Fifteen minutes of frenzy... putting Jamie Oliver's new book to the test

Jamie Oliver’s new book insists you can make supper in the time it takes to wait for the Circle line. We put three time-poor Londoners to the super-quick test
p32 main image Picture by Daniel Hambury. 26/09/12 Evening Standard features writer Susannah Butter perpares to cook a Jamie Oliver 15 minute recipe.
Daniel Hambury
27 September 2012

VICTORIA STEWART: FAILED

Lamb meatballs, chopped salad and harissa yoghurt

25 minutes 40 seconds

In 2010 I complained that Jamie had not allowed for the preparation of ingredients in his book 30-Minute Meals. For his latest challenge he has made a note: “Ingredients out — kettle boiled — large frying pan, medium heat — large-lidded pan, medium-high heat” to avoid just this.

I can nail this in a quarter of an hour, I think, so as the Crystal Maze theme sounds from my kitchen speakers giving me the go-ahead, I begin madly, mixing mince in a bowl, rolling it into tiny balls and tossing these into the now super-hot frying pan which hisses loudly. I can’t afford to sit around watching it cook so I jump ahead to the next paragraph.

As instructed, I finely slice the chilli but when the recipe asks me to put “trimmed spring onions and coriander stalks” into the large pan, I swear loudly. When was I asked to cut these up?

At seven minutes 30 seconds, one of the meatballs falls apart and I cut myself in a bid to finish the chopping and keep my eye back on the pan.

With meatballs ready and slicing done, I’m on the verge of chucking the veg into the saucepan. But for frying, it’s another frying pan that I need, Jamie! I scrabble around for another one before coming up against a second obstacle: 14 minutes in and Jamie’s asking me to add in “the drained chickpeas”, assuming I’ve drained them already. Where is the bloody tin opener when I need it?

The timer sounds. I panic, knowing I’ve lost. Then six minutes into my overtime someone comes in to eat my carefully chopped radishes, depleting the stock. Noo! Finally, I spoon some harissa into the yoghurt and curse again as I realise there is no microwave to heat the tortillas.

More than 25 minutes have gone by in a mixture of panic and stress but even though I went into overtime, there is now a meal of meatballs, fresh dressed

RICHARD GODWIN: FAILED

Golden chicken, braised greens and potato gratin

30 minutes

There is very little that Jamie Oliver could do to persuade me that he is anything less than a saint. Seriously, the Naked Chef has done more to improve living standards in modern Britain than any serving politician I can think of. But no one’s life will be improved in the attempt to make a potato gratin in 15 minutes.

If I have 15 minutes to make dinner, there are options: noodles and couscous are pretty much instant and generally lying about the kitchen. However, the shopping alone for this dish took about 20 minutes — pretty much all the ingredients were fresh, so you’d have to make a special trip, which questions the whole point of the exercise.

Then come the cheaty bits. Jamie would like me to slice potatoes and onions in a food processor. Don’t have one! Back to the chopping board … He would also like me to soften said onions for what would amount to five minutes. I could do that. I could also simply wait another five or even 10 and have lovely soft caramelised onions, and also make sure that the chicken is properly cooked and the leeks nicely wilted.

I could also not be flinging red-hot implements around my tiny kitchen. The time-trial aspect of the book verges on grossly irresponsible — and it would be interesting to see the toll it eventually takes in burns, scalds and grated fingers.

Still, Jamie’s instructions did make the cooking process more efficient, meaning the dish was ready quicker than it might otherwise have been — albeit in 30 minutes. I can’t see how it would be possible to do it quicker. And this being Jamie (and the chicken breasts being nice organic ones) it was delicious. Comforting yet slightly sophisticated food for a damp evening in, pukka tucker how’s-me-mucker. Great food doesn’t need gimmicks.

SUSANNAH BUTTER: FAILED

Chorizo carbonara and Catalan market salad

22 minutes

Jamie Oliver’s kitchen may be large and shiny but I’ve decided my cramped flat puts me at an advantage. Being able to reach the fridge from the cooker saves valuable running around time. This 15-minute meal thing relies on multi-tasking.

While the water is boiling and the pine nuts lightly toasting I attack the chorizo. The recipe says this should be finely sliced but there just isn’t time, sorry Jamie. I roughly chop it up and chuck it in the frying pan with chilli and rosemary, trying not to scald myself on the hot oil spitting out.

Careful measuring is another luxury I can’t afford when dinner has to be on the table in 15 minutes so I pour what looks like a reasonable amount of pasta into the boiling water — doesn’t Jamie say cooking is about going with instincts? But what’s that smell? The pine nuts! They are just about to carbonise but there isn’t a moment to worry about that so I turn off the heat and pour them in a bowl, leaving the frying pan out.

There’s no time to clear as I go. “Seven minutes left!” shouts the photographer, “but it smells nice.” I feel smug. Then I remember there’s still the salad and carbonara sauce to prepare. Where are the clean bowls?

Spinach, torn-up lettuce (there was no chicory at Tesco), and clementine segments go into the salad, with runny honey, vinegar and olive oil for the dressing poured straight in for efficiency purposes. Mucking around with extra bowls is for sissies.

I estimate the measures of carbonara sauce ingredients and have a stress-relieving whisk and pound of the garlic. Finally the pasta is done. I dart over to the sink to drain it, trying not to injure the photographer with the hot pan, pour out the water and mix it all together. Easy, pukka tukka.

I would have never bothered to put clementines in a salad but they work and complement the rich pasta sauce. I enjoy cooking but am often unambitious on week nights because I think I don’t have enough time. But Jamie has shown me it can be done. Give or take a few minutes.

Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals is published today by Michael Joseph, price £26

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