After our first attempt at making Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals with Stuffed cypriot chicken, we were really excited to try making another 30 minute meal again.

So the next day, we watched another episode of the show, and decided to make Broccoli Orecchiette Pasta with  Zucchini & Bocconcini Salad, and Prosciutto & Melon Salad.

Again, we took 1 hour to make it this time. It really shouldn’t take an hour, because the 2 salads can be made in 10 minutes. Most of the time went to figuring out how to work Dee’s food processor, going back to video/cook book, and preparation. If you have all ingredients and kitchen tools ready, I think this can really be done in 30 minutes.

The meal was really yummy, and again everything tasted together really well.  I loved everything, but my favorite was the prosciutto & melon salad, there was a good balace between the sweet melon and the saltiness of the prosciutto. It was the refreshing part of the meal. I will be making this salad more often because it was so easy to do.

Steps:

Ingredients (See exact measurements in book)

Pasta:

• Parmesan cheese
• Broccoli
• Broccolini
• Capers
• Anchovies in oil
• Dried chile
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Dried orecchiette

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Serves 4

¼ cup apple juice
¼ cup apple cider
2 sachets Four O’Clock Wild Berry Herbal Tea
2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
2 Tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice and cider to a boil. Add the tea sachets and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove and pour into a bowl and allow to cool.

Whisk together the mustard, olive oil and buttermilk, then gradually whisk in the tea infused juice-cider mixture and chopped herbs. Season to taste.

2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp light soy sauce
one thin slice ginger
2 sachets Four O’Clock Lime Ginger Mint Herbal tea
2 skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound
½ small red onion, finely sliced
¼ lb fresh bean sprouts
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin julienne
4 cups chopped Napa cabbage
handful coarsely chopped cilantro
handful coarsely chopped mint
garnish: coarsely chopped roasted almonds, cashews, hazelnuts or peanuts

In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock, soy sauce and ginger to a boil. Add the tea sachets and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove sachets, bring infused stock back to a boil. Add chicken breasts and bring back to boiling. Cover and turn off heat and let sit for 20 to 25 minutes, or until juices run clear when poked in the middle of the breast with a knife. Remove breasts and allow to cool. Reserve infused stock for another use such as soup.
Shred by hand or slice chicken into julienne. Place red onion, bean sprouts, celery, cucumber, cabbage, cilantro and mint into a large mixing bowl. Pour half of the dressing onto the salad and toss, seasoning to taste. Place on serving dishes, garnish with chicken and chopped nuts.

Brief Bio:
Nathan has been an award-winning food stylist for print and film advertising for the past 24 years and is an internationally published food and travel journalist. He currently is celebrating his 21st  year on Global BCTV News with his Saturday Chefs and Fong on Food segments, and has been a regular contributor to Canada’s public radio network, CBC Radio One as well as a food columnist for The Vancouver Sun and regular contributor to Taste Magazine and EAT Magazine. In addition he has worked for Enroute, Bon Appetit, Fine Cooking, Cooking Light, Men’s Health UK, Cooking Light and NUVO.

His other television segments have included working with NBC’s The Today Show during the 2010 Winter Olympics, BBC and Sky Television, The Discovery Channel, both from England as well as the Food Network, USA and Canada, and New Zealand and Japan TV. He received the silver medal for the 2009 Food Network Challenge in the Superstar Foodstylist Competition.

In 2002 he was selected as one of the “Top 10 Food Trend-setters of the Future in Canada” by the Canadian national newspaper, The Globe and Mail Newspaper and was the recipient of the inaugural IACP/Julia Child Award of Excellence for food styling in 1998. In 2006 he was nominated for the national Gemini Awards (Humanitarian) for his dedicated work with the Dr. Peter Centre, the Vancouver hospice for people living with HIV and AIDS.

I made this salad without a recipe, but it was kinda influenced by my meal at the Edge. I really like this salad a lot, and I’ve actually made it for my parents this week and they liked it also. It may seem a little bit weird, but I think everyone who has tried has liked it.

Difficulty: Very Easy
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

Baby Spinach or Baby Lettuce/Spring Mix Salad
Craisins
Couscous
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

1. Clean your baby greens if they aren’t already washed, or if you are paranoid with how clean they are.
2. Boil a cup of water with a little bit of olive oil and salt.
3. Measure out 2/3 cup of couscous (Note: you will have a lot of extra couscous, so adjust the proportion to how much salad you need. Also, different brands have different cooking methods, so follow those instructions!)
4. Once the water is boiling take off the heat, and add the couscous. Stir and then cover. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then fluff with a fork.
5. Fry the couscous in a pan with a little bit of olive oil until browned and toasted. Don’t add too much at once, just have a thin layer and do a couple batches if you need to. Don’t add too much oil also.
6. Make a vinaigrette (olive oil and balsamic vinegar, maybe some lemon)
7. Add baby greens to a salad bowl. Add craisins, and crumbled feta cheese. Add vinaigrette and toss.
8. Sprinkle the couscous on top for some crunch.

Tip: If you want, we added some of the left over Pesto Chicken breast from our Paninis into the salad.

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