30-minute mini meatloaf

I got this recipe out of an America's Test Kitchen magazine, which I really do adore, but I have to say that whoever was timing this recipe and decided it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish? Is on crack. It was more like 45 minutes, and that's even with averaging in some of the things I knew I was being a slow-ass on. The end product was great and totally worth it, but it was most decidedly not a 30 minute meal.

I started with a mixture of pulverized saltine crackers, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, an egg, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne and a bunch of chopped fresh parsley. I added a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork and squished it all around until it was mixed, then formed it into four 4"x3" mini-loaves. These went into a pan with some canola oil to brown on both sides. The glaze is made of ketchup, brown sugar and cider vinegar. When the loaves were browned on both sides in the pan, they were transferred onto a broiler pan and the glaze was spooned over. They went into a 500 degree oven for about 12 minutes, until they hit 160 on the meat thermometer. I pulled them out and let them sit while I tossed the salad (haha) with a dijon vinaigrette.

The meatloaf came out nicely moist and flavorful, with a good crust on the outside. I don't normally go for ketchup baked onto the top of meatloaf, but the glaze in this recipe is actually quite good. I'll definitely make these again, though I won't be telling my husband that it will be ready in 30 minutes! ;)

spaghetti semi-bolognese

We were wandering around the grocery store this afternoon debating what to have for dinner. Mark suggested spaghetti bolognese. I decided that sounded good, then realized that the tomato sauce I usually make isn't actually a bolognese by any means. I started to explain this to Mark and was met with an increasingly glazed-over stare. His reply?

"How about this: you make something with meat and tomato that goes over pasta, and I'll eat it."

So, I did! I'm calling it semi-bolognese because I didn't put any cream in it, I didn't use celery in the sofrito, and I used a lot more tomato than a traditional bolognese.

I started with a "meatloaf mix" of ground pork, beef and veal. I browned it with some salt, pepper and garlic powder, then drained it and wiped out the pan. I added a tablespoon of butter to the pan, then sauteed a cup of chopped onion, a quarter of a cup of grated carrot, and a half a cup of chopped green pepper. When the veggies were soft, I added in two cloves of chopped garlic, and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. I let the mixture cook down for about 2 minutes, then added about a quarter cup of white wine. This cooked down for another 2 minutes, then added a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, two pinches of sugar, a pinch of salt, and the drained meat. I added a little dried oregano, dried thyme, and some chopped fresh parsley, then let the whole thing simmer until the spaghetti finished boiling. I served it with a spring-mix salad tossed with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

chicken fajitas

After last night's stir-fry, I had some chicken thighs and quite a lot of bell pepper I needed to use up. Fajitas sounded like a good plan!

I made a quick marinade for the chicken with some ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, a little salt and some cornstarch mixed with some olive oil and water. While the chicken sat in the marinade, I sliced an onion and the bell pepper (I had red, yellow and green) into strips. I heated some olive oil in a pan and stir-fried the veggies until they were crisp-tender, then removed then to a bowl. I dumped the chicken and all the marinade into the hot pan and cooked it, stirring occasionally, until the chicken was cooked through and the sauce was thickened somewhat. I served the chicken and veggies on warm whole wheat tortillas with salsa, shredded colby-jack cheese, some plain yogurt (instead of sour cream), and a nice squeeze of lime juice. Yum!

chicken cashew stirfry

I had a bunch of chicken thighs I needed to use up tonight, and I needed something quick as it was laundry night. I decided a stir-fry was in order. I was poking around Epicurious and found this recipe, which sounded pretty good, so I gave it a try!

Chicken Cashew Stir-Fry
4 servings

1 bunch scallions
1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews

Chop scallions, separating white and green parts. Pat chicken dry, then cut into 3/4-inch pieces and toss with salt and pepper. Heat a wok or 12-inch heavy skillet (not non-stick) over moderately high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately. Add oil, swirling to coat, then stir-fry chicken until golden in places and just cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add bell pepper, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and scallion whites to pan and stir-fry until peppers are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar, then stir into vegetables in pan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cashews, scallion greens and chicken along with any accumulated juices.

*****

I omitted the salt to season the chicken with at the beginning, omitted the hot red pepper flakes, and I substituted yellow bell pepper for half of the red bell pepper called for. The finished product tasted awesome, but I have to admit I was skeptical all during cooking because the chicken really stuck to the bottom of the pan and then the garlic and ginger did, too. I think probably I didn't use enough oil (one of these days I'll learn to measure). Happily, nothing that stuck to the pan actually burnt, and when I added the liquid and gave it a good stir it all came up and added a lot of flavor to the sauce.

I'll definitely make this one again. Next time I'll make rice to catch all the lovely sauce as well.

stuffed manicotti with meat sauce

Mmm...toasty baked mozzarella cheese on top of tomato sauce!

I browned some sweet Italian sausage with a chopped onion, a chopped green pepper, and a handful of chopped mushrooms. When the veggies were softened somewhat and the sausage was cooked through, I poured the mixture into a mesh strainer to drain the excess fat. I wiped the pan out and added a 28oz can of tomato puree, a pinch of salt, a bigger pinch of sugar, some garlic powder, oregano and thyme. I mixed the meat and veggie mixture back into the sauce and let it simmer on low while I boiled the manicotti for about 7 minutes. I drained the pasta and let it cool while I mixed the filling: 3.5 cups of ricotta cheese, one egg, a handful of a parmesan and romano cheese blend, some chopped fresh parsley and some dried oregano.

I sprayed a glass baking dish with cooking spray and preheated the oven to 425 degrees. I spooned the filling into a piping bag and carefully filled each pasta shell, lining them up in the baking dish as I went along. When all 12 were filled, I spooned the sauce over the top and covered it with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. The manicotti baked for 15 minutes at 425 (everything's already cooked, it's mostly just to warm through and let the flavors combine), then another 5 minutes under the broiler to toast the cheese on top.

The pasta broke up a little as I was spooning it out of the pan, but it still looked good and tasted awesome! Also, look! A GARNISH! Do I get extra points for that? ;)

chicken asparagus linguine

This smelled good, looked good, and the idea of it seemed good...but it was really bland. I took chicken breast tenders and cooked them in some olive oil, white wine, and garlic. I added the asparagus, turned the heat down and covered the pan so that the asparagus would steam. When the asparagus was bright green, I took it and the chicken out of the pan and tossed it with some ricotta cheese and cooked linguine. It's not even that it tasted BAD...it was just bland, bland, bland. I'm not sure what I was aiming for, but I didn't hit the mark.

tilapia meunière

Meunière refers to both a lemon brown butter sauce and a method of preparation: to prepare something a la meunière is to dredge it in flour before cooking. Trout and sole are both common fish to cook a la meunière, at least in France. I had a bag of frozen tilapia fillets hanging around in my freezer that I decided would work well for this preparation (basically any flat white fish that holds together well), and I was right!

This came out so well, and was incredibly easy to do. Granted, you throw enough butter at anything and it will probably taste good...but still! ;)

Anyway, here's the recipe I used:

Fish:

4 tilapia fillets, about 4-5oz each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces

Browned butter:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

For the fish:

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Set 2 dinner plates on oven rack to keep warm while you make the fish.

Pat fish dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. Let stand until fillets are glistening with moisture, about 5 minutes (this is to draw excess moisture out of fish so that it doesn't get soggy and greasy when it cooks).

Spread flour in a wide shallow dish. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and swirl to melt. Coat both sides of the fillets with flour, shake off excess. Carefully place two fillets in the skillet, "bone" side down (there's no bone in the fillet but you can see the line along the flat side of the fillet where the bones were). Immediately reduce heat to medium-high and cook without moving the fish until edges of the fillets are opaque, about 3 minutes.

CAREFULLY flip the fillets (and I do mean carefully...I have a lovely burn to show for the first one I flipped!), then continue to cook on the second side until the thickest part of the fillet easily separates into flakes when a toothpick or fork is inserted, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer each of the fillets to a heated plate in the oven. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining tablespoons of oil and butter and the remaining fillets. Transfer cooked fillets to plates in the oven.

For the browned butter:

While the fillets rest in the oven, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook, swirling the skillet constantly, until the butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Off the heat, CAREFULLY stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the fillets from the oven, spoon the sauce over each fillet, and sprinkle with minced parsley.

I did steamed green beans for the side-dish, as I love the taste of lemony green beans anyway and so I figured they'd go nicely with the meunière sauce. I just spooned the sauce over the beans and the fish both.

Tilapia is, in my opinion, an entirely tasteless fish and I generally dislike it, but I will definitely make this again. I'd like to try it with trout this summer if I could catch some! :)