20 Minute “Cream” of Tomato…or What to Make When You Don’t Want to Shop

I may be dating myself, but heck I'm old enough to almost have a teen driver in the house! Remember Name That Tune?Two people ID music, competing to do it in as few notes as possible. That's about how I entertain myself in the kitchen from time to time.There are two versions – making food with as few ingredients as possible, or in as little time. I played both last night which birthed 20 minute tomato soup, paired with grilled cheese. Bonus points for delivering on a much requested teen combo (at least from the teen who eats tomatoes).

You will need a Ninja, blender or food processor.

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

1 28 oz. can tomatoes (chopped, whole, puréed, whatever!)

3/4 cup Low fat, or any fat, milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Fresh basil, or not

Heat oil in heavy stock pot, medium heat. Add onion & garlic, salt & pepper.Sauté 3-5 minutes. Add wine, reduce to almost dry. Skip if you don't have wine. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10-15 minutes. Carefully purée in processor, leaving air hole open but blocked with a dishtowel. Add milk. Purée again and keep warm in the pot.

Can be decorated with fresh chives, basil or croutons.

Make grilled cheese according to preference. Add a salad and you're dinner done!

Eat, enjoy-B

 

The Deal with Matzah Meal

Contrary to what I believed in my youth, matzah meal actually does suffer with age. An open box of bland crumbs converts to stale, bland crumbs shortly after Passover. Resist the urge to toss them in the trash (or for the eco-conscious, the compost bin).

Consider the alternatives:

1) store matzah meal in a closed container in a cool spot to extend its shelf life

2) continue to make the matzah balls your children love but you don't because they're really easy

3) make the pancakes nobody liked so you can suffer together

OR, use the meal for its actual intended purpose, as crumbs. Why not, we all save crusts of bread in the freezer for emergency breading purposes, don't we?!

Throw some matzah meal meatloaf or meatballs. Or better yet, make cutlets. Turkey, chicken or in this case pork chops, pounded within an inch of their lives. But remember, the same thing that plagues matzah meal during Passover remains in place. Relatively flavor free crumbs need help, from salt, pepper, herbs and if you're not diary free, pecorino romano.

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops, or the equivalent in poultry, pounded thin

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs, whisked well

1 cup matzah meal

3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Handful grated pecorino romano. Or other dry Italian cheese

Olive or veggie oil

Mix matzah meal with salt, pepper, oregano, cheese. Dredge the cutlets in flour, then egg and seasoned crumbs.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in large, heavy bottom skillet. Add cutlets, flipping when they started to go opaque at the edges and crumbs are golden.

Note: can be made into Parmesan with sauce & cheese. Great topped with arugula and tomato salad.

Enjoy–B

All Purpose Condiment…and an Asian Slaw

 
I don't do yoghurt, but I make an exception for tzatziki (and a couple of chicken marinades and some dressings). Come to think of it, I don't do sweet or sweetened yoghurts or any of those overpriced “healthy” yolo style treats. I will do savory yoghurt. But I digress. Back to tzatziki.
I first ate this app, or dip, or dressing, in Greece with some seriously thick yoghurt. When I came home, I had to strain full fat yoghurt through a cheesecloth and a sieve overnight to get the same effect. Nowadays, Greek style yoghurt is readily available. Eat it with chicken, lamb, fish, or on sandwiches and salads. Seriously delicious.

The picture also has one of my fave no mayo slaws from Martha. That recipe is attached too.

Tzatziki

1 small Greek yoghurt, I use full fat

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Persian cucumber, or 6 inch seedless cucumber, shredded & pressed through a strainer to dry

Squeeze of lemon juice

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Possible additions: dill, chives, (and I sometimes I like a little Coleman's dry mustard)

Mix all of the ingredients together and if you have time, let set in fridge. Enough to dress kebobs for four, but feel free to double down. Perfect for parties too!

Serve, eat – B

Mayo free slaw! (Click here for the recipe!)

 

Chinese Takeout, Without the Takeout

I'll keep it short. Super busy day? Want Chinese? Skip the calories of takeout and make this super healthy rendition of sesame chicken. It's a Martha recipe I have been feeding the kids for years. We're a mostly brown rice family, but white works as well. I even splurge on skinless, boneless white meat (sometimes). Start the rice first and make extra for a stir fried rice later in the week. (Click here for recipe)

On the QT – I always double down on the sauce. Don't tell the food police.

If you want to pair the dinner with a no guilt dessert, brush pineapple slices with veg oil and honey, dust with cinnamon and grill (or broil).

Dinner, done – B

 

 

Super Flexible Vegetarian Supper (or world’s easiest appetizer)

 

It takes no time and very little dough, but flatbread pizzas make you look like a genius. I'll give you the benchmarks on the condition you don't tell anyone in my family.

That's what I was thinking in the aisles of Trader Joe's when I saw the whole wheat Naan. Naan in its best form is a flatter bread that is both puffy and light, perfect for curry dipping, but equally well suited to hold toppings. I came away with a super simple trio of “pizzas” that pair with a salad for meat free Mondays, Sundays, or in my case Fridays.

For the first pizza, I topped ricotta with pesto. There are great store made options, but pesto takes 10 minutes with a food processor or Ninja. Leftovers from this recipe can dress a sandwich, be tossed with pasta for another meal or frozen for a later date. I subbed baby arugula for the basil. It definitely tickled the tonsils, but danced beautifully with the bland ricotta cheese.

Sautéed baby portabello mushrooms with garlic, onions, and gruyere make pizza number two. If you double down on the mushrooms, you'll have enough left over to doll up scrambled eggs or toss into a quick marina.

Last but not least, a simple ricotta pizza topped with a spicy Italian herb mix and olive oil – assembled in two minutes. EZ!

Ingredients:

Pesto (see recipe) or store bought

8-10 ounces Ricotta, part skim or whole (I bought 15 oz and ate some plain!)

10-ish oz. baby bello mushrooms or your fave

1/2 medium onion, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

Fresh or dried thyme

Pecorino romano or Parmesan

Gruyere

Mixed dry Italian seasonings (oregano, basil, crushed red pepper)

Arugula Pesto

1 bag baby arugula (several cups)

1/3 cup whole or chopped walnuts, toast @ 375 for ten minutes

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated pecorino romano, at least 🙂

Squirt a lemon half

Heat oven to 375. Cool nuts and grind or process. Add garlic, process. Add greens but you may have to scrape and start adding oil in a stream to get the greens going. Blend in cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dash of lemon juice. Blend.

Sautéed mushrooms

In small heavy bottom pan, warm 2 teaspoons olive oil. Sauté onions 5 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute. Combine with mushrooms, salt, pepper and several pinches of thyme. Cook until mushrooms are tender and liquid is gone.

Top 4 naan or any flatbread with ricotta. Top two with pesto, 2 with Italian spices and olive oil. Top remaining naan with mushroom mixture and thin slices of gruyere. Sprinkle all of them with pecorino romano. Bake about 10 minutes.

Cut, eat, enjoy – B

 

No B—(bean) Turkey Chili

I can’t vouch for its authenticity, but I can say this. Last week I made one of the world’s easiest bean free chili recipes. Plus bean objectors, due to digestive or regional origins, can’t possibly take issue with the stomach warming blend of cumin, chili AND chocolate! In this case it is cocoa powder and brown sugar, but if you have an ounce of bittersweet, trade it out. The math tutor watched me throw the whole kit and caboodle (kaboodle?) together in about no time. Chili is stew…you add this and that, whatever you have, spicy or not depends on your crowd. This chili is less so, mostly because I forgot the jalapenos at the store and I was too chicken to add more than a quarter teaspoon ground chipotle. One of my dear friends made it to share. It is so potent I keep it in double zip top bags.

A word here on the food processor. I love it! It is one of my best friends in the kitchen, right next to the microplane grater, but after Ben & Jerry (those guys have been such great company). By all means, chop veggies by hand if it’s rewarding. If not, process away. In soups and stews especially-no judgement.

Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground turkey

1 small can fire roasted tomatoes

2 small onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

Veggie oil

1 tablespoon –ish oregano

1 tablespoon-ish cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 tablespoon brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground chipotle

2 bay leaves

Salt pepper

In large heavy bottom pot (hello Le Creuset-xoxo) over medium heat, add enough veggie oil to slimly cover the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped onion with a sprinkle of salt, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and bell pepper, cook 2 more minutes. Throw in ground turkey, browning and cooking through. Combine tomatoes and all of the dry ingredients in the pot, plus ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for at least ½ and hour, an hour is better. Keep an eye on the liquid, adding water as needed to keep meat from drying out and/or burning. That’s it. Adjust seasonings, salt & pepper as necessary.

Great by its lonesome, over rice, with pickled jalapenos, cheese, sour cream etc. I brushed some corn tortillas with veggie oil, sprinkled with salt and cooked till crispy in 350 oven. Like GIANT tortilla chips and dip.

Dig in – B

 

Addendum to a Letter to My Vegan Friends

I make this one pretty often. It’s a big batch veggie stew based on ratatouille, but with even less finesse. Right here is a family dinner and lunches for about a week for my faux vegetarian child. She claimed vegetarian status years ago, but insisted it included every variety of Chinese pork dumplings, hot dogs and her babysitter’s West Indies chicken, peas & rice. Too representative of her personality for the rest of us to let it go, then or now…and she hasn’t said it in about a decade.

I like to pop this in the oven so I don’t have to watch the heat, but it works stovetop just fine. I throw beans into the mix to up the protein, but it’s not necessary. Fresh herbs are a great addition. Soft ones like parsley and basil get added at the end. Throw sprigs of woody thyme or oregano right on top, then remove the strands before serving. If I were its only customer, I’m pretty sure pitted olives, green or black, might find their way into the pot.

Non vegans will love this with cheese, parmesan, ricotta or bocconcini.

1 red onion, chunked

3 cloves garlic, sliced, smashed or minced

1 large eggplant, chunked

2 small to medium zucchini, chunked

1 large or 2 small yellow squash, chunked

1 can or jar white beans

1 large can tomatoes in juice, squished into chunks

Olive oil

Salt, pepper

*Optional- fresh or dried oregano, fresh basil, chopped parsley

Preheat oven 350

In large heavy bottom pan over medium heat add olive oil and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add garlic. Cook 2 minutes, then add all of the other ingredients. Tomato lovers add all of the liquid from the can. If you’re on the fence, add what satisfies your taste, using water if necessary to make up the difference. Bring to a boil, put a lid on it and into the oven. If cooking stovetop, turn down to a simmer. 30 minutes should do it.

Enjoy this one, too–B

A Letter to My Vegan Friends

In the spirit of “use it up” I found myself at lunch, eye balling half a head of cauliflower. In dollar terms it didn’t amount to much, but I’m still trying to find that perfect balance of using the food I buy. Plus it forces me (us) to sometimes eat vegetables that otherwise might be wasted. And I sort of like the challenge of matching recipe to whatever’s available, as opposed to the luxury of starting fresh and whole all the time. For the record, having re-read what I just wrote, I know for a fact, my 25 year old self wouldn’t recognize my not 25 year old self. Who is this person who feels compelled to use up cauliflower?!

Nevertheless, my weekday ode to vegans begins with half a head of cauliflower. The recipe can be scaled up…down won’t make too much sense. I hope you like curry…this is a down and dirty version, but tasty. Scale the seasonings to your personality.

Cauliflower & Chickpea curry

½ medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons veggie oil or ghee (clarified butter, non-vegan version)

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon turmeric

Pinch of cayenne or to taste

½ head cauliflower, bite size pieces

1 can or jar chickpeas, drained & rinsed

Small handful of parsley, stems removed and chopped (or spinach!)

Salt to taste

Add oil to large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until translucent. Add garlic, cook a minute or two. Add all of the spices. Toss in the cauliflower and coat with oil and spices. Add the chickpeas and ½ cup of water. Stir and put a lid on the pot for 15 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium low. The water may need adjusting, there should be a little sauce. When cauliflower is soft, stir in parsley. Serve by itself or over rice.

Eat, enjoy – B

 

“Retro” Chicken

I always considered Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate lexicon to be “company” chicken. Silly, really because it's just a well marinated chicken, dolled up with pantry staples like capers, olives and prunes. I guess I served it to company first and the premise always stuck. Or it could be that the original recipe is for quite a bit of chicken. But the recipe expands and contracts as needed. I figured it out after 20 years and one broken cookbook binding later.

What's terrific about a bulk chicken recipe is the leftovers that almost always follow. This chicken makes a knockout sandwich, salad, or with rice when shredded and braised in its sauce with some additional cooked down onion, wine, stock and tomato paste. Last but not least because I was desperate, as the protein in last week's fried rice du jour. Please don't tell China.

Here's a link to one version. I always use chicken pieces parts, not quarters or halves. They cook quicker and are easier to organize in a pan.

By the by, if you are not familiar with The Silver Palate cookbook, you obviously did not come of kitchen age in the early 90's.

Enjoy-B

Greens Gone Pasta

There is one sure fire way to get people (children, reluctant spouses/partners – present adult company excluded!) to eat their veggies. Garlic! At least that's one secret. The other is pasta. That's why this pasta dish gets the greens gone, especially mild mannered farm friends like spinach.

Seriously, if it works on my little/big guy, it will work on anyone. And don't forget the hard sell. Don't just serve, talk it up. Doesn't this smell awesome? Did you know orecchiette means “little ear”? Italians can make sauce using starchy water…basically say anything except you'd better eat the spinach.

I like a one bowl supper too-it saves on dishes. In fact, if push came to shove, this dish could be made with one pot as well. Cook the pasta first, save a cup of the cooking water and then proceed. I used 2 pots as it's modestly faster. Just decide which is more important to you – pot washing or speed?

Ingredients:

1 pound-ish turkey sausage, in lumps, casing removed

Olive oil

1 red onion, sliced or chunked

1-2 bell peppers, sliced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup wine

1 packet fresh baby spinach or 1 bunch

10 ounces orecchiette

1 tablespoon butter (opt.)

Grated cheese like Parmesan (opt.)

Start pasta water and cook according to directions. Meanwhile add a dollop of olive oil to large skillet. Medium heat. Brown the sausage on all sides and cook through. Remove. Add onions, salt & pepper. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add bell pepper & garlic. Cook 3-5, watching the heat. Pour in wine, raising heat and cook until it's mostly absorbed. Add spinach and drained pasta. Toss to let spinach cook. Put sausage back in skillet with enough pasta water to make a sauce. Swirl in butter.

Decorate with cheese & watch them eat spinach – B