Ready, steady, cook!

Cafe Society
1

I thought we could get some recipe inspiration by playing some online Ready, Steady, Cook! RSC is a BBC game show hosted (or was hosted, I haven’t watched the BBC in years to know if it’s still on) by celebrity chef Ainsely Harriott. Sometimes celebrities, local heroes and/or politicians appeared as guests but mainly it was housewives and university students. Like Neighbours, Chesney Hawkes and Deal or No Deal (UK gameshow) it’s a staple addiction among uni students.

The premise of the show: two contestants come on with a bag full of groceries. They have been given either a budget (5, 10 or 15 GBP) or they are restricted to bringing 5 items. They are each assigned to a celebrity, or aspiring celebrity chef, who will then take the items and with the aid of a stocked larder of basics, create a several course meal in 30 minutes. They are ostensibly teaching the contestants to cook the meal, but on the whole Ainsley asks them inane questions to keep the out the way while the chefs run about like headless chickens. Good times!

**How we can play: **

  • list five items in your cupboard at home
  • wait for someone to give you a wicked new recipe to try using all or some of those items plus the larder basics (listed below) // give someone a wicked new recipe to try when you see some ingredients you like the look of

Rules:

  • try to use all the ingredients (but you don’t have to) even if it means giving several recipes
  • ONLY use the given items and the larder basics
  • recipes should take roughly 30 minutes
  • when making the recipe you should count down the last five seconds remaining, with the help of audience backing
  • if you burn something insist it was intentionally carmelized
  • if you have to toss something in a pan, do it while wiggling your hips excessively a la Harriot, with one hand in the air behind you, the audience cat calling ‘woo!’

List of Larder Basics:

  • all manner of fresh and dried herbs and spices
  • lemons
  • sliced bread
  • flour
  • sugar
  • milk, cream, eggs, butter, Greek yoghurt
  • red & white wine
  • stock/bullion cubes
  • oil, vinegar

Those were off the top of my head but an exhaustive list can be found here (and it’s quite long!): http://readysteadycook.ten.com.au/671.htm

Example:
5 items = chicken thighs, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, dark chocolate and an orange
recipes = roasted chicken thighs with tomatoes; mozzarella and tomato quiche; pot au chocolat with an orange coulis
But hopefully you guys will be more creative than me!!!
To start us off, my five items:

  • lamb cutlets
  • asparagus
  • dragon fruit
  • can of chickpeas
  • baby spinach

PS. You have all imaginable kitchen equipment at your disposal, the help of one celebrity chef and the hindrance/help of a contestant to help you get all the prep done and cooked in 30 mins.

FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE! START COOKING!!!

2

First, I’ll need access to SDMB for help with what the hell a Dragon Fruit is. Where are we cooking, Endor?

3

Dragon fruit! Pitaya - Wikipedia

It’s yum, kind of like a kiwi fruit in texture but with a milder more subtle flavour. The ones we picked up today are white where the kiwi is green, and with a tough red exterior not the furry brown stuff. You also get yellow ones but I’ve not seen those available for sale here. Very common in the far & middle east, usually eaten raw & sliced (like a kiwi).

Hope that helps!

4

BTW, that link is for the Australian version of RSC which is slightly different and a whole lot more crap than the BBC version.

5

Well, the obvious thing to me to do would be to go for some sort of Middle Eastern or Indian dish, with a grilled, spiced lamb chop, and a side of chickpeas and spinach, flavored with cumin and coriander seed. I’m not sure how to fit in the asaparagus and dragon fruit, though.

Or, let’s see. If you want to make this two courses, the chickpeas and spinach would make a lovely soup. I’ve never had pitaya, but maybe you can make some nice sort of coulis out of it, to serve with a nicely grilled lamb chop and grilled asparagus. I know, nothing terribly fancy, but I just love simple, clean flavors.