Cooking Shortcut Tips

In my previous post, I mentioned a cooking class I went to last week with High Hopes in High Heels. The cooking instructor was wonderful. She provided some great tips for us on products to use and cooking methods that would make cooking easier and faster.

1. Garlic paste. It comes in a tube and can be found in the produce section. This is much easier than peeling and mincing garlic, but tastes much better than the pre-chopped garlic that is jarred in olive oil. And on this note, why not try out those herb blends found in a tube. No worries about fresh herbs going bad or not using the whole bunch.

2. Dry vermouth instead of white wine. Often recipes call for dry white wine. Our instructor recommended buying a bottle of dry vermouth as it can be stored at room temperature and has a much longer shelf life once the bottle is opened.

3. Better than Bouillon. Instead of buying boxes and cans of broth that also don't last long once opened, our instructor suggested this Better than Bouillon product, which is a concentrated base that is more flavorful than broth.

4. Tubed tomato paste. This one I had already discovered, but look for tube of tomato paste, usually found in the spaghetti sauce, canned tomato aisle. It looks like a tube of toothpaste and will last forever in your fridge. No more opened cans of unused tomato paste in your fridge again.

5. Cooking rice. For a small number of guests (4-6) treat rice like pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 to 1 and half cups rice. Cook 10-12 minutes, until tender, then drain in a colander or fine mesh strainer. For large groups, try the method of taking equal amounts of rice and water. For 10 people, use 3 cups of Uncle Ben's Original Converted Rice - NOT INSTANT! and 6 cups of water. Combine in a baking pan. Cover tightly with double layer of aluminum foil. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Check to make sure all water is absorbed. Rice will be tender, fluffy, and separate.

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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

I have decided to make my life easier by making one Crock Pot recipe a week. I love this Cuban dish and I love it even more when I can just throw everything in my Crock Pot and forget about it. I love the olives that are added to this dish at the end. I have never had this in ropa vieja (translation = old clothes), but I like the brinyness it adds. Serve over white or yellow rice. Another Food Network Magazine recipe.

Ingredients
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (with seeds)
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak or flank steak (I prefer skirt)
• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives, plus 1 tablespoon brine from the jar
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions
Combine the tomatoes, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, cumin, jalapeno and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the steak, bell peppers and onion and toss to coat. Cover and cook on low, undisturbed, 8 hours.

Uncover and skim off any excess fat. (I accidentally forgot to do this step. Or did I? I didn't really notice a lot of fat hanging out on the surface anyway.) Coarsely shred the meat with 2 forks, then stir in the olives and olive brine. Serve over rice.

Per serving: Calories 464; Fat 16 g (Saturated 6 g); Cholesterol 83 mg; Sodium 837 mg; Carbohydrate 39 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 38 g

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Lighter General Tso's Chicken

My husband loves Chinese food, especially General Tso's Chicken. Here is a lighter version from Everyday Food. I am not going to pretend that this is anything like what you get from the neighborhood Chinese takeout restaurant, but it was good and approved by my taste tester, my husband.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice (or any rice that you like)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled (I despise ginger, so I left this ingredient out)
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (please use a low sodium variety)
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 large egg whites
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Directions
Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

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Beef and Snow Peas

My mom gave me this recipe. It is very quick and easy. A perfect weeknight dinner. I suggest doubling the sauce and using low sodium soy sauce so it isn't too salty. Since the beef doesn't cook for too long, you want to get a good cut of steak like sirloin for this recipe. Thinly slice the sirloin steak before cooking. Better yet, buy a package of stir fry meat, so it is already cut and trimmed for you.

What You'll Need:
3 Tbsps soy sauce
2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 package of snow peas

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and cornstarch; set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the beef and cook for additional couple of minutes, until browned. Add the snow peas, cook for a minute and then add the sauce, stirring once before pouring in. Increase the heat a bit until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken a bit. Just a couple of minutes.

Serve over basmati rice.

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Risotto Cakes

I have posted about risotto cakes before. See here. I just wanted to share the picture of how they look when made. They are delicious - crispy on the outside, but still cheesey and soft on the inside. As my BFF would say - they are little clouds of heaven.

For a basic risotto recipe, see here.

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General Tso's Chicken

My mom and I went down to Ellenton to shop this weekend. For those of you not from the Tampa Bay area, Ellenton is a town between St. Petersburg and Sarasota where they have this kick ass outlet mall. We go down at least once a year to shop. They also have this great kitchen store called Le Gourmet Chef. In addition to cookware, bakeware and kitchen gadgets, they also sell incredible food products like sauces, etc., which they provide numerous samples of around the store.

My mom bought me this General Tso's sauce, one of my husband's and my favorite Chinese dishes. I used it last night and it was great. The recipe is posted below my lovely picture. Here is a link to the site, in case you want to purchase some of this yummy sauce. In addition to this sauce, I bought a pyrex glass baking dish with lid. Just something I needed and will come in handy. (Wish I had it when I made my enchilada lasagna the other night.) Le Gourmet Chef has great prices, too.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
All-purpose flour
Broccoli florets, steamed
1/4 cup General Tso's sauce
rice

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet. Pass the chicken through the flour, dust off any excess. Add the chicken to the pan and toss around until lightly brown and the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is done, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the broccoli to the pan and then the sauce. Toss to coat and let cook for a few minutes. You may need to add a little more sauce. It's your call. Serve over brown or white rice.

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Pesto Risotto with Shrimp

Everyone is probably getting sick of reading about me making pesto all the time, and I know, but I just love it. Here is another great use for it. Make a batch of basic risotto, recipe follows, and then add a few spoonfuls of my basil pesto to the risotto. I also added shrimp to the dish. Just stir the shrimp into the risotto when there is a couple minutes left, maybe when you add your last ladle of broth.

Risotto
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small white onion or 1/2 a medium one, chopped small
1 and 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc works well, too.)
grated parmesan cheese (a couple of small handfuls)
salt and black pepper to taste

Place the broth in a saucepan over low-medium high heat to warm.

In a deep skillet, melt the butter and oil together over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for a few minutes, until translucent. Add the rice and saute for a couple more minutes. (This toasts the rice and gives it a light golden color.) Add the wine and let it cook out for 1 minute. Now add a couple of ladles of the broth. As the rice absorbs the liquid, add a couple more ladles of broth. Stir often and continue to add broth as the rice absorbs the liquid. Takes about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. What you'll end up with is a delicious, creamy and cheesey rice dish.

Serves 4. Yummy!

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Anniversary Dinner: Steak Au Poivre and Risotto Cakes

I wanted to make something special for our anniversary, so I decided to make Steak Au Poivre. This was on the menu at the restaurant I used to work at and it was always delicious. It is essentially filet mignons (I used NY Strips) covered in fresh cracked black pepper served, seared and served with a delicious brandy cream sauce. I added a little fresh thyme to the sauce as well. I had leftover risotto from the night before that I needed to use up and thought making it into risotto cakes would be a good way to use it and it was! Leftover risotto is never as good the next day as when you make it fresh, but turning it into cakes makes it an entirely different dish altogether. *Warning: This sauce uses alcohol that you ignite, causing a flame. Please be careful and prepared.

Steak Au Poivre
4 tenderloin steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each and no more than 1 1/2 inches thick
Kosher salt
a lot of cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup Brandy, plus 1 teaspoon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup half and half

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour prior to cooking. Sprinkle all sides with salt. Spread a bunch of fresh cracked pepper onto a plate, at least 2 tablespoons. Press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan. For medium-rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with foil and set aside. Pour off the excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Off of the heat, add 1/3 cup brandy to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or firestick. (Please be careful and also be prepared. This does create a flame, and it was bigger than I thought it would be. My actual fire alarm went off for a few seconds.) Gently shake the pan until the flames die.

Return the pan to medium heat and add the thyme leaves and the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the teaspoon of brandy and season, to taste, with salt. Add the steaks back to the pan, spoon the sauce over, and serve.

Risotto Cakes
2 cups leftover risotto
Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil

Form the risotto into 4 cakes (like a burger patty or crab cake). On a plate, lay out an even layer of breadcrumbs. Run the cakes through the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. In a nonstick skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Place the risotto cakes in the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown; just a few minutes. Any leftover risotto can be used. The cakes are great plain or topped with a tomato sauce, pesto, etc.

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Chicken Caprese with Risotto

This was a great dish that I created using some extra basil pesto that I had. I also love making risotto. I know risotto can seem intimidating, but it really isn't. You just have to keep an eye on it. And once you have it down you can add pretty much anything to it.

Chicken Caprese
4 chicken cutlets
tomato slices
shredded mozzarella or slices of fresh mozzarella
basil pesto, store-bought or see this recipe
salt and pepper
olive oil

Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on both sides until the chicken is cooked through. Place a tomato slice on each cutlet, then the mozzarella. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil so the cheese can melt. In a small saucepan, heat the pesto over low heat. (You may want to add a little chicken broth to thin the pesto out just a bit.) Top each cutlet with a spoonful of pesto.

Risotto
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small white onion or 1/2 a medium one, chopped
1 and 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc works well, too.)
grated parmesan cheese (a couple of small handfuls)
salt and black pepper to taste

Place the broth in a saucepan over low-medium high heat to warm.

In a deep skillet, melt the butter and oil together over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for a few minutes, until translucent. Add the rice and saute for a couple more minutes. This toasts the rice and gives it a light golden color. Add the wine and let it cook out for 1 minute. Now add a couple of ladles of the broth. As the rice absorbs the liquid, add a couple more ladles of broth. Stir often and continue to add broth as the rice absorbs the liquid. Takes about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. What you'll end up with is a delicious, creamy and cheese rice dish. Serves 4. Yummy!

Tune into tomorrow to learn about a great way to use up leftover risotto.

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Pepper Crusted Salmon and Basmati Rice

I made Basmati rice for the first time last night and it was absolutely delicious. Most of the time when I make rice I like some kind of sauce with it, but this rice is so good on its own you don't need anything. It goes off a great fragrance, too. And this salmon recipe is one of my favorite. I make it often.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsps. soy sauce (I like to use low sodium soy sauce)
1 large garlic clove, passed through a garlic press
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sugar
4 (8 ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
lots of cracked black pepper
olive oil

Place the soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, sugar and salmon in a sealable plastic bag. Toss the bag around, coating the salmon in the marinade. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Heavily coat both sides of the salmon with fresh cracked pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a couple turns of olive oil. Add the salmon and cook on both sides, about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. I like my salmon a little moist, so I don't cook it well done, but if you like it well done, feel free to cook it a little bit longer. Serve with the Basmati rice.

For the rice, you want to follow the directions on the package, but essentially for four servings, you want to cook 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water. Place the water in a sauce pan with salt and a tablespoon of butter. Bring to a boil. Add the rice and stir while boiling for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

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