This one is simple, assuming you are past the age of living at home, and mummy taking care of you. It’s simple real men cook.
It doesn’t matter, whether you are flatting with mates, or living on your own. Or if you want to impress a girl by cooking her a meal.
Learning how to cook is one skill that every real man should learn. It will do some amazing things for you.
Real men can cook on a BBQ or in a kitchen
Well, without wanting to be sexist, cooking on a barbecue is the domain of most men. We guess it’s something to do with a throwback to cavemen days.
Meat cooked on a naked flame is a primal thing to do.
But what we are talking about is actually doing some real cooking. Yes, you can certainly impress on a BBQ. There is so much more to cooking than just throwing some sausages on the Grill.
If you want to impress with your cooking skills then learn how to cook 5 meals really well, in the kitchen or on a BBQ.
Why do Real Men Cook
Cooking and eating are one of the staples of humanity. Any man should know how to cook as a basic way to feed himself, partner, family or friends. The better meals you can prepare the more fun you can have when cooking.
In the last 10 years TV shows like My Kitchen Rules or Masterchef, have made cooking and experimenting the norm in kitchens.
There are plenty of men in the kitchen showing that not only that real men cook, but that real men can excel in the kitchen.
Which meals should you learn?
Well, keep in mind you have 3 main meal times throughout the day, Breakfast, lunch and Dinner. You want to be able to cook 5 meals well enough to fall into any category.
Simple or complex Meals?
We are a big believer in the KISS principle, Keep it Simple Stupid. So stick to simple but tasty dishes. You don’t want to be in the master chef class of cooking.
You want to be able to know your way around a kitchen and decent Pan Seared Scallops to impress just about anyone.
5 Tasty and Simple Meals to Learn to Cook
The first dish on the list falls under the Breakfast category.
Eggs Benedict
You can’t beat a nice Eggs Benedict Or informally known as Eggs Benny, with fresh orange juice or hot coffee. It’s a great way to start the day and impress whoever you might need to impress.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 egg yolks
- 150g butter, melted, cooled
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 125g shaved ham
- 4 eggs
- 2 English muffins, cut in half
- Avocado, thinly sliced, to serve
METHOD
Step 1
For hollandaise sauce, combine the vinegar and egg yolks in a food processor, very slowly adding the butter bit by bit. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover and leave to sit.
Step 2
To poach the eggs, fill a saucepan with water to two-thirds full. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat.
Stir the water until a whirlpool forms. Break the egg into a saucer, and then slide into the water. Cook, without stirring for 3-4 minutes, depending on desired consistency.
Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining eggs.
Step 3
Toast English muffins until golden brown. Top with ham, avocado and eggs. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Serve.
NOTES
You can also add 20g spinach leaves to the topping. Eggs Florentine substitutes spinach for the ham
Exchange Ham with Salmon. Cracked pepper is a great addition to it.
Cooking tip – You don’t need to make your own hollandaise sauce. Hey, it’s impressive if you do by the way. But you can pick up a decent hollandaise sauc
e at the local supermarket.
A Decent Dinner Dish
As much as real men cook. You should also know how to pair wines with food. We give you our recommendation.
Chicken Florentine
This is a simple but tasty pasta dish with Chicken.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Penne
- 1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/3 c White wine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 c. chopped tomato
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 c. shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan (plus more for serving)
- 1 1/2 c. baby spinach
- pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Method
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper and oregano and cook until golden and no longer pink in the middle, 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
- Make the sauce: Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. When the wine is simmering, use a wooden spoon to scrape all the golden chicken bits from the pan. (They have a lot of flavours that you’ll want in your sauce!)
- Add tomatoes and garlic and cook until the tomatoes soften slightly about 2 minutes. Then add cream and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Add mozzarella and Parmesan and stir until the cheese melts. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Turn off the heat and add in the cooked penne, baby spinach, parsley and red pepper flakes (if using). Toss until the pasta is evenly coated in sauce and the spinach has wilted slightly. Serve immediately.
Serve with : A nice Sauvignon Blanc
Dinner or Lunch Dish
Traditional Italian pizza
This pizza carries pure and classic Italian flavours, including pesto and sausages. It’s a great casual dish you can bust out.
It works well with lunch or dinner. Trust us, real men cook pizza.
Ingredients
- Luke-warm water: 2 cups
- Yeast: 1/2 tablespoon
- Sugar: 1⁄3 cup
- Salt & pepper: 1 tablespoon each
- Flour: 2-4 cups
- Olive oil: 2 tsp
- Italian sausage: 1 cup
- Pesto: ½ cup
- Grape tomatoes halved: 1 cup
- Bocconcini, halved: ½ cup
Method
1. Take a bowl and mix water, sugar, yeast and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Now add in flour gradually. Knead the dough and set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 475 F. Grease baking sheet with oil.
4. Meanwhile, take a skillet and heat the oil on medium heat. Cook sausages for 10 minutes.
5. On a flat working surface, roll the dough flat, as per the size of the baking sheet.
6. Put the flattened dough on a sheet and press to fix.
7. Layer pesto, sausages, tomatoes, Bocconcini, and seasoning.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with: A decent Cabernet
Simple Dessert Cooking
Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding
This is a great dessert for the end of a night, best served with some vanilla ice cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 80g butter, melted, cooled
-
1 cup self-raising flour
-
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, plus extra to serve
-
1/2 cup brown sugarBerries, to serve and thick cream or ices cream to serve
Sauce
-
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
-
3/4 cup brown sugar
-
1 1/4 cups boiling water
Serve with: A decent Port or Dessert Wine
A Simple Dinner Recipe
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 (12-oz.) package egg noodles
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1″ pieces
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp.
- extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp.
- Fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 4 c. low-sodium beef or chicken broth
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 tbsp.
- sour cream, plus more for serving
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
Method
- Prepare egg noodles according to package instructions and toss with butter while still hot.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil. Add beef and sear for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden on all sides, and season with salt and pepper. Work in batches if needed. Remove beef and place in a large bowl.
- Lower heat to medium and add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until golden and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl with beef.
- Add the remaining olive oil and add the onion. Cook until tender, 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Stir in broth, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk some of the hot broth into your cornstarch. Stir into the broth along with reserved beef and mushrooms and continue to simmer until thickened by about half, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon beef mixture over prepared egg noodles and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and parsley.
Serve with: A decent Shiraz
The Wash Up
Real men cook it is that simple, You don’t need to do anything too complicated or weird in the kitchen.
Just learn the basics and start with five easy-to-cook and delicious meals under your belt you are guaranteed success.
