Knorr Taste Quest 2, episode 10: Guys and Gals challenge

Once again we got to work in teams; with a surprising blast from the past. The idea of teamwork was good and bad because as a team you could be stronger but you could take the fall for somebody’s mistakes and be thrown out.

Brief:

We were divided into two teams, guys against girls and the surprise was that Lalu Surdiham, last year’s winner got to supervise the guys’ team and Patricia Allison who was second supervised the girls’ team. Unbeknownst to us Doom and Moses were on probation for not completing their courses and so were chosen to head the girls’ and guys’ teams respectively. We were given fourteen ingredients to make a two-course meal; starter and entrée in fifty minutes.

Compulsory ingredients:

• Lettuce
• Green  pepper
• Yellow bell pepper
• Quinoa
• Ogbonno
• Cranberries
• Poussin (baby chicken)
• Beef sausage
• Fettuccine
• Brussel sprouts
• Okra
• Oats
• Honey
• Ox tail

Results:

The girls were judged first and we made:

Starter: “Oats crusted okra with sweet chili dip and Ox tail chowder”.

Entrée: “Fettuccine in creamy tomato sauce with roasted poussin, roasted brussel sprouts and yellow bell pepper sauce”. The quinoa and ogbonno were in the pepper sauce.

Our judgement was that even though everything looked beautiful, the chowder was salty, okra was still gooey inside, dip too thick and peppery, bone in chowder, chicken not cooked well and pasta not well seasoned.

The guys made:

Starter: “Stuffed poussin with green salad and watercress* sauce laced with curry sauce.”

Main: “Fettuccine-Ox tail bolognese with onion rings and stuffed okro.”

The guys got a very good review as their food was indeed creative.

It was a very tearful moment as Doom; the group leader refused to point out the weakest link (she and this person were supposed to leave). Patricia however chose Chinelo but the judges gave them a second chance and put them on probation instead.

*A green sauce which they called watercress sauce but does not make sense to me as it had no watercress in it.

Lessons learnt:

• Chicken is not like beef or lamb; it should never be served rare but cooked perfectly till the juices run clear when the thickest part or thigh joint is pierced. This is to prevent food poisoning like Salmonellosis.

The guys’ dishes were awesome and so I couldn’t help but give the recipes below:

Stuffed chicken

• Debone and flatten the Poussin.
• Prepare the stuffing by sautéing chopped brussel sprouts, onions, garlic, green pepper, seasoning, extruded sausage, cooked quinoa, chopped and toasted Ogbonno and cranberry. When ready, mix in a little cream.
• Stuff and roll the chicken, wrap with foil and seal by twisting the ends.
• Boil in water for about twenty minutes.
• Remove and brown in a pan with little oil, slice and serve.

Green salad:

• Combine finely shredded lettuce, green pepper and cooked quinoa. Toss with lemon juice for zing.

Watercress (green) sauce:

• Blanch brussel sprouts and shock in cold water to retain green colour.
• Blend this with lettuce, green pepper, olive oil and honey.
• Season as needed.

Fettuccine and Ox tail Bolognese:

• Cook fettuccine in salted water .
• Make your tomato sauce with finely chopped ox tail.
• Toss pasta with sauce.

Onion rings:

• Dip onion rings in batter.
• Fry till golden and crisp.

Stuffed Okro:

• Deseed the okro and stuff with sausage and cooked quinoa that’s been seasoned.
• Steam them whole.
• Dip in egg, roll in oats and flour. Repeat the dipping and crumbing.
• Fry in hot oil until golden.
• Serve all together.

 

From left to right: Chinelo, Dixon, Doom and Nwando

Chinelo and Patricia

Patricia and Dixon

Doom

Patricia walking away with her gift

The guys plotting their strategy