Garlic and tomato braised beef

The best 3-ingredient recipe ever. From Gourmet Magazine, by way of Smitten Kitchen.

Garlic and tomato braised beef
serves 6

28 ounce can of whole tomatoes
3.0-3.5 pound boneless beef chuck roast, tied with a string
1 head garlic, separated into cloves, left unpeeled

Preheat the oven to 300°F. 

Tie up the roast into an evenly shaped log with butcher's twine. Put it in an ovenproof casserole with a lid, such as a Dutch oven.

Coarsely chop tomatoes with their juice in a food processor (or just chop them in their can with kitchen shears). Pour chopped tomatoes over the roast. 

Scatter unpealed garlic cloves around it. 

Season generously with salt and pepper. 

Braise for 3-4 hours, covered, in the middle of oven. 

Cut roast into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with sauce and garlic (squeezed from its peels), over orzo pasta.

Chicken sausage with pesto pasta

This is a recipe I found on RealSimple.  It's a great fast weeknight dinner - I love the efficiency of boiling the pasta and the vegetables together in one pot.  Although the original recipe calls for only 8 oz. of sausage, I use an entire 12 oz. package of Aidell's and the ratio of sausage to other ingredients is just fine.

I wanted more pesto flavor, so I amped up the amount from 1/3 to 1/2 cup.  Your mileage may vary here, especially depending on what pesto you use.  If the sauce is lumpy or not coating the pasta properly, thin it out with some water, preferably reserved cooking water from boiling the pasta (since this contains gluten). My preferred brand is the Cucina & Amore "Pesto alla Genovese".

Also, remember that Parmesan cheese can be quite salty - don't add extra salt to your sauce until after the cheese goes in!


Chicken sausage with pesto pasta
serves 6

Brown in olive oil for about 6 minutes:
one 12 oz. package of Italian chicken sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

Boil for 9 minutes:
3/4 pound medium shells pasta

For the last 7 minutes, add to boiling pasta:
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

For the last 3 minutes, add:
1 cup frozen peas

Drain pasta and veggies. Return to the pot.

Toss with:
1/2 cup pesto (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
if needed: add water to loosen the sauce

Once the seasoning level for the pasta and veggies is right, add in the browned sausage rounds.

Pork Chops with Vinegar & Peppers

This recipe is substantially de-convoluted from the Cook's Illustrated version. The original called for browning the chops on the stove, then finishing the whole dish in the oven.  However, this easily adds 20 minutes to the cooking time.  It's much more practical on a weeknight to pre-cook the chops fully, then bring them back together with the peppers at the end.

Pork Chops with Vinegar & Peppers
serves 6

Cook over medium high heat until done, 4-5 minutes per side:
6 pork chops (pref. bone-in and thick cut)

While chops are cooking, saute for 2 minutes:
1 small white onion, chopped finely

Add, and saute 4 minutes more:
3 large bell peppers red/orange/yellow mix, cut into a large dice
2 anchovy fillets, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary (about 5 inches long)

Add and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until reduced to 1/3 cup liquid:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup water

Discard rosemary sprig. 

Turn off heat and add: 
1 tbsp. garlic olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Return pork chops to pan to heat through, then serve.

Shopping list:
6 pork chops
1 large white onion
2 sweet bell peppers, pref. red and yellow
fresh rosemary
anchovy fillets, or anchovy paste (1 tsp = 1 fillet)

Check pantry:
garlic
butter
white wine vinegar

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Shrimp Fra Diavolo
serves 4-6

Serve over 1/2 lb. linguini or spaghetti.

Shrimp
Toss together, then saute on high for about 30 seconds:
1 lb. medium-large shrimp, peeled (can also substitute 1 lb. sea scallops)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil

Turn shrimp and add 1/4 cup cognac (or brandy).  Set cognac on fire, then pull pan off the heat.  Set shrimp aside.

Sauce
Saute over low for 7-10 minutes:
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. raw garlic, minced (about 9 cloves)

Add, then increase heat to medium for 8 minutes:
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
28 oz. diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup dry white wine

Add and heat through:
reserved shrimp
1 tbsp. raw garlic, minced (about 3 cloves)
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
1 tbsp. olive oil

Risotto

Risotto is a neutral: you can throw pretty much whatever you want into it, depending on your mood and the season.  Here's a very basic recipe, to which other flavors and ingredients can be added at will.  I lean toward adding bright vegetables like peas and asparagus.

Risotto base

serves 6

In a deep pan, saute for about 3 minutes:

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium white onion, diced finely

Add 1 c. arborio rice and saute it for 2 minutes to toast the grains.

Add 1 cup chicken broth.  Stir until it's absorbed.

Gradually add in 2 more cups of chicken broth about 1/2 cup at a time, adding more as the previous liquid gets absorbed.  Stir constantly.  The rice is done when it starts producing gluten and the mass begins to come together as a big, gooey pile.  If this hasn't happened after 3 cups of broth, add more and keep stirring until it does.

To finish, add 2 tbsp. butter and 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese. Stir until both have melted into the rice.

Parmesan Green Beans

Around my house, these are known simply as "the good beans" and are consumed in vast quantities whenever I make them. They're even better on Day 2, after they've had a night in the fridge to soak up the lemon juice.

The quantities below are my best guesses: I usually prepare this recipe a la Julia Child, throwing what looks to be the right amount of each thing into the bowl and taste testing as I go along until it seems flavorful enough.

Parmesan Green Beans

serves 6-8

Head and tail 3 lbs. of green beans, then snap ~in half to produce bite-sized pieces.  Boil in enough salted cold water to float the beans, until they reach your desired level of crispiness.  Drain and dress immediately, while still warm.

Toss together:

3 lbs. cooked green beans

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced zest of 1 lemon (optional)

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried parsley

1/3 c. shredded Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Italian Orzo Salad

This was originally part of a larger pork tenderloin recipe, but I quickly realized I was making the pork as an excuse to eat the orzo salad.  So now it gets its own entry!

Italian Orzo Salad 

serves 6

Boil until al dente:

8 oz. orzo pasta

Dressing: 

1/8 c. olive oil

1/8 c. lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. rosemary, minced (I use dried)

salt & pepper to taste

Combine:

cooked orzo

dressing

1 large tomato, diced

1/3 c. kalamata olives, chopped

1/4 c. fresh basil, shredded

Orzo is a very small pasta the size and shape of large grains of rice.  It's a great base for pasta salads, and is also a good choice in soup.

I like to chiffonade my basil for this recipe:

Chicken Piccata

Most chicken piccata recipes are terrible: after a lot of sweat and tears, they come out greasy and bland.  The fine folks at Cook's Illustrated figured out a solution to this problem, and I've refined it further for a fast weeknight dinner.

Chicken Piccata

serves 4

Halve 1 lemon, pole to pole.  Cut crosswise into very thin slices (or use a mandolin).

Using the butterflying technique, cut 4 chicken breasts in half to yield two thinner cutlets.  Salt and pepper them, then coat in flour.  In olive oil, saute cutlets in batches for 2-2.5 minutes per side over medium high heat.  Set aside.

Then in the same pan, make the sauce.  (The flour left behind by the cutlets will help to thicken it.)

Saute on medium for 30 seconds:

1 small shallot, minced (or substitute 1 clove garlic)

Add and simmer for 4 minutes:

1 c. chicken broth

thin lemon slices

Add and simmer about 1 minute more:

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 tbsp. capers

Pull your pan sauce off the heat and slowly melt in 3 tbsp. butter (i.e. monter au beurre).  Serve immediately over chicken.

Cooking the lemon slices in the chicken broth softens them and makes them edible, peel and all.  The easiest way to produce thin pieces is to slice the lemon as pictured below, in slices as thin as you can manage:

This recipe calls for a minced shallot.  Contrary to popular belief, shallots and green onions are not the same thing.  They're close cousins, but the two aren't completely interchangeable.  In this recipe, green onions would be too harsh.  If you need to make a substitution for the shallot, use garlic.

Behold the mighty shallot.

 

Here's how to butterfly a chicken breast.  In most recipes, this is intended to produce a thinner, single piece of meat.  Here, we're using it to cut a breast completely in half.

Mediterranean Bok Choy

I've changed a good number of things around, but the original inspiring recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Mediterranean Bok Choy

serves 4

Chop:

3 medium heads baby bok choy

Separate chopped stems from leaves.

Saute for 3 minutes:

2 tbsp. olive oil

stems from chopped bok choy

Add and cook an additional 5 minutes:

greens from chopped bok choy

salt and pepper

1/3 c. beef stock

Finish with:

1/4-1/2 c. roughly chopped black olives

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

From Cook's Illustrated, another great summer dinner.  If you want to use store-bought pesto, you can saute the chicken and then skip straight to the end.

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

serves 6-8

Boil 3/4 lb. rotini in large pot.  Meanwhile, season and saute 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 minutes per side).

In food processor, blend 10 sec. until smooth:

1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp. lemon juice

salt to taste

Slowly drizzle in 2/3 c. olive oil.

Toss together:

pesto

cooked chicken, cut into strips

cooked rotini

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved and lightly salted

1/2 lb. arugula or baby spinach

Beef Cacciatore

Beef cuts suitable for quick cooking are very tender.  I typically pick up top sirloin when it's on sale and use it in this dish.  However, because of its low fat content, sirloin is very easy to overcook.  As soon as the meat looks sealed, add the sauce ingredients.  And as soon as the sauce comes together, pull it off the heat!

Beef Cacciatore 
serves 6

Boil 8 oz. of short pasta like rotini or penne while the cacciatore is coming together.

Saute in olive oil until soft:

1 large green pepper, large dice
2-3 carrots, thinly sliced

2 cups of mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. salt

Add and cook until beef just browns:

1 lb. beef, sliced thin (pref. sirloin or blade steak)

1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme

Add and simmer until sauce flavors meld:

2 tsp. anchovy paste (or 2 minced fillets)
6 oz. can tomato paste
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c. red wine

2 tbsp. garlic olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the cooked pasta.  Serve.


Shopping list:
1 lb. sirloin or blade steak
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper
3 medium/2 large carrots
2 cups mushrooms

Check the pantry:
basil, dried
thyme, dried
red wine for cooking, 1/2 cup
penne or rotini pasta, 8 oz. (1/2 box)
garlic olive oil
anchovy paste
red wine vinegar

Spaghetti Puttanesca

From Cook's Illustrated.  This an incredibly fast, incredibly flavorful dish.  In the time it takes you to boil the water and cook the pasta, you can finish the sauce. 

There's only 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes in this dish, but that's enough to make it quite spicy.  Cut this in half if you have any doubts about your tolerance for hot food.

Spaghetti Puttanesca 

serves 4

Start bringing water to boil for 1 lb. spaghetti.  Meanwhile…

Heat on medium, 2-3 minutes:

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like it very spicy)

8 anchovy fillets, minced

Stir in and simmer 8 minutes, until thickened:

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

Add:

3 tbsp. capers, drained

1/2 c. black olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

salt to taste

Toss over cooked and drained pasta.  Serve immediately.

Shrimp & Tortellini

When I'm starving and have zero time, this is my go-to home run recipe.  You can go from frozen shrimp to finished dinner in about 20 minutes.  It's certainly not low calorie between the cheese and the butter, but when you're hungry, that's exactly what the doctor ordered.  It reheats beautifully.

The only difficult part of this dish is not overcooking the shrimp.  Are they basically pink all over?  STOP and pull the pan off the heat!  If your shrimp progress to the curled up stage, they'll still taste good but have an unpleasantly rubbery texture.

Shrimp & Tortellini
serves 4-6

Boil in salted water:
1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini (e.g. Buitoni)

Melt together in a skillet:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 bunch green onion tops, chopped

Add to skillet and saute over medium until shrimp are just pink:
1 lb. shrimp, peeled
salt and pepper to taste

Drain the tortellini and salt them separately.  Toss together shrimp, pan sauce, and pasta.

Add 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese.


Shopping list:
1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini
1 lb. shrimp
1 bunch green onions

Check the pantry:
Parmesan cheese

Meatballs for Spaghetti

We did have an old family meatball recipe...but quite frankly, it was dreadful.  So around a decade ago, it was quietly replaced with this one from Rose's Celebrations.  So here it is, recipe from old country like grandma used to make - I swear!

I typically make a full batch of two dozen and freeze them in a ziplock until a rainy weeknight when I'm out of food, ideas, and time.  To thaw out frozen meatballs, place them in a microwave-safe container with enough sauce to coat the meatballs.  (This prevents grease meltdowns.)  Nuke for 3 minutes, then let them cool down a bit.  Nuke for a further 2 minutes to bring them up to piping hot.

Two meatballs will feed one average adult; three will feed one very hungry adult. 

Meatballs for Spaghetti
makes 2 dozen

Mix together:

3 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. dry bread crumbs (pref. Progresso Italian)

2/3 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tbsp. dried basil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. hot sauce

Add and work in by hand:
2 lbs. hamburger (10-20% fat)

Roll into balls about 2 inches in diameter.  Arrange the meatballs either on a broiling pan or on a rack in a baking sheet to allow the grease to drain away.

Bake uncovered at 425 for 20 minutes, turning half way through to evenly brown.

Freeze until needed, then thaw in the microwave for ~5 minutes (in sauce).

Recommended product:

Progresso Italian style bread crumbs

Chicken Marinara

This recipe is better known as "How to vastly improve your jarred pasta sauce with dried herbs and booze".  Any cheap white wine will do; I typically look for a chardonnay in the $5 range with a screw cap for easy storage (e.g. FishEye).  For the chicken, I use two boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Chicken Marinara

serves 6

Saute to brown:

1 lb. chicken, cut in bite-sized strips

4 cloves garlic, minced

Add and cook 3 minutes:

6 oz. mushrooms (I prefer baby portobello)

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. thyme

Add and heat through:

24 oz. jarred spaghetti sauce of your choice

1/2 c. white wine

Serve over linguini.

Bad cardiovascular genes run in the family, so I always buy Prego's Heart Smart pasta sauces.

Prego Heart Smart sauce

Sausage & Spinach Pene

This recipe comes courtesy of Cook's Illustrated and is one of their skillet recipes.  It's a great 30-minute weeknight meal that takes only two pans (and just one if you brown the sausage first, then boil the pasta), but is a complete dinner including protein, vegetables, and starch.

Sausage & Spinach Pene
serves 6

Create sausage

Combine all dry spices in large bowl:

2 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

Stir in:

1 tsp. sambal oelek

Mix in by hand and form small balls:

1 lb. ground pork (80/20)

Cook pasta and sausage

Bring to a boil in a saute pan:

2 tsp BTB chicken bouillon

5 1/2 cups water

Add and boil, uncovered, for 13 minutes:
8 oz. pene pasta

1/2 tsp. salt

While the pasta cooks, cook sausage balls completely in a frying pan. 

Add to saute pan with cooked pasta:

1 lb. sausage, browned

1/2 lb. fresh spinach

2 roma tomatoes, diced

Cover for about 2 minutes to wilt spinach.