Tell me about your simple, signature meals....

[catinboots]

Culinary inspiration desperately needed ..............

ta cat x

Chicken stuffed with cheese and wrapped in smoked bacon with mashed potatoes

Chicken with tarragon and cf/cream

Bake chicken ( thighs or breast but skin on as keeps it from going dry)

Reove chicken, deglaze pan with white vermouth or white wine. Scrape well. If not much scrapings or juice add a little chicken stock.Add creme fraiche or cream and lots of chopped fresh tarragon.Pour over chicken, having removed skin.

Serve w green beans and new pots.

So quick, so easy, tastes so Springlike and elegant.

Roasted squash pasta : large chunks of a butternut squash or similar, whole unpeeled garlic cloves (how much depends on your taste). If you've some chorizo or streaky bacon bung lumps in as well, whole cherry tomatoes and some herbs (rosemary/thyme rtc, dried will work if that's all you have to hand). Drizzle with good gulf olive oil, season and toast until tomatoes and garlic explode slightly and squash soft (making sure any meat is cooked through too obviously). Serve with pasta and grated cheese. Very comforting.

Another pasta dish here for a change is an Abel and cole one, roast beetroot whole until cooked, chop into chunks. Heat oil in a pan, cook some garlic, add chopped walnuts and toast. Stir through beetroot to warm and add either single cream or creme fraiche. It's a very pretty pink now! Add lemon juice and herbs (will check which but am sure I've used parsley before). Serve with pasta and bit of Parmesan if you like.

Our cowboy stew : cook onions, garlic and whatever veg come to hand in large casserole/heavy bottomed pan. Add mince and brown. Stir in rice, cook until it starts to go translucent. Add tinned tomato and stock to cook quantity of rice you've used. Season/add herbs. Cook until rice is nearly cooked, add frozen peas. One pot wonder. Will try and post Spanish fish stew from rick stein as that's another one potter that's popular here.

Living other ideas!!

Great recipes so far.

Cheat's carbonara -

Boil kettle & put dried pasta on the hob to cook.

Fry smoked lardons over medium heat while the pasta is cooking, stirring occasionally. I like them really caramelised so I add a tiny pinch of sugar. I usually fry a chopped onion in with the bacon too.

Drain the pasta & return to hob. Break an egg or two into the saucepan and stir till the egg has coated the pasta and (conveniently) cooked itself.

Add a splash of cream (I've used milk when I didn't have cream and it was fine), plenty of Parmesan or cheddar, and loads of black pepper.

Stir the lardons into the pasta & eat.

EssentialFattyAcid I had sardine spaghetti for dinner the other night thanks to this thread, and it was delicious! Cheers :)

Thanks BenderBendingRodriguez !!

It's a regular on my menu plan and I'm glad you liked it!!

trixymalixi dya reckon that would work without the cream but adding some chopped chilli - so a dryish thing to toss into some taglietelle?

Cook spaghetti, drain and return to pan, pour in a small carton of single cream, grated cheese and a couple of egg yolks, salt and pepper. Stir through, Put the lid on but take the pan off the heat and leave for a few minutes while you set the table, delicious and ready in less than 10 minutes

lots of great recipes on here

Ettiketti, I think it would work without the cream, the tomato oil would probably be enough of a sauce. I'm going to try that!

Stuffed mushrooms

I do them for brunch on the weekends with garlic bread and sometimes a salad

And Ham and Leek Pie

Also Jamie Oliver's steak pie is brilliant. Takes a while but easy to make.

Trixy it totally worked!! Thank you for the inspiration

Thanks to whoever posted the sticky pork recipe as well. We had this for tea tonight and it was really tasty. Even my picky 3yo ate and enjoyed some! :)

Normally a lurker but I love this thread. This is from a Tana Ramsey recipe.

400g risotto rice
1.5 litre chicken stock
50g butter
500g butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
handful (I put loads) of peas
250g parmesan

Put rice, stock, butter and butternut squash in oven proof dish, cover and bake 30 min at 200C / 180 fan
Remove from oven, add peas and stir in parmesan. I normally put it back in the oven for a bit longer.

Cook some baby new potatoes, drain and let them cool slightly before chopping in half.

Blanch some fine green beans. Drain.

Fry lardons. I liked smoked best.

Put some lamb's lettuce on a largish serving dish, scatter above ingredients over along with a rotisserie chicken pulled off the carcass into decent sized pieces. Pour a bottle of honey and mustard salad dressing all over it. Yum.

marinate chicken thighs in yoghurt, honey and lemon juice for as long as possible. Scrape off marinade, fry skin side down in oven proof dish. Turn over, put marinade back in pan, Cook in oven til done, ideally really slowly so they get lovely and tender and sticky but faster is fine. Serve with crusty bread and veg/salad

dry fry chopped up chorizo, add onion, peppers, tin of onions, garlic, chilli if you like, black olive puree if you have it, or olives, glug of wine. cook til nice and thick. serve over rice/with crusty bread

quick chicken pie - dry fry some bacon, sweat onion and mushrooms in bacon fat til really soft. Add cooked chicken, stock and some flour to thicken. season. cook for a bit. Add creme fraiche. Top with ready rolled puff pastry. Bake til done.