Easy Wok

Thanks to my careful observational skills, whilst a friend was cooking dinner for me, I managed to make a mental note of the cooking process (and ensured he wasn't trying to poison me), for this simple yet tasty meal. It requires hardly any preparation and the cooking time is only about 15-20 minutes. Which all makes for the perfect recipe and leaves more time for the more important things in life, like actually eating it.


Ingredients

Serves 2

1tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 courgette, sliced
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
2 chicken breast fillets, sliced
1 head of broccoli, florets sliced in half
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
Chinese Spices (Schwartz's Chinese 5 Spice is a good mix)
Dried egg noodles

Let's get making:

1. Saute the onion, courgette and red pepper in a wok.
2. Add the chicken and cook until browned.
3. Stir in soy sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese spice. Add the broccoli florets and cover to steam for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. In a pan of boiling water, cook the dried egg noodles, following packet instructions (usually 4 minutes) and then drain.

5. Mix the chicken and vegetables with the noodles and serve.

It really is that easy!

P's in a Pan

This recipe is so easy, yet tastes divine. It's perfect for a dinner party, or to impress a special someone with a special meal. (It works every time!)

Ingredients:

8 pork
2 handfuls of rosemary
6 garlic cloves
80ml of olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
2 smooth-skinned pears
3 parsnips
2 ripe peaches
700g potatoes
Salt and pepper

Let's get making:

1. To make the marinade for the chops, pound the rosemary, crush the garlic, add the oil and lemon juice and stir together. Rub on the chops and leave to marinade for 1-6 hours, in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 220 or Gas Mark 7.
3. Slice the pears, parsnips and peaches into quarters lengthwise. (Don't forget to remove the core of the pear.) Cut the potatoes into small pieces.

4. Put the pork, pears, parsnips, peaches and potatoes into a roasting tray, tossing a few times to coat everything with the marinade. Seasons with salt and black pepper and then roast for 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on how big your chops are.

Serve with mint sauce and/or a big glass of red wine.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver's tray-baked pork chops with herby potatpes, parsnips, pears and minted bread sauce.