Really Fast Dinners

[mtigges]

My favourite fast excellent simple meal for two is as follows

Start a rice steaming ... I like to add safron or anything for colour or flavour

One whole bone in skin on chicken breast (both halves)

Rip out the breast bone.

S&P everywhere, if you have some jarred pesto or anything like that (but no sugary sauces) stuff under skin and rub everywhere.

Oven safe pan, put some celery stalks on the pan, then the chicken, butterflied, breast down.

8 min or or so under the broiler. Turn. More until skin perfect.

While chicken is cooking, throw some broccolini in the rice.

Chop breast in two.

Plate with rice and broccollini.

N.B. This is an adaptation of broiled chicken as presented by Alton Brown on Good Eats.

[pam claughton]

I actually just blogged about this the other day. My favorite super simple, elegant meal is tortelloni soup. Just pour your favorite chicken broth in a pan, bring it to a boil, drop in a handful of plump cheese tortelloni, lower heat, cook until done, add a squeeze of lemon, and a pile of freshly grated parmesan which will melt into the broth and give it the most wonderful flavor. Takes less than ten minutes.

Pam

[Venusia]

Cut pork loin medallions. Season with salt and pepper, and grill 2 minutes per side while you prepare

berry sauce: Boil sugar and water, add frozen berries, let cook for 15 minutes, then add cornstarch diluted in a bit of orange juice to thicken.

Steam frozen vegetables for a few minutes. Serve with oil.

Leftover berry sauce can be used with ice cream for dessert.

[Della]

Spaghetti Carbonara.

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I have to agree! Simple, fast, easy - yet DIVINE!!!

[Kent Wang]

I copied this dish from Vespaio, a local Italian restaurant.

Haricots verts, Tregole cheese (similar to Asiago), soppressata

[pam claughton]

I copied this dish from Vespaio, a local Italian restaurant.

Haricots verts, Tregole cheese (similar to Asiago), soppressata

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This looks great...cheese looks especially interesting.

Pam

[Katie Nell]

We do this a lot: brush shrimp with soy sauce and grill on skewers and then serve with simple peanut noodles... one of my favorite fast dishes.

Wrap salmon in grape leaves and bake... pour white wine around the salmon half way through, and then finish baking. Looks fancy, but so simple!

Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese.

Spaghetti with red clam sauce.

Agree with Carbonara.

[Steven Blaski]

Aglio E Olio (Pasta With Garlic And Oil) over linguine/spaghetti: 1/3 c. EVOO, half-dozen garlics sliced thin, pinch of hot pepper, 1/2 c. parm-reg and pasta cooking water. Soul-satisfying.

Jamie Oliver does several "chicken in a bag" quick meals that you bake in foil, very simple and delicious. Here's one: 2 boneless, skinless chix breast halves, 3 cloves garlic, small can of cannellini beans, handful of fresh herbs, skosh of white wine, 1/2 c. cream, ten baby leeks (blanched first till tender) -- wrap up all the above in big foil envelope and bake for 25-30 mins at 425. Another one, even simpler: chicken breasts, half pound of sliced mushrooms, knob of butter, herbs, wine. Wrap and bake as above.

[Kent Wang]

I have all of you beat: sashimi! Rinse off the fish, pat dry, slice, eat.

[Corinna Dunne]

Great thread (bookmarked already!). Like many of you, Carbonara is one of my favourite quick fixes. So staying on the eggs theme (which is one of the really versatile convenience foods), here goes for a few more ideas:

Eggs en cocotte, (in a ramekin) are great for a simple supper or weekend breakfast. Make them tastier by pouring a tablespoon of boiling cream into the ramekin, break in your egg, top with some grated parmesan and cook in a bain marie at 200 C in a preheated oven for 6 – 8 minutes.

Then there’s “show-off” poached eggs. Fry chopped pancetta and boudin or Clonakilty pudding in separate pans. Pile some rocket and cress (or any greens that you have) on a plate as you poach your eggs. To plate, put the boudin on top of the greens, top with the soft poached egg and pour over the pancetta with its fat and juices. For an extra dimension, deglaze the boudin pan with a bit of freshly squeezed orange and drizzle around the outside of the dish.

Huevos con chorizo is also gutsy and quick. Simply fry slices of chorizo sausage, add some finely chopped fresh chilli (exclude the hot seeds), green peppers or chopped onions if you like. After 5 minutes, pour in your lightly beaten eggs and set about scrambling. As the eggs cook at the edges, move them into the centre of the pan with a wooden spoon for a deliciously creamy result. Do not allow them to overcook and become dry. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Even simpler than a Welsh Rarebit, stir together a lightly beaten egg with enough grated cheese and a finely chopped onion to make a stiff paste, spread on lightly toasted bread, and pop under the grill again until golden and bubbling.

French toast. Just beat the eggs with a little cream (or milk if you prefer) and sugar. Add some flavouring if you like eg a good vanilla essence or the grated zest and some juice from an orange. If you like it “posh”, add in a dash of Cointreau. Soak strong, preferably day old white bread in the egg mixture, melt some butter on a pan over a medium heat and fry until both sides are golden. Serve with warmed maple syrup and a generous slice of butter on top.

And of course, omlettes, either simply with S&P or fillied with whatever comes to hand.

Apart from eggs, any sort of grilled meat (especially lamb chops) is quick and tasty. I grill a few tomatoes with the meat and mop up all the juices with crusty bread.

Also a grilled pizza. Halve a baguette, grill the cut side lightly, top with slices of mozarella and tomato with a few basil leaves underneath. Pour over some EVOO with minced garlic and S&P and put back under the grill to bubble up.

And finally, udon noodles with tofu in miso soup (from a packet).

Gosh, I'm starving now!

[dscott]

Then there’s “show-off” poached eggs. Fry chopped pancetta and boudin or Clonakilty pudding in separate pans.

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[sIGH] If I could only get Clonakilty pudding in the States.

[Katie Nell]

Jamie Oliver does several "chicken in a bag" quick meals that you bake in foil, very simple and delicious.

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We do one like this with chicken, sweet potato cut into sticks, bell peppers in strips, garlic, and chili sauce in a packet... we take them camping a lot too.

[BarbaraY]

Pasta Puttanesca and another quick favorite as is pasta a pesto.

Last evening we had Petrale almondine. Ok it's old fashioned but it still tasted very good to us.

Edited November 17, 2005 by BarbaraY (log)

[kiteless]

Chicken picatta is one of my easy stand-bys. Served with broccolini and some sort of starch (brown rice, buttered pasta, whipped potatoes).

Thai bbq'd chicken is good, too. Marinate bone-in chicken in fish sauce, lemongrass and lots and lots of pureed or pounded cilantro. This does take some advance planning, but the marinade is very quick to put together, and grilling doesn't take too long.

I also think risotto is pretty easy, because except for the stirring it's fairly brainless.

Beef stroganoff can be very rich and and comforting when using good quality ingredients.

In the summer, salad nicoise is so easy and good.

And one of my favorite comfort foods - elevated ham and cheese sandwiches. Sourdough from your favorite bakery, with prosciutto, capocolla, black forest ham, etc. and the cheese of your choice (the last one had a Vermont cheddar and an English Farmhouse cheddar), liberally buttered and pan-fried.

[fud]

I also forgot to mention <insert non cured protein here> saltimbocca. I mean how hard is it to take a piece of fish/chicken, a <insert herb here> leaf and <insert salty meat here> and slam em together with your frying pan bottom.

Then just sear and serve. Done.

Halibut + Basil + Pancetta => WHAM / Sear ->

[Arianna]

Chicken Paprikash is super easy. I make this with the Quorn fake chicken tenders- they take absolutely no prep. You can make it with real chicken, too- i brown the fake chicken and fry the mushrooms at the same time- you could put the chicken in a few minutes earlier to brown it and then add the mushrooms.

So here goes:

About tbsp of butter in the pan with the mushrooms and fake chicken and a clove of garlic and half an onion, until the mushrooms cook and the garlic and onion are softened. In goes about a cup and a half of your favorite broth, chicken or veggie. Two teaspoons of good paprika, salt and pepper, and cover and simmer. Make some egg noodles, or if you are feeling fancy some spaetzle. When the liquid is about half reduced, add another half tbsp of butter to thicken it a bit, and then add the noodles or dumplings.

Down home and delicious!

I also like the simplest and most elegant of meals- bread and cheese and olives and other marinated and pickled vegetable. We call it meal from a jar.

Arianna

[rooftop1000]

Corinna Dunne

"French toast. Just beat the eggs with a little cream (or milk if you prefer) and sugar. Add some flavouring if you like eg a good vanilla essence or the grated zest and some juice from an orange. If you like it “posh”, add in a dash of Cointreau. Soak strong, preferably day old white bread in the egg mixture, melt some butter on a pan over a medium heat and fry until both sides are golden. Serve with warmed maple syrup and a generous slice of butter on top."

If you want to fancy this up for dinner even more stuff it.

Make cream cheese and jelly/jam/preserves/marmalade sandwiches then dip the whole sandwich and proceed to cook. I like this with peach or apricot preserves myself, but if you want to go overboard there is always apple pie filling

tracey

[Jaymes]

Stir fry!

Yes, and if you're wandering around the supermarket trying to think what you can pick up for a quick and easy dinner, get your stir fry vegetables from the salad bar....already prepped.

[rgruby]

I'll add another that my wife loooooooves.  Tuna and white bean salad. A few slices of thinly sliced red onion. A can of white beans (we prefer smaller ones). A couple tins of tuna packed in oil. S & P. A good glug of good olive oil. Mix. Total time - less than five minutes. Serve on a leaf of lettuce if you want to get schmaltzy. Or add a bit of mint.

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I do this for work lunches and you're right, it is great! You must use Ortiz tuna though. The "normal" tinned stuff just doesn't lift the dish to the same level.

You can do any variation on these theme, using different beans or veggie combinations. Some pepper flakes add zing.

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Forgot to add a bit of nice balsamic or lemon juice really helps too.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[rgruby]

Fish en pappillote (did I spell that correctly?)

Take a piece of parchment paper, fold in half, and cut so it would look like a heart whan unfolded. Put a piece of fish (I like a mild, white fleshed one for this), a knob of butter (and/or a bit of EVO), a small glug of white wine, S & P, a few julienned veg (I like carrot, fennel, and maybe some red pepper for colour) and close. (There is a bit of a technique to this - perhaps better seen than explained, but here goes. Starting at one end, fold over the parchment with a sharp crease(maybe an inch or two at a time). The next fold should overlap the previous one, and so on, until the packet of fish and veggies is totally enclosed.)

plop on a tray, and put it in a medium oven. If you've done it correctly, the parchment will hold most of the moisture, and the ingredients will steam happily together. It will puff up when it's done. Take to the table and cut open - careful, it will release a lot of steam, but that steam releases all the wonderful aromas that have been melding together.

The only drawback - you can't actually see what's happening, so judging the cooking time may be a bit tricky (but once you've done it a couple of times you can adjust for your oven, the size of the fish and amount of other stuff in the packet).

I also just realized I've suggested three fish dishes, and I actually don't cook fish all that often. Hmm. Maybe my own thread is telling me something.

And, a question. Has anybody done this in aluminum foil? I can't see any reason this wouldn't work just fine in foil. Perhaps it would seal too well and you'd want to poke a couple holes in the top to let a bit of moisture escape? And, I guess the presentation wouldn't be quite as elegant. But, still, quick easy and really tasty.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[Corinna Dunne]

Even simpler than a Welsh Rarebit, stir together a lightly beaten egg with enough grated cheese and a finely chopped onion to make a stiff paste, spread on lightly toasted bread, and pop under the grill again until golden and bubbling.

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I've just discovered that I have a recipe tester out there! jmcgrath kindly sent me the PM below:

I tried it for lunch today.  I used a quite small yellow onion and found it overpowered the cheese.  I enjoyed it, but next time I'd use a half small onion.  Crumbled bacon added to the mix is something I also plan to try.

Thanks

Jim

So, apologies for the ambiguity on the quantities. One onion would be way too much for one person, a ratio of one part onion to three parts grated cheese should work, and also, I should have specified red onion or scallion which are much milder and suit the short cooking time. If you want to use yellow onion, Jim suggests that you saute it first, which I would agree with. His idea of a bit of sauteed bacon mixed in sounds great too. Practically quiche on toast.

[kutsu]

Greetings all.

I'm looking for some suggestions on fast food for myself, partner and our 6 year old daughter.

Due to certain circumstances, my average time of being able to cook at night, post-work, has gone from around 1 hour 15 minutes, to 30 minutes max, with "prepare-ahead" food the most ideal.

I'm looking for suggestions on either 30 minutes or less food, or prepare ahead food that I can freeze and batch cook at weekends.

I really feel as if I'm losing my food mojo, but I think it's a combination of the atrocious weather, pressure at work and now, this timelimit.

Help me out guys!

I'm a decent cook, and a basic red-sauce pasta, pasta carbonara, ragu sauce etc are all batched up. I try and make a soup at least once a week. Other than that, suggestions would be very very much appreciated.

To give an example of what I'm going to be having (assuming everything goes to plan this week)

Monday - Leek and garlic risotto

Tuesday - chicken breasts with pesto and mozzarella, potato fries

Wednesday - home-made chilli

Thursday - winter bean-minestrone

Friday - pasta with tuna, capers, tomato and basil.

All of these are either make-ahead or very quick to put together.

[Snadra]

Greetings all.

I'm looking for some suggestions on fast food for myself, partner and our 6 year old daughter.

Due to certain circumstances, my average time of being able to cook at night, post-work, has gone from around 1 hour 15 minutes, to 30 minutes max, with "prepare-ahead" food the most ideal.

I'm looking for suggestions on either 30 minutes or less food, or prepare ahead food that I can freeze and batch cook at weekends.

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Oh how I feel your pain. We are in much the same boat, with the added complication of late weeknight arrivals that mean we try to avoid meals that are too heavy and unpredictable work schedules.

It's summer here, so my mind is going in that direction....

Salad meals are great if you have a few stand-bys prepared ahead of time: potato salad, carrot salad, pasta salad, lentil salad, cucumber salad are all great and keep well, and are only enhanced by some salad greens, avocado, tomato, etc. Some grilled meat or a couple of devilled eggs are a good addition.

Speaking of eggs, we're big fans of variations of 'breakfast for dinner'. I grew up eating variations of omelets with veggies, bacon and eggs, crepes and maple syrup (this last is hard on the cook because they get eaten as quickly as they get made!).

We like a simple open omelet with some sliced tomatoes cooked into the top, served with some green salad and boiled potatoes (scrambled eggs are even faster). We often also sautee a variety of veggies (eggplant, capsicum, zuchinni, onion, left-over potato), and top with an egg fried in olive oil for each person. This is nice with some green bean/brocolli, pita bread and hummous or tzatiki, for a vaguely mediterranean meal, and a can be adapted to all sorts of left-over veggies.

Pancakes are very fast, and if served with fruit they can make a nice ocassional winter meal. Slightly stewed apples are nice, but so is any other berry (I especially love blueberries and raspberries, and frozen works perfectly). The fruit also takes the place of any syrup, and you won't get asked for dessert. For a more north american touch serve with fried ham or bacon. YUM.

We've also gotten great ideas from Nigel Slater, especially serving sausages with baked sweet potato topped with chilli butter. I find that if I pick slender enough sweet potatoes, and cook the sausages alongside them in the oven, we can have a very warming meal very quickly, and with little mess, fuss or attention (you can prepare and freeze the butter ahead of time).

I also like to make pierogies every winter. It's a bit of a project to make them, but the ones I make use only the most basic ingredients, and by freezing them on sheets, then transferring to freezer bags when frozen, you can have a freezer full of last minute meals. Cooked in boiling water, and served with sour cream (or really thick full-cream yoghurt), fried onions and bacon they instantly transport me to a northern Canadian prairie town.... (yes, yes, I know they're eastern european!)

Snadra

[LoveToEatATL]

My go-to meal on a night with little time is a shrimp in a bacon chile sauce found in a Food & Wine last year.

You render the bacon in 2 tb EVOO, pour off all but 1TB

Toss in a bit of jalapenos (or thai chiles) and 3 cloves of garlic, minced

toss in 1.5 lbs of shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Splash in a 1/4 cup of white wine

Let shrimp get pink

Toss in 1/4 cup of chopped mint

Serve over couscous.

It is fantastic and crazy easy and fast.

[zpzjessica]

I have a couple things I like to make when I don't have a lot of time (or am just plain lazy!):

HOMEMADE PIZZA

I take a store-bought tortilla and top it with tomato sauce (or pesto sauce, works just as well), sprinkle it with a little shredded cheese, and sometimes add some broccoli or onions or little mini-pepperonis. Pop it in the oven for 7-10 minutes and YUM.

TUNA SALAD

This is my own tuna recipe so be nice I use Bumblebee canned tuna (in water, I like it better). I mix the tuna with Miracle Whip, a spritz of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of relish (yum!). Then I put a scoop of tuna on top of a bowl of lettuce or mixed greens. Takes 5 minutes max.

And sometimes there's nothing better than a frozen dinner!