h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm entertaining a lass at my poxy flat on Wednesday night, and all I have is some pasta, some garlic paste, chicken breast and about a fiver to spend at Tesco. Reckon you've got a recipe in that head of yours that'll mean I don't poison her??

I really hope you do!

Psyc.

Ho yus!

Female entertainment is my speciality. The only way I could ever pull in my Uni days is by doing some cooking.

1) For heaven's sake, don't use the garlic.

2) Actually, don't use the pasta either.

3) Spend your fiver on the following: 2 baking potatoes (yeah, they're out of season, but this is good stuff), 1 small pot of double cream, 1 onion, some basil (plant or packet, whatever's cheaper), 2 tomatoes, some mange tout.

4) Peel the potatoes, slice into 1cm slices, and put them in a pan of simmering water for 5 minutes.

5) Drain potatoes and soak them in cold water (IMPORTANT). Stack a layer of slices in a shallow casserole dish (something oven-proof, at least), chuck a little bit of chopped onion over them, and stick the rest of the slices on top. Chuck the cream over the whole lot, and sprinkle a little bit of grated cheese and breadcrumbs on the top if you feel fancy. Stick the whole dish in the oven (180C, Gas 5) for about 40 minutes, or until it's going nicely brown on top.

6) Cut your chicken breasts (you've got two, right?) in half length ways. Use a rolling pin or convenient beating instrument to bash them out a bit. Chuck a little bit of salt and pepper on it.

7) Get a couple of slices of cheap white sliced (all students have got this, yes?) and pulverised them in a blender, or else with some enthusiastic chopping. Don't laugh, I've made breadcrumbs this way. Pulverise onion, basil and tomatoes in the same way, mix it all together until it looks like stuffing. Put it in the middle of the beaten-out chicken breasts and wrap them round. Wrap tin foil round the whole lot if you've got some. Hopefully, this will have only taken you ten minutes, and you can put them on a baking tray in the oven with the potatoes. The chicken takes about 25-30 minutes.

8) Get a pan of water on the boil about 10 minutes before the chicken is done. Top and tail the mange tout if necessary (if you buy a neat little package from Tesco, they will probably already be done), and put them in the boiling water for 1 MINUTE ONLY! Drain immediately and serve with the chicken (still in its package if you've put tin foil around it) and a half the potatoes.

Hey presto - Mediterranean chicken with Ptatoes Dauphinoise and mange tout. Simple, cheap and (I hope) easily cooked by a student.

B

Sounds like a plan, cheers B. Lifesaver

That went well, cheers for the recipe!

I'm buying a house with the girl I cooked this for. Cheers B.

I don't know what to make of that observation.

Am I to be invited to cater for your wedding?

B

Hah. Like I'm allowed to make any decisions about the wedding.