Date night in and you don’t know what to prepare? You don’t really cook that often, or at all? Well we’ve got your covered.
In this piece we talk about 3 go to meals that are relatively easy to prepare and will have you looking like you know what your doing.
So you have someone coming over and you want to prepare a meal, the key is not swinging for the fences (baseball term for trying to hit a home run). Instead keep it simple and manageable or you’ll be sweating from much more than the heat.
Here are three simple dishes everyone should know how to make. The key thing is to follow the instructions, don’t get distracted and relax and have fun.
[divider top=”no”]Salmon steaks with Swiss Chard Salsa Verde
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 2
2 6-oz. salmon steaks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
Preparation
COOKING: 10 MIN TOTAL: 10 MIN
Heat broiler. Place salmon steaks on a broiler proof baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, turning to coat; season with salt and pepper. Broil until cooked through but still slightly translucent in the center, 5–7 minutes.
Serve with Quinoa or Rice
Swiss Card Salsa Verde
½ bunch small Swiss chard, preferably red or rainbow
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
¾ cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon (or more) red wine vinegar
Preparation
Also Try It With: Kale or large-leafed bunch spinach
Remove ribs and stems from chard leaves and reserve. Finely chop leaves (you should have about 1¾ cups); thinly slice ribs and stems crosswise. Combine chard leaves and ribs and stems, shallot, oil, chives, vinegar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add more vinegar or oil, if desired.
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There is nothing like good comfort food especially when you require something with simple preparation. Roast Chicken has to be your go to when you had a busy day and want to take the more relaxed approach and get prepared for your guest.
Oven Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
1 bulb garlic
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
1 small bunch fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture
1.6 kg organic chicken
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
Preparation
Take your chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven Make sure it’s thawed lol. Preheat your oven to 475°F There’s no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.
Pile all the vegetables and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with rosemary, salt and pepper, rubbing it all over. Carefully poke holes in the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife. Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs.
To cook your chicken
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven. Turn the heat down immediately to 400°F and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes. If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning. When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel and put aside. Now is the time to make your gravy.
[divider top=”no”]I know that if you were going to cook pasta that the immediate spaghetti comes to mind, because it’s easy. But you want to make an impression so I thought something that would be hearty and look good plated would give you extra points.
Tortellini Prosciutto & Peas
Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 pound meat-filled tortellini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto or pancetta, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preparation
Prep time : 10mins
Cook time : 15mins
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook as the label directs.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and prosciutto and cook until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Ladle in about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and simmer until reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
About 2 minutes before the tortellini are done, add the peas to the boiling water and cook until just tender. Drain the tortellini and peas and add to the skillet, tossing to coat with the sauce. Stir in the parsley. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
