You need some culinary quickies in your life…

You get home at 6 and the family wants to eat at 6.15.  We all know what that feels like.  It’s time to get some culinary quickies into your life and learn how to be more efficient in the kitchen so you’re in and out and can start enjoying cooking again.

These are some of my quick and easy, but still delectably delicious and photo worthy meals that you can impress the family with.  

Signature Quickie Recipe from my cookbook Culinary Quickies

Quickie Cauliflower Paella

Nothing can beat a traditional Paella, but if time isn’t on your side and you still want amazing flavour and a touch of glamour for a weeknight meal, you just have to try my cauliflower paella. Bursting with flavour and personality, this is one you will use again and again. 

Serves 4-6 

INGREDIENTS 

• 10-30ml oil 
• 450-600g chicken pieces of your choice cut into pieces no larger than your palm (optional, you can keep this vegetarian and use egg plant or zucchini) 
• 1 tablespoon smoked or sweet Paprika 
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 1 cup chicken stock 
• 80g chorizo sausage or bacon, finely diced or minced 
• 1 onion minced or finely chopped 
• 1 head cauliflower food processed or finely chopped (to make cauliflower rice) 
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste 
• Juice and zest of one lemon 
• 1 cup peas, snow peas or beans 
• 80g fire roasted capsicum (from your deli or house-made) or red capsicum sliced fresh

METHOD 

1. Coat the chicken in the paprika and turmeric. 
2. Grease and heat a large Paella pan until sizzling hot. 
3. Add vegetable oil, chorizo sausage or bacon to the sizzling hot pan and allow to brown. 
4. Add onion and stir through. When onions are soft, add the chicken. 
5. Brown the first side of the chicken to seal in the flavour and moisture. Once browned turn over and do on the second side. 
6. Add the stock and then reduce heat and allow the chicken to cook through for a few minutes and for the stock to reduce. About 5 minutes. 
7. Add the cauliflower ‘rice’ and stir through, reduce heat, and allow to cook gently for about 5-10 minutes until tender. 
8. Add the lemon zest and juice, stir through. Add the vegetables and cook for a minute or two (I like mine still crunchy!) and then check seasoning. Serve hot!

One pan suntanned chicken

Okay, who’s sick of washing pots and pans and millions of dishes! I certainly am. My one pan suntanned chicken is a quick yet magnificent meal prepared in half the time and with half the fuss...but with all the sexiness and gorgeous flavour you love. For those nights and days were you really just need to get a healthy, nutritious meal onto the table in under 15 minutes!

INGREDIENTS 

• 600-800g chicken breast fillets 
• 1 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1-2 tablespoons either curry power, paprika, fajita spice, ras el hanout or Thai Curry paste 
• oil or water to bind, about 20-30ml 
• salt and pepper to season 
• 1 cup sliced cabbage or a bunch/packet of sliced spinach 
• 1 cup sliced leek 
• 1 cup sliced capsicum 
• YOU CAN USE ANY finely sliced vegetables you like
• 2 teaspoons pistachios or peanuts or fried shallots for crunch
• Store bought sweet potato hummus or your favourite hummus

METHOD 

1. Slice the chicken breast in half lengthways. Now use a nice sharp knife to cut slashes in shallow cuts into the chicken breast. This will open up the breast, helping it to cook faster AND helping that flavour to really get in there. 
2. Once you have your slashed chicken breast, blend your turmeric and your choice of spice with the oil or water until it forms a nice wet paste. Brush on with a pastry brush or simply combine with a spoon to coat, season well with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat and grease a frying pan with a few sprays of canola or rice bran spray, or a tablespoon of vegetable oil. 
4. When the pan in swear word hot add the chicken...it should SIZZLE as it hits the pan! Let the first side get really nice and brown and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, before turning over and doing the other side. 
5. Cook the second side until sexy and brown and fragrant and then turn over again, you can reduce the heat at this stage. 
6. Now add the vegetables into the pan, around the chicken, leave for a minute, and then stir through. 
7. Cook for just a few minutes, just until the vegetables are wilted rather than over cooked, and then you’re ready to serve. 

Top with a dollop of hummus, sour cream or yoghurt, and then add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice to freshen up the dish. Voila. Too easy I know, but a really good one to know for those times that you have to get that food on the table! 

NOTE:  You can also use this method for pork chops and pork fillet and it’s so easy to turn this dish into your own special design! You can change the spices and the vegetables a hundred times...just like your favourite outfit. New earrings, new handbag, it’s a new outfit! Gents, for you it’s new shoes new tie, new outfit!

MAGICAL MOROCCAN MINCE WITH PISTACHIO AND DATE GRAVEL

Need some midweek or dinner party inspiration?  You can use this with beef or mushroom mince.  Mince is such a wonderfully economical dish; we really do need to learn how to make it look and sound a bit more sexy.  You’ll love this fresh way to serve your mince, it’s so very versatile.

INGREDIENTS 

(for 4-6)

• 2 squirts of a canola or rice bran cooking spray into a large non-stick pan 
• 800g lean beef mince (fluff this up with your hands so it’s all nice and loose and fluffy and not in one big block) 
• 1 large onion, finely diced 
• 1 clove garlic crushed (optional) 
• 1 tablespoon Ras el Hanout (you can make your own using my recipe OR just use 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder and 1/2 coriander powder) 
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (MOST important ingredient other than good quality mince, this will add fabulous colour to your otherwise drab mince!) 
• 1/2 cup finely diced fennel or you could use grated carrot, zucchini or you choose! 
• 1 vegetable or beef stock cube crumbled to a powder 
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes or use one tin chopped tomato 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste or Passata 
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
• salt and pepper to season
• about 1 teaspoon of lemon zest 

PISTACHIO AND DATE GRAVEL ‚ JUST MIX TOGETHER 

• 1-2 tablespoons pistachios bashed or chopped to a nice coarse gravel 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped dates 
• I added some dried rose petals but if you don’t have that grate in some lemon zest (1/2 teaspoon) and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley or coriander for colour

METHOD 

1. Break up the mince in the packaging or a bowl so it is loose and fluffy.
2. Heat and grease a large pan until just about smoking hot. 
3. Add the mince that you have broken up already. Put the mince into the pan...IT SHOULD SIZZLE nice and loud and sexy.
   DO NOT STIR, I know you are worried about this burning, and you are also worried about lumps, but let the mince brown and seal on the first side you put down FIRST and let the pan heat up again and THEN you can stir ever so slightly just to get some more mince onto the base of the pan. My favourite mince ‘fluffer’ is one of those cheap plastic-coated whisks you get at the supermarket that only have about 4 loops. If you don’t have one of those use a strong plastic spoon or egg flip to break down the mince. Once the mince is brown and fragrant and sexy ALL BY ITSELF, then and only then do you add the finely chopped onion and garlic. 
4. There should be enough oil out of the mince that you have rendered off during your amazing sizzle cooking of the mince at a nice high heat. You can stir as much as you like now by the way, that mince is SEALED off! Now add the spices, fennel, stock powder and seasoning and stir through. Amazing colour isn’t it! 
5. Finally add the chopped tomatoes and passata and the chickpeas and you’re practically done. 
6. Turn down the heat and let that all cook through and then add the lemon zest and it’s ready to serve. 

This way of cooking will not only save you time, BUT it will also add valuable flavour and vibrant personality to your otherwise boring mince. I love to get creative with my mince and change the spices thus changing the flavour. I served mine with a yogurt swirl and the pistachio and date gravel with just a twist of fresh peppery rocket leaves.

 

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