recipe to impress

[bongerman]

I'm about to leave work early (by 4.30 pm GMT) go to a Co-op supermarket and then home.

I plan to cook a simple nice cheap but impressive meal for my wife - any suggestions?

[Pies]

Pot noodle

[bongerman]

nice idea, but that's what she cooked me last night!!!

[nickmo]

If you have 6 minutes to spare, try the following:

Get some fresh large prawns, red chilli and black squid ink pasts.

Boil water for thepasta and heat a griddle pan. Cook the prawns for 1 min a side, while the pasta cooks - takes 6 mins.

Cut the chillis in half, de-seed and chop. When the pasta is ready, drain, and using a fork, pick it up turning it around and around, and it will make a little nest. Straight to plate (white one looks best) Place the prawns on top, sprinkle chillis over and dress with a litle olive oil.

Show off and also sprinkle some paprika round the edge of the plate to dress it up, serve with a crisp salad, nice quality bread (warmed if you can) and have a cool white wine on hand.

Looks nice, a bit different, tastes fresh and takes 6 mins.

King scallops are a good alternative to prawns if you can get them in store, by the way.

[bongerman]

sounds good - what are ink pasts and what do i do with them?

[nickmo]

'Pasts' are the way you spell 'pasta' if you don't check your postings.

Squid ink pasta is black (cos of the ink) and is normally a long type, like spaghetti. You should be able to find easily enough - most s/markets have it now. A little olive oil over the pasta gives it a really nice glossy shine to finish.

[Pies]

Too late think Mrs bongerman is gonna be on pot noodle

[valsuey]

How about Macoroni Cheese with some nice crusty bread and maybe a bit of salad.Nice and easy and very tasty.

[nickmo]

Have you never read the ingredient list on a pot noodle?

[Pies]

No why d'ya ask?

[nickmo]

Well, if you get a chance to read one, they really don't come with the morning dew on them. The product as a dried goods item can store for a really long time and although the snack food market is chuffed with the concept, (started up in Japan in late 70's) it doesn't bode well for quality eating.

It also contains, for example, off 1 flavour (Nice 'n' Spicy flavour) per 87g pack:
Energy 381 kcal, Fat 14.1g of which saturates 6.9g, & sodium 1.4g. I have seen quotes before that used cat litter has a higher nutrient content than pot noodle.

Thats a real hit of fat, and as the soy protein (no, there isn't real meat in them) is most often GM as well, there are a bunch of ethical dilemmas with the little blighters.

All Pot Noodles are suitable for vegetarians - like their spicy chicken, or beef variety...........work that out with the chemicals required. (not every brand of pot noodle is vegetarian by the way, just in case any comments. check the local chinese s/market for some of the options as'noodle boxes'). And you may like to know that the Food Standards agency in the UK demanded the withdrawl of some imported brands of noodles in the summer as they were irradiated at too low a level to kill the bacteria - that is, the radiation used (whoa, nuclear food!) was too low.

From the Unilever website: 'In a UK survey in 2002, 44.6% of 11 to 19 year-olds named Pot Noodle as their favourite food' Deal with that Jamie Oliver!

Its actually an easy thing to make at home anyway with plain noodles, a stock cube, seasoning and whatever veg or even meats (cooked) you have around to chuck in. That way, its fresh, filling and a nice meal. Think tom ya versions from the far east.

I just prefer to push for fresh food over processed. Think sudan 1 issues (and that was in pot noodles as well).

[butterfly76]

squid ink pasta, tiger prawns.. obviously never shopped in the co-op! be lucky to get a chicken.

[Laurinha]

Tee hee butterfly - that's what I was thinking! lol

[Scarlett]

Poor bongerman.

If your Co-op is anything like mine, they won;t sell anything worth eating. No large prawns or fancy ink!

What did you end up having?

[tubeway]

I bet it was the pot noodle - (Tiger prawn and squid ink flavour)

[bongerman]

lol about co-op! Went to Sainsburys instead but settled for chicken dish off bbc.co.uk/food - a recommendation in another thread. Will try the whole inky number at a later date though.

Cheers for all replies...