Thyme for Cooking
Seasonal Weekly Menus & Shopping Lists
Healthy Food Fresh Ingredients Simple Recipes
Links to this week's
Menu Plan and Recipes
Menu
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Shopping List
Cooking time: 2 hours for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
An easy but a bit fussy starter, but the rest of the meal requires little hands-on time. Half the pork, vegetables and sauce will be for the pasta on Monday.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Preparation and cooking time: 55 minutes4 cabbage leaves
1 leek
2 slices (2oz, 60gr) bacon
1 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken stock
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbs polenta
2 tbs shredded cheese
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
Braising liquid/Sauce
1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken stock
1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) white wine
1/3 cup (3oz, 90gr) Greek yogurt
3/4 tsp paprika
2 tsp cornstarch (corn flour, maizena)
1 tbs water
you may need 1/3 cup more stock or water for braising
Cabbage: Remove any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage and discard. Remove 4 outer leaves for the rolls (see note). Bring a large pot of water to boil and blanch the leaves for 1 minute. Cover the pot if you can't keep the leaves submerged. Remove, drain and set aside.
Stuffing: Trim leek and cut in half the long way. Cut each half in half again, so you have long quarters. Thinly slice. Roughly chop bacon. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add leek, bacon and sauté until leek is tender and bacon cooked. Add stock, basil and heat through. Pour into a bowl, add polenta and stir well. Add cheese and stir.
Rolls: Lay the cabbage leaves as flat as reasonable. Cut out the tough stem in a deep, narrow 'V'. Normally this cut will be about half the length of the cabbage leaf.
Take a leaf and lay it with the round end toward you and the (former) stem end away. Place 1/4 of the stuffing on the round end and fold the cabbage leaf over snugly. Tuck the sides of the leaf in, folding over the rest of the leaf to the size of the roll. Roll it up and set aside, seam side down. Repeat. If there are tears in a leaf, just adjust as you roll.
Cooking: Place the cabbage rolls seam side down in the skillet. Add stock, white wine and paprika and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer, cover and braise for 30 minutes. Check occasionally and add water or stock as needed.
Finishing: Remove rolls when done. Increase heat under braising liquid. Add more stock or water if needed, to make app. 2/3 cup. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to skillet, stirring until thick. Remove, stir in yogurt. Divide the sauce into 2 flattish soup bowls or plates. Top with cabbage rolls and serve.
Note: To remove cabbage leaves first locate the outermost leaf. Cut the stem end from the main stalk. Starting opposite the stem end, carefully roll the leaf backward (like you would roll down a sock) until you can loosen it from the stem end. Try not to tear it, but no problem if you do; all will be hidden when you make the rolls. Repeat for each leaf.
Braised Pork in Red Wine and Red Peppers Preparation and cooking time: 2 hours 1 pork loin roast, app. 2lbs (1000gr)
1 large red pepper
3 medium leeks about 2 cups, sliced
2 ribs celery
3 cloves garlic
15oz (450gr) tomatoes
4 bay leaves
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs olive oil
2 cups (16oz, 480ml) red wine
1 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 2 tbs water
Clean and trim leeks, discarding the dark green tops. Cut in half the long way and slice. Cut pepper into thick strips. Roughly chop celery. Mince garlic. Roughly chop tomatoes, reserving all juices.
Heat oil in heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add leeks, peppers, celery, garlic, and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Mix paprika, oregano and olive oil. Rub all over pork.
Add pork to pot and brown on all sides. Add 1/4 cup of red wine and stir up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return vegetables to pot, arranging around pork. Add tomatoes, red wine and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a slow simmer and braise for 90 minutes. Or longer....
To finish: Dissolve cornstarch in water. Remove pork to a platter. With a slotted spoon, remove the larger vegetables and arrange around pork. Tent loosely with foil and let rest. Increase heat under remaining sauce. Add cornstarch, stirring until thick and clear - you may not need it all to get a thickened sauce. Slice some of the pork, spoon some of the sauce on the vegetables and pork and serve. Save leftover pork, vegetables and sauce.
Mashed Potato Puffs Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes
Individual mashed potato puffs with a surprise inside. The original reason was to keep the potatoes piping hot while we had the first course. The cheese was.... just because!
2 medium potatoes
2 tbs butter
1 - 2 tbs milk
dash salt
1/2 tsp paprika
4 1" (2.5cm) cubes strong, soft cheese Cheddar, Muenster, Tomme
1 tsp butter
The potatoes: Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Put potatoes in medium saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Add salt and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling (and pay attention or they will boil over) reduce heat and take cover partially off. Continue cooking until done, 15 - 20 minutes. They should be very done, easily coming apart when poked with a fork. When done, drain and put back on the heat 10 seconds or so to evaporate any excess moisture.
To mash: Mash potatoes with a potato masher (or fork if you don't have one) Add butter and enough of the milk to get a fluffy consistency.
To finish: Butter four circles on a baking sheet. Divide the potatoes in half. Dividing one half in 4ths, spoon a mound into the center of each buttered circle. Make an indentation in the center. Put a piece of cheese in the center, add the remaining potato, evenly divided, completely enclosing the cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, 350F (170C) for 15 minutes, until just lightly browned.
2 - 3 large carrots
1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tbs butter
salt and pepper
Peel and slice carrots into 1/4 inch thick (.65 cm) rounds. Heat butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add carrot slices in one layer. Let fry undisturbed for 8 - 10 minutes. Check one after 7 minutes to make certain they're not getting too brown. Using tongs, turn them over and fry the other side. They should be getting a few light brown spots on them where the sugar (from the carrots) is caramelizing. Fry another 7 minutes then check again. The second side will brown faster than the first. When they are done to your liking, remove to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
Cooking Schedule: 2 hours for menu |
Make cabbage rolls |
Share this:
----------------------
Get 7 Dinner Menus, Recipes, Shopping List each Thursday by e-mail: Subscribe