Adding a little twist to your everyday cooking turns meal preparation into a game.
By FAYE LEVY
Following the frenzy of holiday cooking and eating, it's back to the usual work and school schedule. In the kitchen, many of us will return to our usual basics - the dishes we prepare without much thinking or planning - and we'll settle into our weekday shopping and cooking routine.
Our hectic schedules often demand fast-cooked dinners. This doesn't mean it's necessary to resort often to packaged meals. There are plenty of techniques for getting food quickly on the table with a minimum of fuss while keeping that home-cooked flavor.
Remember to take advantage of time-saving equipment, especially the food processor.
Don't just leave it on the counter - use it! It's wonderful for quickly shredding carrots or cabbage for salads, for grating cheese or grinding nuts, or for chopping chocolate. For chopping small amounts of garlic, parsley or cilantro, mini food processors are very useful.
Frozen vegetables are also great time-savers. Not only is their cooking time reduced; there is no need to peel, wash or cut the vegetables. They generally have no preservatives and most taste almost as good as fresh.
To make shopping more fun and add a little pizzazz to menus, it's always a good idea to include at least one ingredient that's a little different from our standard selection. This means paying attention to what's at the market beyond our normal staples. Did a display of beautiful fresh white mushrooms catch your eye? They'll be great sauteed and served with any fish, meat or pasta, or, if you use them right away, the pure-white slices will make a tasty topping for a green salad. Maybe it's time to try a special cut of meat or type of fish, or a pasta that doesn't often appear on your table, like rice-shaped orzo or slippery-textured rice noodles.
Adding a little twist to your everyday cooking turns meal preparation into a game. It can be as simple as trying a spice that's new to you, like ground coriander sprinkled over fish or cooked vegetables for a delicate tang, or freshly grated nutmeg to complement creamy soups and sauces with its gentle spiciness. Of course, when you're using an unfamiliar flavor, add it in small increments and taste after each addition.
The following dishes are fast and easy, and taste great. Each can be a weekday treat for your family or can be used for entertaining friends.
With the meal, be sure to provide fresh, good bread, or toast some bread that you have in the freezer. If you don't have time to dice vegetables for Israeli salad, make a quick salad of packaged greens tossed with vinaigrette and sprinkled with toasted nuts or crumbled feta or other cheese, or just put out some tomato wedges, cucumber spears and fresh baby carrots.
CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP
Frozen broccoli works fine in the soup when you don't have fresh. If you'd like to serve this soup with meat meals, you can substitute vegetable oil for the butter and soy milk or rice milk for the milk and cream.
Makes 4 to 5 servings
4 11â„4 kg. fresh broccoli, cut into medium florets
4 Salt and white pepper
4 2 Tbsp. butter
4 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 11â„2 cups vegetable broth or parve chicken-flavored broth
4 Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
4 11â„2 cups (approx.) milk
4 1â„3 cup whipping cream or more milk
Cut peel from broccoli stalks; slice stalks. Add broccoli to a pan of boiling salted water and return to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water. Reserve a few florets for garnish.
Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in soup. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Add broccoli (except reserved florets) and 1â„2 cup milk; liquid will not cover broccoli.
Bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring often and crushing broccoli slightly with spoon while stirring. Simmer about 15 minutes or until broccoli is very tender.
Using a slotted spoon, remove broccoli and puree it (in batches if necessary) in a blender or food processor. Gradually add rest of soup, with machine running. Puree until very smooth. Return to saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring.
Add enough of remaining milk to bring soup to desired consistency. Bring to a boil, stirring. Add cream and bring again to a boil. If necessary, simmer 1 or 2 minutes to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning; soup should be generously seasoned.
Just before serving, divide reserved broccoli florets into small florets. Heat them in a covered container in the microwave until hot and just tender. Reheat soup if necessary, ladle into bowls and garnish with florets.
BROILED SALMON WITH CORIANDER AND THYME
Salmon is a popular choice for fish entrees because of its rich flavor and because it is a great source of healthful omega-3 fatty acids, but you can prepare this dish with any fish steak or fillet that is 2.5-cm thick. Salmon's meat is rich, so you can use the smaller amount of oil or even reduce it to 1 tablespoon; for leaner fish you will need a little more oil to prevent it from drying. When the fish is done, its color should change throughout from translucent to opaque. Serve the fish with a salad of baby greens, or with cucumber and tomato slices.
Makes 4 servings
4 4 small salmon steaks, 2.5 cm. thick
4 1 tsp. ground coriander
4 1 tsp. dried leaf thyme, crumbled
4 Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 2 to 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Line broiler rack with foil if desired. Preheat broiler with rack about 10 cm. from heat source. Lightly oil broiler rack or foil.
Remove any scales from salmon steaks. Mix coriander and thyme in a small bowl.
Sprinkle about half of the mixture on one side of the salmon, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Drizzle with half the oil.
Set salmon on broiler rack and broil 4 minutes. Turn over, sprinkle with remaining spice mixture, a pinch more of salt and pepper and remaining oil. Broil 4 to 5 more minutes.
To check whether salmon is done, make a small cut with a sharp knife near bone; color of flesh should have become lighter pink all the way through, or nearly all the way through if you like fish a bit less done. Remove from the broiler pan as soon as it is done.
ORZO WITH PEAS
When I cook pasta or rice, I like to add frozen or quick-cooking fresh vegetables to the pot so I don't have an extra pot to wash. Instead of peas, you can add diced fresh zucchini or a mixture of frozen vegetables.
Makes 4 servings
4 2 cups orzo
4 2 cups frozen peas
4 2 tsp. dried basil or thyme, crumbled
4 2 to 3 Tbsp. butter or extra virgin olive oil
4 Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook orzo in a large saucepan of boiling salted water uncovered over high heat about 8 to 12 minutes or until just tender but still firm to the bite. Add peas for the last 2 minutes, when orzo is nearly tender, so orzo and peas are done together. Drain them, transfer to a bowl and toss with basil, butter, salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Faye Levy is the author of Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home.
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