Add a glug of stock each time most of the liquid has been absorbed, and repeat until the barley is really tender.

While the barley is cooking, saute the sliced mushrooms, and add when the barley is nearly done.

When the barley is really tender, check for seasoning. Add a generous quantity of butter and the grated cheese. Stir thoroughly before serving.

This takes a good couple of hours or so to do, so is the kind of thing to have on the go when you're multi-tasking. And it's good, filling stodge.

 

[graham bowers]

Five spice torfu skewers for 4.

16 smallish new potatoes boiled in lightly salted water until tender.
16 button mushrooms, stalks removed.
Smoked or plain tofu. I use smoked. Cut in to bite sized chunks.
16 Chunks of courgette.
1 or 2 red peppers cut in to bite sized chunks.

Marinade:
100 ml of tomato puree
60 ml light soy sauce
The juice of 2 fresh limes.
15 ml (1 tablespoon) of chinese 5 spice powder.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Chuck everything in the marinade for a bit. Time doesn't seem to be too important. Half an hour is enough.
Thread the bits onto 8 kebab skewers.
Place under a grill at medium to high setting.
Grill until done, turning frequently. Brush any remaining marinade on as they are cooking.

I tend not to count the spuds etc and any excess gets put on skewers and / or a baking tray in the oven. I up the quantity of marinade appropriately. Serve with an accompaniment of your choice. Salad, oven chips etc.
https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/syn-free-chips
Fry light can be replaced with regular cooking oil from a spray dispenser.

We have this fairly often.


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