Panic Meals IV

I always have canned black beans and tomatoes on hand, they can be used instantly in so many ways to create delicious, hearty meals.  One of our favorites is Caribbean Black Beans with Rice.  I found this recipe so many years ago that I have forgotten the original source but when I first read it I had to try it.  I was especially intrigued with the combination of ginger, allspice and orange juice.  I was a newbie with exotic tropical spices and just had to try it.

 Rice:

1 cup rice

2 cups water

1 tsp. salt

1 TB. EVOO

Sauce: 

2 TB EVOO

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp. thyme

½ tsp. allspice

salt to taste

1 TB Tabasco or ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 15 oz. can whole tomatoes

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ c. orange juice

2 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients for rice in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to create a low simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid.  Check in 15 min.  If rice is not done, replace lid and continue cooking and checking at five minute intervals.  Keep an eye on the water level, you may need to add a tablespoon or two.

Meanwhile put a large sauté pan on medium high heat and film the bottom with the EVOO.  When the oil is ready add the onions and a bit of salt and sauté until they are tender and translucent.  Add the garlic, ginger, thyme and allspice and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.  Add the Tabasco and tomatoes and cook for 3 min.  Add the black beans and orange juice and bring the sauce to a simmer.  Remove from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro.  Serve in warm shallow bowls over rice.

Panic Meals III

Mamma mia!  Hold the phones!  Holy cow--this is off the hook!  I just finished off the last of the tapenade from Monday night's cooking class and it was totally righteous and so I could not help but share it with you.

I would call this "fish and chips alla Mediterranean".  I had some little yellow potatoes that I put in the microwave for about three minutes, just enough to cook them so that I could easily insert a sharp knife.  Then I cut them up and put them in a hot saute pan with canola oil and let them cook until they were golden.  The only other thing I added was a little salt and pepper.

While the potatoes were sizzling away I prepared some very nice tilapia filets.   I dipped in each filet in egg and then dredged them in some homemade bread crumbs.  Then it was as simple as a saute on each side for four to five minutes.  As soon as the filets were golden on each side, flaky and opaque at the thickest part, I whisked them out of the pan and onto a warm plate.  While they were still hot I topped each with some tapenade that was at room temperature.

Then I added the potatoes to each plate and gave them a little squeeze of lemon and a few grinds of fresh black pepper and rushed them to the table.  Everything was divine!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Panic Meals, the tapenade got very excited when it met up with the sizzling fish filets, releasing aroma and flavor.  It was a fantastic meal AND it was prepared in under fifteen minutes!  Freaking genius!

Panic Meals II

This beautiful and healthy pasta is made from ingredients you can keep on hand for awhile.  A can of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic and frozen spinach.  I can have this prepared in about fifteen minutes if I need to...so pour up a glass of something red and read on.

Spicy Pasta with tomatoes and greens

1 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach

2-4 TB EVOO

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

6-8 sun dried tomatoes, sliced into ¼ in. strips

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

½ c. parmesan

16 oz. pasta shells

Put frozen spinach in a microwave safe bowl and thaw gently by zapping it in 30 second intervals.  It does not have to be completely thawed, just thawed enough that it no longer resembles a green iceberg--just kidding.  You just need to be able to add it to the boiling water with out lowering the water temperature too much.

Start a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Set a large sauté pan over med. heat, film the bottom of the pan with the EVOO.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for about 1 minute.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes, the canned tomatoes and their juices.  Bring this mixture up to a simmer and then lower the heat to keep it at a light simmer, just enough to bubble and reduce a bit.

As soon as the water for pasta is boiling add 2 tsps. of salt and the pasta.  If you are using shells, it should take about 10-12 minutes to cook to al dente, but please consult the cooking instructions on the box. 

When the pasta is about 3 min. away from being finished, add the spinach and give the pot a good stir.  When the pasta is near al dente, add a few ladles full (about 1/2 cup) of pot liquor (that’s what we call the water we’ve been cooking the pasta in) to the simmering tomato sauce and stir to combine (this is also known as stretching the sauce).  Now drain the spinach and pasta and add them to the sauce.  Let this simmer just a bit to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce and to finish cooking.  Do NOT overcook the pasta, this should only take a few minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan, garnish with fresh pepper and serve in warmed pasta bowls.

This is a great winter dish but with just a shift in the ingredients it is a killer when fresh greens and tomatoes are in season.   If you have fresh spinach or arugula just add the greens in one minute before the pasta is al dente.  When tomatoes are in season substitute 4-5 fresh tomatoes or 2 cups of cherry tomatoes for the canned tomatoes.  Slip the skins off the large tomatoes and roughly dice them or if using cherry tomatoes, just cut them in half and use them in place of the canned tomatoes.  Amazing!

A few more variations:

I set aside a cup of fresh greens, arugula is especially nice, and roughly chop it up.  Just before serving this pasta I stir in the fresh greens.  The mix of cooked and uncooked greens just adds another dimension to this simple meal.

If this is not a true Panic Meal and you have planned ahead you can really jazz this up with grilled chicken breasts or grilled shrimp.  Marinate the chicken or shrimp in a mixture of garlic, wine (or lemon juice), red pepper flakes and EVOO for 20 minutes and then grill or sauté until cooked.  If serving chicken, slice each breast thinly, fanning the strips over the pasta.  If serving shrimp, nestle the shrimp into the pasta.  Ta da—gorgeous gourmet meal!

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

Panic Meals

 

Okay, it has not been a great day, work sucked, the kids are cranky, everyone is starving, you are so late getting home and the supper fairy did not leave anything to eat!!

No worries--you open a nice bottle of wine and pour out a good measure, you pour one for your partner too.  Setting out the goat cheese and crackers, some smoked almonds and dried cherries you pour the kids some juice. Taking a deep breath, you restore yourself with a bit of wine and tell everyone to relax, dinner will be ready in less than thirty minutes.

What?!!  You don’t have any wine or goat cheese or smoked almonds or stuff that magically transforms into meals in your pantry!  Oh honey, join me next Monday night and I will give you a shopping list of things you must have in the cupboard and recipes for quick and easy panic meals that you can prepare in under thirty minutes.

Monday, Jan. 30

7 pm.

Meridian Center

$15 per person

To register please email me at jasabinart@aol.com.