Desperation Lo Mein

 

Tonight the chicken expired. It's my fault, I didn't check the date on the doorbuster deal for the skinless, boneless white meat I almost never buy. It also means I was taken by a market that needed to unload skinless, boneless white meat. My Sunday purchase had a use by date of Monday. I hate when that happens.

Nonetheless we soldier on, picking a quick trip to the mall over another run into the grocery. Meaning, a vegetable-centric, chicken-free lo mein for dinner. And while probably not so authentic, it's still pretty tasty and missing most of the fat of the take away version. Oh yes, I also didn't have Chinese noodles or rice wine.

Here's the ad hoc version:

1 head broccoli in florets

1 quarter head napa cabbage in matchsticks

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced

2 handfuls shiitake mushrooms, no stems, thinly sliced

4 scallions, thinly sliced whites and greens separated

10-12 oz spaghetti (your choice)

Pinch hot pepper flakes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon white wine

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

About a teaspoon of grated ginger (use the microplane!)

A pinch of sugar

Salt

 

Get the pasta water started with some salt and cook pasta according to directions. Prep all the vegetables before starting to cook. Make sauce by combining soy sauce, wine, rice wine vinegar, ginger and sugar. Set aside.Meanwhile heat large skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add a pinch of pepper flakes. Add the broccoli and cook until almost tender. Feel free to add a couple of tablespoons of water and even slap a lid on it to speed it up (told you -NOT authentic!) Toss in all of the other veggies, minus the scallion greens, and a sprinkle of salt into pan. It should cook in 3-5 minutes. Then add pasta, sauce and scallion greens. Heat through, done.

Eat, enjoy – B

BTW -salt lovers might want more soy.

Btw2-the following will make you feel better. I added the broccoli before the pepper flakes, but we like it spicy. Then I answered the phone. Then I remembered the flakes so decided to add them, except the grill was missing from the top and I added something like 2 tablespoons…not too worry. I moved the broccoli, scooped out all but a scraping of pepper flakes and continued on my merry way. Now you know.

 

We’re Having Beefaroni

Does anyone else remember beefaroni? That Chef Boyardee had the right idea…the execution on the other hand, not so much.

When all is said and done, beefaroni is just a meat sauce with pasta. If you start by cooking the sauce down for 3-4 hours you will definitely have something to make Chef B happy.

It wasn’t the can I was looking to replicate anyway. Still inspired by recipes in the current Bon Appetit from Porsena in New York City, I ran out to get sausage and ground pork. Unfortunately I missed several other ingredients on the list and wouldn’t hit a third grocery in a day for love or money. I grew up on braised meats dangit, Italian and Jewish.

Here’s what I did.

I took the casings off a pound of sweet Italian sausage, browned it and a pound of ground pork in a dollop of olive oil. That comes out of the pan.

Processed 1 medium onion, a carrot, 3 garlic cloves with 2 small stalks of celery and added it to the pan with some salt, pepper, dried oregano (2 teaspoons?)and red pepper flake (caution!). When the veggies were soft, I reduced a cup of red wine in them till it just about disappeare

Sausage and pork head back into the pan, adding a processed 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes and a cup of water. Brought to a boil, reduce to simmer partially covered and cooked till tender. Season and taste at hour 3. Watch the liquids – you can always add more water.

Here’s the sequence:

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Great for freezer or fridge or that night’s dining with a pound of pasta.

Enjoy – B

A Mostly Meat Free Monday

Let’s preface this by saying, I really did not feel like cooking tonight. I didn’t want to make the planned stir fry. I didn’t want to celebrate meatless Monday. I didn’t want to leave the sofa or the bodice ripper that got delivered to the office among the cookbooks.

That said, I got up and did it anyway. I skipped the prep and chop of stir fry, going Mexican instead. Lighter chicken enchiladas are a fam fave. I borrowed the sauce from Martha Stewart, but made veggie stuffed corn tortillas all on my own. This sauce uses chicken stock. Meat free sticklers feel free to use vegetable stock.
Don’t tell anyone south of the border, but I used last night’s leftover rice pilaf as a base. I sliced and sautéed another giant onion, a bell pepper, and let a few handfuls of spinach steam with the whole kit and caboodle. Salt & pepper to taste. Use a little sauce to bind the filling. Wrap 8 corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and zap in the microwave for 30-ish seconds. Stuff the tortillas, lay in an 8 inch casserole with more sauce top and bottom, and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until bubbly.

Dig in, B

Super Cheap Eats

I'm pretty sure you couldn't get any more budget friendly. Even better to be able to use pantry staples and the dregs of the fridge to churn out a second helpings necessary pasta?! Kitchen life doesn't get better than that.

Ripped from the pages of Bon Appetit, I give you a way to use kale that will make you devoted. Porsena's Sara Jenkins created this recipe that seasons the bread crumbs, the kale and the pasta separately. Divine!

I didn't have orecchiette, a pasta shape named for and reminiscent of small ears. Spaghetti worked just fine. I also wouldn't advertise the anchovies unless you know the audience, or the kale for that matter. In fact just make and serve. Enough with the hard sell to a tough audience. If they're garlic lovers, that should be enough.

Also, my guy claimed it was perfect as is, but I might lose a little of the butter and add lemon zest next time. It was perfect, but we can't help ourselves.

Next up Sarah's ragu! After that I hope to lure her onto “Living At Home”, my series on SiriusXM 110, 10-noon east, tempting talk from the day's headlines, health news you can use, to what y'all can serve for dinner.

 

Midweek Ribs

I love creating recipes, but then again, sometimes I don't. After all I am not a restaurant! That established (again) I pull from far and wide in the search for deliciousness…and easy edible weekday dinners.

During my daily schlepp earlier this week, the following rib recipe caught my eye in Bon Appetit. I also knew I could get them cooking while making dinner last night and do a quick re-heat today.

 

Here's what I didn't know when I made the commitment…I had neither dried garlic nor granulated onion for the dry rub. No matter! I subbed fresh garlic and skipped the onion. No one licking their fingers at my table seemed to miss it.

The instructions call for serving with a prepared BBQ sauce (really?!) I say use this Martha Stewart recipe for a better version that's thrown together In literally 10 minutes – I mean it, literally! Plus this sauce keeps awhile in the fridge. Nice for its intended grilled chicken, or turkey burgers, or maybe roasted butternut squash.

I was so proud of making weekday ribs I blabbed to grilling guru Elizabeth Karmel when I ran into her in the SiriusXM lobby. BTW, in my world that's a humble brag :o) I did however give her all the credit for inspiring me – she made me into the charcoal grilling devotee I am today. See attached photo of me and my Weber to reminisce about summer.

 

 

“Asian” Noodle Bowl!

 

Dinner tonight!

Let's just say I sometimes know how to get the kids to eat their veggies. By calling the soup “Asian” I had their full attention and palates. I do sometimes wonder though if they think the country of “Asian” includes that entire side of the Pacific rim, minus Japan, the holy grail of sushi! And I realize that by offering a mash-up of countries and cuisines in one bowl I am perpetuating the problem. I don't care-I still got them to eat broccoli, mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

My friend Nancie McDermott who has written some crazy good cookbooks including a couple featuring Thai and Vietnamese sparked today's kitchen foray when she came on my SiriusXM radio show (10-12 am east, channel 110-couldn't help myself :). So I enhanced some stock with rotisserie chicken bones, ginger, garlic and the liquor from rehydrated wild dried mushrooms. Then I laid out the buffet:

Cooked rice noodles

Chopped scallions

Steamed broccoli

Raw slivered sugar snaps

Wild mushrooms (Italian, but what the heck)

Shredded chicken

Lime

Other choices-sesame seeds, bean sprouts, snow peas, water chestnuts egg etc…

I also laid on the spice with a favorite fermented hot sauce and enough extra soy to numb their tongues and bloat their ankles till Friday.

Success!

Btw – tomorrow's ribs are in the oven as we speak. I caught a Bon Appetite recipe on my way home and couldn't help myself. Rub, Braise, Cut, Reheat.

 

A Chili Weeknight

 

Old man winter made me do it. All I heard was 12 degrees by Wednesday and I broke out the chili powder. Also the market was out of chipotle in adobo so the recipe for turkey meatballs would have to wait…again. (This is like the recipe that got away-I never make it!) Finally my radio producer and my little guy go for meat and beans. By default I will be loved!

I've included the link to the Martha Stewart recipe I used for the most part, give or take proportions. It calls for several pounds of ground meat. I don't have that many takers, so I halved most everything. Nonetheless, I have plenty to bring to work tomorrow.

Martha Stewart's turkey and bean chili!

 

Super Simple Supper

It was supposed to be Sunday supper, but we couldn't wait. Hence, lunch!

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With 20 minutes and a few basic ingredients, you are on your way. Plus this pasta bowl is a no recipe recipe with plenty of mix and match opportunities.

Since we went to Tuscany (brag!) this summer, I am obsessed with pici – a rustic, starch rich, slow cooking pasta. Seriously, I stowed extra poundage to bring home, only to discover it in a modest specialty shop around the corner. I keep it on hand, but your fave pasta with or without gluten will work. Just know starchier pastas can make a “creamier” sauce.

Get the pasta water started first, to speed meal prep. Using a pre-cooked sausage over fresh can help as well.

Ingredients:

2 colored bell peppers, halved and sliced

1 large sweet onion, halved lengthwise and sliced

Olive oil

1 package pre-cooked chicken sausage, flavor tbd, sliced in coins

12 oz. pasta

Handful Basil, torn, cut or whole

Salt & pepper

Options: grated cheese of choice, butter, sliced garlic, add other vegetables at will

Cook pasta according to directions, saving 1 cup cooking water for sauce. Melt the veggies in a generous dollop of olive oil for 8-10, medium heat (add garlic if desired) in large skillet. Salt and pepper. Add sausage, browning and cooking thoroughly. Drain pasta. Combine pasta with other ingredients in skillet. Toss with enough pasta water to make sauce (I used the whole cup this time!). Stir in basil. Add butter if desired, cheese to taste.

 

It’s Easy Being Green…

…It’s not easy getting greens eaten. Still…

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Earlier this week I met another full time working mom who I think scored the best babysitter ever. Weeknight cooking? Check. Weekend? Not.

Inspired by her Saturday runs to (through?) Trader Joe’s, I came up with a super simple, vegan, vegetarian, potentially gluten free, veg stir fry. It truly doesn’t matter if you have a wok or sauté pan. You will need a cover to get the job done.

A word here about garlic. In this case, there is no reason to be picky about how it gets prepped unless Paul Bocuse has invited you to intern.  Also, I was trained to be “anti-garlic press” by a mom who recognized that once you lost its attached cleaner, it can be a beast to clear. Get over it – skewers can clear all those little holes, as do toothpicks. Garlic is good any way you slice or dice it. All that said, fresh is best.

Bok Choy Goodness

2-3 cloves garlic, minced, sliced or pressed

1 inch, more or less, peeled, grated or finely chopped fresh ginger (or scant 1/2 teaspoon dry ginger)

3-4 scallions, sliced with greens & whites separate

¼-1/3 cup chicken broth or water

6-8 baby bok choy cut in half, or the equivalent of big bok choy

Vegetable or peanut oil

Spritz of soy sauce (optional)

Salt

Heat pan of choice, coat with a bit of oil. Add garlic, ginger, scallion whites and sprinkle of salt. In 30 seconds add bok choy. Toss to combine, or the first ingredients will burn. When the boy choy gets a touch of color, add the liquid, stir to combine, slap a lid on it and let it steam a few minutes. Remove lid, add scallion greens, sprinkle soy sauce if desired. Serve.

Fab over brown rice. For a complete meal, press tofu slices in sesame, sear in veggie oil, flip, brown and serve.

Mea Culpa. While I personally love the bok choy, I have more household success with broccoli. But you can get that at Trader Joe’s too!

Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

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Some are born guilty, some achieve guiltiness, and some have guiltiness thrust upon ’em.
In my case, the guilt is a casualty of genetics, exacerbated by years of parenting. So when I read the latest stats on food waste, the mantle of responsibility weighed heavy upon me. We toss 40% of our food annually. That’s $2,275 for the average foursome family, totaling a whopping $165 billion overall. And yes, it’s way more than the 70’s.
So, guilty and frugal, I refused to dump the leftover “candied” sweet potatoes that no one liked and that didn’t really candy.
Here’s the re-do…Sweet Potato Cottage Pie
Actually it was sort of, kind of Cottage Pie as I only had leftover chicken and not enough of that to make what would be a traditional meat pie with a potato crust. In all honesty, I loved it! Still, I was accused of using the wrong topping (i.e. sweet, not white potato) which is what happens when you cook too often and take too many requests! On the plus side, not one word about the ratio of meat to veg!!
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Ingredients:
2 small onion, or 1 medium, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 slim stalks celery, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
large handful green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths
1 tablespoon veggie oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
heaping tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken, if you have it
leftover candied sweet potatoes from 3 large ones that no one ate
butter to taste
milk to texture
cayenne for fun
Step 1
Soften the first 4 ingredients in oil, about 5 min in 12 inch skillet, then add garlic for a minute. Toss in zucchini and green beans, cook a few minutes, and give the whole thing a stir or two. Blend in the chicken. Dissolve corn starch in chicken stock. Add stock to pan, swirl a couple of minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stop here if you’re ready to eat, tastes like chicken pot pie. Goes with rice, pasta or pototoes.
Step 2
 
Reheat sweet potatoes in microwave. Mash with butter and enough milk to make them spreadable. I used a ricer. Cayenne spices it up. Salt to taste.
Step 3
Spoon everything but the sweet potatoes into a 9 inch casserole. Sweets on top. Preheated 350 oven till bubbly, about 30 minutes. Broil to get crustier on top.
Eat.