Work night menus

[jaybone]

It can be tough to come home from a long day at work and then throw a meal together. I often times feel tired and uninspired.

What are your go to meals, when you want to cook from the pantry and put something together quickly?

I'll start with my favourite- White Bean and Sausage Stew with Escarole.

This is a great one from Fine Cooking (excellent magazine). It is cheap and easy...just how I like it!

This recipe feeds 4, does not take long, is great left over and freezes nicely.

Hope you enjoy it!

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 med onion

3/4lb spicy sausage- casing removed

2 clove garlic- minced

2 15oz cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

1 small head escarole- (curly endive- kale also works if stems removed) washed and cut in to 1" pieces

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp red wine vin- to taste

s&p

1/4 cup grated parm

Heat oil in heavy pot or dutch oven. Add onion 'till tender.

Add sausage- raise heat to med/high- stir and break up in to 1" pieces, 5-6min.

Add garlic and stir in for 1 min. Add beans and stir for a few.

Add escarole in batches, adding more as it wilts- stirring constantlyish.

When all the escarole is in, add broth- cover for about 8 minutes.

Season with s&p and red wine vin.

Put in bowls and sprinkle with parm.

serve with toasted bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil.

Yumm!

Edited January 8, 2010 by Guest

[StaggerLee]

Home fries with chili-garlic sauce and green salad.

Cut potatoes into wedges and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 450 until done.

For sauce combine:

2 tbsp plain yogurt

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dijon

1 tsp chili-garlic paste

1 clove garlic minced

My usual salad is just greens, red onion, red pepper, and goat cheese with a simple vinaigrette.

[StaggerLee]

Carbonara is another quick meal. This is great carbonara:

3 oz / 80 g bacon or pancetta, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

a dash of dry white wine

2 eggs

2 oz / 50 g freshly grated cheese (parmesan + cheddar, Gruyère, Sbrinz or similar)

1 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp crème fraîche or heavy cream

7 oz / 200 g spaghetti

salt and black pepper

1. Peel the garlic and squash the cloves a little with the flat of a knife. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the whole cloves until they are a deep golden brown. Throw them away.

2. Add the bacon or pancetta to the garlic-flavoured oil and cook until it starts to go crispy. Throw in the wine, let it bubble away for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat.

3. Lightly beat the eggs in what will eventually be your serving bowl; add lots of grindings of black pepper, the parsley, cream and grated cheese.

4. Cook the pasta, drain it and add it to the eggy mixture. Toss it quickly and thoroughly, making sure all the strands are coated with thickening egg and melting cheese. Add the bacon and toss again. Serve it in heated bowls (all the tossing tends to cool the spaghetti quite rapidly).

[ollie]

You guys are way more ambitious than me. When I'm truly too beat to think about cooking I do something like I did last night... throw some frozen salmon fillets in the oven, boil some potatoes and make a salad. Now I feel really lazy.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

[headymamamyrna]

Make sure you unplug the oron after use!

Edited January 8, 2010 by Guest

[headymamamyrna]

I was trying to delete this because of a wrong spelling!

I mean iron!

[jaybone]

Ollie,

The meal I suggested would take the same amount of time as throwing some salmon in the oven.

Well, maybe a few minutes more- but start to finish in about a half hour.

Thanks for the suggestions Stagger Lee- Davey Boy, I don't believe I have had a iron pressed grilled cheese since frosh year. Thanks for the flashbacks...er... I mean... memories.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Guest

[meggo]

last week i made a kind of southwestern chili. not too high maintenance.

my version:

-shredded chicken

-kidney beans

-black beans

-corn [frozen works well]

-onion

-garlic

-chili powder

-cumin

-canned chipotles [a couple, chopped]

-tomato [diced, from a can]

-i think there might have been some chicken broth in there?

garnish:

-sour cream

-cilantro

-lime squeeze

really good! and makes lots.

[meggo]

another REALLY easy one i've done is a carrot/curry soup. do a quick internet search and there are lots of recipes. basically-

-boil a bunch of carrots in chicken broth

-blend them up so they're as smooth as you like

-add curry powder

probably you would also want some diced/sauteed onions in there, and maybe some other stuff!

[ollie]

The meal I suggested would take the same amount of time as throwing some salmon in the oven.

That's true but it's a lot more effort.

Yeah, I really am that lazy after work.

[d_rawk]

another REALLY easy one i've done is a carrot/curry soup

With a bit of ginger and coconut milk thrown in there, this sounds like a decent way to use up the loads of Bryson carrots I've got kicking around.

For me, you can't get a quicker or better meal after a long day than steak. Two or three minutes per side and only two sides to contend with.

[fluffhead77]

Favorite work night meal for 2 peeps:

1. 30-35 Dim sum dumplings (loblaws carries them in a variety of flavours, less than $3 per pkg of 25

2. 10 heads of baby bok choy

1. toss those little flavour pockets in boiling salted water until they all float - about 3 minutes and then into a frying pan with about 2 tbs of veg/sesame oil mixture and saute on med- high until crispy on one side.

2. Steam bok choy for approx 5 minutes... serve immediately. I like to drizzle the bok choy with a little rice vinegar, but that's just me.

Dipping sauce: 1 tbsp Sriracha, 1 tsp soy sauce, dash of Mirin( optional), 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, small pinch of sugar. Whisk vigorously. Serve on side.

All in all this takes less than 15 minutes from start to chow and is delicious!!

[meggo]

made tonight and it's easy - not SUPER fast but easy-

emeril's jambalaya from the food network website. google will get you there right quick. YUMMY.

[Schwa.]

[jaybone]

Thanks for that Carbonara recipe Stagger Lee.

I made it earlier in the week and it kicked all kinds of ass.