Issue Date: November 14, 2004
Fast recipes
Skill level: Easy.
Taste: Yummo.
Yield: An 8-dish feast from Rachael Ray.
Instant Pesto Torta
2 drizzles extra-virgin olive oil
4 sun-dried tomato halves
4 leaves of fresh basil
3 packages (5.2 ounces each) Boursin garlic-herb cheese
1/4 cup prepared sun-dried tomato tapenade (spread)
1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
1 baguette, sliced
Brush a small bowl with a little oil. Line bowl with plastic wrap. Drizzle in more oil, and brush it over the wrap. In the bowl's bottom, arrange the sun-dried tomatoes and basil leaves like an open flower. Add a package of cheese and press in firmly, smoothing the top. Layer in tomato spread. Press in another cheese; add pesto. Carefully press in last cheese.
Place a serving plate over the bowl and invert. Hold the edges of the plastic wrap to release the cheese; remove the wrap. Arrange baguette slices beside the torta. Cut through the torta and spread it on the bread. Yummo!
Yield: 1 pound torta. Can refrigerate up to 4 days.
Serves: 16.
Per serving: 221 calories, 5g protein, 18g fat (11g saturated), 12g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 362mg sodium.
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Everything Roasted Nuts
1 cup peeled whole almonds and 1 cup whole hazelnuts, both available in bulk-foods aisle of market
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tb. grill seasoning (I prefer Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Tb. hot sauce
1 cup smoked almonds (such as Diamond brand), available in the snack aisle
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 Tb. sesame seeds
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400. Put almonds and hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and roast 7 to 8 minutes (your nose will know when they're done). Melt butter in a skillet over low heat; stir in grill seasoning, cumin and hot sauce. Add roasted and smoked nuts to skillet; toss to coat. Sprinkle poppy and sesame seeds over nuts. Transfer to a small bowl and serve warm.
Serves: 12.
Per 1/4 cup: 205 calories, 6g protein, 19g fat (3g saturated), 5g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 289mg sodium.
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Pumpkin Soup With Chili Cran-Apple Relish
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"My mom always eats just the filling out of the pumpkin pies, so I started making pumpkin soup -- no crust!" Ray says.
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Soup:
1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. butter
1 fresh bay leaf
2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. flour
1 Tb. poultry seasoning (or 2 tsps. ground thyme)
2 Tbs. hot sauce
6 cups chicken stock or broth
29-ounce can pumpkin purée
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
Relish:
1 green apple, chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
2 tsps. chili powder
2 tsps. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add oil, butter, bay leaf, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce; cook 1 minute.
Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls, incorporating it into the broth. Simmer 10 minutes to thicken a bit.
Add cream and nutmeg. Lower heat; keep warm until ready to serve.
While soup simmers, combine all relish ingredients.
Adjust seasonings in soup and relish to taste. Serve soup in bowls, with a few spoonfuls of relish on top.
Yield: 16 cups.
Serves: 8, with leftovers.
Per 1 1/2-cup serving: 275 calories, 4g protein, 22g fat (12g saturated), 20g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 690mg sodium.
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Turkey: So easy it needs no recipe!
Buy two small turkeys. The cooking time is on the package. I stuff them with fresh herbs like bay leaf and thyme, and large pieces of celery, carrots and onions. I baste the turkeys with melted butter that has fresh bay leaf in it. I season them with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
For gravy, I stir flour and butter in a pan and whisk in a combination of store-bought turkey broth and some broth from the turkeys, fat skimmed off. After I remove the broth, I place the roasting pan on the stove burner and lift up the drippings by stirring in white wine, brandy or even apple cider. I add the liquid to my gravy along with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
Done!
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Apple-Onion Stuffin' Puffs
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
8 Tbs. (1 stick) softened butter, divided
1 fresh bay leaf
4 ribs celery (with green tops), from the heart, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 Macintosh apples, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. poultry seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 bag, about 8 cups, stuffing bread cubes, such as Pepperidge Farm brand
3 to 4 cups chicken stock or broth
Preheat oven to 375.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and 6 tablespoons butter. When butter melts, add bay leaf. Add the vegetables as you chop them: celery, onions, then apples. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, and cook 5 to 6 minutes more. Add parsley and bread cubes; combine. Moisten with chicken stock until all of the bread is soft but not wet.
Butter a cookie sheet liberally with remaining butter. Using an ice cream scoop, create 12 mounds of stuffing. (Remove the bay leaf when you find it.) Bake until set and crisp all over, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.
Yield: 12 generous stuffin' puffs.
Serves: 8, with leftovers.
Per puff: 289 calories, 6g protein, 12g fat (5g saturated), 40g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 917mg sodium.
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Cheesy Smashed Potatoes
5 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
2 big pinches of salt
1 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Wash potatoes, cut in half and place in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. (Work on other dishes as you wait for the water to boil.) When water boils, add pinches of salt. Boil potatoes 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and return potatoes to the hot pot. Smash potatoes with masher or large fork, and combine with sour cream and cheese. When cheese melts into potatoes, add chives, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Re-smash. Taste the potatoes and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Yield: 10 cups.
Serves: 8, with leftovers.
Per cup: 374 calories, 14g protein, 16g fat (10g saturated), 42g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 239mg sodium.
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Green Beans in Cider
2 18-ounce bags of whole frozen
green beans
1 cup apple cider
1 drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices pancetta (or maple-smoked bacon), chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine beans and cider. Loosely cover with plastic wrap; microwave on high 5 minutes. Stir, replace plastic, and microwave 4 to 7 minutes more, until desired doneness.
Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and pancetta; cook 3 or 4 minutes. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove beans from microwave; add salt and pepper. With tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the beans from the cider and transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Cover to keep warm.
Add cider to skillet; cook over medium-high heat to reduce liquid, 5 minutes. Pour bacon, onions and cider over beans, and serve.
Yield: 6 cups.
Serves: 8.
Per 3/4 cup serving: 100 calories, 3g protein, 4g fat (2g saturated), 15g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 83mg sodium.
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Mostly Store-Bought Caramel Apple Pie
1 store-bought family-sized apple pie, such as Mrs. Smith's
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup caramel dessert sauce, such as Smucker's
Bake the pie according to package directions. When 10 minutes of baking time remains, remove pie from oven. Heat caramel dessert sauce in microwave oven for 15 seconds. Sprinkle pecans onto the pie. Using a spoon, drizzle dessert sauce all over the nuts and pie crust, working all the way to the edges. Return pie to oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer, until nuts are toasted and top is brown.
Serves: 8.
Per serving: 495 calories, 4.5g protein, 27g fat (4g saturated), 64g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 415mg sodium.
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