Jamie's Sticky Pan-Fried Scallops (and Chocolate Brownies)

By Helen
Main Ingredients:

• Frozen scallops
• Honey
• Chinese five-spice
• Broccoli and asparagus
• Rice, spring onions and eggs

A good chocolate brownie recipe is closely-guarded and much envied. 

This one - although at the time seeming unnecessarily complicated and slowing me down when I wanted to get started on my main course -was pretty impressive. Dark chocolate was blitzed with butter, sugar, cocoa powder, four eggs, a morsel of flour and a handful of crystallised ginger, then poured into a tin with dried cherries and pecans sprinkled over the top (as below).

While that was in the oven I could get started on the rest of the meal - covering the scallops in oil, lemon zest and five-spice, before frying with honey, chopped chilli and a little garlic.

This was my first experience cooking scallops and the fact that they were frozen rather than fresh meant they were juicy rather than sticky. They were also smaller than I expected (only about the diameter of a penny) so at least they didn't take any longer to cook.

Carbs were provided by boiling some rice and stirring in beaten eggs, soy sauce and chopped spring onions, before sprinkling over a little coriander and sweet chilli sauce. Some simple greens (asparagus and broccoli) was dressed with oil and lime juice to add some colour.

I wouldn't usually have suggested such a rich dessert after a meal like this but it worked surprisingly well - the added fruit and nuts in the brownies meant they weren't cloyingly sweet and the hint of ginger went down well after the chilli too.

If you can bear to just have the main course, it came out at £2.77 a head - not bad considering most of that was scallops. Factor in the dessert and it's more like £4.48 a head (but that includes an extra piece of brownie each to make your work colleagues jealous the next day).

Taken from... Jamie Oliver - 30 Minute Meals

Best for... Convincing people they DO like shellfish - and rewarding them for trying something new

Chris says... I've never seen four plates quite so clean, yet somehow everyone found room for Brownie...

Hugh's Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Cider

By Helen

Main Ingredients:

• Chicken legs
• Dry cider
• Mushrooms
• Cream
• English Mustard

"This rich and warming dish is perfect to serve in autumn, perhaps with mushrooms you've gathered yourself." Or, if you don't fancy risking kidney failure, plain old button mushrooms will do, it turned out. A relatively simple recipe this week, with plenty of time to sort out some vegetables while the chicken was cooking.

The chicken legs were coated in seasoned flour and browned in a pan, then moved to the casserole along with a bottle of cider, chopped, sweated mushrooms, bay and thyme. This took care of itself for an hour and a half before the juices were reduced with double cream and a little mustard.

Although mine looked a little wetter (and less effectively browned) than the picture in the book, it did mean the chicken was lovely and moist and basically fell off the bone. With some potatoes to mash into the sauce and something green on the side this was pretty satisfying, although a more adventurous choice of mushrooms might have complemented the cider better.

Not a spectacular meal by any standards but a good use for chicken legs - other than the usual curry - and only £2.25 a head including all vegetables.

Best for... Comforting a friend who has to go back to work tomorrow

Taken from... Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - River Cottage Every Day

Chris says... Pretty straightforward and even suited a mushroom wimp like me!

Delia's Stuffed Breast of Lamb

By Helen

Main Ingredients:

• Breast of lamb
• Parsley, mint and rosemary
• Breadcrumbs
• Egg

Our demanding guests asked for lamb this week and Delia delivered. 

First I made a stuffing of breadcrumbs, herbs and lemon zest bound together with egg, then spread this inside the meat. Breast of lamb is a slightly weird, flat piece of streaky meat around 30cm by 10cm but rather pretty once rolled and tied with the fresh herby stuffing.

Then I roasted the meat for two hours - at which point it had somehow grown to frightening proportions. I made the best attempt I could at carving the meat (which was determined to fall apart) and served with roast potatoes, parsnips and broccoli. The juices from the meat were made into a rich gravy with the addition of redcurrant jelly, which didn't go particularly far.

Overall this was pretty impressive - an untidy but fragrant stack of thick slices of juicy lamb and plenty for lunch this week. Plus it worked out at a bargainous £1.72 a head. Nice one, Delia!

Best for... A more relaxed roast

Taken from... Delia Smith - Complete Illustrated Cookery Course

Chris says... One of the best smelling dishes we've had so far and the gravy was super rich and tasty.

Jamie's Sausage Cassoulet with Warm Broccoli Salad

By Chris
Main Ingredients:

• Chipolatas
• Streaky bacon
• Haricot and butter beans
• Tender stem broccoli
• Passata, sage and rosemary

This may not have been the most picturesque Jamie meal so far, but it definitely didn't disappoint in the taste department. I was quite keen to give cassoulet a go as I've eaten it many times on family holidays in France. Jamie does call it 'kinda cassoulet' as it doesn't include duck legs, but that omission aside, it tasted thoroughly authentic.

First four rashers of streaky bacon were chopped and fried up with sage leaves, rosemary and bay leaves, before 1 1/2 red onions and two leeks were chucked on top and a jar of passata and the two tins of beans were added to give it a casserole-ey consistency. The sausages were layered on top, before a tonne of herby breadcrumbs were sprinkled on top to give it a bit of crispiness.

This admittedly mushy looking concoction was served up with tender stem broccoli al dente, in a dressing of red onion, plum tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. It didn't look particularly filling with no potatoes, but the beans more than made up for that.

My only criticism was that this didn't benefit from being a 30-minute meal, and probably would have been tastier and heartier if the cassoulet had been stewed for half an hour, instead of the four minutes it had under the grill. With my distinct lack of flashy chef skills this took 50 minutes in total, so you may as well give it that extra 20 mins to make everything thicken up a bit more. 

Also, if you wanted to make it for cheaper than the £2.82 a head this version cost, then fresh herbs could have been easily substituted for dried, although I must admit, the fresh sage really did ramp up the flavour.

Best for... Hearty winter fare after a long walk

Taken from... Jamie Oliver - 30 Minute Meals

Helen says... Nothing (away on business, boo!)

Jamie's Pan-Fried Sea Bass and Crispy Pancetta

By Helen
Main ingredients:

• Sea bass fillets
• Pancetta
• Sweet potatoes
• Asparagus
• Broccoli

As Chris wasn't available this week, I was free to use one of his least-favourite ingredients: fish. 

Sea bass fillets were fried skin-side down (mmm...crispy!) with pancetta, fennel seeds and lemon. Meanwhile I microwaved sweet potatoes and mashed them with mango chutney, coriander, soy sauce and lime juice. The veggie element was provided by broccoli and asparagus dressed with more soy, more lime juice, garlic and chilli.

It all sounds complicated but the instructions are pretty logical (even if Jamie is a little obessed with serving things on boards!) I didn't time it exactly but I reckon it took around half an hour to pull it all together - no I didn't make the recommended 'lemon and ginger drink' or berry icecream, but I was taking it easy and chatting to my guests rather than battling the clock.

This was a real success. The fish was moist, mash was warm and tangy, and we found it impossible to leave any of the greens. Price per head: £3.98 - or £4.31 including dessert, which was borrowed from a different Jamie recipe - frangipane tarlets.

Making a large one rather than several small ones messed with the timings, but the combination of raspberry jam and almondy, buttery paste was very comforting, especially once it had cooled and set a little.

Best for... A noisy dinner with friends who are all happy to dig in and eat themselves to a standstill
Taken from... Jamie Oliver - 30 Minute Meals
Chris says... Nothing!