As I said in a previous post, I enjoy cooking and don't buy into the ready meal stereotype everyone over the age of 30 seems to have about students. Saying that, I do like trying mass produced seasonings such as cajun spice, Schwartz is the best!
With this in mind I purchased three of Colman's 'season and shake' offerings, to try something different and see if a pre-made mix can really live up to something cooked from scratch.
Colmans Season And Shake Pou Spanish Pork Casserole
The first on the menu was a tangy Spanish pork casserole. Before about 2011 I almost never ate pork, bar roast pork, but Mike loves it so we started buying it and I realised what I'd been missing! We love pork loin steak with sweet potatoes and green beans or a spicy pork stroganoff but I wanted to try something a little different, that wasn't completely out of my taste range as I'm a bit of a fussy eater.
I have to admit I thought the idea of a pre-made sachet was that it made the cooking process easier however when I opened the packet a whole load of the seasoning went all over the working surface! Regardless, I followed the instructions, omitting the mushrooms and replacing them with a few cherry tomatoes.
All you do is place all the vegetables, meat, oil, water and seasoning in the plastic bag provided and shake, hence the name! Once it's lightly marinated pop it in the oven for around 40 minutes. Unfortunatly you get rather a lot excess 'bag' so make sure you cut it down if you have a smaller oven as the plastic can melt and burn very easily!
40 minutes later all I had to do was snip the corner of the bag to let the mixture out, serving with rice and some natural yoghurt. I have to say I really enjoyed the taste, although some may find it a little salty. Completely different to an English casserole, essentially that same hearty meal but with a tomatoey pepper twang! Tomatoes, peppers and onions are my favourite vegeatables by a country mile and I really don't like 'English' food so this is a winner for anyone who is a little picky. The meat was tender and the powder transformed into a rich, deep sauce. I really think the addition of cherry tomatoes added to the overall taste and texture but if you're looking for something a little more English than Spanish then keep the mushrooms.
Overall 8/10, will definitely have again! Also as it's an oven dish it's much less hassle and less washing up.
Enjoy!
Price: £.1.10 (but purchased in a 3 for £3 deal from Tesco which is on until 2nd July)
Taste: 8/10
Ease: 8/10
Picture's are coming soon, in the meantime check out the massive range Colman's do!
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