Easy weeknight meals: From pasta to couscous

This week we celebrate starches. (Don't we always?) Ideas for what to serve with noodles, rice, potatoes and couscous.

Monday:  With noodles
Go meatless tonight with Mediterranean Spinach and Pasta. While 8 ounces of spaghetti or fettuccine are cooking, saute diced onion and chopped garlic in olive oil. Add red pepper flakes. Stir in 1 bag of baby spinach leaves and a can of undrained kidney beans. Let spinach wilt, add drained pasta and some grape tomatoes, a handful or two of feta cheese and fresh, chopped parsley. Heat through.

Tuesday: With rice
Pan-Seared Scallops and Scallion Rice is quick and easy for a weeknight. Start the rice first because the shellfish will take less than five minutes. Cook rice in vegetable broth and add chopped scallions toward the end. Sear the scallops in a bit of olive oil, basting with melted butter on each side as they cook. Squeeze lemon juice over scallops and serve with rice. Make a green veggie, too.

Wedesday:  With rotisserie chicken
Slice up the bird and serve it with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe. Broccoli rabe looks like skinny-stemmed broccoli but it’s actually a member of the turnip family. Strip off the little leaves (like you do broccoli) and saute the stocks in olive oil and garlic with a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Crusty bread on the side.

Thursday: With potatoes
Hash Browns and Ham Casserole (recipe below) gets a head start from frozen hash browns, but you’ll need to make your own sauce. C’mon, you can do it.

Friday: With couscous
Grill or saute fish fillets and serve with Zucchini-Mint Couscous. Prepare couscous according to package instructions and make the accompaniment by sauteing diced zucchini and minced garlic in hot olive oil. Add a few shakes of cumin, diced fresh tomatoes and a handful of chopped fresh mint. Spoon sauce over couscous.

Hash Browns and Ham Casserole
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups diced ham
1 (24-ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs, optional
Over medium heat, melt butter in a large saucepan; add flour. Stir until smooth; add milk. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly; remove from heat and stir in cheese and mustard. Place half of the ham in a lightly greased casserole. Top ham with half of the hash brown potatoes and half of the cheese sauce mixture. Spoon spinach over the top. Repeat with the remaining ham, potatoes and sauce. Top with buttered bread crumbs if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 to 55 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

Source: About.com

Easy weeknight meals: Salads, pasta, soup and a fancy surprise

Monday: Go green

Recycle weekend leftovers for a Big Green Salad full of veggies and bits of protein (hard-boiled eggs, leftover chicken, beef or fish, tuna or seafood salad, cold cut strips, any type of cheese). Give your salad crunch with pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Shelled, of course.

Tuesday:  Yes, you can
Scour the pantry for cans of tuna and diced tomatoes and a box of dried penne (or other pasta). Check the fridge for green olives and make Pasta With Tuna, Tomato and Green Olives. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a saute pan and add some garlic and red pepper flakes. Mix in tuna and diced tomatoes. Add chopped olives and heat through. Mix with drained pasta. Dinner, done.

Wednesday:  Rotisserie chicken
The October Food Network mag, which I have to say I love, has a simple recipe for Spicy Tortilla Chicken Soup. First, shred the meat from the bird and set aside. Puree 2 seeded, soaked ancho peppers (which are dried mild poblanos), 1 peeled onion, 2 tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves. Fry in oil in a large saucepan. Add 6 cups of broth, 4 torn corn tortillas, shredded chicken and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Simmer until thick. Season with salt and garnish with crisp tortilla strips, Mexican cheese, cilantro and lime juice.

Thursday: Get messy
Enjoy the last of summer’s fresh corn with a Shrimp and Potato Boil. Bring a big pot of water to boil and add lemon juice, smashed garlic cloves and coarse salt. Sprinkle in Old Bay if you’d like. Toss in small whole red potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes. Add shucked corn in manageable lengths, and about 5 minutes later add the shrimp. Drain and dump in bowl. Serve with bread and butter. Eat outside.

Friday: Fancy night
Pull out the stops tonight and make the fall-centric Wilted Arugula Salad With Sauteed Pork, Pears and Blue Cheese (recipe below). Light the candles and let the family know you love them. Or at least that you love to cook.

Wilted Arugula Salad With Sauteed Pork, Pears and Blue Cheese
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry (about 8 loosely packed cups)
1 firm-ripe Bosc pear
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound of pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup dried cherries

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the oil. Stir in the shallot and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put the arugula in a large bowl. Core the pear and cut it into matchsticks.

Put the flour in a pie pan or large plate. Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour. Set a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and the butter. When the butter melts and begins to lightly brown, cook the pork (in batches if necessary), flipping after 2 minutes, until it’s just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining pork.

Discard any fat in the skillet and set over low heat. Add the balsamic-Dijon vinaigrette and cook, stirring to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is warm, about 1 minute. Pour the vinaigrette back into its bowl and whisk to recombine. Toss the arugula with half of the warm vinaigrette. Arrange the arugula on 4 plates. Top with the pork, pear, blue cheese and dried cherries, and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Serves 4.

Source: Fine Cooking; photo from Rachael Ray, Food Network

Get chillin' on the grill with Mustardy Pork Chops

Stir Crazy classic from June 30, 2006. Serve the chops with smashed potatoes with blue cheese.

Click here for the recipe.

Grilled Pork Chops for TGIF meal

The neighbors must wonder: Are they really grilling pork chops at 8:30 a.m.? Why yes, we are. This morning I tested three grilled pork chops recipes for a Memorial Day cookout story. And then my husband, photographer extraordinaire, made pretty photos of them for the Taste section.

What a dangerous job he has! Standing on that chair and all. This is a slightly slanted view of our dining room and now I am embarrassed to have all those (cook) books piled up on the Hoosier sideboard. (No, I am not from Indiana but that's what the thing is called.)

The recipes all turned out well, and I am giving you a sneak peek of this one. It's so simple and a great recipe for a Friday night. I would serve with any veggie and a green salad with walnuts, goat cheese and green apple slices. A fruity vinaigrette, please.

Grilled Pork Chops With Rosemary-Garlic Butter
Compound butter:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried, crushed rosemary
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

4 bone-in pork chops, about 3/4 inch think
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

To make compound butter, combine all butter ingredients in a small bowl and blend well. This can be made well ahead, rolled into a log, wrapped and chilled. (It will make more than you need for this dish.) When ready to use, slice off the amount needed.

Heat grill to medium or medium-high. Brush both sides of chops with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chops on grill and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside, turning once. During last minute of cooking time, top each chop with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Serves 4.

Source: Pillsbury

Photos by Janet K. Keeler

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Today, I'm a vintage homemaker

I'm feeling superior today because I made dinner for tonight last night. Oh yeah, 2009 is starting out just as I planned. Like many of you, I've vowed to cook more at home. So on Jan. 6, I'm doing pretty good. (Are you one of the legions who've decided to cook more at home this year? If so, leave a post. I'd love to get that conversation going.)

Of course, not much of life has happened yet in 2009 meaning Wolverine Jr. isn't in full-throttle baseball mode, which will require quick costume changes in the car going from school to practice to practice. Yes, I have one of those over-scheduled children. Squeezing a home-cooked dinner into that mix seems near-impossible some days.

Anyway, on Sunday we grilled salmon that I served with rice cooked with a cinnamon stick and whole cloves, plus broccoli braised in garlic and chicken broth. On Sunday night after dinner, I made split pea soup with the leftover ham from New Year's Day. We ate that last night. After dinner last night, I made the Rosemary Chicken and Rice recipe I blogged about in October. We are eating that tonight.

Today, I am a home-cooking goddess. I'll let you know when I fall off the wagon. I predict Thursday.

Until then, here's another recipe to try.

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained (juice reserved)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 scallions, white and green parts separated, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 2-inch pieces
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed and patted dry
Cooked rice, for serving

In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook pork, in two batches, until well browned on one side, about 1 minute (pork will cook more later); transfer to a plate.

To skillet, add scallion whites and bell peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add pork (along with any juices), broccoli and pineapple chunks. Whisk sauce; add to skillet. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring, until broccoli is warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in scallion greens, and serve with rice.

Serves 4.

Source: Everyday Food, January/February 2009

Image from www.papermoonvintage.com

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The last of the peaches (and herbs)

Believe it or not, I just got out of a Super Bowl planning meeting. We're thinking about coverage in the paper and on our Web site because the big game is in Tampa on Feb. 1, 2009. That's right, the first game of the NFL season hasn't been played and we're trying to decide how to cover Super Bowl. It's a big deal and my part, of course, is helping people plan home parties. I'm not sure if it's urban legend or not, but every piece of PR I get leading up to the game claims it's the biggest home entertaining day after Thanksgiving.

I know that's where I watch it. Anyway, if you have any cool party ideas or know someone who throws a whopper every year, let me know.

For those of you (and by you I mean me) who need to get dinner on the table before planning the Super Bowl menu, here's a recipe that uses the very last ripe peaches of the season. Serve them with roasted green beans or asparagus.

Peach-Glazed Grilled Pork Chops
1 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced or 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen sliced peaches
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 bone-in rib or center-cut pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper

Simmer preserves, vinegar, thyme and cayenne in saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup glaze. Add peaches to saucepan with remaining glaze and simmer until peaches are soft and glaze is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in mustard. Cover and keep warm.

Season pork with salt and pepper and grill over hot fire until well browned and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, about 5 minutes per side. Brush with reserves glaze and cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to platter and let rest 5 minutes. Pour sliced peach mixture over chops. Serve.

Serves 4.

Source: Cook's Country magazine

Point, shoot and eat

Is it good or bad to be married to a food editor? On paper, it seems like a good idea but imagine if you had to take a photo of your dinner before you can eat it. That's how it rolls at our house some nights, including last night when I was testing this recipe. (I also made two batches of brownies for a photo shoot tomorrow. No one was happy wth me when I told them to keep their mits off.)

Chorizo is a fresh pork sausage, mostly used in Mexican cooking. (In Spain and Portugal, the chorizo is commonly cured.) Look for it at the grocery store in the same place you'll find fresh Italian sausages and bratwurst.

Forget the word "breakfast" in the title. This dish is plenty good enough for dinner, serve it with guacamole salad or slices of creamy avocado. Fresh cantaloupe chunks with a squeeze of lime would also be lovely. I've got enough to make them again tonight. And I promise, no pictures!

Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos

4 corn tortillas
1 cup grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
4 large eggs
5 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
7 ounces fresh chorizo sausage, casing removed if necessary
4 green onions, sliced
Sour cream (optional)
Salsa (optional)

Brush large nonstick skillet with olive or vegetable oil. Arrange tortillas in a single layer in the skillet and sprinkle each with 1/4 cup grated cheese and set aside.

Whisk eggs and 2 tablespoons cilantro in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze chorizo from the casing and saute in a second nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add green onions and saute 2 minutes. Add egg mixture and stir until very softly set, about 1 minute. Remove egg mixture from heat.

While egg is cooking, heat tortillas in skillet over high heat until beginning to crisp on the bottom, but still soft and pliable, about 1 minute. Divide egg mixture among tortillas and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro. Fold each tortilla in half. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Serves 2.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Photo by the food editor's husband and Times photographer, Scott Keeler

A winning tomato recipe

Looks like Fay isn't going to cause us much trouble around here, so we can get back to the business of cooking. Today's recipe comes courtesy of the Washington Post food section which recently held a tomato recipe contest. You know how it goes up north in August ... everybody's back yard is loaded with tomatoes and zucchini.

The winning recipe came from Mary Jo Sweeney of Crownsville, Md., and her 'Mato Sammidges (that's Tomato Sandwiches for the cute-language impaired.) Anyway, I love a simple tomato sandwich (thick, juicy slices, lots of mayo, salt and pepper on wheat, white or sourdough!), but this cool concoction is nothing like that. It has no bread. Thick tomato slices act as the bread with Boursin cheese and bacon crumbles in between. Like fried green tomatoes, the sandwich is dredged in bread crumbs and sauteed. Very clever, indeed. The story in the Post says Sweeney drew on her Southern roots and love of Farmer's Markets for the recipe. Great idea. 

'Mato Sammidges
3 to 4 large ripe tomatoes, cut horizontally into 8 slices that are 1/2 inch thick
2 5.2-ounce packages garlic- and herb-flavored soft cheese, such as Boursin, at room temperature
8 slices thick-sliced bacon, cooked until crisp, then drained
2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 to 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned fine dried bread crumbs

Place the tomato slices between paper towels for 15 minutes to drain any excess juices.

Make at least 4 matching pairs of similar-size slices. Spread a thick layer of cheese ( 1/4 inch) on one side of each tomato slice. Crumble the bacon and divide evenly over four of the slices. Mate the halves together to make sandwiches.

Lay a few layers of paper towels on a platter placed near the stove top. Heat the oil (as needed) in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers.

Meanwhile, season the flour liberally with salt and pepper and place in a shallow bowl; place the beaten eggs and bread crumbs nearby in separate shallow bowls. Coat both sides of each sandwich, first in the seasoned flour, then in the egg and then in the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess bread crumbs while making sure the sandwiches are well covered.

Cook the sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms, then carefully turn them over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown on the second side. (If working in batches, add oil as needed.) Transfer to the paper towel-lined platter to drain slightly; serve warm.

Serves 4.

NUTRITION Per half-sandwich serving: 253 calories, 7 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 77 mg cholesterol, 467 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber

Source:  Mary Jo Sweeney of Crownsville, Md., winner of the Washington Post Food section's 2008 Top Tomato Recipe Contest. Photo by the Washington Post.

Wannabe Jersey girl?

Again, I was cooking up a storm on Sunday. Two loaves of banana-mango bread (one with blueberries, one without), the ziti with ricotta that I told you about last week, mini-meatloaves in muffins tins and sausage and peppers, a favorite of my son and husband (who is from New Jersey.) Now, I've never shopped at the Paramus Mall or anything, but I do think my sausage and peppers are good enough for a tailgate at the Meadowlands. (Actual photo from an actual Meadowlands tailgate of guys from the Saugus Rotery.)

(Besides all this, I combed the freezer for bits of meat to toss on the grill. I found 3 chorizo links, 1 big boneless, skinless chicken breast, ground chicken, ground pork and ground beef. Anyway, we had a nice mixed grill last night with grilled corn.)

Here's my Sausage and Peppers recipe:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 (two packs) of uncooked Italian sausage (mild, med., hot, your choice)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 green peppers, julienned
1 12-ounce can diced tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a skillet and add the oil. Brown the sausage on two sides over medium heat. While sausage is browing, add sliced onions. Remove sausage and place in large, shallow casserole (like a 9 by 13 pan). Add green peppers to skillet and cook with onions for about five minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer so that some of the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.

Add veggies to the sausage, cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour.

Serve with or without hoagie rolls.

Serves 4.

Source: Janet K. Keeler, Times food and travel editor

Slow-cooker Q

Here's a holiday bonus: I'm making this for our pot luck at work tomorrow. But I'm making it tonight. That's the beauty.

I love barbecue pork sandwiches. And I'm sure that some day when I have 12 consecutive hours of nothing-better-to-do, I'll set up a low, smoky fire on the grill and babysit a pork shoulder all day while all   the fat melts and it gets all tender and delicious. It hasn't happened yet, though, and my slow cooker is the reason.

The barbecue pork I make in the slow cooker is not the same. I understand that and accept it. And for fear of heresy, I'm not going to compare the two. That I like the slow cooker version a lot can just stand as testament to how much I also like the real thing.

If you don't have a slow cooker (crock pot, whatever), well, I'm not going to tell you what to buy, but you're missing out on a great tool. I'm sure this recipe could translate to stove top or oven somehow, but I don't know the answer to that.

The sauce is also totally to the cook's discretion. I start here with bottled chili sauce and BBQ sauce, but try all of one or the other, or get crazy and try some teriyaki or hoisin. Or ketchup and mustard.

Slow-cooker Q

4-5 lbs pork roast, shoulder or butt
1 med onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)
1 cup chili sauce
1 cup bbq sauce
1 green bell pepper, chopped

on the stove top heat the crock pot insert (if yours is stovetop safe) or a skillet and brown each side of the pork. this step is optional.

with the crock pot insert in the heating element, turn the crock pot on to low. add the rest of the ingredients. cover. walk away. you're good for the next 8-12 hours, or whenever you're ready to eat.

just before you're ready to eat, lift the roast out of the crock pot on to a large cutting board or platter. be careful, it will fall apart. that's ok.

skim the fat off the top of the sauce in the crock pot. if the sauce seems soupy, put the insert on the stovetop over low to medium heat until it begins boiling, and allow to reduce.

meanwhile, get two forks and attack the pork, shredding it into strands of meat. discard any large chunks of fat and any bone.

when the pork is shredded and sauce ready, put the pork back in the cooker and toss to coat with the sauce.

serve on buns with bread&butter pickles and thinly sliced onion.