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Main Course Menu Plan: Week 12 Winter I
Day 1: Salmon, Smoked Salmon and Potato Gratin
Total time: 55 minutes
A mix of fresh and smoked salmon gives a lot of flavor to this simple gratin. Simmering the potatoes in milk shortens the baking time.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium potatoes, 10oz (300gr)
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) milk
- 8oz (240gr) fresh salmon
- 3oz (90gr) smoked salmon either wet or dry smoked
- 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90gr) Greek or plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions:
- The potatoes: Thinly slice potatoes.
- Pour milk into a medium skillet and heat to simmering.
- Add potatoes, in layers. Cook, uncovered, until potatoes turn translucent, about 15 minutes.
- The salmon: Cut fresh salmon into 1" (2.5cm) thick slices.
- Roughly chop smoked salmon.
- To assemble: Remove 1/3 of the potatoes from the milk, arrange in a baking dish.
- Spread smoked salmon on potatoes.
- Top with 1/3 potatoes, in a layer.
- Arrange fresh salmon on potatoes.
- Top with remaining 1/3 potatoes.
- To finish: Add dill, yogurt to milk and stir well. (Milk will be thick from the potatoes.)
- Pour over the top of the gratin.
- Top with shredded cheese, cover with foil and bake, 400F (200C) for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer, until cheese starts to brown. Remove and serve.
Day 2: Braised Chicken with Rice
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This is a classic in farm houses through out France! Find an older, stewing hen, if you can. They have more flavor and the long cooking time will make them tender. Not a roasting hen, they're too big to fit into most pots. A broiler/fryer will work as well. This will be enough for 2 meals.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 cups (16oz, 480ml) white wine
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
- Rice
- 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) Basmati rice
Instructions:
- The Chicken
- Chop onion.
- Peel and cut carrots in half the long way (I cut them the in half the short way first - it makes it easier). Then slice the carrots into 1/4" (.6cm) half circles (the short way).
- Heat oil in a pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken.
- Add the chicken and brown lightly on all sides. Remove.
- Add onion and carrots and sauté 5 minutes, just until the onion starts to get tender.
- Place the chicken on top of the onion and carrots.
- Add the wine, stock and herbs.
- Sprinkle chicken with paprika.
- Cover and simmer over low heat (you want small bubble breaking the surface) for 2 1/4 hours.
- 20 minutes before chicken is done start the rice.
- The rice
- Using a small ladle remove 1 cup of liquid from the chicken.
- Put it into a saucepan along with the rice. Don't worry if you get a bit of onion with the stock.
- Cover and cook over low heat until rice is done.
- To finish
- Remove the chicken.
- With a slotted spoon remove all of the carrots to a large bowl.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water.
- Turn heat up under the stock remaining in pot. Add cornstarch and thicken.
- Add the rice to the carrots and combine.
- Spoon the rice and carrots onto a platter.
- Slice the chicken and arrange on the rice.
- Serve, gravy on the side.
Day 3: Pasta alla Amatriciana
Total time: 30 minutes
This is a classic Italian dish, with probably as many variations as there are Italian cooks. Mine comes from a combination of cook books blended with what I like. Make it as hot as you like.
Ingredients:
- fresh linguini, or similar, 8oz (240gr) or 4oz (120gr) dry
- 4oz (120gr) lean bacon
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) red wine
- 15oz (450gr) plum tomatoes
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Chop onion and mince garlic.
- Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, and roughly chop.
- In medium skillet sauté bacon until just starting to crisp. Remove and set aside.
- Drain all but 1 tbs fat from pan.
- Add onion, garlic and sauté until tender.
- Add chopped tomatoes with their juices, wine and herbs.
- Tear bacon into chunks and add to skillet.
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- To finish: Drain pasta and toss with Parmesan, then sauce and serve with more Parmesan on the side.
Day 4: Peppered Pork Tenderloin in Red Wine Sauce
Total time: 30 minutes
Remember that, while adding a lot of flavor, pepper can be quite hot. Be a bit careful, particularly if you are grinding fresh peppercorns, as these will be hotter than the old stuff in the can in your pantry....
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) pork tenderloin
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 - 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) red wine
Instructions:
- Mince the garlic.
- Slice the tenderloin into 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick slices.
- Sprinkle the pepper evenly over each side of each piece, pressing it in.
- Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and sauté for 5 minutes per side.
- Add garlic, marjoram, mustard, tomato paste, stock and red wine to pan, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Uncover and remove pork to a small platter, cover to keep warm.
- Increase heat and boil sauce, for 2 minutes. It should reduce and thicken a bit.
- Spoon a bit of sauce over the pork and serve, remaining sauce on the side.
Day 5: Beef and Mushroom Lo Mein
Total time: 30 minutes
One of the tenants of most Asian cuisines is that the food should be attractive: pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. One way to achieve this is to make certain that your ingredients are colorful; another is to cut the ingredients into varied shapes. This Lo Mein is as delicious as it is pretty.
Ingredients:
- 10oz (300gr) beef flank steak or any beef suitable for stir-frying
- 1 leek
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3/4 small green bell pepper
- 1 tbs minced ginger substitute 1/2 tsp powdered
- 1 rib celery optional
- 1 medium carrot
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
- 4oz (120gr) spaghetti for spaghetti, about 1" (2.5cm) circle
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- 2 tbs sherry
- 1 tbs cornstarch (corn flour, Maizena) dissolved in
- 1 tbs soy sauce plus 1 tbs water
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- While pasta water heats:
- Cut the beef at an angle across the grain into bite-size strips.
- Mix sesame oil with 1 tsp soy sauce. Toss with beef and set aside to marinate.
- Clean and thinly slice leeks.
- Mince garlic.
- Mince ginger (peel first).
- Cut the pepper into matchsticks.
- Slice the celery thinly, at an angle.
- Slice carrot into thin rounds.
- Clean and thickly slice the mushrooms.
- When water boils, cook pasta
- While pasta cooks:
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms and sauté 3 - 5 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add 1/2 tsp oil and leeks to skillet, stir-fry for 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger, stir-fry another 2 minutes.
- Remove leeks/garlic to plate with mushrooms.
- Add 1/2 tsp oil, carrot, pepper, celery to skillet and stir-fry 3 minutes.
- Remove to plate with other vegetables.
- Add beef to skillet and stir-fry 3 minutes, until brown.
- Return vegetables to skillet.
- Add stock and sherry.
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.
- To finish:
- Drain pasta.
- Dissolve cornstarch in soy sauce.
- Uncover skillet and add cornstarch mixture, stirring until thickened.
- Put pasta into a large bowl.
- Pour beef mixture over top, toss to combine and serve.
Day 6: Chicken Creole
Total time: 30 minutes
Boneless chicken breasts, cooked with onions, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes make a quick, healthy, dinner, perfect for midweek. Add Tabasco if you like more heat.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 1/4 small green bell pepper
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15oz (450gr) whole tomatoes
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf (laurel)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 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 breasts in half, the short way.
- Cut pepper in half, discarding seeds and top; roughly chop.
- Chop onion.
- Mince the garlic.
- Clean and slice the mushrooms.
- Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pepper, onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add chili powder, garlic, mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes.
- Push vegetables to the sides of pan and add chicken. Sauté until chicken starts to brown.
- Drain tomatoes reserving juice.
- Roughly chop tomatoes and add to chicken, along with juices, Worcestershire and herbs.
- Cover, reduce heat and let simmer 10 - 15 minutes, until chicken is done.
- Remove bay leaf.
- Brown Rice:
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Fluff and serve.
- To finish:
- Put rice on a small platter, spoon Creole over and serve.
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