There are different opinions to what items a cook should keep around the house? Alice Waters has a great list in, The Art of Simple Food; Mark Bittman has a written about what gets stocked for the international pantry; Deborah Madison advises on how to stock up for the vegetarian provender and at some point every few years, most newspapers will run an article on kitchen basics, like the NY Times does here.
Rather than worry about what to keep in stock generally, I have 3 specific meal ideas for the occasional cook. All 3 recipes can be made in under 30 minutes, requiring only a couple perishable items - which is kind of a shame because Saucykitchens™ tends to favor elaborate cooking, trips to the grocery store and green salads, but occasionally it is nice to have a solid meal that can be made quickly and without too much forethought or for that matter, too much thought.
The Menu Selection
Risi e Pisi - Saffron Risotto and Peas.
Spaghetti Tapenade – Easy olive sauce, a good fit with that frozen piece of Tuna you bought from Trader Joe’s a couple months ago and have since been wondering why you bought and what to do with it.
Crab Cakes – Canned crab never tasted so good.
Risi e Pisi – Olive Oil, Arborio Rice, Saffron, Frozen Peas, Parmesan Cheese. Optional ingredients Chicken Stock and/or Frozen Shrimp.
The rice can sit in a sealed container for months on end. The other stuff can, like a bear, hibernate in the cold for at least one season. If you use stock, pour from a can – This isn’t so much a quality issue: the standard size for a can is 14.5 oz and fits this recipe better and it doesn't take up brain space figuring out what to do with the other half of 32 oz carton.
Heat a cup of water - the microwave is fine- when it is nearly boiling add ½ teaspoon of saffron threads and set aside. In a pan set over medium heat combine a cup (this will be enough for 2 servings) of Arborio rice with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt, stir for about a minute, then pour in a cup of stock or water. Keep stirring, the rice will absorb all the liquid, then add the saffron water, keep stirring occasionally until all the liquid is absorbed then add the remainder of the stock or another cup of water and stir until this liquid is absorbed.
At this point it should be 22 – 25 minutes later, the rice should be a beautiful golden color soft enough to eat but still have a good bite to it. Stir in half a bag of peas (8ozs) along with about a ¼ cup of shredded parm cheese and some black pepper (Frozen shrimp would go in at this point). And look who is cooking now.
Spaghetti Tapenade – 1 pound of Spaghetti, 4 oz pitted black olives , ¼ cup olive oil.
After that it is a matter of preference –You can add 2 cloves garlic - if it is around, the juice of a lemon, a tablespoon of capers (very authentic- yet I don't really use them - they overwhelm stuff), parsley – not authentic, but I always use and 1 or 2 anchovy filets if you like. Tapenade tastes really good with fish like tuna – not canned and not sushi grade, just regular tuna works great as does a nice meaty piece of the more environmentally friendly tilapia. Even without fish or a side salad, this is a fine meal onto itself.
Bring salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, gather ingredients. Canned black olives work okay, they come in those little 4 oz cans but they taste tinny. Kalamata Olives work great, they come pitted in jars and will keep in the fridge forever - just like anchovies and more amazingly curly parsley – the stuff keeps forever in a Ziploc bag. If you have parsley, rip a handful from the stems and roughly chop. Smash garlic with the side of the knife. Grab optional capers and/or anchovies if you are so inclined.
The water should be boiling at this point, cook the pasta. You have about 7 or 8 minutes until spaghetti is done. Use this time to make a paste out of your selected ingredients by chopping steadily and thoroughly with a knife or throwing in a food processor/cuisinart and pulsing a few times. When pasta is done, drain water, toss the pasta with olive mixture, olive oil, and if you are using it -lemon juice, black pepper and top with cheese.
Crab Cakes – 1 can 4 oz of crab, 4 -6 Tablespoons breadcrumbs, 1 egg, parsley, a splash of olive oil, salt & pepper.
Okay, these aren’t authentic crab cakes, but they aren't Krab Kakes either and for a quick meal, these are good. Chop parsley and then combine all ingredients together with salt and pepper in a bowl and if you like a little hot sauce. Heat up about 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat, form the crab mixture into little patties, you should have enough for 4 cakes: If the mixture is too dry add, a little more oil, if it is too wet add some more breadcrumbs. Cook about 3 minutes per side.
If you have a mortar and pestle and an extra egg you are almost legally required to make aioli. Separate the yolk and the white. Peel 2-3 cloves of garlic and crush them in the mortar with the pestle or vise versa, I get confused. Keep pounding until the garlic is a near paste then add the egg yolk, then add the olive oil (½ cup total = 8 Tablespoons) a tablespoon at a time - all the while continuing to pound away. When the mixture is thick and lovely, stir in a little lemon juice, pepper and if you are feeling really good - heat up a dozen saffron threads in a tablespoon of hot water - let cool to room temperature then stir in.
And I know what you are thinking – “Oh Mr. Saucypants thinks we should get our mortar and pestle out for some fancy Mediterranean mayonnaise”. Here is the thing…sometimes aioli is hard to make with a whisk, in a food processor or blender. Aioli turns out EVERY time in a mortar and pestle. The whole process goes slow enough that mistakes can’t be made. Just sayin’. And aioli goes really well with the crab cakes. If you don’t want to believe me or want something a little less heavy/complicated since you have the garlic, parsley and lemon around – you can whip up some gremolota.Or just use that ranch dressing that has been sitting in the door of the fridge since you moved in. In that case just don’t blame your upset stomach on the shellfish.
So your shopping list is:
1 pound of spaghetti
1 can/jar black olives
Anchovies
Capers – if you like, skip if you don’t
Olive oil
2 lemons
1 head of garlic
A bunch of curly parsley
Arborio rice
A can of chicken stock
A can of crab meat
Bread crumbs – you really should make your own from old bread but I’ll cede this if you try to make aioli.
½ dozen eggs
Frozen peas
Maybe frozen fish
Parmesan Cheese
Salt, pepper, saffron
Less than 20 items for 3 meals and leftovers. And speaking of shopping lists – Minnesota wins here.
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