Simple dinner recipe ideas

Does anyone have any suggestions for simple recipes for dinner? My cooking ability right now has a ceiling of about grilled cheese and spagetti, but I'm looking to try to expand my ability, starting with some good, simple meals. Let's hear them!

Macarroni and cheese?

A spoon and your on your way!

1 piece toast bread
1 piece lunch meat style cut (I prefer salami)
1 to 2 pieces kraft style cheese slice
1 piece pinapple (the round cuts, not the cubed things)

lay them so:
chese
pinapple
meat
cheese (optional to taste)
toast

put in oven ~180C until cheese is mostly melted (not browned).
Easy, tastes pretty good, and is quick as hell. I've got some others too if you want, but I would need to look them up when I get home.

Yeah, I'm at the same stage. Currently kinda teaching myself to cook although it's a little tricky deciphering what product is what in the shops because my German is so crap. I'm sticking to obvious looking ingredients for now.

Anyway, about twice a week I do a google search on a couple of randomly chosen ingredients that I feel a hankering for; then just make up my own version of a recipe based on the selection from there. Seems to work pretty well so far & has been fun.

Pataks curry sauces and read the instruction on the jar (normally involves 450grams of chicken/beef/lamb or whatever and 400grams of tinned chopped tomatoes.

Well easy

Curries are surprisingly simple to throw together.

Fried rice dishes are also piss easy.

Especially with the Uncle Bens pre cooked rice.

Microwave = MUCH MORE CHOICE !

Made something nice last night - fish and fennel in vermouth orange sauce.
And very nice it was too.
But this BBC set of recipes called "Back to Basics" might help as would the Delia Smith articles called "How to".
I know some would argue against recipes but if you really don't have much of a clue, they do give you a place to start so that you can find out what you like and then work from there.

buy ready chopped chinese style veges from supermarket, ready diced frozen chicken and a jar of asian style sauce, throw them all in a pan and 10 minutes later yummy asian stir fry. or get yourself a missus, she'll cook for you and sometimes you'll get a bonus lay

Pasta is easy to master

Omelettes. You can pretty much put anything in them.

Fajitas. Simple and quick.

Or buy some chicken and find a Maggi/Knorr package that covers the chicken in something (some are more complicated than others and might require Sahne of some kind). Throw it in the oven. Easy peasy. We use one called Brathänchen and it tastes *almost* like the Oktoberfest chicken.

Also Tom has worked out how to make a great lasagne, again using a Knorr package I believe. Yummy, cheesy, tasty, and quick.

could always get your ready cooked meals from this guy

"Classic" schnitzel

My fav, and I actually did it myself (honest mum) this weekend!

1. Bang your schnitzel pieces with a shoe heel until nice and flat. (Buy some good schnitzel. Happy pigs = happy schnitzel.)

2. Flap schnitzels around in flour.

3. Transfer to a bowl of egg, and coat schnitzels.

4. Transfer eggy schnitzels to special magic schnitzel bread crumbs (available, inexplicably, at Tengelmann).

5. Place gooey crumbed schnitzels in hot oil for a few minutes then turn over.

6. Eat with pasta or semolina.

Bob's your fathers . ...

Oh, what I'd give to have one of these:

[img]http://www.eskie.com/ebay_photos/George_Foreman_Grill1.jpg[/img]

@jip: Oh, yeah, of course, show the picture of my bad side!

If you are making Schnitzel at home, don't bother with the eggs and flour bit. Just buy this stuff, it has the egg in and is pre-seasoned. Tastes fantastic and you only need to stick some on a small plate, plop the slightly damp Schnitzel on top, turn it cover to coat it and fry. Stuff is cheap, lasts for ages, doesn't go off and works extremely well for things like chicken kievs (cut a pocket/slot in the side of a skinned chicken breast, shove in shopbought garlic butter, pin slot shut with a cocktail stick, coat and fry). There are also instructions in English on the side at the pack and you can get it at big supermarkets for not much dosh.
Amazon sell George Foreman grills as does Media Markt.

Get some pork "minutensteaks" and fry both sides to brown the meat. Make up a packet of mushroom soup but with half the water. Pour it over the meat and simmer for 15 minutes. Maybe add some fresh mushrooms, handful of herbs, garlic.

Great with rice, green veg.

whack some oil in a roasting dish, chop up an onion, a leek and a red pepper (or green or whatever). put a chicken breast on top. pour a glug of balsamic vinegar over the top (about a tblspoon). roast for about half an hour at 190°C
truly scrumptious and easy peasy

cut some chicken breasts into strips, fly until slightly browned add a bit of Soy Sauce to flavour the chicken, pour a packet of uncle bens rice (the one that is cooked already in the vacuum pack) in, add a wee bit more oil, heat for a few mins, then break 2 eggs in, keep moving around until eggs are cooked in with the rest. Serve

(add onions, bean sprouts etc to the above depending on what you like)

NB. You must use a completely non stick pan or wok for this, or it can get messy when you whap the egg in!!

packet of Aldi king prawn
packet of uncle ben's pre-cooked rice
3 peppers
1 onion
1 courgette (or whatever you fancy, really)

fry your prawn (straight from frozen is alright)
sprinkle curry powder on them (as spicy as you like) and a bit of lemon juice
take them out of the pan, and fry the veggies
heat up the rice in the microwave
once the veggies are soft-ish, put the prawns and the rice in the pan, add a bit of stock and simmer for about 10 mins
it'll do for 3 meals or 2 if you've a hearty appetite
dead easy

I saw someone listed fajitas as easy. i used to use a great powder marinade for Fajitas frm HEB in San Antonio, and was wondering what would be a do it your self marinade that works as well. I made the mistake of trying a lime juice with cayenne and cumin..horrible lime flavouring...

Salmon filet cooked in the pan Once you turn the filet, you cover it with Pesto sauce and some Parmigiano Reggiano.

Grilled salmon or (better still) sea trout steak, knob of butter on each side and just after you've flipped it over to the other side, sprinkle on some brown sugar and grill 'til sugar has caramelised and fish cooked.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Echoing Trigs idea
[img]http://www.abitofhome.ca/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/20221-04.jpg[/img]
Get a spoon from the drawer, eat straight from tin. Yummyyyyyyyyy!!

Yeah!

Fusili con Tonno - great when you have to cook something just for yourself.

Unload a small can of tuna into the bowl - put a top over it (a plate) and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Fill a bowl full of fusili (pasta twirls) then bung it into lightly salted boiling water with enough olive oil to stop it sticking until al dente. Mix the two together and coarse grate fresh parmigano over the top - add 3 or 4 fresh basil leafs.

MMMMmmmmm!

Piece of Piss Chicken in the Dijon Styley

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 small tub Cream fraiche
Basmati Rice

Cooking time: Bloody quick, about 10 minutes

Cut chicken into chunks.
Put two handfuls of basmati into a sieve. Wash under cold running water until water runs clear.
Bring BIG pan of shitloads of water to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt, and throw in rice. Don't cover, let boil for 6 minutes. Drain, and return rice to the pan, with the lid on, but NOT on a hot hob.
Heat up a frying pan or wok. When hot, add a little oil, and then throw the chicken in. Stir fry until the chicken meat takes on a little bit, not alot, of colour. Then add the knob of butter, and the mustard. Stir through, then add a splash of white wine if you have some. Then add a good few spoons of creme fraiche, or cream. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes, then season well with salt.
Stir the rice up with a fork to make it fluffy, and serve.

Awesome Beef Sandwich with horseradish mayo, rocket, and caramelised onions

Ingredients:
1 decent beef steak
1 oven ready/part baked ciabatta thing that ALL supermarkets sell here
Mayo
Horseradish sauce
2 onions
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
Butter
1 pack Rocket salad leaves (Ruccola)
Beer

Cooking time: Bit longer, 25 minutes

Start drinking beer. Mix 6 tablespoons mayo with 1-2 tablespoons of horseradish. Cook the ciabatta according to packet instructions. Don't forget to take it out, or you'll burn it, they dry out quickly esecially in a fan oven.
Slice the onions up quite thin, and add to a pan with a good knob of butter, pinch of salt, the sugar, and a slug of oil. Cook on a really low heat for about 20 minutes (adding a splash of balsamic towards the end if you fancy )until they are nicely caramelised. Taste, and add a little more salt if they are too bitter.
Season the steak well, and cook to taste in a pan or under the grill. 2 minutes per side for me, I like them rare. Put on a warm plate to rest for 5 minutes while you assemble the sandwich.
Toss the rocket in a little oil for a better sandwcih. Slice the bread lengthways, and spread the insides with the mayo mix. Add a layer of onions, a layer rocket leaves, then slice the steak thinly at a slight angle, and layer across. Drizzle with more mayo, and eat with beer.

can you cook a chicken breast? do that, and then just play around adding spices:
-tomato sauce, with or without pasta
-soy, peppers, onions, mushrooms
-just butter with oregano and basil
-in olive oil, touch of balsamic vinegar, feta on top
-curry with peas and onions
-my favorite: fry 2-3 chicken breasts and 2-3 onions with salt and pepper. when it's almost ready give it a hearty sprinkle of cinnamon. when it is ready, instead of eating it pour half a can of coconut milk over it, and heat it until it *almost* boils. yum!

how's your deutsch? you can get those little sauce packets (with pictures on the front!), that always have instructions for "just add meat."

Personally I am picky and lazy and simply use the Old El Paso seasoning in a packet. You just add it to the cooked meat with a bit of water and the seasoning is quite nice and just the right amount of spice (for me). I also used some seasoning in a jar once, I believe it was Discovery brand from Hertie but don't quote me. They used to also have Discovery in packets but I have not seen it in ages. In fact the only place I have seen the proper fajita fixings is at MiniMal at Arabellapark. I usually just bring back packs of seasoning from home when I come back from Canada.

I know someone back home that had a great recipe for seasoning that involved mustard, maple syrup and all kinds of things in it. Doubt you would get half the ingredients here though. I'll see if I can scrounge up the recipe though as I am curious now.

Here’s an easy and delicious recipe for:

Charmoula, a Moroccan paste, which is great when put on grilled chicken, fish, or pork. Not having a grill, I usually bake the chicken and get good results. Here’s how to make the charmoula:

¾ Cup fresh flat leaf parsley
¾ Cup fresh coriander
2 t cumin powder
4 cloves garlic
1 t paprika
½ t cayenne pepper
3 T fresh lemon juice
6 T good olive oil
1 T tomato paste
salt to taste

Blend in food processor until smooth. Put in fridge overnight for maximum flavor blending. Put on top of meat, fish or poultry when it has about 10 minutes left to cook. Serve any leftover charmoula on the side. This recipe may be doubled. It really is quite yummy when served atop a bed of couscous.

I never use exact meaurements, except when baking so these are approximate. Taste, taste, taste.

Pepper Turkey Medallions

5 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking

500 grams turkey loin (putemedaillons)
12 or so thick slices (dick geschnitten) of smoked pork bacon (räucherschinken)

Finely ground black and red pepper, mixed (schwarze- und rote- pfeffer)
Couple pats of butter
Bit of finely chopped garlic
Bit of cooking wine or whisky

Cut loin into 1.5 inch thick medallions
Wrap each medallion with bacon, secure with toothpicks
Pat down each medallion in pepper, wipe away excess
Pre-heat oven to 175 celsius
Prep frying pan with butter, wine and chopped garlic on medium heat
Fry medallions 2-3 minutes, and remove.
In oven safe dish, bake medallions for 20 minutes at 175C.

Serve, tastes good.

(add additional seasonings as desired)

Penne Risotto

Credit must go to Patricia Wells. I got this from her book At Home in Provence. It is for pasta cooked in the style of risotto. It sounds bizarre but is absolutely delicious. And easy as pie.

About 2 1/2 quarts homemade chicken stock (canned is fine)
1 pound penne
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 T tomato paste
2 T finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red peppers, or to taste
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano

In a large saucepan, heat the stock and keep it simmering while preparing the pasta.

In a heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat. When it is hot but not smoking, add all the pasta, stirring continuously until the pasta begins to brown lightly around the edges, 4 minutes.

Season with salt and add all the tomato paste and the rosemary, stirring constantly until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.

Slowly add a ladleful of stock, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. The pasta should cook slowly and should always be covered in at least a light film of stock. Continue adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring frequently and tasting regularly, until the pasta is tender and firm to the bite, about 17-19 minutes. (That is what she says, I find that it takes WAYYYYYYYYYYY longer!)

Add the red pepper and vinegar and toss.

Taste for seasoning.

Add about half the cheese and toss to blend. Serve immediately. Pass a bowl with remaining cheese to sprinkle over the pasta.

Serves 4.

okay, one more. absolutely fantastic and simple. got it from the new york times magazine years ago. recipe by amanda hesser.

Bavette Cacio e pepe or Linguini with 2 cheeses

Sea Salt or Kosher
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino-Romano cheese
1/2 pound of DeCecco linguini fini (or similar dried imported) DeCecco is best, IMHO
2 TBS unsalted butter, chilled (Buy Plugra or similar imported butter)
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 TBS very coarse, freshly ground black pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sprinkle in enough salt so that it tastes seasoned. Meanwhile, grate and mix the cheeses together. When the water boils, add the linguini and cook it for the specified time on theh package, stirring occasionally. Near the end of cooking, scoop out about 1/2 cup of cooking water and reserve.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Drop in the butter, oil and 1/2 TBS pepper and stir with tongs, lifting and folding the pasta together. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the pot and place it over medium-high heat. Cook for a minute, stirring to emulsify the sauce, add more of the reserved liquid if required. Test a noodle to see if it's done. It should still be firm in the center, though not as stiff as licorice. Remove from the heat and sprinkle half the cheese over the pasta. Blend once more and then divide the pasta among the plates passing the rest ofthe cheese and the pepper at the table.

Yuuum, I'm so going to bookmark this thread and try some of these.
Does anyone have an easyish Thai curry recipe they recommend?
Something not too tricky. I've been meaning to try making one of these for a while but don't know where to start, the recipe's vary so much from fairly complicated to sounding almost too basic.
If you know what the names of the ingredients are in German that might help too as that's part of my problem. (Identifying stuff)
I saw some pre-made thai curry pastes in Spar so might just cheat and use those for the first attempt.

Marshbot, I've had good success at frying meat until browned and then using a mixture of red curry paste (available at any Thai shop), peanut butter and chicken broth (powder and water) to make a sauce. Throw in a bit of lemongrass or coconut milk if you want to really Thai it up.

@marshbot

thai curry is easy, and some of the authentic thai pastes are really good. i use this recipe which couldn't be easier:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database...urry_1442.shtml

chuck in whatever you might have, i cook it for longer too i think it tastes better.

but... if you have a food processor you can make your own paste, and i have to say that it tastes loads better - its all stuff you can get hold of, coriander/cillantro probably the hardest thing to find and there are plenty of asian markets that have it. check on BBC site or epicurious for hints and tips to getting the blend right

@marshbot, store bought curry paste is not bad at all, especially when you jazz it up a bit, but homemade curry paste is really easy, i promise you. seriously. the offbeat ingredients are available at any asian store. good luck!

Thai Chicken Curry with My Own Paste

1/4 cup peanut oil
4 T fresh ginger
6 cloves garlic
3 shallots
3 t ground coriander powder
3 t ground cumin powder
2T ground red pepper flakes
a handful of fresh coriander
a handful of fresh thai basil
zest of 1 lime
4 sticks of lemon grass, heavy outside bits removed
3/4 to 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 c Thai fish sauce (good quality, not the cheapest on the shelf. It makes a difference.)
1 can coconut milk, unsweetened
12 oz. chicken stock

3 or 4 handfuls fresh string beans, trimmed

juice of 1 lime
a hint of brown sugar
black pepper to taste
fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish
fresh thai basil, chopped, for garnish

Place peanut oil, ginger, garlic, shallots, coriander powder, cumin powder, red pepper flakes, fresh coriander, fresh thai basil, lime zest and lemon grass in bowl of small food processor and process on high until a paste forms. Taste and make corrections.

Place a film of peanut oil on the bottom of a large pan and when it is hot, add the paste. Saute until ingredients are letting off a pungent aroma. Add chicken breasts and saute till all of the pink is gone and chicken is looking done. Then add coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and bring to a simmer. Add fresh string beans, or any other vegetable (when feeding a mob, as I so often do, I add eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, red and green peppers, anything I might have around actually). Taste and add some brown sugar (be careful not to add too much), lime zest and black pepper. Keep tasting until you really like it. I usually kick up the fish sauce a notch and add some more red pepper at this point and perhaps lime juice. Cook until beans are nearly done and then turn off heat. I like to let it sit awhile to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve with basmati rice. While making the rice, reheat the curry, tasting for spice corrections, and add fresh coriander and thai basil at very end for tasty garnish.

Noooo!!! Don't get anything like that from Spar. It'll be shite. Go to an Asian supermarket. Normally cheap too.

oh oh, that's right. thai basil. thai basil is brilliant stuff. asian stores will have some and it just well really brilliant in a curry

@don

totally agree, there's plenty of asian stores or posh supermarkets like Karstadt, Hertie. that will have good curry paste, look for something that is obviously intended for the domestic market - lots of things you can't read written on the pack - that's always a good sign! don't get krusty brand, will be a waste of effort

Did a quick Thai curry last week.

Fry some Thai curry paste (use sparingly, I almost burned the ex to death ) in a little oil and then fry off some chicken in it. Add coconut milk, a wee bit of fish sauce and a smallish pack of cocnut milk. Add in a handful of mange tout (also available in Asian supermarkets) and there you go!

http://www.uktvfood.co.uk

they have some quick recipies on there.

Fry some chicken strips (whole breast sliced into strips) in olive oil.
Throw in a handful of chopped green onions (spring onions for some of ya'll).
Thow in two handfulls of 1/2 inch sliced muchrooms (white or brown).
Fry on high for about 15minutes. The onion will be glossy and the schrooms will be browned on the edges.
Remove from heat and stir in a cup and 1/2 of cream. Add a large tablespoon of dill.
Return to a new burner on low heat. Unless you cook with gas, the old burner will still be too hot. Cover and simmer another 15-20minutes stirring occasionally.

On the hot burner, cook some rice or noodles for the above to go on top of.

In a microwave container, steam some brocoli for the side dish. Use the frozen kind as fresh is better steamed on the stove with a proper steamer.

There you go. If done right, everything will be ready simultaneously and total kitchen time is about 45 minutes. For variety, add some parmeson cheese to the chicken and mushroom sauce just before serving.

Veggie lasagne(very fast and very good)

1 pack italian style frozen veggies
1 onion chopped
1 small container creme fraiche
1-2 bags grated cheese (emmentaler, pasta kase anycheese)
bit of flour, milk, butter for cheese sauce
lasagne noodeles.

melt butter in frying pan. add onions (3 mins) add frozen veggies.
when veggies are almost cooked add cream fraiche.

while veggies cooking make cheese sauce by melting butter in pan. when melted add bit of flour (1tsp maybe). to the resulting paste add milk. when the milk is warm add cheese. stir until you have a good sauce.

in caserole put a bit of cheese sauce, the lasagne noodles (no need to cook), then veggies then cheese then noodels. top with noodles and cheese. bake around 30 - 40 mins @180 degree

I just made something fast and easy:

Schinkennudeln

-Some noodles (whatever you like best, I take the spiral ones)
-Some eggs, beaten with a fork
-An onion
-Some chopped ham chunks (Aldi has some good stuff)

Boil pasta. Meanwhile, chop onion and start frying in oil (olive or whatever you like) together with the schinken on a relatively high temp. Just as that mixture gets golden brown, your pasta should be done. Drain, throw in the pan with onion and schinken. Pur egg on top, stir once in a while. It's done when the egg's cooked.

Pop open a Helles and enjoy

before you get too overwhelmed by all these great recipe ideas, try and look at this realistically Your aim is to learn how to cook. The best way to do this (good tip from the bonus DVD of El Mariachi) is to pick 3 or 4 of your favourite meals. Find the recipe for them, and cook them as often as your tastebuds will take it. Once you've mastered them, pick a couple more and do the same. That way, you'll have a few different recipes to choose from, and your repertoire will slowly grow, but you'll be able to cook each meal very well. This helps you to understand the ingredients you cook with and maybe after a while you'll feel more confident to be adventurous, and start making up your own recipes.
But for the beginning, just pick a few recipes you really like.

Agreed - practice makes perfect, and practicing something that (should) lead to food should be fun...

Here's another recipe. If you can tie your own shoe laces you ought to be able to do this:

Mango chicken

2 garlic cloves
Jar mango chutney
four chicken pieces
2oz butter

Turn the oven on, 200C
Melt butter in a pan, add chopped garlic, fry for a couple of minutes
Add mango chutney, bring to a low boil
Put chicken pieces in a greased oven proof dish
Cover with sauce, cook for an hour, or until done and the sauce has browned.

Serve with baked potatoes (these cook in the oven which is on anyway, no extra washing up), and salad.

Variation: Add chopped fresh chilli to taste while frying the garlic, or stir chilli powder into the sauce in the pan just before roasting.

PP

urban angel makes a very good point. start simple and take it one step at a time.

my feeling has always been that if you can read, you can cook. i realize that not everyone shares the same enthusiasm as i do, but once you start making really good meals, i guarantee you will be hooked. and then you'll be totally into technique and start babbling to all and sundry about how great it is like i am doing right now.

I got the Jamie Oliver cookbook, Jamie's Dinners and it is the best.
The recipes are really easy and the food us great. The instructions are easy to follow. My husband thinks I'm this awesome cook now!!!
good luck
Nicole

Someone mentioned jarred curries, and I just thought I'd add that they've got some good curry packets at the Asian shop in Hauptbahnhof (next to the spaghetti shop). I just tried one that comes in a foil packet you just put in boiling water for 5 minutes, and it was surprisingly tasty. It was a Paneer butter masala. Mmmm. I'll be trying some more of those for my lazy evenings...