Inspired by
@Ms_Fits cooking thread I'd like to ask you to share great, quick recipes.
What are your favourites?
I love cooking, I love eating and I love trying out new recipes - but lately life has become so stressful that I have been losing my cook-drive :-(
I just hurry home from work, do the grocery on the way and then I toss together something that's supposed to be healthy, tasty and fast at the same time, before my son has to go to afternoon classes... And in the evenings I cook again, because I know that my husband has had only a little snack for lunch.
Two quick warm meals a day have used up my imagination!
I'm happy with all kinds of recipes: Paleo, Neolithic, low carb, high carb, Bollywood diet ;-) - it's all good!
I'll start with one of my family's favourite stews: I make it in the pressure cooker.
Cook sliced onions in oil, add cut beef and lots of sliced carrots. Season with salt, lots of pepper, fresh thyme (if available), a bay leaf, (I also toss in vegeta - a Croatioan blend of spices, don't know if that's available where you live) and add some red wine or good aceto balsamico. Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley. As a side dish I normally serve noodles (yes, I'm Austrian and not Paleo ;-) ) or potatoes.
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If you want us to be unapologetically feminine, be unapologetically masculine.
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Chop an onion and a stalk of celery, plus all the leaves. Cook in a biggish pot with swirl of olive oil and a pound of ground turkey. You can use ground beef, but we think it tastes better with turkey - a little lighter. When it is cooked, add 1 cup chopped carrots (more if you like - up to one pound) 2-14 oz cans of canned beans (we use small red, but you can use any kind) , 1-14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, 1 quart vegetable broth, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp garlic powder (you can used chopped garlic instead and cook with the onion/celery, but we think this soup tastes better a little less garlicky than that). Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 45m or so. Add 1 cup of frozen corn and 1-2 yellow squash, chopped. Simmer for another 10-15m or so, till the squash is done.
We add a loaf of bakery semolina bread if anyone asks for bread. If they ask nicely, I'll make biscuits
are these recipes changed to "nordic" taste? I'm asking, because it's a twist to familiar meals.
Cheese with chicken soup is utterly alien to me - and I want to try it! (BTW I use chicken backs, celery, carrots, leek, onions, some peppercorns and parsley root for chicken soup. I serve it with the meat and the sliced, cooked carrots, freshly chopped parsley and thin noodles, but now I think that's the boring version ;-) )
I'll just post one of my favourite recipes - quick Cassoulet (again, cooked in the pressure cooker):
I cook onions, bacon and pork in oil until golden brown, add white wine and sliced carrots, diced celery root, sliced smoked sausage (cabanossi) and tomato paste. I season with salt, pepper and herbs of choise, close the lid and cook for 20 minutes, then I add two sorts of canned beans (I use white beans and runner beans).
If we are in a hurry we eat it right away, but if there's enough time...
... I smear a casserole with butter and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, pour in the stew and sprinkle the top with breadcrusts again. I then bake it until golden and crispy (about 30 minutes).
I'm feeling really hungry now!
And the garlic idea is fantastic! I'll definitely try keeping crushed garlic in the fridge. Do you use glass jars (like those for jam)?
If you want us to be unapologetically feminine, be unapologetically masculine.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/
Its the BBC Good Food web site (as in UK BBC TV) - its all the recipes used on the BBC cooking shows, voted on by the UK people - has some very good stuff in there.
A word of warning - some of the recipes may not make sense - they are UK based so may have ingredients which are called something different in the states, and in specific measurements (we dont generally do "cups" out here).
Love grocery shopping! The smell, texture and the colours of fruit and vegetables... I even enjoy the meat on display.
Is that freaky?
If you want us to be unapologetically feminine, be unapologetically masculine.
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
1 + 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
Instructions
Notes
*For a spicier heat use fresh red chile peppers instead, chipotle peppers in adobo or cayenne pepper.
"My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy, if not, you'll become a philosopher." -Socrates
I boiled a big pot of water on the stove with a lot of salt, some pepper and some rice wine vinegar (cause it's what we had in the cupboard)
My chunk of mince was still half frozen. I used a knife to cut it up into little squares and dropped the squares slowly into the boiling water (so it stayed boiling the whole time). I was thinking something like meatballs without having to actually form the meatballs because that takes forever.
I added chopped leeks, thin sliced carrot rounds and cabbage (because that's the veg I had to use up) and left it all to boil for a while (maybe half an hour).
Then when H got home I threw in some rice noodles, gave it a minute or two and served up.
It was delicious and a little quirky and different to usual. The salted water flavored the meatballs (meat cubes) just fine so it didn't matter that I hadn't made them properly. I think more Asian type flavors would work well too for next time.
I haven't got this mysterious, amazing crock pot, but I'll try the same with my "normal" stewpot.
I'm cooking a similar dish with dismembered chicken, onions, garlic and all kinds of veggies (potatoes, carrots, peppers,...) wine and herbs in a big skillet in the oven.
If you want us to be unapologetically feminine, be unapologetically masculine.
I cooked lots of onions, garlic, bacon and diced pork golden in lard (or oil), caramelised a bit of sugar, added good vinegar, caraway, a bay leave, salt, pepper and sauerkraut. As soon as the meat is soft I stirred in cream and added seasoning to taste. This dish is one of those that get better every time you reheat it.
That's my daughter's favourite autumn/winter dish, it's cheap, fast and the sauerkraut provides lots of vitamins to get you through the cold season. You can serve it with dumplings, bread, potatoes or pasta - it's all good.
If you want us to be unapologetically feminine, be unapologetically masculine.
1. Cook rice using soup or soup stock for water. If you haven't any stock, toss in chopped veggies (onion, carrots, celery, etc) and salt when you first start boiling water.
2. While this is cooking, make the stirfry. Start with a base of garlic and ginger in oil, then add some soy sauce and honey. Add your veggies. Serve.
Mexican Casserole
For two 9"x11" pans:
Pinto beans, four cups, soaked and cooked, or four cans drained and rinsed. (Or whatever bean you have on hand: black, navy . . .)
2 pounds monterrey jack cheese, grated. (Or pepper Jack. Or cheddar.)
corn tortillas.
2 cans enchilada sauce or make your own. (I use two cans tomato sauce, add cumin, garlic powder, and cilantro if in season, coriander if not, or even tomatoes or tomatillas when I have them.)
Layer tortillas, beans, sauce and cheese. Repeat. On top layer tortillas, sauce and cheese. Repeat with second pan. Bake at 350 F until cheese is melted, about twenty minutes.
If you are really cheap like me, cook up lots and lots of beans, and freeze them for the next time: canned beans are expensive and dry beans are slow.
Feeds ten or so, depending on how hungry they are.
Then just marinade your chicken all you want. Do it overnight, or I've done as little as 1 hour when in a pinch. Then just brush your chicken pieces with olive oil before sticking in the oven to roast. I leave a decent amount of this marinade in the baking dish while baking to keep the chicken moist.