Quick impressive meal to serve mum for birthday please....

[AttillaTheHan]

I hope somebody can help me...

I'm cooking a birthday tea for my mum on weds (she was originally going to spend her birthday on her own but I couldn't let that happen) but the problem is I am working till 5 so it will need to be something thats quick to make but which feels special enough for a birthday IYKWIM.

any suggestions appreciated!

Portuguese chicken:

Chicken breasts
Red onions (1 per person)
Chorizo
Rosemary
Paprika
Cherry tomatoes (my recipe says 8 per person, but I usually double it)
Olive oil
Coriander

Preheat oven to 220 °C.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan on a medium high heat and sauté the sliced red onions for about 3 minutes until soft.

Add chunks of chopped chorizo and sauté for a further minute; then add the paprika and mix in.

Place the chorizo and onion mix on a baking tray and set aside.

Heat some more oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the chicken for 2 minutes on each side until browned.

Whilst the chicken is browning, place the rosemary in the baking tray on top of the onion and chorizo mix and quarter the tomatoes lengthways.

Once the chicken has browned place it in the baking tray on top of the rosemary and put the tomato quarters around the chicken.

Place the baking tray in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.

Grarnish with chopped coriander.

Nice serve with a green vegetable (beans, courgettes, broccoli??) and wild rice.

Fab - thanks
I love recipes with less than ten ingredients

I would do the majority of your prep the night before. You can peel and chop all your veg - if you are very short of time, you can even cook things like carrots, beans etc till they are al dente, then plunge into ice water to stop them going. Drain and keep in the fridge overnight, then just reheat in boiling water before serving.

How about stuffed chicken breasts - use stilton, or shopmade pesto - you can stuff them in advance, then just sear them and whack them in the oven. Thinly slice a whole load of potatoes this night before, then layer them in a dish, poor over either stock, or a cream/milk mixture (seasoned), and bake for 2 hours (I realise it isn't quick, but if the potatoes are presliced, you can stick it in the oven as soon as you get home. You could even layer it the night before and keep in the fridge like that).

Pudding - some crumbled amaratti biscuits, topped with fresh raspberries, then a dollop of whopped cream, and chocolate grated over the top. A sort of freeform italian trifle. Yummy!

pour, not poor!

get some nice bits of steak. Fry/grill pan both sides few minutes v quick.
Serve with nice salad, new potatoes with butter.

Ta da!

Thanks i've plenty to go off there. Cheers

Don't let it go off!

Hope she enjoys it, whatever you decide to cook, I'm sure it will be lovely

Ah thanks littlelapin, i'm sure it will be fab...