Posts tagged ‘pantry cooking’
Recipe of the Week – Uncommon Results from Common Ingredients – Grapefruit Sorbet
(From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Grapefruit Sorbet
I’m big on “pantry cooking.” I believe you should be able to make wonderful meals from what you have around the kitchen, whether in the pantry, frig or freezer. With just a little imagination you should be able to cobble together an easy appetizer, meal or dessert from items you have on hand. At emealsforyou.com we give you a list of what we consider essentials for stocking away.
This weekend we were running a little short on appetizers so I went to the pantry and started looking for a quick, easy appetizer to make. A can of black beans from the shelf, some fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden, some pickled pepper rings from the frig and some frozen pita bread all went together to make a very good relish and chips. Add a few spices and herbs to your taste and you will wish you had written the recipe down for future use.
Along these lines I give you the easiest recipe I can think of. Serve this grapefruit sorbet between courses at a formal dinner or have it following a salad for lunch to make it special. So the next time you are in the store pick up a can of frozen grapefruit juice to save for a “rainy” day.
Grapefruit Sorbet
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | J & B’s Silent Auction Dinner (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 12 | oz | grapefruit juice, frozen concentrate |
| 24 | oz | water |
Combine frozen concentrate and water and process in ice cream maker until frozen. May be made in advance. Use as a palette cleanser between courses.
Pantry Cooking – Trust Your Instincts
(Look for more recipes like this at emealsforyou.com)
It’s snowing to beat the band outside and my mind is working over the thought, “What’s for dinner?” I want something hardy but something that I can find the ingredients around the house. Pasta, okay pasta and what? Peeking in the fridge I see: grape tomatoes, spinach, figs, some Boursin cheese spread and (from the pantry) garlic, lots of garlic.
So here we go; take the tomatoes and roast them in the oven with some garlic. Cook the spinach, with some more garlic, add the figs, some cooked pasta, mix in the cheese. My wife likes shrimp, I like sausage, no problem. I cooked the sausage in a pan, and the shrimp in a separate pan: I am a purist after all. Divide the pasta into halves, add the appropriate protein, stir, pour the wine and there you have it.
All of us can learn to “throw” meals together. It is simply a matter of trusting your instincts, knowing what you like and trying it. If something doesn’t work; figure out why. Change things around, add something else, take something out, but at least try.
Pasta with Oven-roasted Grape Tomatoes
Pasta with Oven-roasted Grape Tomatoes
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Starch |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 12 | oz | pasta, cooked |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 4 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 1 | lb | spinach, fresh |
| 0.5 | cup | figs, chopped |
| 0.5 | recipe | Oven-roasted Grape Tomatoes |
| 4 | Tb | Boursin Cheese Spread |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Place oil in a large sauté pan, add garlic and bring heat up to high, immediately add the spinach and figs. When spinach is wilted add the oven-roasted grape tomatoes and pasta. Stir well, add the Boursin and mix, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Note: You may add sausage (add with garlic) or shrimp (add with garlic). Shown here with shrimp.
Oven-roasted Grape Tomatoes
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Vegetables |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | pt | tomatoes, grape |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.5 | tsp | sweet basil |
| 0.5 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 0.25 | tsp | pepper, fresh cracked |
Heat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix and place in an oven-proof pan. Bake for 7 minutes.
(Look for more recipes like this at emealsforyou.com)
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