Quick Eats

I love home-cooked food.
Much more so than heading out to grab a quick bite. If you grocery shop often enough and keep pantry staples it's easy enough to throw quick meals together. This kind of thinking gets lost mid-semester, but cooking is relaxing and creative, and can be really nourishing. My grocery list is usually made up of perishables from most of the 5-6 food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, calcium-rich foods, and fats). Pantry staples are life-savers:

• grains: whole-wheat pastas, rices (basmati, brown, quick-cooking, arborio, jasmine), couscous, barley, quinoa, oats
• fruits and veg: dried, frozen, and canned goods are always on hand to throw in. Things like dried mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes are also good to have on hand. I always have cans of canned and diced tomatoes (low-sodium varieties) available.
  
• beans and proteins: canned, dried, and frozen, soy foods, and frozen soy foods (veg links, and patties), nuts, nut butters.
  
• calcium-rich foods: fortified soymilks, regular milk, parmesan cheese, or other specialty cheeses, silken tofu, miso paste.
• Spices and herbs: cumin, turmeric, saffron, black pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, any variety of dried herbs, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, caraway seeds, celery seed, garam masala, and any others you love or cook with.
  
• Others: oils such as olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, and toasted sesame oil, vinegars like red wine, balsamic, white wine, and cider vinegars, chutneys, dips, green and black olives, bottled marinara sauces, frozen semi-healthy prepared foods (like frozen spring rolls or gyoza, veggie patties), vegetable broth, beer and wine, coconut milk, thai curry paste, fruit jams, and lemon custard.

This recipe was thrown together with mostly pantry goods and a few items I bought on my bi-weekly grocery store trek. It took me about 35 minutes. I get the rice going first so as it cooks, and you start on the main thing, the rice is ready when you are.

Thai Veg Curry
Serves: 4

4 cups Jasmine rice, cooked
4 shittake mushrooms, rehydrated from dried
2 T ready-made Thai Green Curry paste (from Harris Teeter)
1.5 cans (14 oz or 16 oz) coconut milk. (you pick the fat content - fat carries flavor)
1 t peanut oil
1 t coriander
1 cup, carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 medium sized butternut squash, 1" dice
1.5 cups extra-firm tofu, thawed from freezer, 1" cubes
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small can bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained (like the size of a small tuna can)
2 T brown sugar
salt to taste
2 T lime juice or fish sauce
1 T tamarind paste
6-7 peanuts, crushed

Note: to rehydrate dried mushrooms, rinse, and then place in boiling water, you can use the water as a stock if you like.

In this recipe several of the ingredients come right out of the pantry. The fresh vegetables that are added to it could be any stir-fry vegetables that you have on hand or like. I would avoid cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbages, brussel sprouts) because they give off a funny odor when cooked into a curry like this one. I usually just buy whatever is in season, or whatever appeals to me that day.

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. If using dried mushrooms, rehydrate (they usually take about 30 minutes to soften).
3. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat
4. Combine coconut milk with curry paste, mix well and add to pot. Continue cooking over medium heat.
5. Next add in butternut squash, and cook about 7 minutes, add in carrots, tofu, and continue cooking about 5-7 more minutes more.
6. Stir in brown sugar through tamarind paste.
7. Stir in bamboo shoots, shittake mushrooms, and cilantro

Serve over jasmine rice, and garnish with some chopped peanuts. I served these with some vegetarian gyoza with soy-sesame oil, and dried chives

Kitchen Basics for Easy Cooking

A well-organized kitchen can help you cook more efficiently by simply knowing where things are located. Take a visual map of your kitchen. Are cooking utensils and pot holders near a cooking range? Do you know what’s inside your pantry? Are mixing bowls and measuring cups easy to locate? Re-thinking your kitchen workspace can save you precious minutes in recipe prep.

Here are a few organizational tips that are tried and true.
1. Be smart about storage space. Cabinets can store dishes, cups and bowls. They can also store foods that you cook with often. Keep like ingredients together. Canned beans, tomatoes and vegetables can be organized together. Dried pastas and beans can be stored near each other. Spices can be alphabetized for convenience. If you have pantry space, try to keep daily items (pasta sauce, rice, flours) at eye-level. Keep a wipe-off board or chalkboard to keep track of what you need to replace.

2. Use your countertops. Store daily items on the counter. This will ensure that you use them and save time in the morning. The toaster, can opener, blender, and food processor will be ready when you use them and you don’t have to find storage space. Daily food items can also be stored in attractive containers. Beans or pastas in canisters, bread in a bread box, fruit in a fruit bowl.

3. Eliminate junky drawers. Plastic or wood organizers make silverware and kitchen gadgets easy to find all the time. Cooking or baking cooking utensils can be stored in a canister or drawer next to the stovetop.

4. First in, first out. Try to use items in the order they were bought. This common sense skill will save many foods from spoiling, re-buying the same foods, or creating multiple containers of the same food. Refrigerators can store a large amount of food. Take advantage of pre-organized areas in the fridge: produce drawers, meat and cheese drawers, butter and margarine drawers and side-door storage. Keep frequently used items in areas that are easy to reach. You may want to separate your fridge into four or more areas: beverages, dairy, proteins, produce and leftovers. Try to use items in the order they were bought, first in, first out.

5. Clean it up. Wipe down counters, stovetops and tabletops daily. This helps keep your kitchen in working order the rest of the week.

Bon Appetit!

I just got back from a Washington DC visit where I was able to check out some of the Smithsonian museums at the mall. At the Museum of American History, their is a replica of Julia Child's kitchen with many other replicas (wine cellar list, tools, recipes, handwritten notes) with a looping DVD of some of her cooking shows. It was my favorite exhibit if simply to remind me that food is at the center of almost everything we do (as in hopefully we all eat at some point during the day). Yet food and cooking is slowly becoming a lost art, be it scheduling conflicts, lack of interest, or lack of skill. Yet, cooking is worth it!

The kitchen replica was practical, where pots and pans were next to the stove and oven; pegboards hung many kitchen tools and gadgets, and were in easy reach of whatever kitchen task was being performed. Maple counters made chopping and cutting an easy experience, while steel countertops next to the the stove made it easy to move hot things in and out. It was light and airy (sounds stupid, i know) but overall a welcoming place to be. It got me thinking about small things that can be done to make cooking easier and a much more pleasant experience.

While I love cooking, I never gave it much thought in how you set up a kitchen to streamline the entire process. Placement of food items in the fridge and cupboards matter, counterspace matters, garbage location matters, and location of hot pads and oven mitts matters.

Personally, I've taught a number of cooking classes, and have never stopped to talk about kitchen set-up. I can spit out grocery shopping techniques, budgeting techniques, and food prep/meal planning. Julia Child was a huge inspiration and gift to American culinary culture and history. She made cooking and drinking accessible, easy, practical, and fun.

My next few posts will be dedicated to setting up a kitchen to make it an easier, more accessible experience. Bon Appetit!