Main Course Menu Plan: Week 9  Spring I

Day 1: Seared Scallops with Browned Shallots

Total time: 30 minutes
    Use the larger sea scallops for this if you can..... And let the shallots get very crispy. Scallops are best when cooked quickly over fairly high heat.  Overcooking tends to make them tough.

Seared Scallops with Browned Shallots Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Day 2: Brined, Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Total time: 40 minutes  10 minutes earlier 
    Brining keeps meat moist and tender during cooking and is particularly well-suited to pork.  The tenderloin cooks quickly on the barbecue, and the rub adds even more flavors to it. Remember, slightly pink is now okay for pork, and over-cooking can ruin the best efforts....

Brined, Grilled Pork Tenderloin Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Day 3: Asparagus and Chevre (Goat Cheese) Quiche

Total time: 65 minutes
    The variations on quiche are almost infinite.  Because I have this one so packed full of good foods, it takes a bit longer to bake then usual.  I had it in the oven for 40 minutes.  The center should be dry in appearance and only slightly 'jiggly' when done.  My brown rice cooks in 15 minutes... If yours take longer, make it ahead of time, or substitute Basmati or Arborio.

chevre quiche Ingredients:

chevre asparagus Instructions:

Note:  I put the quiche/pie plate on a pizza pan before pouring the egg/milk over.  Makes it easier to get into the oven and catches any drips and spills - saving oven clean-up.

Day 4: Warm Chicken Pasta Salad with Spring Vegetables   

Total time: 30 minutes  
   I have always disagreed with most 'Pasta Primavera' as they are meant to celebrate spring but insist on using summer vegetables: tomatoes and peppers.  This is my version, using only spring vegetables.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Spring Vegetables Ingredients:

 Instructions

Notes: 

Roll cut:  Cut the end off at an angle, roll 1/4 turn and slice at the same angle, roll 1/4 and slice, etc.  This gives you interesting looking pieces with lots of surface.  It's normally used on round vegetables: carrots, asparagus, etc.

Peel fava beans:  They peel like peas: break open the pod and take the beans out.  Don't bother with any really tiny ones.  After blanching they will have a whitish outer shell.  Just squeeze lightly and the inner, bright green bean will pop out.  It may split in half... that's okay.

Day 5:  Caesar Pasta Salad with Flank Steak

Total time: 25 minutes
     With the chili powder, Worcestershire and garlic, this has a surprising kick to it... not hot, just assertive.  The creamy Greek yogurt is the perfect foil. 

Caesar Pasta Salad with Flank Steak Ingredients:

 Instructions:

Day 6: Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Bacon and Mushrooms

Total time: 30 minutes 
    One cannot go wrong with mushrooms and bacon.... A bit decadent, perhaps, but life is for living. My bacon is very lean, so I have to sauté it in oil.  Use it or not, as needed.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Bacon and Mushrooms Ingredients:

 Instructions:

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