#4: Goats cheese, peppers, spring onion & rocket salad

The motivation behind the 52 dishes challenge was to force me to be more creative in the kitchen. It's been fairly successful on some occasions so far, but sometimes that's not really an option. This past week has been a busy one, and I've barely been in the house. On top of that, it's been rather warm, and I've learnt my lesson about trying to cook up a storm in the kitchen when it's nearly 40 degrees outside.

I'd planned to make a couple of small quiches for lunch, but then the thought of turning on the oven was more than I was happy with. I took the same ingredients and just threw them on top of some spinach instead, which was just as satisfying in the heat!

Serves 2

5 mins preparation.

Big handful spinach

1 yellow pepper

3-4 spring onions

75g goats cheese

Chop veg, crumble cheese and pile it all up. I top it off with black pepper and drizzle a tiny bit of siracha sauce on the side for a kick, although this is actually tasty enough without.

One seriously lazy lunch.

#3: Chicken, bacon and halloumi burger

In retrospect, this wasn't the best choice of meal for a thirty-nine degree day. The burgers were delicious, but I do regret standing over a hot hob and grill when simply sitting still was difficult enough. 

Serve with gallons of iced water. 

Serves 2

5 mins preparation, 15-20 mins cooking

2 ciabatta rolls

chicken breast (one large, butterflied into two, or two little ones)

4 rashers streaky bacon

6 slices of halloumi

1 tomato

Lettuce leaves

Mayonnaise & ketchup

1. Cook the chicken breast over a medium-high heat and the bacon under a medium-hot grill - turn both occasionally.  After around 10-15 minutes, place the sliced halloumi in the pan with the chicken, and turn occasionally.
2. Stack the cooked chicken, bacon and halloumi with the tomatoes, lettuce and sauces in the sliced ciabatta rolls.

Enjoy.

#2: Bruschetta with pancetta and pan-fried nectarines

It's been hot here in Perth this week, and the prospect of eating a hot meal has been the furthest thing from my mind most days. This dish was therefore conjured up as I sat on the bus home trying to conceive of a meal that was a bit more substantial than a salad, yet wouldn't require me to consume vast quantities of potatoes or pasta.

It's a very easy dish and it requires no real culinary skills beyond thinking up different toppings.

Serves 2

5 mins preparation, 10 mins cooking

Ingredients:

2 small turkish bread, ciabatta or focaccia rolls
4 tablespoons basil pesto
2 handfuls rocket
6-9 thin slices of pancetta
1-2 nectarines

olive oil and balsamic vingear

Method:

Slice the rolls in half and put under a medium-to-hot grill with a drizzle of olive oil, toasting both sides. While these heat up, slice the nectarines and place in a small frying pan, over a low heat, with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Using tongs, turn these to ensure they're softened all over.

Make up your bruschettas by coating each toasted roll with pesto, then layering rocket, pancetta and the nectarines. I then throw a little bit more balsamic vingear on top before serving up.

#1: Honey, soy & ginger pork chops

I received Dinner, A Love Story from a friend for my birthday last year, and have been enjoying both the writing and the recipes over the past few months. This recipe was inspired by one from the book, bourbon pork chops, which I had tried and loved. I made my variant of these sticky pork chops for my book club group on our debut meeting.

I like to marinade my meat in the bag it comes in. It's not fancy, but it keeps all the juices together, so I can simply tip the contents into a deep pan, cook the meat in the marinade-and-juices mixture, and then serve the sauce/gravy with the meal. Pro tip: don't leave that bag anywhere within reach of your puppy, as you'll spend a good ten minutes chasing her while she dances happily around the garden with the meaty-bag dangling out of her mouth. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Photo courtesy of my friend Rachel

Serves 4

5 mins preparation, 2-4 hours marinading, 20 mins cooking

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

4 large tablespoons of honey

2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

a generous dousing of soy sauce

Method:

Rub the honey and garlic into the chops, and place them in the marinading container. Pour plenty of soy sauce in, such that each chop is wet. Leave to marinade for 2 to 4 hours.

On the hob, put the meat and juices into a large, deep frying pan and cook, turning occasionally, on a low heat for twenty minutes or until cooked through (test with a skewer or sharp knife)

Serve with: 

Roast potatoes and salad.

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I suppose in many regards this blog was inspired by the narrative of Dinner, A Love Story. The 52 dishes challenge that I've set myself for 2014 is an attempt to get back in the kitchen. I've definitely neglected meal times over the past year or so, and my poor husband has carried most of the load with regards cooking. I know that cooking daily isn't a realistic goal for me at the moment, but whipping something up each week, and maybe trying something new now and then - that's definitely a challenge, but one I could possibly attain.

Thus '52 dishes', one each week of 2014 - I'm not promising anything spectacular, but I'll be blogging each one here.

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