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Main Course Menu Plan: Week 5 Spring I
Day 1: Pan-Fried Salmon with Lemon and Capers
Total time: 15 minutes
Lemon and capers combine to add lots of flavor to this simple preparation. Quickly seared, they can finish cooking over low heat while you enjoy your starter.
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets, 12oz total, (360gr)
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbs capers
- 1 tbs chives, fresh or dried
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- White Wine and Dill Sauce:
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken stock
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) white wine
- 1 tsp fresh or dried dill weed (leaves - not seeds)
- 1 tsp fresh or dried chives
- 2 tsp cornstarch (maizena, corn flour) dissolved in 1 tbs water
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) plain or Greek yogurt
Instructions:
- Slice lemon, 4 - 6 slices, remove pips.
- Heat butter and oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add salmon, skin-side up, and sauté 5 minutes, until it starts to brown.
- Turn skin side down. Lay the sliced lemon on top of the salmon and sprinkle with capers and chives.
- Turn the heat to low, cover and let finish cooking, 5 - 10 minutes, depending on thickness.
- When done, using a spatula, slide the filets off of the skin.
- To serve: Spoon some Dill Sauce on each plate or a small platter.
- Lay salmon on top.
- Spoon capers and lemon slices on salmon.
- White Wine and Dill Sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat bring wine and stock to a boil.
- Mix cornstarch in water and stir into simmering stock. Cook until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in herbs and yogurt.
- Cover and keep warm until serving.
Day 2: Tournedos with Creamy Brown Sauce
Total time: 20 minutes
This is based on a main course from years ago, at one of my favorite restaurants in Minneapolis. They didn't give me the recipe.... The steaks are sliced thinly, for tenderloin, and cooked quickly to stay medium-rare. Serve on a bed of mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 4 slices beef tenderloin, each 1 inch thick (2.5 cm), 12oz (360gr) total weight
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) red wine
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup (4oz, 120ml) milk or cream
Instructions:
- The sauce: Thinly slice shallots and mince garlic.
- Heat 2 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and thyme and sauté 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add red wine and simmer until reduced by half.
- Add beef stock and simmer until reduced by half.
- Add tomato paste, mustard and mix well.
- Dissolve cornstarch in milk or cream and add to sauce, stirring until thick.
- Spoon into a bowl and set aside.
- Rinse out the skillet for the steaks.
- The steaks: Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add steaks and sauté 1 minute per side.
- Spoon the sauce over the steaks, cover and simmer 1 - 3 minutes longer, depending on how you like them done.
- To serve: Put 2 steaks on each plate and spoon a little sauce over top.
- Put the rest of the sauce in a sauce boat and serve on the side.
Day 3: Tuna and Asparagus Risotto
Total time: 35 minutes
Tuna, capers and asparagus make a wonderful risotto for spring; all cooked in the same pot to make it even easier! It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be quite stiff. The risottos that we have eaten in northern Italy have all been served in soup plates (flattish bowls) and eaten with a spoon - not a fork.
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup (4.2oz, 125gr) Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) dry, white wine
- 2 1/4 cups (18oz, 540ml) chicken stock
- 8oz (240gr) asparagus
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 tbs butter
- 6oz (180gr) tuna
- 1 tbs capers
- 3/4 cup (3oz, 90gr) Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
Instructions:
- Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat.
- Prepare asparagus, cutting to 1 1/2 inch length, reserving tips.
- Finely chop onion.
- Cut carrot into small dice, about 1/4"(.5cm).
- Open and drain tuna. Loosen with a fork.
- In medium sauce pan heat butter; add onion and carrot.
- Sauté 5 minutes, until starting to get tender.
- Add rice and sauté, stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until rice has white center.
- Add white wine and stir.
- When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/2 cup of stock and all of the asparagus except tips and stir. (No need to stir constantly but do stir from time to time.)
- When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/3 cup and continue adding 1/3 cup at a time and stirring.
- Before the last 2 '1/3 cups' are added put in the asparagus tips, capers and tuna.
- Before the last 1/3 cup is added taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked.
- If more stock is needed add it 1/8 cup at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed. At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - it will not hold it's shape on a plate.
- Add the Parmesan, stir, pour into a bowl and serve immediately.
Day 4: Pasta with Sausages and Cherry Tomatoes
Total time: 25 minutes
An easy pasta dinner, updated for spring with cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 10oz (300gr) sausages any flavor, turkey or pork, hot or not
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 green pepper
- 15oz (450gr) red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) chicken stock
- 1 cup (4oz, 120gr) cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/4 cup pasta (4oz, 120gr) penne, rigatoni, fusilli
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Slice sausages into 1" (2.5cm) lengths.
- Roughly chop onion and pepper.
- Cut tomatoes in half.
- Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion, pepper and sauté 5 minutes.
- Add sausage and sauté until sausage is browned, 5 - 7 minutes.
- Add beans, chicken stock, herbs and heat through.
- When pasta is done, drain and add to skillet along with cherry tomatoes.
- Stir well to combine.
- Cover and simmer 1 - 2 minutes to heat through and cook tomatoes slightly. Serve.
Day 5: Chicken Thighs in Wine and Vinegar
Total time: 25 minutes
I skinned the thighs, but left the bone. They are braised in a flavorful white wine, Balsamic vinegar and herb sauce.
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) chicken stock
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) white wine
- 3 tbs Balsamic wine vinegar
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp marjoram
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp cornstarch (corn flour, maizena) dissolved in 2 tbs water
Instructions:
- Skin the thighs by simply pulling it off. You may need to cut in a few places. Discard skin.
- Finely chop onion and mince garlic.
- Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken thighs and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
- Add onion, garlic and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Add stock, wine, vinegar, tomato paste, herbs and stir to combine.
- Turn the thighs once or twice to coat with sauce. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- To finish: Remove thighs to a small platter.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water.
- Increase heat under sauce, add cornstarch and stir until thickened and clear.
- Spoon over chicken thighs and serve.
Day 6: Stir-Fried Chicken with Mushrooms and Cherry Tomatoes
Total time: 25 minutes
A light stir-fry for spring with cherry tomatoes and green garlic.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
- 4oz (120gr) cherry tomatoes, any color
- 2 medium carrots
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 4 green garlic or 1 small leek and 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock
- 1 tbs cornstarch (corn flour, maizena)
- 2 tbs water
- Brown Rice
- 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) quick-cooking brown rice
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock or whatever your rice calls for
Instructions:
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Trim green garlic and thinly slice, including green tops - OR slice leek and mince garlic.
- Slice carrots into thin rounds.
- Trim and slice mushrooms.
- Roughly chop green pepper.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
- Heat oil in large skillet.
- Add carrots, pepper and sauté 3 minutes.
- Add green garlic or leek and garlic, mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Remove vegetables to a plate.
- Add chicken to skillet and sauté 5 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, stock, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
- Uncover, return vegetables to skillet and increase heat.
- To finish: Dissolve cornstarch in water. Add to skillet and stir until thickened.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and stir well.
- Remove from heat, cover and let rest for a minutes to finish the tomatoes.
- Spoon over rice and serve.
- Brown Rice
- Put rice and stock in a small saucepan.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for length of time on package.
- When done fluff with fork and serve.
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