Chicken and Mushroom Wontons

Recipe from Ken Hom book (Wonton Soup), with chicken

Mix 250g chicken mince, 4 diced mushrooms, 2 finely chopped spring onions, white pepper, light soy sauce, sesame oil, dry sherry, chopped thai basil and an egg white. Refrigerate for 20 mins.

Melt large block of chicken stock with extra water. Add soy sauce and sesame oil.

Take wonton wrappers (from Vietnamese grocer) and fill and seal. This quantity makes about 30. Boil separate saucepan of water. Lightly cook some green vegetable, then lift out, drain and add to soup. Then cook wontons in batches if necessary in boiling water, for about 1-2 minutes, and then add to soup for further 2 mins of cooking.

Garnish with thai basil and spring onion.

Result: 5
Preparation: a little bit messy, but remarkably straightforward, and ready in an hour.

Agnolotti with avocado, and eggplant

Make eggplant in advance (Franca's recipe): Cut eggplant into chips. Boil in salted water for 5 mins. Drain and cool. Marinate in olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic (sliced not crushed), hot chilli, oregano and basil or mint (preferably all fresh).

Chicken and mushroom agnolotti from Preston market (takes about 20 mins to cook). Sour cream sauce with onion and mushrooms, with sliced avocado and parsley added towards the end. Serve with parmesan.

Result: 4
Preparation: quick and easy.

One-Pot Sausage Stew

Slice and cook in frypan a couple of sausages. Add chopped onion, zucchini and eggplant and fry till well browned. Add tin of tomatoes, passata, sugar. Cook for about 20 mins. Add a bit more water and some risoni pasta and cook about 10 mins more.

Result: 3.5
Preparation: very easy, and minimal washing up.

Quick Chicken Saag

Chicken thigh fillets, sliced. Finely sliced onion. Finely diced eggplant. Lightly fry 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp tumeric in ghee. Add chicken, onion and eggplant and cook. Add chopped english spinach leaves, 2 cubes chicken stock, salt & sugar. Cook to soften spinach and cook chicken through. Add finely chopped parsley. Add yoghurt and garam masala and heat through. Serve with rice and julienned cucumber.

Result: 4.5
Preparation: really easy, apart from the fine dicing.

Hot & sour fish

Dory fillets, floured in cornflour, shallow fried in a little oil and removed. Clean the wok. Stir-fry vegetables e.g. carrot, celery, onion, brussels sprouts, garlic. Put fish back in, then tip over sauce of chicken stock, sherry, soy, black vinegar, chilli, cornflour. Add boy choy at end. Sprinkle over spring onion and coriander. Serve with rice.

Result: 4
Preparation: bit harder than usual stir-fry, but still under 1/2 hour.

Lamb Shanks

2 x lamb shanks, frenched.

Carrot, onion, 2 celery sticks, red capsicum, all finely diced. Brown floured lamb shanks in large saucepan and remove. Fry vegetables in olive oil until coloured. Add lamb back in. Add cup of chicken stock, tin of tomatoes, few tbsp passata, sugar, salt, pepper and chilli, 2 bay leaves. Cook on very low heat for about 2 1/2 hours. Can be reheated in a casserole dish in the oven.

Serve with large diced potato, microwaved for 8 mins and baked crispy with olive oil and salt.

Result: 5
Preparation: really, really easy. Takes time to cook but minimal work required.

Sausage and Potatoes

Spicy pork sausage, sliced and cooked. Tin of tomatoes, passata, onion, potatoes (waxy spuds) chopped up and cooked in sauce, zucchini (last 15 mins), green beans (last 5 mins), bit of sugar. Cook for about 30 mins. Serve with small pasta.

Result: 4
Preparation: dead easy

Pumpkin & Chicken stirfry

Thinly slice pumpkin and microwave for 4 mins.
Sliced onion, ginger, red capsicum, bok choy, mushrooms. Sliced chicken thigh.

Fry an omelette first. Then fry onion, ginger, capsicum, mushrooms and chicken. Add bok choy and egg and pumpkin later. Sauce with kecap manis, sweet chilli, light soy, oyster, white pepper.

Serve with rice.

Result: 3.5
Preparation: quick and easy.