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Chicken Mediterranean
Swampscott Sole with Sauce Mornay
Joy's Pesto
Sautéed Bay Scallops
with Saffron
Pasta Princeton
Chicken Mediterranean
Quickly serves one very hungry person or two restrained
people. Multiply at will (the portions, that is). Prep the dried
mushrooms, have all your ingredients measured and ready, put on the
rice and you'll be ready to dine in 30 minutes. Also perfect with
couscous.
Put the dried mushrooms in a Pyrex cup and just cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak while you prep the remaining ingredients.
In a small saucepan, simmer the broth, capers, and orange peel. Chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add to the saucepan. Save a couple of tablespoons of the mushroom water for a later task (make sure it's not gritty). Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes and then move on to the next task.
In a saute pan, skillet or small wok, heat the butter and the oil until very hot. Add the chicken stir fry, brown quickly for just a few minutes and remove with tongs OR add the chicken breast and cook about 5 minutes per side until browned. Remove the chicken.
Let the hot fat and chicken juices reduce for a couple of minutes. Then, over high heat, return the chicken to the pan and add the sauce. Add the orange juice. Cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced even further, turning the chicken from time to time.
Remove chicken once more. Stir anchovy paste into a couple tablespoons of the reserved mushroom water and add to pan. Let the sauce bubble for a minute or two. Return the chicken to the pan, turn it a few times, and serve with plenty of the sauce on a good sticky rice or couscous. Good ol' reliable steamed broccoli on the side would be nice. Chocolate for dessert.
Acknowledgements to Mimmetta LoMonte's book Classic Sicilian Cooking for this recipe's inspiration.
Swampscott Sole with Sauce Mornay
Baking time takes this main course slightly over the 30 minute mark,
but it's just so easy and delicious! Start the rice when the fish goes in
the oven, prep a salad, and dinner will be on the table before you know
it. Children love this dish!
Ingredients per serving:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin to prepare the Sauce Mornay. While the butter and flour (roux) for the sauce are gently cooking, grease a baking dish that will just hold the number of rolled fillets you plan to cook. Dredge the fillets in the crushed Cheez-Its, roll them up, and secure with a toothpick. Arrange the rolled fish in the baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining crushed crackers.
Finish preparing the Sauce Mornay. While the sauce is reaching a boil, put some rice on to cook.
When the Sauce Mornay is prepared, pour over the fillets as evenly as possible and dust the top with nutmeg. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and the fish is cooked through. While the fish is baking, prep a side salad, put your feet up for a few minutes, and look forward to a savory feast.
Sauce Mornay
Once you've made this sauce, it will become a classic in your cooking
repertoire. Makes one cup.
To create the roux (the butter and flour mixture), melt the butter in a small, deep, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Do not let it brown. Add the flour, and with a wire whisk, blend the roux until smooth. Cook the roux for a few minutes, stirring constantly, to reduce the raw flour flavor. The roux may darken slightly, but again, don't let it brown. Take the pan on and off the heat if necessary. Then, while stirring, add the hot milk all at once. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently from the bottom. Simmer gently for a few minutes as it thickens. Whisk in dry mustard, Worcestershire, and cayenne. Stir in cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Please note: Sauce Mornay is a bechamel (white sauce) with cheese added. Although the mustard and Worcestershire are traditional seasonings, they are optional. The cayenne is a foodies suggestion.
Joy's Pesto
Pesto for a crowd. Makes approximately two cups
of pesto or enough for 2 lbs of pasta.
In a food processor fitted with a sharp blade,
mince the garlic cloves. Add the next four ingredients and grind to desired
consistency (I prefer mine with some texture - it hangs better and looks
prettier on the pasta). Add cheese and blend quickly. Place in the bottom
of the pasta serving bowl.
Add the hot cooked pasta, toss, and serve IMMEDIATELY with additional grated
cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
*For a milder flavor, use half romano and half
parmesan. Just make sure it's freshly grated. (Hint: Your food processor
is all set up for this recipe. Grate a wedge. If you're still using the
Kraft shake bottle, go to your room!)
For more tips on preparing a superb pesto, click here.
Sautéed Bay Scallops with Saffron
An elegant, colorful, quick meal. Bay scallops are the small, tender
variety. They are considerably less expensive than their larger cousins,
the sea scallops, and are found in most major US supermarkets.
Serves four.
Serve over white rice cooked in fish bouillon (Knorr's brand works well - one large cube to each cup of raw rice).
Start the rice. Heat the oven to 170-200 degrees Fahrenheit for the purpose of keeping different stages of the prepared food warm as you cook on the stove top. Have all your ingredients ready to go.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the peppers at medium high until tenderized. With a slotted spoon, put the peppers in a large heat-proof serving dish and place in the oven to keep warm.
In a cup or small bowl, reserve a few spoonfuls of the tomato juice. Add the powdered saffron and stir until dissolved.
IIn the same skillet used for the peppers, heat the diced tomatoes with the pepper flakes, basil and saffron mixture, stirring frequently. Salt to taste. Pour this tomato mixture into the same serving dish with the peppers. Return serving dish to the oven.
If dinner is ready to be served, scrape out the skillet, add the remaining butter. When the butter begins to bubble, add the scallops, stirring gently but continuously, until the scallops are just opaque and appear cooked (only a few minutes at medium high). DO NOT OVERCOOK SCALLOPS.
Add the pepper and tomato mixture that has been warming in the oven to the scallops in the skillet and stir. Taste for salt. Put a cover on the skillet and simmer for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
Serve at once over seasoned rice with a good California chardonnay. For some reason beyond my ken, this dish is delicious with a side of buttered Brussels sprouts.
Pasta Princeton
Editor's Note: What I learned at college: "Necessity is
the mother of invention." I invented the following recipe on a starving
student's budget. You get your protein (egg and cheese), your carbs (pasta),
your green vegetable (peas), and your garlic (garlic). Now I serve it at
dinner parties to rave reviews. - Joy
You can fix this in under 15 minutes with a little practice. This can be a one pan, one colander meal. I do suggest you serve it on a plate. Read this recipe through before beginning to cook. (What I also learned at college: "Timing is everything.")
For each serving you will need approximately:
In a large pot of rapidly boiling and salted water, cook the pasta uncovered and at a good boil. While the pasta is cooking, measure out the rest of the ingredients and have them standing by. Put the colander in the sink. Approximately 4 minutes before the pasta is cooked, be sure the burner is on "high." Stir in the peas, cover the pan, and bring the contents back to a boil as quickly as possible. Once the pot reboils, remove the cover while it continues to cook.
When the pasta is al dente, toss the contents of the pot into the colander (I told you to put it in the sink!). Put the hot pot on a handy surface. Don't worry about the peas. They are still cooking in the hot pasta. While the pasta and peas drain, quickly, and I mean quickly, throw the butter, the garlic clove, and the beaten egg in the still hot but empty pot. Immediately add the steaming pasta and both cheese. Toss like a mad person! Serve with plenty of freshly grated black pepper and a little more of that grated cheese.
Clean up hint: Isn't washing up after melted cheese a challenge? Try rinsing the pan in cold water. Then scrape out as much cheese as possible with a metal spatula onto a paper towel. Put the pot in the dishwasher, top rack, facing down, or wash in extremely hot water. - Joy