In the meantime, here are today's six recipes to try out. Enjoy!
SKIRT STEAK WITH LENTIL SALAD
This is from Pierre Franey in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “This recipe came to The Times in 1990 in Pierre Franey's 60-Minute Gourmet column. A lentil salad (we used those tiny French green lentils, but you can use the standard supermarket variety as well) is dressed with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette, then topped with skirt steak that's been seared in a cast-iron pan. A simple sauce, made by deglazing the pan with butter, garlic and parsley, is drizzled over the top. It is classic Franey – uncomplicated, elegant and delicious.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 45 minutes.
This was featured in “60-Minute Gourmet”, and can be viewed online here. Also check out Melissa Clark’s guide “How to Cook Beans”.
Ingredients
For the Lentil Salad:
8 cups water
1 pound dried lentils
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1 cup finely chopped onions
4 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Steaks:
4 skirt steaks, about 1/2 pound each, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Preparation
To make the lentil salad, put the water in a large saucepan. Wash the lentils in a colander and add to the saucepan. Add the carrots, bay leaf, thyme and salt. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
In a large mixing bowl combine the mustard, 3/4 cup of oil and the vinegar, onions, tarragon, salt and pepper. Blend well with a wire whisk. Add the lentils and stir. Serve warm, lukewarm or cool.
To prepare the meat, sprinkle it on both sides with salt and pepper and brush with 1 tablespoon of oil.
Heat a cast-iron skillet large enough to hold two steaks over high heat, add the steaks and brown them for 3 minutes for medium-rare. Turn and continue cooking until they are thoroughly browned, about 3 minutes more. Remove to a warm platter. Repeat the procedure for the two remaining steaks.
Pour the fat from the skillet and reduce the heat. Add the butter, garlic and parsley. Cook briefly, stirring. Add any juices from the platter and blend well. Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve with the lentil salad immediately.
CHICKEN BREASTS WITH TOMATOES AND CAPERS
This recipe was also in a recent New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “This recipe was originally developed by Pierre Franey in 1991 for the 60-Minute Gourmet column, a weekly feature dedicated to Times-worthy dishes that were easy, quick and inexpensive. This recipe fit the bill perfectly, and it still does. Just sauté the chicken breasts until they are lightly browned. Then add shallots and garlic, tarragon, tomatoes, vinegar, capers, white wine and tomato paste. Stir well and cook for about 9 minutes more. That's it.” Time: 20 minutes; makes 4 servings.
This was featured in "60-Minute Gourmet" and can be view this online here.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
8 ripe plum tomatoes cut into small cubes (or one 28-ounce can of tomatoes, drained and chopped)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup drained capers
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Preparation
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the chicken breasts and saute over medium-high heat, turning the pieces often until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the shallots and garlic around the chicken. Cook briefly; add the tarragon, tomatoes, vinegar, capers, wine and tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the brown particles adhering to the bottom of the skillet.
Blend well, bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 9 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
GRANDMA'S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
This and the next recipe (Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies) are from my Grandma Hallock (my mom's mom). They can be found in my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.
1/2 C butter
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 C peanut butter
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, well beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream butter & peanut butter together. Add sugar gradually & cream thoroughly. Add egg. Sift flour once before measuring. Sift flour, soda, baking powder & salt together & add to creamed mixture. Chill dough well, then form into balls the size of walnuts. Place balls on lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten with fork dipped in flour, making criss-cross pattern. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
GRANDMA'S OATMEAL COOKIES
Cookies were one of Grandma Hallock's specialties. Both of her cookie recipes included here were extremely popular.
1 C flour
1 C butter or margarine
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C boiling water
3 C quick cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Mix flour & brown sugar. Add oatmeal; stir. Melt butter; add to dry ingredients. Mix baking soda into boiling water; add to other ingredients, stirring well. Place batter into loaf pan, lined with aluminum foil & place in freeze for several hours. Slice & bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
KUNG PAO CHICKEN
This was posted by Daring Gourmet in tbsp. (tablespoon)’s website. She wrote, “One of the most popular dishes throughout China and the Western world alike, this sweet and spicy chicken dish is not for the faint of taste buds. It packs a punch, or should we say, ‘PAO, right in the kisser!’” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes; makes 4 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
6-10 dried hot red chili peppers (or less according to heat preference), seeded and membranes removed (gloves recommended)
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 bunch green onions (about 6 green onions)
For the Marinade:
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Sauce:
1/4 cup black Chinese vinegar or dark balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the chicken pieces. Toss to coat and let the chicken sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stirring until the cornstarch and sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Fry the chilies for a few seconds until they turn darker in color.
Add the chicken and marinade and fry until no longer pink. Add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the green onions and fry for two minutes. Add the sauce and stir until thickened. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the peanuts. Simmer for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the green onions. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
20-MINUTE HERBED CHICKEN
This comes from the FamilyTime e-newsletter. It begins, “It's quick, it's easy and your family will love it...all it takes is 25 minutes and a few on-hand ingredients until dinner is served.” Serves: 4 servings; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast half
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken with Herbs Soup
1/2 cup milk
Directions
Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes or until browned on both sides.
Stir the soup and milk in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Serving Suggestion: Serve the chicken and soup mixture with Broth Simmered Rice: Heat 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Chicken Broth and 1 cup water in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir in 2 cups uncooked instant white rice. Cover the saucepan and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Ingredient Note: We develop our recipes using a 4-to 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast half per serving. However, there are a range of sizes available in-store, from the butcher counter to the meat case and the freezer section. Use whichever you prefer- just follow the recipe as written above for the best result. If you're using larger chicken breasts they may require a little longer cooking time.
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