Meals for one?

[clemetteattlee]

DH has taken the children away for the week so I am on my lonesome and feeling a bit melancholy. I would like to make use of the time to cook myslef some really lovely meals, but every single recipe book I have has meals to serve at least four.
I know I could reduce the ingredients, but I was wondering if anyone had any inspiration for delicious food for one?
Thanks.

Do you like salmon?
If so, take a piece of aluminium foil, lightly butter the middle and put on a ring of sliced onion. Put a salmon steak on top of the onion. Top with black pepper, a slice of lemon and a generous sprig of dill.
Wrap up your foil into a sealed parcel and cook at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.

Serve with new potatoes, broccoli and lashings of hollandaise sauce. Delicious!

Thank you

Use singletons have to do this all the time In fact, once you get used to cooking delicious things just for one it's a bit of a pain to have to incorporate other people's likes and dislikes again.... I like quite spicy foods so here's some ideas

Chorizo, Chickpea Stew

2oz chorizo sausage, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper slices
1/2 can (200g) chopped tomatoes
black pepper
4oz chickpeas, drained if canned

2oz basmati rice (uncooked weight) to serve

Heat a small saute pan and add the chorizo. Cook gently until the fat runs and then add the onion and red pepper. Cook until softened
Next add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas. Season with black pepper. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced and the vegetables are tender
Serve over cooked rice

Prawn Curry

5oz king prawns
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 green pepper, cut into chunky dice
tiny piece of ginger, chopped
teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (or a fresh chilli) to taste
salt and pepper
200g chopped tomatoes
fresh coriander

2oz basmati rice (uncooked weight)to serve

Heat a little oil in a saute pan and add the cumin and fenugreek seeds. When they smell a little toasted add the onion. Cook until softened and then add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli & green pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook for a few minutes to bring out the flavours
Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes until you have a rich spicy sauce.
Finally, stir in the prawns, turn off the heat, pop on a lid and let sit for a minute or two while you drain the rice
Serve with chopped fresh coriander and a blob of plain yoghurt for extra richness.

They sound delicious - thank you.

You can always roast a chicken breast and have it with anything else you fancy - full trimmings or jacket spud and salad.

Heat oven to gas mark 5 / 190c

Coat it in oil on both sides, add flavouring of your choice, mine is chilli flakes. Season, put it on a baking tray with tinfoil over the top. Cook for 30 mins, take foil off, cook for further 10 mins. Done.

Instead of roasting a chicken breast you can stuff it with a mixture of feta and sundried tomatoes, then either baste it in pesto or wrap it in parma ham, then fry on both sides. You'll need to slice into it to check for doneness, so cut into diagonal slices onto your plate to serve, with veg. Delicious and pretty.

Or you could chop it into biggish chunks and fry til sticky and golden, then add in some cream, garlic, and tarragon mustard. Also v delicious if you add in some fried mushrooms (do them first then add them back in once the chicken is done). Takes minutes and tastes sublime.

Steak and chips?

Or marinate a chicken portion in lemon juice/olive oil/chopped garlic/crushed coriander seeds/bit of paprika/crushed cumin seeds/salt and pepper, then roast in the oven. Goes well with wedges (sweet or normal potato), salad, in a sandwich, anything really.