"Fast Weeknight Meals" April 8, 2010 - Volume 2 - Issue 07
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What's for Supper???
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Home and hungry? It's a
daily dilemma we all face! We want to have a nutritious meal, quality
family time around the table, but we need it now! Achieving these
potentially conflicting objectives is possible without breaking the bank
on take-out, or taking on an over-achiever, plan-ahead persona.  In this issue, we
focus on some fast weeknight meal strategies, and offer advice on
setting up your pantry for weeknight success. Giuliano Hazan's new book,
"Thirty Minute
Pasta" provides recipes for practicing weeknight speed with
magnificent flavor and total satisfaction. He also personally answers a
few of our inquisitive questions! Buon appetito any night of the week!
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APRIL Special
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Simple Supper Strategies
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It's a transition moment in the day, the late afternoon hunger pangs,
the clock ticking, and the realization that you and a few others around
you have expectations that there will be something to eat shortly. First
of all, alleviate any guilt for not having planned the entire week
ahead of time, or not starting the slow cooker in the morning, or
forgetting to pull the meat out of the freezer to thaw - we're not here
to spout that gospel, however worthy a thought pattern that it is. We're
talking about real people, real days, and real strategies for surviving
suppertime on a real-time basis without having to be a logistical
genius! 
Relax - Use
supper prep time to transition yourself from a busy day. If you're alone
in the kitchen, enjoy the quiet; resist the urge to fill the void with
TV or radio. If the family is around, use the opportunity to catch each
other up on the day with conversation (instead of texting!). Put your
kids to work and surreptitiously teach them how to cook. Not
surprisingly, some of the best bonding goes on in the kitchen.
Quick Cooking Foods - We're not
talking processed foods here, but rather, choose foods that naturally
cook quickly - keep those at the top of your idea list. (See our Picks
for the Perfect Pantry below). Pasta is faster than rice, most seafood
is faster than chicken or beef, and "above ground" vegetables are faster
than "below ground" root vegetables.
 Quick Cooking Techniques - Stovetop
cooking is faster than oven roasting or baking. Invest in a good
all-around skillet where you can saut�, stir-fry, or even pan grill in a
jiffy. The microwave is great, but for more than one or two people, the
time investment nearly matches the time it takes on the stovetop.
Steaming is faster than boiling. Dice potatoes, carrots - any root
vegetable - into smaller pieces with a sharp knife; they will cook much
faster.
Use All-in-Ones -
Dishes prepped in one pan, a stovetop oven or a wok, make clean up just
as easy as the preparation. Cook the dish in layers beginning with the
longest cooking items first. Many stovetop pans are beautifully crafted
and double on the table as the serving dish. That same pot will slip
into the refrigerator, then back to the stovetop the next day - now
that's all-in-one cooking!
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The Perfect Supper Pantry
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OK, perfection is
overrated, but you can give yourself a few advantages with a reasonably
stocked
pantry. Based on your eating preferences, your personal profile may
vary, but
here's a starting point. Think of your "pantry" not just as the back
cupboard, but also your
refrigerator and freezer.
Double Down on
Fresh - Make the most of your trips to the market. Buy double of
fresh/perishable items and give yourself a head start on another day.
Here are
just a couple of examples:
- Buy two heads of broccoli, cut,
and steam them both. Use half that day;
freeze the remainder for a quick jump on a stir-fry later in the week.
- Buy double the amount of boneless chicken breast, beef steak,
or pork
tenderloin. Cut all of it into stir-fry-able strips. Freeze half in a
large
single-layer zipper bag; it will quickly defrost on another day and be
perfect
for fajitas, a pita pocket sandwich, or a stir-fry.
- Buy double the salad ingredients, wash, spin-dry, and store all
for two days
of fresh greens. Add dressing only at serving time.
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Earth & Vine
Robert Rothschild
Aloha from Oregon
Stonewall Kitchens
Olivier
Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel |
Oils & Vinegars:
Bozzano Olive Farms
B.R. Cohn
Villa Manadori Aged Balsamic Vinegar de Modena
Panacea
Farms |
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Interview with Giuliano Hazan
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 Giuliano Hazan
comes by his love of Italian cooking honestly as the son of famed cook,
Marcella Hazan. With this pedigree, Giuliano has distinguished himself
in his own right as the author of four cookbooks, a guest cook on TV,
and as the winner of the International Association of Cooking
Professional's (IACP) award for Cooking Teacher of the Year in 2007.
Giuliano Hazan was kind enough to take our call and answer a few
questions about weeknight meals and a few other curiosities. Here's his
take:
(1) When you get home from
work and are hungry, what do you
fix for yourself?
When I return home from a teaching trip,
what I most look forward to is a comforting, satisfying dish of pasta
with either a simple meat sauce or a fresh tomato sauce. I'm not just
saying it because my recent book is on pasta. It's because pasta has
always been one of my favorite foods, and probably why two of the four
books I've written are on pasta.
(2) What items do you recommend always having in the
pantry/refrigerator for quick meals?
Basics such as good extra
virgin olive oil, sea salt, onions, garlic and butter. In addition,
things such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, capers, anchovies, parsley,
pancetta, and cream are always useful. Ripe tomatoes don't keep very
long, so good canned tomatoes are good to have on hand, though sauces
with canned tomatoes are not usually as quick to make.
(3) What is your secret to creating great
flavor in your recipes?
Apart from obviously using quality
ingredients, it is paying attention to what you are doing! The fewer
steps there are in a recipe, the more important each step becomes.
(4) When did cooking capture your interest?
Was there a particular aspect of cooking that you focused on first? What
culinary interest captures your attention the most today?
I
began cooking in earnest when I left home because . . . I was hungry! I
missed the food I was used to eating at home every day. Though I love
to share the food I prepare with others,  it is usually
the prospect of enjoying a good meal that motivates me to cook.
(5) What would you recommend for the perfect
culinary trip to Italy?
With obvious bias, I'd recommend a
week at our school in northern Italy! For six days you will immerse
yourself in Italian food, wine, and life through field trips to
gastronomic locations not even the locals know about. And, of course,
there are the hands-on classes in a luxuriously restored Renaissance
villa where you will also lodge.
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Smart Fast Meal Tips
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Tip #1:
Establish a "household rule" - if you use the last of it, mark it down
on the grocery list. Keep the list in a consistent location.
Tip #2: Keep a loaf of your favorite
bread or a stack of pita pockets in the freezer for a sandwich solution
to supper. Get creative about what to put in your sandwich - open the
refrigerator and put those condiments to work in changing something
ordinary into extraordinary. If you like, pan grill, or use your griddle
to heat your concoction to perfection.
Tip #3: We use the
inside of cupboard doors to our advantage! As you discover quick supper
or recipe favorites, make a sticky note (a physical
one and/or a virtual one) of the recipe's ingredients and basic
instructions. A quick look inside the cupboard door (or virtual desktop)
as you head out the door may provide just the spark of
inspiration you need, and will be handy when it comes time to cook.
Tip #4: Have a standing pantry plan
or two for surprise guests. Keep a few cheeses and unique crackers
around, or perhaps some great coffee beans and exquisite cookies, dried
fruits and nuts, or ingredients for a no-fuss pasta meal, a frozen loaf
of bread, and, of course, a good bottle of wine.
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Q & A's
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 Q: How can I keep from getting into a rut with my weeknight
menus?
A: First of
all, ruts aren't all bad. Finding something you and your family like and
serving it often is a good thing. But, we understand that even the best
menu or dish can become tiresome. Expand your repertoire with
occasional variation. Perhaps there's one night of the week that is less
hurried than another - use that as your "experimentation night" and
enjoy the change of pace. Always be "interviewing" recipes for inclusion
on your own personal "fast weeknight menus" list.
 Q: I forgot my pantry
list at home. What am I supposed to get?
A: Time to get hip and use one of your
mobile devices to your kitchen advantage. Write a text message or an
electronic note to yourself of the standard pantry items that you'd like
to keep on hand. Keep that message or note in your device and add to
it as needed. Consult your device for a reminder of staples as you shop.
Q: I can't find the recipe I want to use for
supper. How can I keep track of my favorites?
A: Recipe cards are still valuable for
remembering and recalling favorite recipes. We keep a recipe binder for
paper copies of our favorite recipes, both online printouts and scans
of printed recipes. We also "e-file" recipes in our computer's folders
with customized sub-folders for easy retrieval.
Q: With thousands of recipes available
online, why should I buy a cookbook for recipes?
A: For a cookbook to be published,
there is a competitive review process that results in the "best of the
best" actually becoming a cookbook. Cookbook authors and publishers must
design, edit, and produce a high quality product to warrant the expense
of publishing; the result is a juried and reviewed compendium of
recipes that have met the test. Internet recipes may, or may not be,
tested, and may, or may not be, in an instructive context that broadens
the cook's expertise. We think there's room for both great cookbooks and
the Internet in the kitchen. |
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Cookbook Review
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Thirty Minute Pasta, 100 Quick and Easy Recipes
by Giuliano Hazan. Photography by Joseph De Leo. Copyright 2009.
Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams,
Inc., New York, NY.
 We love pasta in any
and every form and, in fact, consider ourselves self-declared experts
when it comes to judging pasta dishes and recipes. In this, Chef Hazan's
latest cookbook, simplicity and flavor combine in the most delicious
ways. He sets the scene for thirty-minute pasta dishes with precisely
the right amount of context. He reviews pasta shapes and their distinct
purposes and traits, advises us on the basics of a great pasta pantry,
and expertly guides us through boiling pasta for perfect results. The
remainder of the book is dedicated to 100 recipes that make you fall in
love with pasta even more. The chapters are divided into Pasta Soups,
Vegetarian Pasta, Seafood Pastas, and Meat Pastas. Each recipe is
written with efficient time management in mind, i.e., the oil heats
while the onion is being chopped; we're instructed to boil the pasta at
the proper time so that sauce and pasta get to the finish line
simultaneously, etc. We appreciated this sequencing and attention to
detail. The photography by Joseph De Leo lavishly inserted throughout
the book brought the pasta into the realm of exquisite visual art. This
cookbook is one of our favorite picks so far this year! Benissimo!
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Three Thirty Minute Pasta Recipes
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Recipes excerpted from Thirty Minute Pasta by Guiliano
Hazan. Copyright 2009. Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, and
imprint of Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, NY. Reprinted with permission
of the publisher. All rights reserved.
 Penne with
Asparagus and Prosciutto
Penne agli Asparagi e Prosciutto
View and Print
If the pink and bright green colors of this
dish don't say spring, the flavors certainly do! Take advantage of the
seasonal bounty of asparagus with this recipe. The prosciutto acts as a
condiment with its salty flavor, while the onions lay the foundation for
a silky sauce. Definitely an addition to the favorites list!
Spaghetti with
Raw Tomatoes, Herbs and Mozzarella
 Spaghetti alla Checca
View and Print
We have in our memory banks a wonderful
late lunch somewhere in the middle of Rome. It was one of those hot
August days when tomatoes were at their best. This recipe recreated that
moment with its simple, fresh ingredients - tomatoes, basil, and fresh
mozzarella. We closed our eyes and swore we could hear the Trevi
fountain in the background!
Linguine with Shrimp and Porcini
L inguine ai Gamberi e
Funghi
View and Print
This recipe turned out another perfect
plate of pasta! We used shitake mushrooms in place of the porcini, due
to a momentary shortage of porcini, but it turned out wonderfully
nonetheless. The shrimp and mushrooms huddled in the nooks and crannies
of the linguine and twirled onto our forks and into our mouths with ease
and enjoyment!
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Enjoy the pleasure of a
simple supper well made!
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Lorraine, Katie, and all of the Staff at Beyond Pots and Pans
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