Quick 30-minute dinner: Salmon, quinoa salad and chocolate fondue

TV chefs make it look easy. But you, too, can make dinner on
the run with a clear plan and a little prep time all in…30 minutes.

Jamie Oliver’s TV show 30 Minute Meals
has popularized the idea that it’s no sweat to make dinner, including
dessert, in less than half an hour. Using the occasional convenience
item – prepared rice pudding, bagged greens or premade naan, for example
– but without the help of pre-cooking, he makes the process look
effortless from start to fi nish. No doubt having a team of food
stylists helps, but it’s true that a good meal doesn’t need to take a
lot of time. So we came up with our own 30-minute menu, enough to serve
4-6:

olive or canola oil, for cooking

1 bunch asparagus

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 salmon filet, a size that will feed your family

premade pesto

1 cup quinoa

1 apple

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley or baby spinach

2-3 green onions

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or sliced or slivered almonds

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp honey

pinch curry paste or powder

1 cup cream

3/4
cup chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) assorted fresh fruit,
cookies, or anything that would work with fondue (if using apples or
bananas, have some lemon juice available)

● Heavy rimmed baking sheet, lined with foil

● Fine sieve

● Medium-sized pot

● Small saucepan

● Chopping knife

● Cutting board

● Small skillet or pan

● Jar with lid for salad dressing

● Mixing bowl

● Tea towel

● Tin foil

● Spoon

● Shot glasses or small ramekins for fondue

● Bamboo skewers

● Serving dishes

Set the oven to 450°F

:00
Snap the ends off your asparagus wherever they naturally break. Drizzle
foil-lined baking sheet with oil and spread the asparagus and tomatoes
on it, tossing them around to coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper and pop in the oven for 10 minutes.

:05
Rinse the quinoa in a fi ne sieve under cool running water and put a
medium pot of water on to boil. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and
set it over medium heat until steaming. When the water comes to a boil,
add the quinoa and set the timer for 15 minutes.

:10
Roughly chop the apple, fl at-leaf parsley or spinach (discard the
stems) and green onions for the quinoa salad. Chop, prep or wash any
fruit you’d like to serve with the fondue for dessert. (If you’re doing
apples or bananas, toss with a little lemon juice to keep them from
turning brown.)

:15
Pull the veggies out of the oven. Make room on the pan for the salmon.
Lay it pink side up on the pan and spread the pesto over the salmon.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

● Put the walnuts
or almonds into a small, dry skillet and set over medium-high heat.
Shake it occasionally for 3-4 minutes, until they turn golden and
fragrant. Set aside.

● Pour 1/4 cup olive or canola oil, 2
tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp honey and a pinch of curry paste or powder into
a jar, screw on the lid and shake it up.

:20
You can tell the quinoa is fi nished cooking when the germ separates
from the rest of the seed. Drain it in a fi ne sieve, transfer to a
bowl, add a handful of raisins and cover with a tea towel. This will
absorb the steam and any excess moisture as it cools.

:25
Remove the salmon from the oven and arrange on a platter, surrounded or
topped with the asparagus and tomatoes. If you like, drizzle with “a
glug of” olive oil, Jamie-style. Cover with foil, shiny side down, and
bring to the table.

● Remove the hot cream from the heat and add the chocolate. Set aside for a minute or two, then stir until smooth.

:30
Scrape the chopped veggies and apple from your cutting board into the
quinoa and toss to combine them. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with
toasted walnuts or almonds.

● Pour the warm chocolate
mixture into small ramekins or shot glasses and surround with chopped
fruit, cookies, cake, or other fondue-friendly items for dessert.

Other options:

If
you don’t like all of these ingredients, don’t worry. The elements of
this meal are easily adaptable to suit the season, your tastes, or what
you happen to have in your fridge.