Archive for the 'Main Courses' Category

Meal Planning

Published on September 30, 2011 in Main Courses and Shopping. 2 Comments


Meal Planning. Two words that can put crushing fear in the hearts of even the toughest mothers out there.

My mother planned our dinners and posted them every week on an 80s version of a whiteboard in our kitchen. And she managed to do this with FOUR kids born within 5-1/2 years of each other. Yikes. That’s a lot to live up to. But everybody is different — if you’re not a planner (let’s call ourselves “spontaneous,” shall we?), then don’t force it to that level. But there are things you can do to get yourself organized and get dinner on the table without losing your mind or ordering pizza on a daily basis. Here’s a short list:

Go to the farmers market.

This way you learn what’s in season and what will taste the best with the least “intervention.” Summer is great for this as a lot of things can be eaten uncooked (yes, even corn if it’s fresh); fall is good too because you can roast everything (potatoes, veggies, meat or not) in a pan with olive oil, garlic and herbs. CSAs are great, but I like the freedom of the farmers market; I don’t like feeling like I have to cook something just because it’s in my CSA basket. Too much pressure. Although there are ones that you can pick what you get and have them delivered, so that’s a great option if you’re under time pressure (and what mother isn’t?). Also, I’m one of those weirdos that needs to touch my veggies first.

Build up a repertoire.

If there a 3-4 dishes your girlies (and you) love, learn to make those really well and have those up your sleeve to the point where they become automatic. Quesadillas count. So do omelettes. And if you rotate them regularly over the course of a week, that will take care of nearly half your meals. Here are a few I fall back on regularly.

And then, there’s Sandwich Night.

Please tell me that you remember that great scene from “About Last Night…” when Debbie, Demi Moore’s character tells her disapproving friend, Joan:
One night, I cook. One night, he cooks. One night, we go out. And then, there’s sandwich night.

Okay, she left out a few nights but still, ain’t nothing wrong with sandwich night. And OMG, after watching the trailer, I MUST watch this movie again. Immediately.

Stock your pantry.

This is key, so even if you didn’t make it to the store that day (or week), there’s still something you can make in the house. Here are links to a couple good lists.

Make large quantities.

If you’re making lasagna, make two and freeze one. Make two zucchini pies. Make a double or triple batch of soup, etc. Some things freeze better than others. Pesto is another thing that freezes well. I usually freeze it before adding the cheese. And you don’t have to use basil exclusively; make a cilantro or parsley pesto out of those random leftover herbs we all seem to collect. And of course, making large quantities means leftovers, which is one less meal you have to cook!

Keep your shopping list on your fridge.

That way, you can add something to the list when you run out (not go looking for it after you start cooking and realize you don’t have it). My friend Dan has a shopping list (for each of the three stores he shops at) on his computer that he just pulls up when he’s going to the store. He can do a quick inventory check of the fridge and cupboards and then check off what he needs, print it out and take it to the store. Of course, there is also an app for that. Go here for iPhone or here for Android.

Prep ahead.

I’ve started doing this and it makes such a difference. When you get your groceries and bring them home, prep what you can. Meaning wash and cut the veggies/herbs, press the tofu, etc. This is the way chefs do it, and that’s because it’s the most efficient. If you know you don’t need to chop your onions or press and cube tofu, it’s much less daunting (and time-consuming) to make a home-cooked meal (or a stir-fry, which is basically all about the prep).

Some things are worth buying already made.

Pizza dough, rotisserie chicken (if you eat it) and tomato sauce are sometimes easier (and cheaper) to buy already made. Add a salad or some steamed veggies and that’s another meal you can check off your list.

Arrange a block of time to do a bunch of cooking for the week.

I like to do a lot of cooking on Sunday, when everyone’s lazing around. I can knock out a lasagna, a big pot of chili and pizza dough (with my bread machine) in a couple hours.

Include your kids in the process.

You can’t always do this, I realize. Sometimes you need to get the food on the table NOW, but maybe on that Sunday, take some extra time to get them to help you out. My kid loves to help me make bread and oatmeal. We measure together, and he gets to pour the ingredients in and mix everything up. It’s fun for him (and bonus: he’s learning math), but I also want him to appreciate where food comes from and learn to enjoy the process as much as I do. Plus food tastes better when it’s made with love.

Invest in some good equipment and get rid of stuff you don’t use.

Most NYC kitchens are pretty small, so although I’ve been coveting one forever, I still don’t have a KitchenAid mixer. It’s just not practical. But I will make room for my bread machine and ice cream maker because I use them all the time. To a fault. :) And I can’t live without my santoku chef’s knife. Lots of people swear by their slow cookers. As we’re a vegetarian household, I haven’t invested in one as my rice cooker can do a lot of that, plus I feel like slow cookers are good for slow-roasting meats (which we don’t make). On the flip side, if you have a lot of stuff in your kitchen, it makes it that much harder to be organized, which you need to be when you’re trying to get dinner on the table. If you have five jars of cumin, that’s not helping matters. Clear away stuff you don’t use and put things you do use in an accessible place.

Build your own speed rack.

I have a small tray right next to the stove that has the following things: olive oil in a pour bottle, canola oil in a pump sprayer, salt (regular salt for cooking and Maldon sea salt for finishing), pepper mill (and if I’m doing a lot of cooking, I’ll have a bowl of ground pepper too), toothpicks (for testing doneness in baked goods).

Try new things.

Read blogs, magazines, cookbooks. Ask your mom or a friend who’s a good cook to come over and teach you a few basics or some of your favorites (that’s my amazing mom making pasties up above). As you start learning and getting more comfortable in the kitchen, you’ll quickly realize you can do a lot of substitutions in recipes and just wing it with what you’ve got lying around. Don’t be afraid to experiment. The worst that can happen is you order in that night.

Go out Friday nights.

Or order in. We usually order pizza on Fridays. And we’ve been known to order in on Saturdays too on particularly nutty weeks. Isn’t that why we all live in New York City, after all?

This is by no means a complete list. Any other ideas out there? What’s your best time-saving kitchen tip?

Happy Weekend!

First photo: therealslimjackson.com

Pizza

Published on September 7, 2011 in Breads + Muffins, Italian and Main Courses. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Pizza is the one thing I’ve been willing to turn the oven on for this summer (ok, that’s not entirely true; there was this and this and this). But you have to turn it up really high, like 450-500ºF. So it needs to be worth it. And pizza is one of the few things that is worth it.

It’s the ultimate in flexible cooking. In the instance of the pizza above, I had some leftover pesto, so that went on with the tomato sauce, cheese and arugula (make sure you put the arugula on right at the end and cook just until wilted and really pile it on — it shrinks up a lot). If you don’t have any tomato sauce, you can toss on olive oil or tomatoes (roasted or not). Avocado is so good on pizza; try it, please. My guacamole pizza is so easy: olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and avocado, finished with cilantro and lime zest. Figs, nuts, dried fruit…really, the possibilities are endless. Olives are sort of essential in my opinion. And pretty much any kind of cheese is good on pizza; don’t just stick with the usual suspects.

Having said all that, don’t overload your pizza with too many ingredients because that makes it harder to cook the crust properly (not to mention transferring the uncooked pizza into the oven). Think 3-5 ingredients. That way you can really taste them. Of course, if you make enough dough, everyone can top their pizza however they like.

Nowadays, making pizza doesn’t even require that you make the dough, although it’s super-easy*. You can buy pre-made dough pretty inexpensively (whole wheat, regular, even herbed) at both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, which can make the pizza-making process much more of a spontaneous event. Just make sure you let the dough sit out for at least an hour before you starting rolling/stretching; cold dough is not terribly cooperative.

Pizza Dough (bread machine version)

Makes 2 12″ pizzas

3/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups bread flour (you can substitute up to half with whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon fresh herbs like basil, thyme or oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried), optional

Put the ingredients in the bread machine mixing bowl in the order they appear above, making a small well in the flour before adding the yeast. Set on the dough cycle and go read a book, run or whatever for 1.5 hours.  There will be pizza dough waiting for you when you get back.

Pizza Dough (by hand)

Replace the cold water with lukewarm. Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil and combine into what will hopefully resemble a ball. Once it’s pretty well together, dump it out on a floured work surface (I just use my *clean* counter) and, with floured hands, knead for a few minutes to get that gluten to start working its magic. Lightly oil the bowl you mixed the ingredients in, drop in the dough and roll it around to coat all surfaces in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for a couple hours or until double in size.

Once that’s happened, punch down your giant blob of dough to release the air and scoop it back out onto the work surface. Divide into two equal pieces (or four if you want to make “personal” pizzas), shape each into balls and let it sit for another 20-30 minutes under the plastic wrap.

Rolling Out the Dough

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. I don’t worry too much about making a perfect circle; I just like to get the surface very even and thin. I actually like the sort of random shapes I end up with sometimes. If you’re feeling daring, oil up your hands and stretch the dough by hand into a disk and then use your fist to gently coax the dough out into a larger, thinner circle.

Cooking your Pizza

Now for *how* to cook it. I love my pizza stone, but I’ve also had good results with a basic sheet pan. To prevent sticking, I use cornmeal on the stone and oil with the pan. If you’re using a stone, preheat the oven with the stone on the floor of the oven (use the bottom rack if you have an electric stove) for 30 minutes or so (don’t heat the sheet pan if that’s what you’re using). I first cook the pizza on the bottom of the oven, then move it up to the top rack and broil for the last couple minutes (you want to make sure the bottom is well-cooked before you do this). I find it much easier to precook the crust for about 6 minutes (make sure to poke the dough all over with a fork or you’ll end up with some very puffy bread) and then add the toppings, but if you have a pizza peel (which would be handy, but makes me nervous), you can compose the pizza on that and then slide it onto the stone/pan.

Oven temperatures vary widely, so while 450ºF works well for me, you may need to crank your oven up to 500ºF. Just experiment. The best way to tell when the pizza is done is to just keep an eye on it, and lift up a corner of the bottom to check how it’s browning.

* This or this is for when you’re planning ahead. Sounds great, but I have yet to try it.

Crustless Quiche

Published on July 14, 2011 in eggs and Main Courses. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

My lazy-cooking-style summer continues…the other day, I felt like quiche (eating it, not actually *like* it, as if I were quiche). Anyway, I felt like having quiche, but those frozen crusts (and all their fat/lard content) were putting me off and the thought of making my own was making my head hurt, so I did the next best thing, which was to just forget about the crust. Genius! Of course, then, technically, it’s not quiche anymore, but I was okay with that. Plus I got to use my spankin’ new ramekins. So they had now become individual-serving crustless non-quiches. Who doesn’t love a little individual serving type deal? No one, that’s who.

And while I used broccoli and cheddar because that’s what I had lying about, you can really mix things up here and try a spinach/feta combo or a zucchini/mozzarella/Parmesan combo or hey, why not a mushroom/roquefort combo to really jazz up your life? (Yes, the fact that the use of a blue cheese is what I consider to be something that could possibly “jazz up” one’s life is quite pathetic. In my defense, it’s summer and it’s hot. And I’m trying to plan a 3-year old’s birthday party, which is and will be a story for another day).

So, go with what you have. Don’t worry about it. And don’t worry that this isn’t really quiche either. Just be glad you don’t have to make a crust.

Crustless Quiche

Adadpted from Martha Stewart

Butter (for ramekins)
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) fresh or frozen broccoli florets
6 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350º/180ºC. Butter four 8-ounce ramekins (or a 9-inch pie dish). Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil; add salt and broccoli; blanch for one minute. Drain well, blot dry and give it a coarse chop.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, thyme and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli and cheese.

Ladle the mixture into ramekins and bake on a small rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the tops are a nice golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Macaroni & Cheese

Published on June 10, 2011 in Main Courses and pasta. 0 Comments Tags: , , .


Something is wrong in the world. Or, more accurately, with me. I just realized that I have yet to include a recipe for macaroni and cheese. A classic comfort food. A surefire winner with kids (and everyone else except lactose-intolerant types). Gooey, cheesy happiness. What’s the matter with me?! I must get right on this.

I think there are two camps when it comes to mac ‘n cheese: the keep-it-simples and the jazz-it-uppers. I’m more of a keep it simple kinda gal — like why add a bunch of stuff when you don’t really need it? But for you jazz-it-uppers, I’ve got a few suggestions for you: throw in some dijon mustard, cayenne or herbs when you add the nutmeg…or for a healthy addition, toss in 1/2 cup of  veggies (try steamed broccoli florets, zucchini matchsticks, peas, halved cherry tomatoes). But you don’t want to get too crazy. After all, it’s cheese, butter and pasta. It’s kind of perfect already.

Notes: If it’s 95º outside, like it was yesterday, you may not feel like turning on the oven, so just skip the baking part. It’ll still be good. But the baking really brings it all together and enhances the gooey factor, so keep that in mind. Also, instead of bread crumbs, you can use some threatening-to-go-stale crackers (like I did) or even potato chips (to up the 50s kitsch factor).

Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb. (500g) cooked macaroni (or some other hollow, tubey-like pasta of your choosing)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2-1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
1 teaspoon salt
1/4+ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups grated cheese (I like a combination of sharp cheddar, Gruyère and Parmesan)
5-7 Tabasco (optional)
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Flat-leaf parsley or basil, finely chopped for garnish

Cook macaroni in a big pot of salted water until very al dente (or a bit longer if not baking). Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat milk over low heat in medium saucepan and keep warm.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and keep stirring for about a minute or two. Slowly pour in warmed milk, whisking continuously until sauce thickens.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cheese and Tabasco (if using) and stir until melted. Add macaroni to sauce, stirring gently to combine.

Toss together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Serve.

IF BAKING:
Pour mixture into a 9″ x 13″ or 2a quart baking dish and add topping. Bake at 350°F (180°C) until sauce is bubbling and top is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. If you can stand it, let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Tempeh Reubens

Published on May 20, 2011 in Main Courses and Tofu + Tempeh. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I saw this recipe ages ago on Tamra Davis’ cooking show and have been meaning to try it. When we were living in Buenos Aires, I couldn’t get tempeh, but since we’ve been back for quite some time now, I really have no excuse (although I will say that it took me a few tries to find sauerkraut without caraway seeds, which are seriously my least favorite thing in the world — and they’re often in rye bread too…fa-reaky).

Plus Ryan’s been pestering me to make more tempeh, so I finally got my act together and made them and, well, now I’m rather annoyed at myself for waiting so long. First of all, they’re so easy; it’s a sandwich, people. It’s not rocket science. Secondly, they’re just so damn good, it’s ridiculous. I suppose I could attribute it to the fact that I love sour things, so anything with sauerkraut is just right up my alley (I even used dill relish instead of sweet relish for the extra tang), but the truth is that it’s just a delicious, crispy, crunchy, chewy concoction and you need to go make it right away.

That is all.

Oh, except one more thing: if you’re in NYC this weekend, head over to the first Smorgasburg in Williamsburg this Saturday (from 9:00-5:00 at 27 North Street near the East River Park). From the folks who created the Brooklyn Flea, this first all-food market, with a combination of local farmers and prepared food purveyors on hand, is going to be a non-stop feeding frenzy. I’m excited to stop by Whimsy & Spice’s booth to get my hands on their Earl Grey sandwich cookies (and because I kind of love Jenna’s blog). And can we discuss this? His sons (the second half, I suppose, of Shorty Tang & Sons) are bringing back Shorty’s infamous cold sesame noodle. I really feel I need to sample this, if only to see if they’re as good as these.

Tempeh Reubens

Makes 3 sandwiches

6 slices of rye bread
3-6 slices of Swiss cheese (Alpine Lace or Gruyère would be good too)
6 tablespoons of sauerkraut
One package of tempeh, cut into 1/4″ thick slices

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1000 Island Dressing:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Vegannaise)
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons dill pickle relish

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the tempeh until crispy and browned on both sides. Add the vinegar (mind the spray!) and swirl the pan to coat the tempeh with it. Remove and drain on paper towels.

In the meantime, make the dressing and toast your bread. Spread a dollop of the dressing on both sides of the toast, then layer the tempeh, sauerkraut and cheese on one side of three slices. Broil until the cheese melts, then top with the other slices.

I served it with a salad, and I wouldn’t have minded some greens piled on top of the melted cheese before putting that other slice on. Adds another crispy/cool dimension.