Panic Meals

Living out in the country I have learned to keep my pantry stocked with a few basic items that can turn a glass of wine into an impromptu party or a welcoming meal for unexpected guests.  With very little prep I can turn a few ingredients into supper with no panic.

These are some of my best friends, allies in my battle to fight hunger.  

You can ALWAYS find these items in my pantry, as well as several boxes of assorted pasta.  With these few inexpensive ingredients I can whip up a gorgeous tapenade in a matter of minutes that can be served at least four ways.  Here's how to do it.

First of all mince two cloves of garlic and put them in a medium sized bowl.  Then measure out and chop up 1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, black and green olives and artichoke hearts.  If you are going to serve the tapenade as an appetizer, go for a smallish dice, if you are going to serve this in a pasta dish, use a larger sized chop. If you have sun-dried tomatoes, chop up and add in about a quarter cup. Put everything into your medium bowl as you dice and then add some fresh ground pepper and about two tablespoons of EVOO and a couple tablespoons of capers, drained.  Stir this up and you are ready to serve it with crackers, like Wheat Thins, or some nice crusty bread, if you have it.   I keep a supply of rolls in the freezer that can be defrosted in 30 seconds in the microwave and then sliced and toasted for bruschetta.

This very same recipe can be used as a piquant topping for fish and chicken.  I have used this on tilapia filets to create a very elegant dish.  Simply dust tilapia filets in a little flour, salt and pepper and saute in EVOO on each side until the fish is golden on the outside and cooked through on the inside, depending on the thickness of the filets, it is usually three to four minutes per side.  As soon as the fish is finished put them on warm plates and top with a generous amount of tapenade.  The heat of the fish will slightly warm the oils in the tapenade creating an amazing fragrance.  The combination of brine used to preserve the different vegetables really complements the fish, turning a nice filet of fish into a gourmet meal.  Genius!

Using the same recipe you can turn the tapenade into Pasta alla Spagnola, a little bit of Mediterranean heaven on a plate.   Start a large pot of water boiling for the pasta and for this recipe chop the garlic and set it aside, then continue chopping the rest of the vegetables as before, perhaps using a little larger dice.  When the water comes up to boiling salt it appropriately and add your favorite pasta.  (If I want a super quick meal I use Capellini, Angel Hair pasta, that cooks in four minutes.  Sometimes I am craving carbs so then I use a short pasta, like rotini, or shells or farfalla.  The shorter pastas are more toothsome to me and satisfy my cravings with smaller portions.)  

Meanwhile, put a large saute pan over medium heat and film the bottom with the two tablespoons of EVOO  and saute the garlic just until it becomes fragrant.  Then add the remaining vegetables and continue to saute until the vegetables begin to brown a bit.  When the pasta is just about al dente add a few ladles full (my ladle is about 1/4 cup) of the pot liquor (the pasta cooking liquid) to the saute pan and then transfer the pasta to the saute pan also.  Stir this up and continue to cook it for about a minute or so.  You want the pasta to finish cooking and to absorb the combination of the cooking liquid and the sauce you have created.  Do NOT overcook the pasta!  Taste and adjust the seasoning and then remove the pan from the heat and add 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan.  Serve immediately in warm pasta bowls.

You can also turn this recipe into a rich creamy spread for crackers, bruschetta, flatbreads and vegetables.  Again prepare the tapenade recipe exactly as above omitting the addition of EVOO at the end.  Simply combine the tapenade with some cream cheese that has been softened at room temperature and mix well.  This is a killer, especially with a glass of some spicy Spanish red wine.  Ole!

Tapenade

2 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup green olives, drained

½ cup black olives, drained

½ cup artichoke hearts, drained

½ cup roasted red peppers, drained

2 tbs. sundried tomatoes

2 tbs. EVOO