Tag Archives: weeknight dinners

Apr19

Dinner for one — Mushroom bourguignon

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One of the main excuses that I hear from people who don’t cook for themselves is that it doesn’t make sense to cook for one. If you don’t like to cook, that’s fine, but if you want a home-cooked meal and are eating solo, I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to make something delicious in a single portion!

Paco was out late at a baseball game last night, so I decided to make myself a mushroom bourguignon. I love beef bourguignon (this recipe from Baked Bree is amazing), but it takes hours and genuinely doesn’t really make sense for one (unless you want to make a full batch and save the leftovers for later). However, it’s easy to make as many or as few mushrooms as you’d like, and the mushroom version is a lot quicker because there is no beef to braise.

I used the mushroom bourguignon recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but I added some bacon and a few touches from the beef recipe above.  The bacon adds a nice savory quality, but you can follow the original recipe to keep it vegetarian.

Mushroom Bourguignon for One
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2/3 lb mushrooms, I used a mixture of portobello and crimini
1/3 onion, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3-4 springs of thyme, leaves removed
1/2 c red wine
1 T brandy
1/2 c – 1 c water, beef broth, or vegetable broth
1 T tomato paste
1/2 T flour
kosher salt
black pepper

2 strips bacon, diced
1/2 c frozen pearl onions, defrosted
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 c parsley, chopped

egg noodles, prepared according to package directions

Begin by making the bacon and onion garnish. Brown the bacon over medium heat in a small skillet, remove to drain on paper towels once crispy. Drain off some of the excess bacon grease from the pan, but leave a little bit to fry the onions in. Add the onions, tossing in the bacon fat. When they begin to brown, add the brown sugar and continue to cook for another minute, so that a nice crust forms over the onions. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 T of olive oil and 1/2 T of butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and brown for a few minutes, until they are dark brown but before they begin to release a lot of liquid. Remove them from the pot and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pot and add the onions, carrots, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, and saute for an additional minute. Add the wine to the pot, stirring to deglaze the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the brandy, tomato paste, and water or broth. Add the mushrooms to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix 1/2 T of room temperature butter with 1/2 T of flour to make a paste, then add this to the sauce and stir. This should thicken the sauce. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reached the desired consistency. Taste and reseason if necessary.

Serve over egg noodles and garnish with the pearl onions and bacon.

Apr17

Building a not-so-tiny perfect burger

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I love a good hamburger as much as anyone, but restaurant-sized burgers are usually too big for me. When did the standard burger become 8 oz of beef plus whatever other miscellaneous deliciousness you want to add?  (For me that probably means chili and cheddar or sautéed mushrooms, onions, and Swiss.) I still eat burgers at restaurants, but I very rarely eat them with my hands, because they’re just too big to pick up and take bites of.

At home, however, I can make a smaller burger and still eat it with my hands.  I think 1/3 lb is the perfect size, on a nice, toasted or grilled kaiser roll. Kaiser rolls are light enough to squish down for easier eating. We set out a bunch of different toppings, then customize the burgers accordingly. I try not to go overboard with the toppings, so that my burger stays a manageable size. However, if you have guests over, they can go as overboard as they want!

I topped mine with cheddar, bacon, tomato, lettuce, red onions, bbq sauce, pickled jalapenos, and pickles.

Apr12

Thai-style ground chicken and basil

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I was introduced to a Thai dish recently, by my (Thai) friend Kathy, and now I am obsessed with it. It’s ground chicken stir-fried with mint and chilies. It’s so simple but so good, and such a nice change from the old stand-bys pad thai, panang curry, etc. I decided to make a dish inspired by that using basil instead of mint. My version was a tiny bit salty, so I recommend starting with less fish sauce and adding more after tasting it.

Thai-Style Ground Chicken and Basil

1 T vegetable oil
1 lb ground chicken
juice of 1 lime
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 -1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 tsp soy sauce
1-2 T fish sauce (start with 1 and taste before adding more)
1 T garlic chili sauce, plus extra on the side
15 leaves of basil, roughly chopped, or 1/3 c of mint, roughly chopped

Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add the oil to the pan, and when it’s hot, add the garlic and fry until fragrant.

Add the chicken, breaking up with a wooden spoon and allowing to brown. When the chicken is brown, add the green onions and jalapeno. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili sauce, then toss the meat around in the sauces. Finally, add the basil or mint and stir for about 30 seconds or until wilted.

Serve over white rice.

Apr5

Wilted spinach and fried tofu salad

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This salad was inspired by Rachael Ray’s chicken piccata salad, which we make quite frequently.  I wanted to incorporate some salty, fried tofu, and the result was delicious!

Wilted Spinach and Fried Tofu Salad
(serves 2)

1 block of tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 pound of baby spinach, washed
1 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 red onion, finely sliced
2 T capers
juice of 1 lemon
1 T butter
kosher salt
black pepper

To fry to the tofu, lay the slices out on top of three paper towels. Place three more paper towels on top of the tofu, and press to remove the excess water.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Fry the tofu for a few minutes, until the first side is golden brown. Flip and brown the second side. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Season with salt while hot, and slice into bite-sized cubes.

In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions in the pan until golden, then turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and capers. Season with black pepper. Add the spinach and toss for 30 seconds to a minute, until some of the spinach has wilted but a lot of it is still raw.

Serve the tofu over a bed of semi-wilted spinach.  The different textures of the spinach really make the salad.

Mar23

North African meatballs and cous cous

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This was one of the first recipes that Melissa d’Arabian made on her show after winning The Next Food Network Star, and it has been one of our favorites ever since.

It’s really delicious, and I usually have most of the ingredients on hand.  It can be modified to accommodate whatever you have in your fridge.  For example, last night I made the following substitutions:

Red wine instead of white
Green olives stuffed with garlic instead of regular olives)
Fire-roasted tomatoes instead of regular
Dried cranberries instead of dates
Whole wheat cous cous instead of regular

The only thing that I always change when making this recipe is that I bake my meatballs in the oven, at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, instead of pan-frying them. While the meatballs bake, I make the sauce, then I simmer the browned meatballs in the sauce for 20 or minutes.

I am not going to re-post the recipe because I always use hers and make different modifications each time.  I can promise you that the results will be delicious, though!