One-Pan Stir Fry: Chicken & Spinach

Contributor: K. Cox (K_Commenter)

Author's Notes: These improvised recipes came out of a need to make a family dinner that was (1) quick, and (2) primarily healthful.  This quantity feeds about 2.5 adults.

Chicken & Spinach Stir-Fry

You will need:

• 1 bag pre-washed baby spinach
• roughly 0.5 lb trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast
• minced garlic (I buy jars and keep 'em in the fridge)
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• crumbled feta (I buy low-fat or fat-free)
• white sugar
• 1/3 box whole-grain pasta of your choice (I like rotini)

1.) Cut the chicken into very thin slices

2.) Put the pasta on to boil

3.) Put roughly 1 tablespoon of minced garlic into a lidded pan (I use one like this) and add roughly 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  (I never measure either.)

4.) Sauté the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat.  When the garlic is mainly starting to turn golden-brown, add the chicken.

5.) Toss the chicken regularly while cooking.  During this time, sprinkle with lemon juice and with crumbled feta.

6.) When the chicken is cooked through (and cooked to taste, I prefer mine slightly browned on the outside), use tongs to remove it from the pan into a bowl.  When the chicken's out, dump in the bag of spinach.

7.) Mix the spinach while you cook it, to make sure it wilts relatively evenly (rather than one half being overcooked) and to make sure the sauce flavors all of it.  Sprinkle in more olive oil, crumbled feta, and lemon juice while cooking the spinach.

8.) When the spinach is cooked, remove it from the pan and put it into the bowl with the chicken.

9.) Take your hopefully cooked-and-drained pasta (from step 2!) and dump it into the bowl with the chicken and spinach.  Toss thoroughly.

10.) Go back to your pan.  Add another couple of tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice, and a few more sprinkles of feta.  Also add 1/8 tsp (seriously, it only takes a tiny bit) of white sugar.  Stir thoroughly, then put the lid on and crank the heat until all that liquid is boiling like mad.

11.) Once it's boiling like mad, remove from heat.  Remove lid and let sauce sit at least 2-3 minutes (more if you have the patience).  Then spoon sauce over pasta-chicken-spinach mixture and enjoy.  Serve sprinkled with further feta if you like.

Samosas

Contributor: gnikivar

Author's Notes:

Samosas

1 Kilo Potatoes
.5 lbs Peas
Black pepper
Fennel Seeds
Canola Oil
Garam Masala (can be bought at any Indian store)
Ginger
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 cup durum wheat flour

1) Boil potaotes, and peel
2) Cut potatoes up into little pieces, or mash
3) Put in half lb of frozen pease
4) Add 4 tables spoons of Garam Masala
5) Add table spoon of black pepper
6) Add teaspoon of salt
6) Take a small pot, and put one fourth cup worth of oil. Add similar amount of fennel seeds
7) Find ginger, peel ginger and cut into itty bitty pieces
8) Pour all of these elements and mix until well mixed.
9) Should be very dry, if not, cook for a few minutes to take off moisture
- This is the filling for Somosa

The exterior is kind of tough to make, if you don't have practice with Indian food.

1)Take two cups of all purpose flour, and one cup of durum wheat flour. Add one cup of water, and three tablespoons of oil.

2) Knead, until doughy enough.

3) Take rolling pin, and roll into thin circular sheets. I figure this is similar to how tortillas are made. This can be really difficult and time consuming.

4) To do so, break off a small piece of the dough. Roll into sphere, and then flatten

5) Place onto cutting board, (I don't know if there is a western equivalent to the Patlo, which is what you role breads on)

Tips: Keep a soft hand, roll fast, but but very little pressure on the dough while rolling. Also, keep some flour and sprinkle onto the dough you are rolling from time to time. Also, flip dough over from time to time. This will keep if from sticking.

6) Cut resulting circular object in half with a knife. Take one end and connect it to the other. This should form a cone. Pour stuffing into cone, but do not fill all the way, so there is still some room to close the cone. This should get you the triangular Samosa. If you can't get this to work right, just roll stuffing into sphere and wrap the circular dough around. This will get you Kachori (typical of Gujarat) rather than Samosas (typical of Punjab). They will nevertheless taste the same.

7) Deep fry. Wait until the Samosa turns a browninsh pinkish color before taking out.

8) Eat Samosas / feed them to other people. 

Borscht

Contributor: Josh Jasper

Author's Notes: This recipe made a total of 10 two-cup servings. It should freeze and reheat very well.

Borscht


1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion , chopped medium
2 medium carrots , chopped medium
2 medium garlic cloves , minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 quarts beef stock
2 lb stew beef or lamb
1/2 small head cabbage , green or red, shredded* (about 5 cups)
1 3/4 pounds beets, peeled, half grated and half cubed** (about 5 cups)
5 - 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 bay leaf
3/4 pound small red potatoes (each 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter), scrubbed***
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh dill , chopped

* How to shred cabbage: Cut the half-cabbage in half again, cut out the stem, cut each quarter-cabbage in half again, separate each eighth-cabbage into a front section and a back section, feed each section into a food processor equipped with a SLICING (not shredding) blade.

** Last time we made it, we agreed that there wasn't enough beet flavor. Cubing some of the beets instead of shredding them helps a lot with this.

*** We now make a point of having small boiled potatoes in the fridge at all times, so we skipped this bit.

1. Heat the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the tomato paste and stir in 1/2 cup of the stock to dissolve the tomato paste. Add the remaining stock, cabbage, beets, 4 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Brown the meat and add it to the soup, adjusting heat as necessary to keep at a simmer. Cook until the vegetables and meat are soft and tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Cook until a thin-bladed paring knife or metal cake tester inserted into a potato can be removed with no resistance, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes, cool slightly, and cut into quarters.

4. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup dill. Place 4 potato quarters in each individual soup bowl and ladle some soup over the potatoes. Top with 2 more pieces of potato, a generous dollop of sour cream, and a generous sprinkling of dill. Serve immediately. 

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Swiss Chard

Contributor: Mama_Z

Contributor Notes: I've made a bunch of different short ribs over the years and these are by far the most delicious. I followed the recipe to a T, except I omitted the parsley and I did not use bone-in short ribs. I also stopped at Step 9 and put the meat/veggies in one container and the strained sauce in another and refrigerated overnight. The next night I was easily able to remove the top layer of congealed fat from the sauce and reheat it on the stovetop (I let it cook down for a while so it would thicken -- whisking in flour is optional), brown the ribs, and make the Swiss chard. Short ribs are ALWAYS better the next day or even the day after that. Enjoy!

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Swiss Chard

6	flanken-style beef short ribs (14 to 16 ounces each)
1	tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1	tablespoon black pepper, or to taste
1 1/2	tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
3	dozen small pearl onions
8	tablespoons olive oil
1	medium onion, chopped
1	small carrot, chopped
1	small celery stalk, chopped
4	sprigs fresh thyme
2	bay leaves
2	tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2	cups port
2 1/2	cups red wine
6	cups beef or veal stock
4	sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2	bunches Swiss chard, stemmed with leaves torn into large pieces

1. Sprinkle the short ribs with 1 tablespoon of thyme and 1 tablespoon pepper, rubbing them into the meat with your hands. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Before cooking, let the ribs sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Set the oven at 425 degrees.

3. Sprinkle the ribs with 1 tablespoon of the salt.

4. Toss the onions with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 15 minutes or until they are very tender. When they are cool, slip off the skins with your fingers and set the onions aside. Turn the oven down to 325.

5. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over high heat until it is almost smoking. Sear the shortribs, meaty sides down, working in batches to avoid crowding, until they are browned on their meaty sides. Transfer to a roasting pan large enough to hold the ribs standing up in one layer.

6. Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to the skillet. Cook, stirring to scrape the crusty bits in the pan, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to caramelize.

7. Add the vinegar, port, and wine. Turn the heat to high, and let the liquid bubble steadily until they reduce by half.

8. Pour in the stock and return the mixture to a boil. Pour the liquid over the short ribs; it should almost cover them. Tuck the parsley around the meat. Cover tightly with foil.

9. Braise for about 3 hours, or until the meat offers no resistance when pierced with a paring knife. Let the ribs rest for 10 minutes in their juices. Remove them from the oven and then transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet.

10. Turn the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Roast the ribs for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned.

11. Meanwhile, strain the cooking juices into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables to extract all the liquid. Skim off and discard the fat. Bring to a boil and let the mixture simmer to reduce it so it thickens slightly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

12. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Stir in the pearl onions, add half the Swiss chard, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until wilted. Add a splash of water and the rest of the greens. Season with a large pinch of salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until they are tender.

13. On a large platter, set the Swiss chard mixture. Arrange the short ribs on top, and spoon the cooking juices over them. Serve with potato puree and horseradish cream.

© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

Thai Green Curry (Paste and Dish)

Contributor: Josh Jasper

Author's Notes: Curry paste - We followed this recipe almost exactly, cutting the garlic to one clove, using bottled organic lime juice instead of buying a lime, and using sesame oil instead of olive oil.

Thai Green Curry (From Scratch)

4-6 medium green chillies, de-seeded and roughly chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
5cm/2in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
small bunch of fresh coriander [cilantro], stalks and roots attached if possible
2 lemongrass stalks, chopped (if unavailable, use 2 tbsp dried)
1 lime, grated zest and juice
8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of
1 extra lime)
2.5cm/1in piece galangal, peeled and chopped (if unavailable, use ginger)
1 tbsp coriander [cilantro] seeds, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
2 tsp Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a paste.

Use straight away or store in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (or freeze). Makes about 1 cup. 

Author's Notes: For the curry recipe we turned, as we often do, to Cook's Illustrated.  Their recipe calls for fish sauce and chicken; if you're a vegetarian or vegan, you can use light soy sauce or vegan "fish" sauce and add the veg protein source of your choice. It only wants half a cup of homemade green curry paste, but you can easily double it to use the full cup made in the above recipe. 

2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk (unsweetened), not shaken
1/2 cup green curry paste (related recipe), or 2 tablespoons
store-bought green curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of excess fat and sliced thin
Table salt
Vegetables
1 large chile (hot), stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Note: While cutting up the vegetables, divide them into two bowls: "takes a little while to cook" (e.g. turnips, broccoli stems, green beans) and "cooks quickly" (e.g. bell pepper, broccoli florets, zucchini). If using hot peppers, put them in the "cooks quickly" bowl.  If using potatoes, boil them separately and add them in at the end.

Broth: Carefully spoon off about 1 cup of the top layer of cream from one can of coconut milk -- this layer will be thick and possibly solid. Place the coconut cream and curry paste in a large stock pot or Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over high heat, whisking to blend, about 2 minutes. Maintain this brisk simmer and whisk frequently until almost all of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until the cream separates into a puddle of colored oil and coconut solids, 3 to 8 minutes. (You should hear the curry paste starting to fry in the oil.) Continue cooking until the curry paste is very aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining coconut milk, the fish sauce, and the brown sugar. Bring
back to a brisk simmer and cook until the flavors meld and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Meat/veg/whatever: Season the chicken with salt and add it to the pot, stirring until the pieces are separated and evenly coated with the sauce, about 1 minute. Stir in the "takes a little while" vegetables and bring back to a brisk simmer over medium heat. Cook until the vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the "cooks quickly" vegetables and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice, basil, and mint. Serve immediately over white rice. Makes about eight servings. 

Super Simple Moroccan Chicken Stew

Contributor: Josh Jasper

Author's Notes: Super simple!

Super Simple Moroccan Chicken Stew

Into a small bowl, measure:
    1.25 tsp sweet paprika,
    .5 tsp each cumin and ginger, and
    .25 tsp each cayenne, ground coriander seed, and cinnamon.

(Or 3 tsp. of ras al hanout, if you want to save time.)

Separately, measure out 2 tsp minced garlic.

Drain and rinse a 15 oz. can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans.

Measure out:
    2 cups chicken broth,
    1 tsp lemon juice, and
    1 tbsp honey.

Cut 1 medium carrot into .5" coins.

Halve 1 large onion pole-to-pole and cut into .25" slices.

Measure out 1 cup dried apricots and quarter them.

Chop up 2 tbsp parsley or cilantro.

Cut up 3 lb. skinless boneless chicken (white and/or dark meat) and season with salt & pepper.

In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.

In a single layer, brown the pieces of chicken 5 minutes on each side.
Remove to a plate or bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.

Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until onion browns at the edges but is still firm. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add spices and cook until very fragrant, about 45 seconds to one minute. Pour in chicken broth, lemon juice, and honey. Add chicken and accumulated juices, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add apricots and carrots. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes.

Add chickpeas to pot; increase heat to medium-high and simmer until liquid has thickened slightly and carrots are tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add parsley/cilantro and lemon juice to taste; stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Meat Pie

Contributor: sara_l_r

Contributor Notes: Mega comfort food. Heavily adapted from a Betty Crocker cookbook recipe. Delicious.

Cooking Time: 30 - 40 minutes including all baking time.

Easy Level: 2 out of 10.

Serves: 4

Meat Pie

2 pie crusts

1 pound chopmeat

Half 8 oz. package frozen peas

1 medium yellow onion

3 - 4 medium carrots

Cheddar cheese

1 10 oz. can condensed tomato soup

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Water 

Salt (I use kosher for seasoning and regular Morton's for salting water and baking. Switch to kosher. Your life will change.) 

Pepper (I always use Coarse-Ground Black Pepper. Fresh-ground has a very different flavour that I don't love.)

Rosemary

1 egg

Preheat oven to 425. 

Prebake one pie crust for ten minutes at 425 or until golden-brown-ish. MAKE SURE TO PUNCTURE BOTTOM AND SIDES THOROUGHLY WITH A FORK BEFORE BAKING or your pie crust will be full of air bubbles. If you have any when you take pie crust out you can always puncture them with a fork. Place second frozen pie crust on the stove to defrost.

Cut one medium yellow onion in half, halve both halves down the middle, and slice. Put in a pan with a splash of olive oil.

Chop three - four medium size carrots to steam. You need a steamer pot for this; steaming can also be done in the microwave (place vegetables in about 1/4 inch of water and microwave on high until done (5 - 7 minutes)) but if you have a steamer pot please use it.

Cook beef, carrots, and onion at the same time.

- Saute pound of ground beef in a frying pan on high, no oil needed (the beef will provide enough as fat renders). Salt and pepper thoroughly. Cook thoroughly, but if you get impatient and there's a little pink left it'll finish in the oven.

- Steam carrots on high. Ask your mom/dad/tolerant-partner to show you how to use a steamer pot if you don't know. It's ok if carrots still have a little bite to them when they're done.

- Saute onions on medium-high. Salt onions. Once they're translucent and soft you can stop whenever you want. I like mine brown/black, not everyone does. 

Put tomato soup in a bowl. Fill can with water (swish it around to get the remains of tomato soup off the sides) and add water to soup. Add flour, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of rosemary (crumble leaves in your hand before adding) Whisk together well or else you will have flour clumps in your pie.

Drain meat and onions! Add meat, onions, carrots and peas to tomato soup mixture as well as about half the bag of shredded cheddar. (If grating your own, I'd say close to a cup.). Mix well.

Transfer all to prebaked pie crust. Top with second defrosted pie crust. (Place the tin over the top of the ingredients and peel sides away, it should come away if you've defrosted enough. Ask your mom/dad/etc. to show you how.)

Make an egg wash for the top of the pie. (Separate an egg (youtube it) and use a paintbrush to paint the top of the pie with the egg white. This will make it shiny.)

Bake at 425 for twenty minutes.

Devour.

Pasta with Bacon and Chicken

Contributor: sara_l_r

Contributor Notes: This is an adaptation of a Pioneer Woman recipe. I took out the stuff that tastes bad and added stuff that tastes better. It is incredibly easy, very quick, super delicious, and looks a little bit fancy!

Cooking Time: About half an hour.

Easy Level: I'd say a 3 out of 10.

Serves: 4 (obviously, halve all amounts to serve 2)

Pasta with Bacon and Chicken

3 - 4 slices fatty bacon

3 good-side chicken breasts (sub 3 chicken tenders per breast)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

5 - 6 cloves fresh garlic

1 pound pasta

Salt (I use kosher for seasoning and regular Morton's for salting water and baking. Switch to kosher. Your life will change.) 

Pepper (I always use Coarse-Ground Black Pepper. Fresh-ground has a very different flavour that I don't love.)

Pecorino romano/parmesan cheese (FRESH GRATED FOR THE LOVE OF GOD)

Parsley

Chives/scallions (green onions)

Olive oil

Boil water for pasta (enough to cover all pasta with at least an inch of water above it). When water has boiled, add plenty of salt to water and add pasta. In the time it takes for water to boil and pasta to cook, you can do all the rest.

Chop bacon into small pieces (~1/2 inch). Fry in a hot pan (on high) until all fat is rendered (you can tell because the bacon has more or less stopped sizzling and is very brown and crispy). Remove bacon to a separate dish (slotted spoons are great for this) and keep all the fat in the pan. Reduce heat to medium.

While bacon is frying, chop your chicken into ~1 inch cubes. (Size doesn't matter but try to keep it uniform.) After bacon is removed, put chicken into bacon fat to fry. If you need to add some olive oil to give the chicken enough grease to fry in, just a splash is fine. (If your bacon is fatty enough you shouldn't have to do this.)

Saute chicken for about five minutes, then add 1 cup chicken broth and minced garlic. Feel free to turn up heat (I needed to) but don't burn garlic. Deglaze the pan (scrape up all the  brown stuff on the bottom with a whisk to increase the flavor of the sauce). If you have nonstick pans, you won't need to deglaze, and you shouldn't because you'll wreck your pan. 

When chicken is cooked through (cut open a piece and it's a uniform whiteness), reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1 cup cream, black pepper to taste (I add a lot), some salt, parsley to taste (if you buy a bunch at the store, two chops off the head is entirely sufficient), chives or scallions to taste (the same amount of chives as parsley, or 2 fully chopped scallions, should do it) and cheese to taste. I usually add a lot of cheese, maybe half a cup or more. Cook for at least 5 - 6 more minutes to allow all ingredients to meld.

TASTE THE SAUCE. I almost always need to add more cheese. More cheese will kick it up in a more complex way than more salt. 

Pour over drained pasta. Enjoy!!

Spinach and Feta Pasta

Contributor: taylor16

Contributor Notes: This is my quickest, easiest and tastiest "go-to" dinner recipe, but it would also make a good side dish. The quantity makes approximately one dinner serving for an adult if you're not eating it with any sides, so plan accordingly for quantities. The recipes can also be easily modified for your own taste (changing the veggies, adding chicken, decreasing garlic if you don't love it as much as I do, etc).

Spinach and Feta Pasta

1 cup pasta of your choice (I find rotini or penne works best)
2 tbsp olive oil (can decrease to 1 tbsp if you use cooking spray for step 2)
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tomato, chopped (or 1 small roma tomato) - (I recommend removing excess seeds and juice)
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
bunch of fresh spinach, according to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
3 ounces tomato/basil feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste


(1) Start cooking the pasta before you begin the rest of the recipe.
(2) Heat 1 tbsp of oil (can substitute cooking spray) in a large skillet and saute garlic and onion until golden brown.
(3) Add mushrooms and tomatoes, saute for 2-3 minutes
(4) Add spinach and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cook until wilted
(5) Add cooked, drained pasta, feta, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until cheese is melted to a sauce and mixture is heated through. Serve.

Mapu Doufu

Contributor: wangdw


Author's Notes: A classic Chinese dish that's easy to make and reheats extremely well. Can be made in large quantities Sunday night to be re-eaten at lunch for the week.

Mapu Doufu

ground pork (NOT extra-lean; you need some fat content)

fresh ginger (the actual root)

peanut oil

black bean garlic sauce

chili sauce

soy sauce (or fish sauce)

doufu (tofu)--medium texture--not the desert stuff

scallions

mushrooms

chicken stock

Mince the fresh garlic (a piece a least two times the size of your thumb).

Put enough peanut oil in frying pan to cover the ginger, set to low heat.

Cook ginger until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not brown.

Add ground pork, increase the heat to high and cook until almost done.

As pork cooks, add basic spices:

• Black bean garlic sauce (this is essential)
• Soy sauce or fish sauce
• Your choice of chili/hot sauce. Many Chinese use Sichuan peppercorns, which are extremely hot. If you want to use these, put them in with the ginger at the very beginning--you will basically flavor the oil with them. One generally avoids biting down on a Sichuan peppercorn.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

When the pork is basically cooked, lower the heat, add the chicken stock, followed by:

• doufu/tofu
• scallions (particularly the green bits, but as much as you want)
• chopped mushrooms

Let simmer while the rice cooks.

Adjust flavor and serve.