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Main Course Menu Plan: Week 5 Winter II
Day 1: Shrimp with Feta and Greek Olives
Total time: 25 minutes
Shrimp with a Greek flavor: with tomatoes, dry or salt-cured black olives and finished with Feta cheese. The feta I get is sheep's milk (brebis - traditional) and comes in 7oz (200gr) blocks. Add it at the end so it stays in chunks, rather then melting into the sauce.
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) shrimp
- 3 medium shallots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 3/4 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes
- 1/2 cup black dry-cured (Greek) olives
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 3oz (90gr) feta
- 4oz (120gr) spaghetti
Instructions:
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
- Clean shrimp if needed.
- Chop shallots and mince garlic.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes longer.
- Open tomatoes, drain, reserving juices. Roughly chop tomatoes.
- Add herbs and tomatoes with all juices to skillet. Simmer, over medium heat, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook until shrimp curl and turn opaque.
- Pit olives if needed, and cut in half.
- Cube feta.
- Add olives to skillet and heat through.
- To finish: Put drained pasta in a large bowl. Spoon some of the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.
- Spoon the rest of the sauce and shrimp on top of the pasta, sprinkle with feta cubes and serve.
Day 2: Braised Beef Provençal
Total time: 5 hours 45 minutes broken into 3 stages:
Night before: 10 minutes; Afternoon of: 25 minutes; Baking time: 5 hours plus 10 minutes to finish
This is one of those long-cooking dishes that I love doing during the winter. It has a bit of bacon and sautéed carrots added, to give it its own unique flavors. The leftovers will be tossed with pasta for another dinner.
Ingredients:
- 24oz (720gr) beef, suitable for braising or stewing a roast would work to get large pieces
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 bouquet garni you can buy these ready made in little sachets in the spice section
- 2 - 3 cups (16 - 24oz, 480 - 720ml) red wine a hearty, robust wine, drinkable
- 2 tbs red wine vinegar
- 3oz (90gr) bacon, 3 - 4 strips
- 5 medium - large carrots
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- pinch nutmeg
- 3 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 3 tbs water
Instructions:
- The night before or early in the day:
- Trim beef and cut into 2 inch (5 cm) cubes. Put into a deep bowl or sauce pan.
- Peel the onion and garlic.
- Cut the onion in half and stick two cloves into each half.
- Add to the beef along with the garlic and bouquet garni.
- Add the vinegar and 2 - 3 cups of red wine, enough to cover the beef.
- The afternoon of:
- Take the meat out of the marinade and let drain, reserving all of the marinade.
- Peel carrots and slice into 1/4 inch (.65cm) rounds.
- Cut bacon into matchsticks.
- Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and sauté until golden and caramelized, 10 - 12 minutes, turn once using two forks or tongs. Remove carrots and set aside.
- Add bacon to skillet and sauté until crisp. Remove and set aside.
- Add beef and brown on all sides.
- In a heavy baking dish (casserole), preferably deep, lay bacon on the bottom.
- Put the beef on top and surround the beef with the carrots.
- Pour the reserved marinade over all, along with the onion, garlic, bouquet garni and beef stock.
- Put a sheet of oiled, waxed paper over the pot and put the lid on top.
- Bake for 5 hours at 350F (175C).
- Check it every 2 hours or so to make sure it's not drying out - if it is, add more wine.
- To finish:
- Remove from oven. With slotted spoon take everything out of the sauce and put on a small platter. Cover with the lid or foil to keep warm.
- Discard bouquet garni and cloves.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water. Slowly add cornstarch mixture to sauce, stirring until thickened. You probably won't need all of it so stop periodically and let it cook to test consistency.
- Spoon some of the sauce over the beef and carrots, serve the remainder on the side. Serve.
Note: If your baking dish is not appropriate for the cook top put the red wine sauce into a small saucepan before thickening.
Day 3: Potato, Ham and Broccoli Gratin
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
A bit of cutting and slicing, add flour and cover with milk and cheese. What could be easier? An hour later a dinner, piping hot and creamy, pops out of the oven, ready to serve.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1small head broccoli
- 1 onion
- 8oz (240gr) baked ham a slice about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) milk
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup (3oz, 90gr) shredded cheese
Instructions:
- Cut broccoli into small florets, including stems.
- Cut the onion in quarters then slice thinly.
- Slice the potatoes 1/8 inch (.3cm) thick.
- Cut ham into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares.
- Put the broccoli, potatoes, onions and ham into a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat as evenly as possible.
- Put the whole lot into a large glass baking dish.
- Whisk the milk and mustard together and pour carefully over the vegetables.
- Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Cover and bake at 400F (200C) for an hour or until the potatoes are done.
- Uncover for the last 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Serve.
Note: You could bake it in a slower oven for longer: 350F (175C) for 90 minutes, if that suits your schedule.
Day 4: Provençal Beef and Mushroom Pasta
Total time: 25 minutes
Sautéed mushrooms and onions round-out the leftover beef and carrots. Serve over pasta for an easy one-dish dinner.
Ingredients:
- leftover Beef Provençal
- leftover sauce, about 1 cup if you don't have enough left, add beef stock or red wine, thicken with a bit of cornstarch
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 - 2 carrots optional
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup (4.2oz, 125gr) pasta, bite size
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Cut onion in half, then in half again. Slice onion (you'll have quarter circle slices).
- Mince garlic.
- Trim and slice mushrooms.
- Peel and slice carrots if using.
- Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet.
- Add carrots and sauté 5 minutes.
- Add onions and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned, about 7 minutes longer.
- Cut beef into bite-size pieces. Add beef, leftover carrots and sauce to mushroom mixture, cover and simmer 5 - 10 minutes.
- To finish: Put drained pasta into a large bowl. Pour beef and vegetables over, stir well to combine and serve.
Day 5: Chicken Breasts with Red-Eye Gravy
Total time: 30 minutes
It's the coffee that gives the name to this dish. I use instant as I always have some on hand for caffeine emergencies. Leftover from morning coffee works just fine - as long as it hasn't been on the burner all day ;-) I usually cut chicken breasts in half before cooking.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2oz (60gr) Prosciutto or bacon 2 - 3 slices
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) strong coffee
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) chicken stock
- 2 tsp cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 1 tbs water
Instructions:
- Roughly chop Prosciutto/bacon.
- Clean, trim and quarter mushrooms.
- Cut chicken breasts in half.
- Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
- When hot add paprika and sauté 1 minute.
- Add bacon or Prosciutto and sauté; 2 minutes for Prosciutto, 5 minute if using bacon.
- Add mushrooms and sauté 4 minutes longer.
- Move vegetables and bacon to the side and add chicken breasts.
- Sauté 2 minutes per side.
- Add coffee, stock and sugar, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 - 15 minutes or until chicken is done.
- Remove chicken (put on a plate and cover with the lid from the pan) and increase heat.
- Add cornstarch dissolved in water and stir until sauce is thick.
- Pour sauce over chicken and serve.
Day 6: Turkey with Horseradish Sauce
Total time: 30 minutes
You can use turkey tenderloin - sliced horizontally to make cutlets, or kept whole and simmered another 10 minutes, then sliced before serving. The combination of mustard and horseradish gives this dish an interesting 'warmth', but not heat like pepper sauce would.
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) turkey cutlets
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 rib celery optional
- 1 3/4 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes
- 2 - 3 tbs prepared horseradish
- 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90gr) yogurt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp cornstarch (maizena, corn flour) dissolved in 1 tbs water
Instructions:
- Chop onion and celery.
- Mince garlic.
- Drain tomatoes, reserving juices. Roughly chop tomatoes.
- Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic and sauté about 5 minutes.
- Move vegetables to the side and add turkey cutlets. Lightly brown on each side, about 5 minutes.
- Remove turkey. Add tomatoes, reserved juices, mustard, horseradish and basil.
- Stir well. Bring to a boil.
- Return turkey to pan, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 - 10 minutes, depending on thickness of turkey. Stir occasionally. (If using a whole, uncut tenderloin, cover and simmer 10 - 15 minutes.)
- Dissolve cornstarch in water.
- Remove turkey to small platter.
- Increase heat under sauce. Add cornstarch and stir until thickened and clear.
- Add yogurt and stir.
- Spoon some sauce over turkey and serve, remaining sauce on the side.
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