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“The first time you make something, follow the recipe, then figure out how to tailor it to your own tastes.” Ruth Reichl
 
Ms. Reichl, former editor of Gourmet Magazine, had the right advice for me when it came to preparing some exciting recipes last week. Some of the recipes called for ingredients that were hard to locate, while others gave options for adapting ingredients to suit your taste. The meals we had included chicken, pasta, pork and a vegetarian meal. My husband and I enjoyed them all, but some will need adjustments when made again, but overall, they were all keepers, easy to prepare and not time consuming. This week’s selection of recipes takes no longer than 45 minutes and in most cases one pot or pan for cooking.
 
The first recipe I’d like to talk about is from Zainaba Shah from The New York Times column, “What to Make Next Week” (March 18, 2023). Chicken Manchurian was a spicy dish that needs an egg, cornstarch, fresh garlic, black pepper, fine sea salt, boneless/skinless chicken breast, vegetable oil, chile peppers (dried dundicut or bird’s eye), ketchup, chili-garlic sauce, light soy sauce, chicken stock (optional), bell pepper, scallions and cooked rice. ​
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Sunday was nice and Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday, cold and dreary. On Sunday I prepared a recipe for Sheet-Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers. This recipe is from Melissa Clark of The New York Time’s column “Here to Help,” published on January 31, 2023. I cook a lot from The New York Times as they have a deep stable of recipe developers, cook book authors and food writers which gives the home cook a wide range of diverse recipes to select from.
 
For this recipe you’ll need apple cider vinegar, honey, a red onion, kosher salt, 1 to 2 cloves fresh garlic, ground coriander, freshly ground black pepper, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, extra-virgin olive oil, one large sweet potato, a pepper (red, yellow or orange), fresh sage, sweet paprika, cayenne, allspice and cilantro leaves.
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Today's a day when you want to stay inside where it's dry and warm. Start the day with a late breakfast of Banana Pancakes by Samantha Seneviratne of The New York Times. A little less work is a delicious Dutch Baby Pancake by Florence Fabricant also from the same publication. I've also made a Chocolate Dutch Baby from a recipe I found in "Southern Living Magazine.
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​The other evening, I was unsure of what to prepare for supper. I had recently clipped a recipe from the column “What to Make Next Week,” which appears in the Saturday edition of The New York Times. Roasted Turkey Meatballs with Mozzarella and Scallions sounded interesting. I read the comments provided by the other cooks and, overall, the recipe had good reviews. For the recipe you’ll need buttery type crackers (Ritz Crackers), an egg, ground cumin, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, scallions, jalapeños, ground turkey and mozzarella.
 
Unfortunately, when I went to the food store to pick up scallions, I forgot to purchase the jalapeños. A quick internet search for substitutions suggested using cayenne pepper. Also, one cook commented she felt there was too much cumin in the recipe (1-1/2 teaspoons), so I decreased it to 1-1/4. I used Keebler Club Crackers, which I find has a buttery taste.
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After a full day of activity, sometimes the last thing you want to do is prepare supper. If you’re the one cooking, you want something that is relatively quick to prepare and has minimal prep. Recently, I prepared two such meals from The New York Times.
 
The first recipe was for Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Charred Pineapple from Sam Sifton. Fortunately, I had a couple of pork chops in my freezer and only needed to purchase a small can of pineapple chunks. I considered a freshly peeled and cored pineapple from the produce section of my local food store, but none were available. As I was just cooking for two, a small can of pineapple chunks sufficed. For the recipe you’ll also need, soy sauce, white vinegar, toasted sesame oil, fresh garlic, hot red or green chile or ground cayenne pepper, salt, a neutral oil and cilantro leaves for garnish.
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A few weeks ago on America’s Test Kitchen, test cook Dan Souza, demonstrated how to make a Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast. I roast boneless turkey breasts at least every two weeks and I’ve tried different dried seasoning blends and liquid basting sauces. This recipe, while time consuming, challenged my culinary skills.
 
First order of business was to locate a boneless turkey breast that still had its skin. I was able to purchase one at Palmer’s Quality Meats in Neptune City, NJ. As I was preparing this for my husband and I, the butcher suggested I purchase half a breast, just over four pounds of meat; I also had him butterfly the breast. Palmer’s gets their poultry from Goffle Road Poultry Farms in Wyckoff, NJ, which is located in Bergen County.
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It’s Monday, time for me to catch up and give you my input on some recipes I recently prepared. I’ll start with the past two Friday’s meals since it is the start of Lent. For the first recipe I made Shrimp Fritters from the “Library at Vendue Inn,” located in Charleston, South Carolina. The recipe is from the book “Signature Tastes of Charleston.” The other is Spaghetti with Red Clam sauce from “The Classic Italian Cook Book,” by Marcella Hazan.
 
I had such high hopes for the fritter recipe, but it fell short in the taste category. For the recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, eggs, milk, olive oil, yellow onion, garlic, shrimp and flat leaf parsley. The recipe calls for one pound of shrimp with the fritter batter consisting of 3-1/4 cups of flour and 1-1/2 cups of milk and three eggs. I thought that sounded excessive and decreased the amounts by half. Also, the recipe called for cooked shrimp. In my opinion, adding cooked shrimp to the batter and then sautéing them in the fritter may overcook the shrimp, so I opted not to cook mine.
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​Lately I have been interested in bread baking. I like a crusty loaf with a light and slightly airy crumb structure. A few weeks ago, I viewed a video with Mark Bittman of The New York Times and Jim Lahey, of Sullivan Street Bakery, where Mr. Lahey demonstrated his no knead bread recipe. It looked very easy; so, I gave it a go. For his recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour or bread flour, instant yeast, kosher salt and cornmeal.
 
If you watch the video with Jim and Mark, you’ll notice that Jim starts with 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1-1/4 teaspoon of salt. In the adapted version by Mark Bittman, his recipe uses 3-1/3 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of salt, however, I followed the recipe from the video. In the video, after mixing the dough by hand, you’ll see some oil has been added to the bowl; I didn’t notice this part earlier. Jim Lahey baked his bread in LeCreuset Dutch Oven, I used a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven.
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Last week I had some time to braise a chuck roast for dinner. I found a delightful recipe in “Lidia’s Italy” cook book for Beef Braised in Barolo. The meat cooked in a liquid consisting of Barolo wine flavored with onions, carrots, celery, garlic, fresh rosemary, dried porcini mushrooms and fresh sage leaves. For seasonings, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and whole peppercorns. I went to Palmer’s Quality Meats in Neptune City, NJ to select a well-marbled piece of chuck. The recipe serves 6, but since it was just my husband and I, a 3-pound piece was perfect for braising.
 
To prepare the meat, I is seasoned with salt, browned and caramelized in a large pan with extra virgin olive oil. After browning, the meat is removed and the vegetables are placed in the pan and coated with pan juices. Next, herbs, grated nutmeg, peppercorns, dried porcini, additional salt and pepper are added and the mixture is cooked for several minutes. The vegetables are moved to the outer rim of the pan and the meat and its accumulated juices are returned. A bottle of wine is added with the beef immersed halfway.
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​Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I just wanted to share two new recipes for chocolate. The first is for a Chocolate Dutch Baby and is in the latest edition of “Southern Living” magazine. One Sunday, my son and grandson were coming over and the little guy didn’t have his breakfast. I naturally assumed if my grandson hadn’t eaten, perhaps my son didn’t either. With no buttermilk in the house to make pancakes, I quickly pivoted and made one plain and one Chocolate Dutch Baby. Both recipes use pantry staples such as eggs, flour, milk, sugar, unsalted butter, nutmeg, unsweetened cocoa, salt, vanilla and ground cinnamon. For garnishing, powdered sugar, fresh strawberries or raspberries.
 
Both recipes come together quickly. You can measure out both the wet and dry ingredients the night before, combine in the morning and bake in the oven while you get ready for the day. Both recipes take approximately 20 minutes to bake.


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

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