It’s Saturday. You want to go to a nice restaurant to enjoy a proper meal (for once!) with your friends. You are dreaming of a huge three course meal, a delicious starter, a great main dish and a luxurious dessert accompanied with good wine of course but then you suddenly realise that you can’t afford it! Well, I have good news for you. Even if you think that your cooking skills are nonexistent you can make a fantastic three course meal in just 2 hours, at minimum cost and trust me it will make your friends think that you are a secret chef! So, invite your friends and follow my three extremely simple recipes that will make your dinner party a huge success. Who knows? You might get people asking to come and live with you after this. (Happened to me, just saying….)

Starter: Aubergine and honey heaven

Words cannot explain my excitement when I first made this. I was inspired by a salad dish I saw on a cooking show and I thought I should modify it a bit and give it a try. With no exaggeration this is the best starter you can ever have since it is light and it has unique flavours that are married so well together.

Ingredients:

(Per portion) 1 big aubergine 1 thick slice white bread 5 cherry tomatoes 1 tsp honey 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp tahini dressing Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat your oven to 180°C. With a fork, pierce the aubergine several times and place it in the oven as is (don’t cut it) for about 40 minutes or until it is very soft. Then, remove the skin from the aubergine and cut it in half lengthwise. Place the bread in the oven for a few minutes until it gets a very light brown colour and then place the tomatoes on top of the bread and return to the oven for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, combine the crushed garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and honey and set aside. When the bread is ready place the aubergines on top and drizzle with the honey dressing and then with the tahini dressing. Starter is ready!

Tip: For the starter you will need about 50 minutes. Be smart and bake the aubergine in advance since this will save you a lot of time!

Main: Penne with homemade basil pesto - pictured at the top!

Now, who doesn’t like pasta? This dish is a guaranteed success. Do not get scared by the homemade pesto. It’s super easy! I promise. Ingredients:

(Per portion) 3⁄4 cup penne or spaghetti 1⁄2 cup fresh basil 100 grams cherry tomatoes 1⁄4 cup olive oil 1⁄2 clove garlic Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

To make the pesto, simply place the basil, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper in the blender and pulse until smooth. If you don’t have a blender then chop the basil and garlic very finely and then place them in a bowl and mix with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Set the pesto aside and move on to the pasta! In a pot, boil 1 litre of water, add the pasta and some salt. After 7 minutes (need to be exact!) remove the pasta and wash them with cold water so that they will not stick together. In a non-stick pan put the pesto and the whole cherry tomatoes and when it starts to get warm add the pasta. Stir and let cook until the tomatoes become soft. Serve in a pasta bowl and add some fresh chopped basil on top!

Dessert: Rich chocolate brownies

Chocolate for dessert. It might sound typical but these brownies give this meal a luxurious end. You have to try them to understand!

Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1⁄2 tsp salt 1⁄2 cup cocoa powder 1⁄4 cup chocolate chips 1 tsp soda 1 mashed banana 1⁄4 cup roasted walnuts 1⁄4 cup oil 3⁄4 cup milk 2 tsp white wine vinegar Procedure:

Lightly grease a 9-inch pan (or smaller if you prefer them taller). Preheat your oven to 180°C. In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients including the chocolate chips and in a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients including the banana. Then, combine the wet with the dry ingredients and put the mixture in the pan. Bake until you insert a toothpick in the centre and comes out almost dry. If you want to make them look more special, mix 1⁄2 cup icing sugar with 1 tsp of water and drizzle on top. So, this Saturday, take maximum 2 hours from your time to make this great three course meal and easily impress your friends or that special someone! Who needs restaurants when you can make amazing food in your own kitchen? And if your friends are busy, you can invite me! I challenge you to impress me.