I am a salad fanatic. I love a great salad and really hate a bad one.  It is my opinion that iceberg lettuce should only be used in lettuce wraps. I don’t like it for a salad at all.

Baby greens are all the rage but honestly I prefer the grown up ones that have to be washed by my own hand. I know they sell the already washed greens in convenient bags but I prefer to buy a bunch and wash it myself. It is cheaper and I know how clean it is, and I know what I used to wash it. Whatever you want is fine, only be sure that the greens are dry because dressing won’t stick to wet leaves. I usually wash a few bunches of lettuce at a time and roll them in a tea towel and just pop them in the fridge. I can grab a bit at a time every day.

Spinach

Finely sliced red onion

Granny smith apple

5 strips of bacon

Hot bacon honey mustard dressing

·        Arrange the spinach and decorate with sliced apples and onions.

·        Fry bacon and crumble and set aside.

·        Proceed with dressing. You can use regular bacon for this or give the apple smoked bacon a try. It is super great.

·        In the same frying pan you fried the bacon, add 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard and1 1/2 Tbsp. Honey. Whisk and serve hot on top of Spinach so that the heat slightly wilts the greens.

This is a really pretty salad and is a bit unusual.  I really like watermelon but it is not always as sweet as I would like, so when I cut into one and it is not as sweet as it should be for my taste this is usually what I do with it.

3 cups of sliced seedless watermelon (yellow or red flesh)

1 bunch of mint

1 cup of crumbled or cubed Feta cheese

Juice of one half lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sugar

·        Remove the seeds from the melon, and chop into a dice.

·        Crumble the Feta, and chop the mint.

·        Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice.

·        Add a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt and a pinch of fresh black pepper. Add olive oil a bit at a time so that you have 2 times the amount of oil to lemon juice.

·        Place it all in a clean jar with a lid and shake. Pour over the salad.

This is a nice salad to eat as an entre, with a beautiful loaf of crusty bread, but it works well as a side dish too. It is a wonderful combination of crisp greens with a warm silky serving of caramelized onions and earthy mushrooms. For a main course, I increase to 3 mushrooms per person but for a side one is enough. I will give directions for a side salad and you can triple it if you are using this as a main course.

6 portabella mushrooms.

3 large yellow onions

Beef bouillon cube

A glass of red wine

Butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Red chili flakes

Parsley

Clove garlic

Balsamic vinegar

I never wash mushrooms in water when they are fresh. With a dehydrated mushroom it is no problem but a fresh mushroom should not touch water. They are like sponges so if you immerse in water they will fill up with water and not with flavor of what you cook them in.  Simply wipe them off on a damp towel to remove any bits of dirt.

I also never use jarred garlic or any sort of garlic powder. I find them bitter and just not what I am used to. So I will describe garlic as being fresh because that is what I like.  Also I NEVER use margarine but always cold butter. I have a butter I cook with and a butter that I like to eat with bread. Cooking butter is just whatever store brand you want to use, preferably one that is local and made in your own state. The butter I eat on bread is 99% of the time French. French Butter is just better. No arguments, it is just my opinion.

·        Slice onions in thin rings.

·        Heat skillet on med. heat and add a splash of olive oil. Add onions to the pan and about ¼ cup of water. Put a lid on it and start slicing the mushrooms.

·        Once they are all sliced, remove lid and start browning the onions. About 7 minutes into the cooking, add a knob of butter. Stir well and cook another 5 minutes or so. You want a nice color on the onions and you want all the natural sugars in them to come out and get nice and sweet.

·        Now add the mushrooms and a beef bouillon cube and a glass of red wine. You may want to be careful because the wine will flame up a bit, but it will quickly burn off. If it becomes too dry you can add a bit more water.

·        Now grate the garlic clove and add it along with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Give it a nice stir. The mushrooms should be a nice color now and be cooked. It may take about 20 min for this to reach a nice stage from when you put the onions in until this point. 

·        Add and a handful of chopped fresh parsley and chili flakes. Toss it around so that all is speckled nicely with parsley and chili. Add 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

 I cover this and turn off the heat. Arrange your bed of greens and lightly dress with light vinaigrette. Plain lettuce will taste plain. So just toss in a bit of light dressing. (recipe to follow) Top with a nice pile of warm mushrooms and onions and shave a bit of fresh Parmesan. If all you have is the grated stuff in the green jar, don’t even bother, it will just get lost here. 

I usually buy a few heads of various greens and wash them all at once. I set them out to dry on a clean tea towel and wrap them up in it and then place the towel of lettuce in a plastic bag right in the bottom drawer of my refrigerator.  I just pull out what I need everyday and build a nice bed of greens and put whatever I feel like on top with whatever dressing seems to fit. I like olives and cheese, carrots and bell peppers, nuts and fruit. I just build what I want on top of pretty much the same green foundation. There have even been times for fun that I have set up a salad bar for dinner. I made a few dressings and set out many dishes of things with a few loaves of crusty bread and we had our own buffet of stuff.

White wine vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Dijon mustard

Clove garlic

Sugar

Salt

Pepper

·        In a clean jar with a tight fitting lid, grate a clove of garlic.

·        Add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.

·        Add ¼ cup white wine vinegar and ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil.

·        Add pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and fresh ground pepper. Shake.

This is the most basic of vinaigrettes but use it lightly. People who are used to bottled dressings sometimes have a tendency to over do it. Home made dressings are less sweet so you really use less, plus I never allow people to dress the salad themselves. I prefer to toss it myself so that every leaf is dressed. Don’t be afraid to touch your food with your hands. Fingers make the best tossing forks because you can tell by touch if you have included every leaf. If you want to make this out of another vinegar then do it. This is just the basics. You can change it up by switching out white vinegar for red or sherry or merlot vinegar. 

5 cucumbers

1 can of large pitted black olives

Chopped parsley

Clove garlic

Buttermilk

Plain yogurt

Salt

This is a nice salad to have on its own or you can put it on top of a bed of greens as well, if you prefer. It is lovely to eat with roasted chicken folded inside a warm piece of pita bread.

·        Peel and remove seeds from 4 large cucumbers. This is easy to do with a vegetable peeler and a spoon. Discard the seeds, and peel and chop the cucumber and place it in a bowl.

·        Add a nice sprinkle of salt. While you are making the dressing the cucumbers will leach out a bit of liquid that is the bitter portion of its character.

·        In a clean jar with tight fitting lid, grate one clove of garlic and the juice of ½ lemon.

·        Add a pinch of salt and some chopped parsley.

·        Add 1 cup of plain unflavored yogurt and ½ cup buttermilk and shake.

·        Now strain off the bitter water from the cucumbers and add a can of pitted large black olives with the brine strained off the olives.

·        Toss the cukes and olives together with the yogurt. 

1 med sized cabbage

3 carrots peeled and grated

½ red bell pepper

2 limes

Sesame oil

Canola oil

Grated ginger

Grated garlic

Soy sauce

Sugar

Black Sesame seeds

·        Finely slice a med. head cabbage. Be sure to take out the core because it is too tough. Toss in carrots and a half of a finely sliced red bell pepper.

·        Zest 1 lime and squeeze juice into a clean jar. Grate in an inch of ginger. It is very easy to buy a large root of ginger and store it in the freezer. You can just take it out the freezer and grate off what you need. The freezing won’t hurt its flavor and it will make it easier to grate.

·        Now grate a clove of garlic and add in 1 tablespoon of sugar and about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. The sesame oil just adds that toasted rich flavor and you really don’t need a lot to really give off a nice flavor, so just 1 tablespoon will be enough and add ¾ cup canola oil.

·        Give it a good shake and add to cabbage.

·        Garnish with cilantro or black sesame seeds. 

For cold noodle dishes I mostly use green tea buckwheat Japanese soba noodles but you can use spaghetti if you want.

For soba noodles they come prewrapped in paper wrappers to control portions. I use 2 portions for this so if you are using spaghetti, you can use what you would usually measure for 2 portions, since this is being prepared as a side dish. If you want to use this as a main course, which is a nice light meal, then you can double it.

Soba noodles that have been boiled and plunged into cold water

Blanched and sliced pea pods

Julienned carrots, also blanched

Black sesame seeds

Ginger

Garlic

Orange

Lemon

Sesame oil

Canola oil

Sugar

Soy sauce

·        I just make all this in one pot. You boil the noodles and halfway through the cooking time throw in your vegetables. When noodles are done, strain them all together and plunge them into an icy cold water bath to stop the cooking.

·        Meanwhile, in a clean jar, make the dressing.

·        Grate in about an inch of ginger and a clove of garlic.

·        Add a tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of soy sauce, ¾ cup of canola oil plus one spoon of sesame oil.

·        Add juice of one lemon and one orange plus the zest.

·        Shake it all up and pour over strained cold noodles and peas and carrots, garnish with black sesame seeds. 

Spaghetti noodles

2 Shredded carrots

2 Sliced green onions

Dressing:

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons grated fresh garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

Chopped peanuts and crushed red pepper flakes for garnish

·        Boil pasta and place in cold water to cool off and to stop cooking.

·        In a bowl with a whisk or in a food processor, add the ingredients for the dressing and whisk until smooth. This makes a lovely silky smooth luscious sauce. It can be used with many things but is just perfect for noodles.

·        Toss together with shredded carrots and sliced green onion and cold noodles and garnish with peanuts and red pepper flakes… Oh, and try to eat it with chopsticks too…. 

Many side dishes can be a meal all on their own. This is a matter of what you like. Having lived in many countries and being influenced by many cultures, it is hard for me to actually get my head around what is a side dish. Almost anyone of my standard sides might be something that I would eat for breakfast or lunch. One thing for sure is that most other cultures don’t consume as much meat as traditional Americans. Meat is more of a condiment in most places rather than the focus. I will mostly call upon my repertoire of more American menus in this section, as my goal here is to get people into the kitchen and around the table more. I don’t want to confuse you with dishes that seem too exotic and lists of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Food is not supposed to make you feel ignorant. So this will consist of things that you will recognize. This is important as we all know that when it comes to veg. and fruit we are all supposed to eat 5 servings a day. 

Fruits contribute vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber and potassium as well as a number of vitamins. One serving of fruit equals: 1 medium fruit such as an apple, banana or orange, ½ large fruit such as a grapefruit, 1 melon wedge, ½ cup of berries, ¾ cup of fruit juice, ½ cup of canned fruit, ¼ cup of dried fruit.

Vegetables contribute vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, fiber and a number of other vitamins and minerals. One serving equals: ½ cup of raw or cooked vegetables, ¾ cup of vegetable juice, or 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables. One cup of vegetables is approximately the size of a baseball.

When it comes to rice and pasta or potato we are only supposed to eat as much as about the size of our fist.

So try to balance out your menus. 

This is a pretty little dish that can be made in small individual portions or a large pie shape and cut into wedges.

Refrigerated pie dough

Dijon mustard

Fresh Roma tomatoes

Parmesan cheese

If you grow tomatoes, or if you have a neighbor who wants to give you some, then you will be all set. Fresh garden tomatoes are one of life’s best things, but if not, then Roma tomatoes from the supermarket will work fine. It is always best to choose tomatoes according to how they smell rather than by color. If it has no smell it may have no taste either.

·        Preheat oven to 350.

·        Unroll the pie dough onto a tart tin (a tart tin is just a shallow pie dish) and dock it with a fork. This is very simple you just poke it all over with the tines of a fork so that when it bakes it will remain flat. This is just a blind baking so that your tart will be crisp and will only take about 15 minutes.

·        Meanwhile slice tomatoes and arrange on paper towels to absorb the excess liquid. Roma works best for this because they have lower water content. But if you are using Creole tomatoes or another slicing tomato it may help to give it a bit of a squeeze to get all the excess juice out. 

·        Salt them and pat dry. Too much juice will make a soggy crust, but don’t sweat it. A bit won’t hurt either.

·        Remove the piecrust from oven and paint it with thin coat of Dijon mustard, and arrange the tomato slices.

·        Give another sprinkle of salt and fresh black pepper and a grating of Parmesan cheese.

·        Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes. 

This has to be the most delicious thing to do with a potato. It takes two steps so most people stay away from it, but my Mother was British, and it is a staple in all British homes especially on Sunday with a roast. It is simple but takes a bit of time. The saving grace, aside from it being delicious, is that it is cheap. I modernized this a bit as my Mum used animal fat for this, primarily chicken fat or beef drippings. We will use olive oil here, not extra virgin, just plain old olive oil. I like Rosemary but you can omit it if you want to use thyme if you prefer.

Olive oil

 2lbs large floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

 Handful fresh rosemary sprigs

 Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

·        Preheat the oven to 375

·        Put the, olive oil in a large roasting pan and pop in the oven to get really hot.

·        Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil then cook for 6 minutes.

·        Drain well, then, shake gently in the pan to slightly rough up the potatoes – this helps them become nice and crisp in the oven.

·        Carefully tip the potatoes into the roasting pan, coat in the hot oil and sprinkle with a kosher salt and pepper.

·        Roast in the oven for 1 hour, turning over each potato halfway through cooking, or until crisp and golden all over. About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, scatter the rosemary sprigs over the roasted potatoes. 

This is another thing that people try to avoid because it takes a few steps, but it is a succulent taste that is just wonderful. I like to use these to make myself a sandwich. I love the flavor; I usually do a few at a time and keep them in the fridge to use on salads too or to put on a sliced toasted baguette with some cheese. For a quick supper, it is the best omelet filling.  As a side dish, it is simply sublime.

·        Arrange a few red peppers on a foil lined baking pan. Some cooks prefer to oil them lightly, but it really is not needful and results in a lot of smoke. I just toss them in the oven on broil and turn them a few times to be sure they get charred all over. When I am only doing a small amount of them, I just use the gas flame on my stovetop. All you are really doing here is burning off the outer skin.

·        Once they are charred on the outside, then put them in a pot with a lid and let them cool off, so that you can handle them easily without burning yourself. I use a paper towel and just rub the black skin off of them and pull out the seeds. I do a dozen at a time and store them up for a few uses. As a soup this is wonderful as well, blended with cream and chicken stock. I use it for a pasta sauce too, but I just like them as is with some salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil. 

This can’t be any simpler.  It is just what it says. You take some seedless grapes and splash a bit of olive oil on them and toss the whole bunch into a preheated oven at 350. Roast for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve alongside whatever. They are beautiful and taste wonderful especially with pork or chicken.

Although this is the staple food of India, I will not give you a recipe for an Eastern inspired flavor here. This is a recipe that will use a brown lentil. They are cheap and are a rich source of sustenance the world over. Serve this as a dish of its own with some steamed Basmati rice and some nice crusty bread. It can also be pureed as a nice soup or garnished with some lardoons of bacon. 

1 and ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 large chopped onion

4 chopped ribs of celery

4 chopped carrots

1 lb. rinsed brown lentils

6 cups chicken broth

·        Heat oil in a large pan on a medium heat.

·        Add the onion and the celery.

·        Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 


·        Add the carrots and cook for a further 3 minutes so that they have a chance to sweat.

·        Season with salt and pepper.

·        Add the lentils and the stock and bring to a boil.

·        Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender to a fork. 

I really love spinach and I like to make this as a side but also as a filling for omelets or to use under a fried egg topped with hollandaise sauce. I use it for crêpes and even for sandwiches or as a dip with a toasted baguette.

1 block cream cheese at room temp

2 tablespoons butter

Olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 clove grated garlic

2 packages frozen chopped spinach that had been defrosted and strained off the liquid

        Over a med. heat, splash some olive oil into a pan that has a lid. Put in the chopped onions and sauté until transparent and soft.

·        Grate in the garlic and add the cream cheese, and butter.

·        Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a little pinch of nutmeg.

·        Once the cheese is melted, add the spinach and turn down to a low heat and cover until bubbly and hot all the way through.

·        Serve with a grating of Parmesan cheese. 

Again, this could easily be used as a main course but I actually find that it is too rich for that and prefer to have it just as a side dish.

Pasta Barilla (I do make homemade pasta, but if I am using boxed dried pasta it has to be Barilla)

1 box Bow Tie Pasta

6 strips of bacon

2 cups of frozen petite peas

Salt and pepper

Heavy cream

1 chopped onion

1 bunch of fresh sage leaves

·        In a pot of water, add enough salt to make it taste of the ocean. 

·        Meanwhile chop the bacon into hunks and fry. When it is crisp, remove to paper towel.

·        When you boil pasta, if you don’t season the water well, it will have no taste. I have overcooked flavorless pasta. It is just stog. I would rather eat gruel.

·        Boil the pasta until it is al dente. And then reserve a cup of the starchy salted pasta water and strain off the rest.

·        Now pour off half the bacon fat and sauté the onion in the remainder and the sage leaves. Remove the crisp leaves and save alongside the bacon. Add the cooked pasta to the onion and bacon fat mix and toss in the peas. You will want to add just a bit of the pasta water to this to help heat the peas though they will cook quickly. 

·        Tossing them around for about 3 minutes should work. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Go light on the salt as the pasta is salty and so is the bacon.

·        Add a nice splash of heavy cream and toss it to coat all over. Garnish with crisp bacon and sage. 

Smashed Potatoes

·        Add a stick of butter and some half and half… 

I know English cooking always puts people in the frame of mind that it will be bland and without flavor. My mother was not the best of cooks. In fact, most of her meals were overcooked. This is the primary reason I chose to pursue understanding  in how to operate in my kitchen. In all fairness, she did learn how to cook during WWII, and had very few things to work with. But there were a few things that she made that are both a reflection of goodness and simplicity. Now some of the top eateries in the world are in London, and some of the biggest names in cooking are English. So put a bit of Brit on your plate and give this simple dish a try.

8 med. tomatoes thickly sliced and peeled of their skin.

Butter

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil

·        Place a large pot with lid on the stovetop, and fill ½ with water. With lid on, bring to a rolling boil. The lid makes it boil faster. No other reason for it.

·        Now take each tomato and slit the tops with an x across the top where the stem would connect the fruit to the vine. Place them into the boiling water and roll around for about 40 seconds.

·        Remove them with slotted spoon and the skins should peel off with just a little coaxing. Now remove the cores and thickly slice about 1 inch slices.

·        Lightly splash a frying pan with olive oil and place tomatoes in pan.

·        Over med. Heat, just simmer away until slightly charred on the bottom. Turn to char the other side. They will turn to mush basically.

·        Just add some water and season with salt and pepper.

·        Add Butter and stir and turn off heat. Works great as a sauce but it is perfect with eggs. We always had this with fried eggs and sausages and H.P sauce. We dipped buttered toast into the sauce and scooped it up along with the creamy egg yolk. 

We enjoy a variety of green vegetables in our home. Living in Asia has opened up lots of opportunities to eat all sorts of leafy green things. Just choose whatever looks good in the market. Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Spinach…whatever… Take it home and wash it up and cook it.

With a little chopped garlic and olive oil, you can’t go wrong. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. They are all good. If you have stalks with thick parts and thinner leaves then cut the stalks and put them in the pot first, add the leafy portion last. Really, it is not rocket science. Do you think Rocket Scientists have a similar saying? Ya know, do you think they sit around and say, “Hey dude, it’s not cooking, it’s just rocket science”?

Basic Sauciness

·        Then whisk in the cranberry sauce and add salt and pepper. I like the whole berries but, if you want it smooth, use the jelled type. This is a nice tangy and sweet sauce. It is great with roasted pork, or chicken or turkey. 

This is just the gravy that we make from the little bits that are left in a pan from cooking meats. The sugars have caramelized on the bottom and are really full of flavor. Making a sauce from this could not be easier.

After you roast or pan-fry your meat, it is always good to allow the meat to rest before you cut into it. The water in the meat is going to all leach out if you cut it right away. So a resting time is best to allow the juices to all fall into place so that when you cut, it is moist and juicy. This is the best time to make your pan sauce.

I always have all the stuff out on the counter so that there is no rushing around at the last minute. Have all your stuff right next to you, ready to go so that you can do this all quickly without delay.

Canned broth

½ med red onion, minced

Butter

Chopped herbs such as parsley or thyme

Wine

·        Heat your roasting pan on the stovetop, or reheat your frying pan that you just cooked the meat in.

·        Add a glass of wine, red wine for red meats, and white for white meats.

·        Add in the minced onions. It may flame up on you but don’t panic, it will burn off quickly.

·        Add about a half cup of chicken or beef broth and salt and pepper to taste.

·        Boil it on high flame until reduced a bit. Then turn off flame and whisk in cold butter to thicken the sauce.

·        Add in the herbs and you have a great sauce. You can add in a fruity element here as well if you like, such as lemon juice for white meats, or a musky mustard.

Main dishes are usually where people try to cut corners. We are so obsessed with cooking it quickly, but we can have something roasting in the oven and still carry on with our lives. So I am not going to offer quick ways to do some of this. Roasting is basically 20 minutes a lb in a 350 oven. That’s it.

I don’t know how to speed that up.

You can buy a less expensive cut of meat and braise it and often it will be more flavorful then that tenderloin. A tough piece of meat will be tough because it comes from a part of the animal that is muscular and used often. That will also mean that it will be very flavorful. So give the cheaper cuts a try.

Beef (pork or lamb)

Carrot

Celery

Onion

Herbs

Butter

Wine

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Look for an inexpensive cut of beef, London broil works well and so does a skirt of beef or a brisket. If you are using pork or lamb then a shoulder works great and a belly is very flavorful but a bit fatty for most people.

·        Season all over with salt and pepper and heat a frying pan, while adding a splash of oil.

·        Now sear the meat all over its surface. Save the frying pan and deglaze it with a cup of wine.

·        Heat your oven to about 175.

·        Now place the meat and the vegetables into a roasting pan. Add the wine from the pan and a bit more salt and pepper for the veg. A cup of plain water works for this but if you have stock or broth, use that.

·        Cover it with foil and place in a low temp oven for at least 3-4 hours. Low and slow will melt away all the toughness and make a tender and delicious meal. You can walk away from this, no need to stare at the oven door. Carry on about your day.

·        When your 3- 4 hours are up, remove from pan onto a serving dish and reduce the gravy on the stove top and add in some cold butter and fresh herbs.

·        Serve braised meat cut against the grain. Never cut your meat with the grain or it will be shredded. Shredded meat is great on sandwiches and tacos and salads but if you are going to have a proper meal with say, mashed potatoes or pasta, then please cut it against the grain. 

A roasted chicken is a great standard. You can adjust the flavors according to seasons as well or according to general taste. The rules pretty much apply no matter what seasonings you use.  I always roast two. The oven is on and why not? But it does take a few minutes longer if you have two in the oven… maybe 5 minutes more?

·        Heat the oven to 325.

·        Wash chickens and pat dry with paper towels.

·        Season them with salt and pepper and whatever else you like. I like to use sage. I really prefer not to season too much but would rather add a nice sauce later. I never use any sort of powdered onion or garlic or, worse, that dreaded Cajun seasoning. That is just not my taste.

·        I mix my salt and pepper and sage in a bowl and proceed to season inside the cavity and all over the skin. When I reach the top breast area, I separate the skin gently from the flesh. I put half a stick of butter in this cavity and season with salt and pepper mix. Sometimes I put whole sage leaves under the skin as well if I happen to have them.

·        Then I insert a half onion and a rig of celery into the cavity and tie up the legs and tuck under the wings.  I never sit the birds on the pan directly. I make a little vegetable raft out of celery and carrots and sit the chickens on top.

·        Cover with foil loosely being careful not to smash the foil down on top of the bird so that the skin will not stick to the foil.

·        Roast with foil on for 40 minutes.

·        Then turn up the heat to 400 and remove foil. Return to oven and roast chickens another 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.

·        Remove the chickens and test to see if, when poked, all the juices run clear. Some ovens are hotter than others and while, generally, 1 hour is all you need for a perfect juicy roasted chicken. Some require 7 minutes more. 

·        Remove the celery and carrots. Let the chickens rest on a serving plate while you make the sauce following the pan sauce recipe.

I follow similar basic mixes for both of these but add just a bit extra for the meat loaf. I am not a firm believer in a beef only meatloaf or meatball. I like beef that is 80% lean and I like ground pork or ground veal. I never add breadcrumbs to my dishes as the older blue plate lunch cooks would do. I add oats. This gives just that added fiber to our diet and it binds the mixture perfectly.

2 lbs ground lean beef

1 lb ground pork or veal

¾ cup raw oats

Half and half (fat free)

Salt and pepper

1 large chopped onion

2 ribs of chopped celery

2 cloves grated garlic

Chopped parsley

2 eggs

·        Mix all this with your hands and, if you are making meatballs, roll out into balls. I make small sized ones and not really big sized. I prefer the golf ball size, because I feel it is just right.

·        I roll them all onto a baking pan and bake them. It is far easier than pan-frying and far less mess.

·        I then cook them about 30 minutes in a 350 oven.

·        Then remove from baking pan and cover with foil until I submerge them into sauce.

·        For meatloaf, I use a loaf pan and smash it all into the pan. Then I mix ½ cup ketchup and ½ cup brown sugar with a bit of warm water and pour it on top.

·        Bake uncovered in oven about 40 minutes at 350.

For this I make an onion gravy and serve it with mashed potatoes or we slice it directly for sandwiches.

Canola oil

Butter

All purpose flour

Beef stock or broth

Salt and pepper

Ketchup

Chopped parsley

2 Med Sliced onions

·        In a frying pan place about ¼ cup of canola oil and 2 tablespoons flour.

·        Brown the flour, being careful not to burn it.

·        Whisk in some beef stock or broth, about 2 cups, being sure to whisk out any lumps.

·        Put onions in pan and cover with lid. Cook until onions are tender.

·        Add some chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

·        Stir in some cold butter and shot of ketchup.

This is very basic meat that can be served with the lemon Dijon pan sauce or with a chipotle BBQ or cranberry chipotle sauce for variation. This is easy to cook and slices nicely for sandwiches the next day. So why not just make 2, one for now and one for lunch tomorrow. This is really nice with roasted potatoes but be sure to start the potatoes first.

1/4 c. olive oil

2 garlic cloves chopped and smashed

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste, and a pinch of sugar

2 whole pork tenderloins (3/4 to 1 lb. each)

Butter

Lemon

Dijon mustard

White wine

Chicken broth

·        Mix the garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, sugar and oil in a zip lock bag.

·        Add the pork loins and allow it to marinate for about 30 minutes or longer.

·        Meanwhile, refer to roasted potato recipe and proceed with that. Once you have reached half your cooking time on potatoes, you can begin with the pork, which can be cooked in the same heat as the potatoes in a lower rack.

·        Remove meat from zip locks and heat a frying pan on high heat.

·        Sear the meat all over and place on roasting tray. Place in oven and cook a further 30-35 minutes.

·        Use frying pan to make sauce. Deglaze any little bits in the pan with a glass of white wine.

·        Add the marinade to it and the juice of half a lemon and the zest. Whisk in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a cup of chicken broth.

·        Reduce by half and whisk in cold butter just before serving.

Turkey

Salt pepper

Sage

Onions

Celery

Carrots

Olive oil

String

There is nothing scary about cooking a turkey. I do it all the time and it is a great source of protein as well as being inexpensive. It is not much different from a big chicken.

I prefer a fresh turkey because I am too lazy to defrost one. Plus, fresh has a better taste but no big deal if all you can get is frozen. Just keep in mind that it takes about 3 days to defrost in the fridge before you can cook it if it is a 14 lb bird. I never buy any bigger than that. Mostly because I don’t like leftovers and I don’t want turkey 3 days in a row. So a 12 to 14 lb bird is all I am after.

·        Heat Oven to 300 degrees…

·        Meanwhile, wash bird and remove giblets and neck and gizzards. Be careful because sometimes they store half in the cavity and half under the skin flap where the tail used to be. Pat it dry with paper towels.

·        Mix up kosher salt and pepper and some dried ground sage. Turkey and sage are best friends and taste really good together. Don’t use garlic with turkey. Although garlic is great with chicken, I find it is not as nice with turkey. Leave it out. Plenty of onions and celery are what a turkey likes.

·        I cut 2 onions in half and season them with salt and pepper and stuff them inside the cavity.

·        Place in 3 ribs of celery as well, just break them and shove them inside. And then proceed to separate the skin from the breast meat like a spread on a bed and carefully insert your fingers inside and season with salt and pepper mixture and place some whole sage leaves under the skin. 

·        Put a half of a stick of butter under the skin as well. Now rub the skin with a bit of olive oil and season all over with salt, pepper and dried sage mix.

·        Tie up the legs so that the cavity is closed.

·        Place the bird on a raft made of celery ribs and carrots and onions cut in half. Throw down any sage stems as well. Put bird on top and add half cup of water. 

·        Cover with foil being sure not to let foil touch the skin.

·        Roast it at 300 degrees for 2 ½ hours.

·        Remove foil and turn up heat to 375.

·        Roast uncovered to crisp up skin for about 40 minutes more. Be sure to let the bird rest on a platter before you carve.

·        Meanwhile, cut open the string and let the cavity breath a bit before you remove the veg. All of these vegetables can be eaten, along with the ones the bird rested on.

·        Meanwhile follow a pan sauce recipe and make the gravy.

When I carve a turkey I NEVER slice the white meat on the bone. Just pull of the breasts whole and then slice them so that each slice is juicy. The portion closest to the skin will be less juicy so don’t cut on that angle. Cut down against the grain so that each piece is tender and juicy…

Scaloppini is just a nice way to say pounded thinly and quickly fried. This really simple but, then again, everything is easy when you know what to do.

When I am going to make a quick cook meal, I have the table set and ready to go before I start. I am not a big fan of quick cooked things because I am not the best organizer. When you are going to do a quick cook, you want to be sure that you first read through the recipe and know what it is you are going to do. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me for one of my recipes and said something failed because they did not read it all the way through first. Pay attention to what you need before you get started.

I am used to buying meat by the kilo, so I usually get a kilo for 4 people which is just a little over 2 lbs. Remember that, as I have said before, I don’t believe in tons of meat on my plate. I feel this is an area where Americans over eat. So if you think this is not enough meat for you, then increase it as you feel would work for your family.

A little over 2 lbs pork loin or 4 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts

1 cup all purpose flour

Salt and pepper

Butter

White wine or sherry

I fresh lemon

1 clove garlic

Half a minced onion

Olive oil

·        Be sure to have all your side dishes ready before you start to cook the meat. This is really fast but there is a bit of work in pounding out the meat first.

·        Slice the meat into cutlets and pound with a meat hammer or with the bottom of a flat skillet until you get a thin cutlet.

·        Then dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Use just a light coating of flour so that the meat is nice and brown. This is not a breaded dish.

·        Now heat your frying pan and add a splash of olive oil and a knob of butter and proceed to fry the meat. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan.

·        Turn them over and cook on each side about a minute on each. Don’t overcook.

·        Reserve on serving dish and add butter and oil to the pan, if needed. You should get them all done in about 8 minutes.

·        When they are all finished, place the onions in the pan and grate in a clove of garlic, add a glass of wine or sherry and simmer. 

·        Mix a tablespoon of flour in cold stock or water to make a slurry.

·        Add a cube of chicken bullion to the pan and stir in the slurry.

·        Whisk it up and simmer for about 3 min.

·        Add juice of 1 lemon and add chopped parsley and cold butter.

·        Pour over meat.

·        Serve with smashed potatoes rice or angel hair pasta and a salad.  

We like salmon but we especially love salmon skin. I never get a salmon without the skin. It is the best part. Of course ask for salmon that is wild. Sometimes that super pink color means it has been colored.  Be sure you are getting a natural product. Ask before you buy.

I prefer the portion that is closer to the head that is a thicker piece. The tail portion is thinner and is good but not as moist.

Salmon filets

Soy sauce

Juice of ½ lemon

Garlic

Ginger

Brown sugar

Butter

Grape seed oil

There are so many sauces that you can pair up with this, but I like this one and it is easy. You should have all of the stuff on hand. We like to have this with sticky Japanese rice and steamed veg. It is also good with a salad.

·        In a small saucepan, mix 1 cup of soy sauce with ½ cup firm packed brown sugar, whisk together and warm until sugar is all melted.

·        Grate in a clove of garlic and an inch of frozen ginger and simmer slowly while you make the fish.

·        Season the fish with salt and pepper and massage into the flesh side a little grape seed oil.

·        Sear in a hot frying pan, the flesh side down, for about 4 minutes, being sure not to try to move it in the pan. You want to sear the flesh and if you try moving it around the pan you will tear the meat. 4 minutes should be about right before you flip it onto the skin side.

·        Press gently when you flip it so that the skin doesn’t shrink up and cause the fish to buckle off the pan. It should settle down and crisp up evenly. Again, another 4 minutes should work.

·        I remove the fish onto a serving plate and take off the skin. If it is not crisp enough for me I put it back in to the pan to be sure to get it all nice and crunchy.

·        Now I place the fish on each plate and glaze it with the soy glaze that has reduced by now into a thick glaze. Then add the crunchy skin as a garnish on top. 

I like to cook steaks at home and I don’t have an outside grill. This is how I do it and they are juicy and tender. I actually have a hard time having steak out because they are never as good as my own. I like N.Y. strips or t-bones not filet mignon. Although the filet is the most tender I don’t feel it is the most flavorful.

·        Season your steaks with salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning onto the meat and let the meat rest out of the fridge to reach room temp. When meat is too cold and it hits the searing pan it will lose moisture.

·        Pan-fry the steak for only 2 minutes on each side, in a cast iron pan, of course, or in a pan that has a metal handle that can go into the oven.

·        Pop the pan and steaks into a preheated 500 degree oven for just 5 minutes. Then remove the steaks, and cover loosely with foil. Let sit covered for exactly 5 minutes so the juice can redistribute through the meat

·        Add a pat of cold butter and serve.

All this resting really works and makes a juicy piece of meat. I like to have this with the Portobello mushroom salad.

Now here is an easy cooking method that you don’t really have to have a wok for. It helps if you do, but a large frying pan will work. This is another example that requires that you have all your ingredients ready before you start to cook so that everything is organized and ready to go. Steam your rice first and have it ready as well.

Beef, chicken, or pork work well and all cook up quickly but you do have to slice thin. If you can, pop your meat in to the freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting. It helps make it easier to slice.

·        Slice your meat into thin slices. I like to figure on 4 large shrimp per person or count on a piece of meat as big as my fist for each person. It will seem like much more when it is all incorporated with the vegetables. There are many ways to prepare stir-fries and I am only touching on a very basic recipe here.

·        After you meat is cut (not for shrimp), you will marinate your meat with a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, minced garlic, grated ginger, a tablespoon of corn starch, a splash of Chinese cooking wine and a splash of soy sauce.

·        Use whatever vegetables look nice and add lots of color. Onions and mushrooms are wonderful as are carrots, green peppers, red peppers and celery. I usually cut everything on a diagonal and cut them all about the same size. You can use Bok Choy, or Swiss chard as well as seeded and peeled cucumbers. Again, this is very basic.

·        Begin to brown your onions and mushrooms in a wok and add meat. Stir until it is all browned and colored nicely.

·        Now remove and add all the other veg. and put in a splash of chicken broth or stock to help steam the vegetables and coax them along, Not a lot, just about a tablespoon of broth will do the trick.

·        Put the meat back into the wok and stir around again. Be sure it is all mixed well.

·        Now remove to a serving dish.

·        Place wok back on stovetop and add a splash of Chinese cooking wine and a splash of soy sauce and chicken stock.

·        While it is reducing, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tbsp. water in a glass to make a slurry. Add it to the sauce.

·        Season it with a pinch of sugar and white pepper and a few drops of sesame oil. Whisk it up and pour sauce over stir-fry.

·        Serve with steamed rice and garnish with sesame seeds, toasted almonds, pine nuts or peanuts or with bean sprouts or cilantro.

You remember the old TV commercial, the incredible, edible egg? Never mind what came first, the chicken or the egg, they are both indispensible on the all American table and are easy to cook, fast and cheap. No, they are not just for breakfast. I love a good omelet and I adore eggs Benedict or eggs Florentine. I hardly ever prepare any of these for breakfast.

Omelet

·        Now fold over one side and slide gently off the pan onto the plate.  Proceed until you have made enough for everyone. 

I always keep a bit of my creamed spinach to serve with eggs at another meal. This is our favorite.

Eggs

Butter

Bacon

Creamed spinach

Toasted baguette or Ciabatta

1 recipe hollandaise sauce

Poached eggs are not really hard to master.  I just would rather not go through the fuss. For me a fried egg makes this a quickly put together meal.

·        Slice the bread and toast it.  Figure on two eggs and two toasts per person.

·        Fry bacon. 

·        Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce that was described in an earlier chapter. Reserve bacon on paper towels to absorb the excess fat, but don’t throw out the bacon fat. Use it to fry the eggs.

·        Arrange the toast on the plate and spread warmed creamed spinach on it. Place bacon next and then fry your eggs.

·        Top each piece with a sunny side up egg and pour on a bit of hollandaise on each one.

·        Season it with salt and pepper. I like this with a salad alone. 

Quick Cook Cutlets