redjanet's Reviews
205 recipes reviewed. Showing 51 to 100Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating 
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Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2008
A good mid-week meal, this is basically breaded chicken with lots of flavour thanks to the inclusion of garlic, parsley, lemon zest and butter in the breadcrumb mixture. I prefer to bake instead of pan-frying as I find the crumbs stick better to the chicken that way, but you could do it either way.
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A delicious take on the classic chicken wrapped in bacon, this dish is quick and fairly easy to make. The end results are very flavourful thanks to the use of prosciutto, parmesan, lemon zest and thyme. This goes really well with salad and new potatoes for a satisfying weekday meal.
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This is a simple and delicious way to cook salmon together with green beans. Covering the salmon in pesto and wrapping it in foil keeps it moist and juicy. I find that I don't need to add as much olive oil as Jamie does (in general!) to keep it moist. The combination cooking of the greens with the fish also helps save on the washing up.
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Quick and extremely easy to make, this is a simple way to serve trout. It almost seems too simple, but sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. This goes well with new potatoes.
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An easy midweek meal, the use of fresh herbs adds a lot of flavour, as does the smoked streaky bacon that the fish is wrapped in before being baked in the oven. This goes well with any type of green vegetable or salad and/or potatoes.
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An easy no-cook cheesecake which everyone I served to seemed to love. I didn't actually make the raspberry topping but just served it with fresh raspberries on the side, which worked quite well.
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Jamie's 30-Minute Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2010
I had never made a meat pie before and this was a good recipe to start with. It is quick and easy (if a bit messy) to assemble and once the initial prep is done and it's in the oven it only takes 15-20 minutes to cook. I've made it twice; the second time I realised I'd run out of eggs and used milk to glaze the puff pastry instead and it came out almost as well, though not as golden brown and crispy as with the egg.
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The 30-minute Cook
By Nigel Slater
Penguin Books Ltd - 2006
This is a very quick and easy way to make Thai green curry. Nigel doesn't specify if he uses fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves (though I suspect he means fresh from the wording), but I've used dried and it's always come out just fine. The basil leaves give an interesting depth of flavour and the coconut milk makes it very cream, if a bit fattening.
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Delia's How to Cheat at Cooking
By Delia Smith
Ebury Press - 2008
This is one of my OH's favourite dishes which I regularly make. It's a very easy way to make flavourful sausages by frying them in a pan and adding red wine, red wine vinegar, thyme, seasoning and caramelised onions from a jar and it comes out well every time no matter what type of sausage I have used. Delia gives instructions on how to make mash using frozen mashed potato, but I just make my own.
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Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007
This is a quick and flavourful way to prepare chicken in the middle of the week. This recipe requires chicken escalopes, streaky bacon, garlic oil and white wine and goes very well with a green salad.
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This is a very quick way to make a tasty midweek meal. Gammon has a lot of flavour on its own but Nigella adds even more with garlic oil white wine vinegar, pepper, honey and parsley. This is ridiculously easy and goes well with potato and vegetable sides of your choice.
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I really liked these. The ingredients gave the chicken a nice, gentle flavour. These can be eaten hot or cold and I can imagine them being a good thing to take to a picnic, as Nigella did in the episode of the show in which she made them. In fact, that's probably what they're perfect for.
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A quick way of making hunter's chicken as a mid-week meal. This is hearty, comfort food that goes down well in the winter. Although the recipe uses cannellini beans as an option, after the first attempt I took Nigella's advice and served it with rice instead as a personal preference, which absorbed the sauce well and proved to be comforting and satisfying.
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The Philadelphia Cookbook: Heavenly Recipes Using Philadelphia
By Philadelphia UK
Ebury Press - 2008
This is an easy way to incorporate salmon into weekday cooking. You basically spread garlic and herb philly onto salmon fillets and top with breadcrumbs that have been mixed with lemon zest and chives and just bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes. It comes out juicy and flavourful and goes well with new potatoes and veg of your choice.
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Baking Made Easy
By Lorraine Pascale
HarperCollins - 2011
As soon as i saw the title of this recipe I knew I had to try it. This is a no-bake cheesecake that sets in the refrigerator once assembled. The mascarpone, white chocolate, cream and amaretto flavours work well together, though I did find it to be a bit too sweet. It is also very rich so it's best eaten in small portions.
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Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2010
I don't normally make any sauce or gravy to go with lamb steaks, but as I had some port on hand I thought I'd give this a try. I'm glad I did as the simple sauce adds excellent flavour and made the lamb even more enjoyable.
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This is a quick way of frying up turkey or pork escalopes. The flavour is maximised with spices, garlic and lemon and is a really good mid-week meal accompanied by salad and potatoes of your choice.
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As this cake is flour-free, it has more of a brownie, gooey consistency. The lime gives it an interesting twist of flavour and it is very easy to eat, though at the same time quite rich. It reminded my in-laws of the chocolate lime sweets of their childhood. I quite liked it and didn't bother with the accompanying recipe for margarita cream to be served with it, but I can imagine how it would work well if you like cream with your cake.
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This is a simple Sunday supper for two. It's as simple as it gets really as all you do is sear the duck legs first and then place them in a small tin surrounded by potatoes which is left in oven to cook for a couple of hours. Very nice.
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Very nice. This is a quick version of a classic which, just using a few ingredients, is easy to whip up for a delicious midweek meal. I'm not usually a fan of creamy sauces but the vermouth, garlic oil and spring onions add a lot of flavour. This went very well with green beans and new potatoes, though as my OH suggested, I could imagine it working well with mashed potatoes or basmati rice as Nigella also recommended.
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Ching's Chinese Food Made Easy: 100 Simple, Healthy Recipes from Easy-to-find Ingredients
By Ching-He Huang
Harper - 2010
A very nice, tasty way of roasting some chicken legs. The five-spice powder gave a good earthiness which complemented the other ingredients in the marinade, such as soy sauce, garlic and honey. I roasted my chicken a bit longer, and at a slightly higher temperature than the author suggested so I would get a more crispy skin and that worked well and the chicken stayed juicy inside. This went very well with rice on the side.
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Website: Smitten Kitchen
I'd never used vodka in cooking before so I was really intrigued as to how this would taste. It ended up being a very flavourful sauce which went very well with pasta. I didn't have fresh basil unfortunately, but I used dried and added lots of black pepper, which gave it a nice kick. My only minor complaint is that I ended up halving the ingredients as I was only serving my OH and myself and there was still way too much sauce for just the two of us. However, I would definitely make this again as the sauce itself was delicious and it was a quick and easy midweek meal.
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Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007
A quick and easy midweek pasta dish. I didn't have spaghettini but used normal old spaghetti which was fine. The sunblush tomatoes, rocket and prawns made for a very colourful, pretty dish and the chilli flakes added a nice kick. I think if i made this again, though, I wouldn't use all of the oil of the sunblush tomatoes as instructed as it made the dish a bit *too* oily for my tastes, especially towards the end, but overall this was nice.
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I really liked this. The sweet potato took a little longer than the 15 minutes suggested, which made the butternut squash go a bit mushy, but despite that the flavour of everything combined was really good. I wasn't sure how well the mango would go, but the sweetness added a nice contrast. I used pre-cooked prawns, which worked fine and served the whole thing with basmati rice. I wish now I had taken a photo as the whole dish was very pink and pale orange!
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BBC Good Food
(July, 2011)
This is a quick and easy meal that is perfect for a warm summer night. All it takes is grilling halved chicken breasts coated in Harissa paste and making a salad of chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onions, parsley and lemon juice, and that's it! Easy maybe, but the end result is a colourful and elegant looking dish. This was the first time I'd ever tried Harissa paste and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too hot after grilling (though I was careful and didn't go overboard to begin with).
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Jamie's America
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2009
I made this one time for my parents when they were visiting (they're from NY and I live in London) as cheesecake is one of their favourite desserts. They're used to the more traditional vanilla-flavoured type, but this has a twist of lime which adds a refreshing tang. Overall, I liked it, though I have to admit that I didn't make the meringue topping as I just don't find toppings very necessary with cheesecake.
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Website: Smitten Kitchen
I made this last night and as I was only serving two I halved the ingredients and it still worked really well. I probably didn't marinate the chicken for as long as I should/could have due to lack of time, but it was still very flavourful and I would definitely make this again as a tasty weekday dinner. It went very well with basmati rice on the side.
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Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2007
Ridiculously simple to make, and needs a decent side to go with it to make a complete meal, but the combination of the chorizo and scallop flavours with a bit of lemon was really good and very fast to throw together. I made the chickpea and rocket salad to go with it, as suggested, but I'd be open to suggestion for different ideas of accompaniment.
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Nigella Bites
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2001
This is one of the simplest recipes ever, but it is satisfying to eat. All it consists of is roasting pancetta in garlic oil for ten minutes and then tossing with linguine and maybe adding some parsley at the end if you like. It's really tasty and perfect for a weeknight when you're too tired to make much of an effort.
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This was my first foray into making my own meatballs. This is a nice comfort dish to make for a hungry bunch. It is fairly easy, though time consuming. My only minor complaint is that I think the recipe for the sauce, as is, is missing something as I find the flavour slightly bland. Otherwise I really like it. I haven't tried the accompanying home-made pasta and I'm not sure if I ever will, but the meatballs and sauce are a good start.
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl
By Ree Drummond
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2009
This was simple and straightforward to make and overall I quite liked it. I'd never eaten clams before so I thought I'd give it a go, even if they were only from a tin. The sauce was nice and creamy and the texture of the clams with the freshness of the parsley went very well with the linguine. It was a nice Saturday night meal with a glass of wine. My only complaint was that the clams didn't have a very strong flavour, so aside from the texture they gave the sauce, which I liked, they didn't add very much to the dish. Maybe a stronger, bolder seafood in here would be better. Still, not too bad at all.
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Delia's How to Cheat at Cooking
By Delia Smith
Ebury Press - 2008
This was a bit different for my OH and me, but as it was pretty straightforward I thought I'd give it a go. The marinade on the chicken worked quite well and tasted better than I thought it would once it was cooked, as I was worried it might be a bit too sour with all the ginger and lime juice. The mango salsa was very nice, though maybe slightly too oniony. I left out the coriander as I don't really like it, and it wasn't missed. I stirred in the leftover black beans (unheated) with the basmati rice I made on the side as suggested and overall it was a colourful, flavourful dish which was very filling.
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Aside from the ready-made cheese sauce this dish incorporates, I'm not really sure how much of a, "cheat's," recipe this really is considering I had three saucepans on the go on the hob as well as getting the grill ready for the final finish.
That said, this was not a difficult recipe to make, and though the ready-made ingredients made it a bit more expensive than normal, it was really very tasty. Unlike Nigella's "Express" mac and cheese that I recently tried, the cheese in this recipe didn't coagulate and was still smooth and consistent throughout. I didn't add cherry tomatoes as suggested as I'm not really a fan of roast tomatoes and felt the dish had enough flavour anyway with the added bacon, onion and mushrooms.
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Complete Cookery Course: Classic Edition
By Delia Smith
BBC Books - 1992
I decided to make this yesterday while my OH was watching the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was a pretty easy, straightforward stew of diced beef, onions, paprika, peppers, tinned tomatoes and sour cream stirred in at the end. Before I added the sour cream (or crème fraiche in my case) I realised that the stew smelled and tasted *exactly* like my paternal grandmother's (Eastern European Jewish), "Swedish," meatballs. Heh! Now I know her secret. In any case, this was a nice tasty dish which went well with rice and will be good to have up my sleeve when winter comes.
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Every Day
By Bill Granger
Murdoch Books - 2009
I'd never used cucumbers in a stir-fry before and wasn't sure if I'd like the taste, but they added a nice crunch and delicate flavour to this healthy, summery dish. The sauce, which was Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour, caster sugar and probably something else I'm forgetting added a nice amount of flavour. The cucumbers and peppers made this pretty to look at and the chopped peanuts added at the end gave it an extra dimension of flavour and texture.
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This was really good. I had my doubts about it staying intact when my salmon cubes started falling apart a bit in the frying pan, but the flavour of the sauce was so good that it didn't matter that they were a tiny bit crumbly. Except for the red onion, I halved this recipe as I was just cooking for two, and the sauce, which was basically garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, tasted great. I even used light soy sauce instead of dark as that was all I had. This went perfectly with steamed basmati rice and I'll definitely be making it again as it's a very tasty, quick meal that is perfect for weeknights.
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl
By Ree Drummond
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2009
This couldn't be simpler. I love fried bread and I love eggs, so this is a perfect quick cooked breakfast for me.
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BBC Olive
(June, 2011)
This was simple and quick to make and it was nice trying a potato salad without mayonnaise. There was lots of flavour due to the dressing, which consisted of olive oil honey, wholegrain and Dijon mustard as well as tarragon, parsley and chives. I definitely didn't miss the mayonnaise. I could see this going well with many dishes.
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Good Mood Food: Simple Healthy Homecooking
By Donal Skehan
Mercier Press - 2010
This was a quick and tasty way to grill salmon for a weeknight dinner. I thought the blend of spices such as cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper and black pepper that I dredged the fish in might be too spicy for my tastes but it was fine and went well with rice and a salad. A good quick dinner to have up my sleeve.
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Forever Summer
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2005
Another ridiculously quick and easy supper from Nigella which can be made in mere minutes. All it consists of is dredging salmon fillets in a mixture of English mustard powder and caster sugar and then frying them. I was a bit concerned that the heat of the mustard powder would be a bit overpowering, but the sugar did it's job and sweetened it well and it ended up having more of an Asian flavour (in my opinion) than the Scandinavian-esque taste Nigella seemed to be going for. She mentions in the book that it would go well with potatoes and beetroot salad, but it worked well for me with rice and some greens wouldn't go amiss.
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Easy Meals
By Rachel Allen
Collins - 2011
Good, easy comfort food for a cold winter night. The chorizo gave this good flavour and the mozzarella added at the end gave it a comforting richness of texture.
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BBC Good Food
(August, 2011)
This was a light and fresh pasta dinner that seemed perfect for a late summer evening. A good way to use up frozen broad beans and that half a tub of creme fraiche that always seems to be going spare.
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Nigella Bites
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2001
I made this to go with a pork stew recipe that suggested cabbage would be a good side dish. This turned out to have more flavour than the stew! This was easy and quick to make and a had a nice hint of Asian flavours with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil added at the last minute. The recipe was easily halved as I was just cooking for two.
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Jamie's America
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2009
I made this in honour not only of the Italian Grand Prix, but being that it's 11/09/2011, I also made it in honour of New York and the type of food I used to love growing up in that wonderful city. This tasted very authentic and very similar to the veal or chicken parmigiana dishes I used to always have in Italian restaurants in New York. I used pork escalope as suggested by Jamie as it was MUCH cheaper than veal, but I didn't really notice the difference. I served this with spaghetti as did most of the Italian restaurants of my childhood and it brought back happy memories. Thanks, Jamie.
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BBC Good Food
(Autumn, 2011)
Surprisingly good midweek comfort meal. I used tikka masala paste I had leftover from the weekend, and combined with the yogurt and tomatoes in the sauce, this had a nice, delicate flavour. The spinach added at the end added bulk and the coriander added more flavour. I would definitely make this again.
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Cook Yourself Thin
By Harry Eastwood, Gizzi Erskine, Sal Henley, Sophie Michell
Penguin - 2007
This is a very good, simple and quick way of preparing a healthy main course of sea bass for two. There was lots of flavour in the sauce, mostly made up of store-cupboard essentials like tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, dried herbs, capers and white wine, making it an easy recipe to fall back on with short notice. I served it with new potatoes and roast vegetables and will definitely be doing so again when I want something healthy but tasty for dinner.
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Nigella Christmas: Food Family Friends Festivities
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2009
Having recently rediscovered this cocktail, one of my favourite drinks back in college, I wanted to recreate it at home as Amaretto is a liqueur I almost always have in the house. All this consists of is amaretto and lemon juice. I have to admit, I didn't exactly follow Nigella's measurements exactly and came up with a drink that was probably too strong on the sour and even stronger on the amaretto, but I liked the sharp contrast of sweet and sour and will be making this again. Now I need to find some maraschino cherries to complete the recipe properly.
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Feast: Food That Celebrates Life
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2006
This isn't a casserole at all, but boiled green beans mixed in with butter, oil and lemon (which can be served in a casserole dish if you like!). This added some zingy, green freshness to an otherwise stodgy and meaty Thanksgiving feast. An easy, flavourful way of serving green beans which I'll definitely make again.
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Delia's Complete How to Cook: Both a Guide for Beginners and a Tried and Tested Recipe Collection for Life
By Delia Smith
BBC Books - 2009
I was looking for a change from my usual Jamie Oliver recipe of salmon topped with pesto and roasted in the oven in foil, which my spouse is a bit sick of...and then ended up finding this, which is almost the same thing, but with cheese and breadcrumbs on top as well! Spouse admitted that it was good and the crunchy cheesiness made it more interesting. I liked it and would make it again as it's another easy weekday way of eating some oily fish.
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Leon Book 2, Naturally Fast Food
By Henry Dimbleby, John Vincent
Conran Octopus - 2010
A fairly light, mild curry that is quick to pull together on a weeknight. I really liked this and can see making it again often.
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