Food

Easy And Quick

These delicious recipes make the words come true.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

Q uick" and "easy" are two
words thrown around so
much in the culinary world
that they cease to mean much.
In fact, when we see these words
in articles and recipes, we seldom
trust that they're true. But, if you
happen to be a trained chef, it's nice
to know that there are actual recipes
that you can prepare nearly from
scratch that truly exemplify the con-
cept.
Most fish entrees, for example, lit-
erally take 10 minutes per inch of
thickness (height) to cook through.
And boneless/skinless chicken breasts
(at the correct temperature, of
course) cook in about the same time.
Then there are pastas and vegeta-
bles, which also cook quickly. In the
time it takes for water to boil and
pasta to cook, you can speedily con-
coct a simple sauce. Along with a
toss-together salad of pre-washed
greens, or an uncomplicated soup
made from canned broth and some
well-chosen add-ins, an easy and
quick meal that's both fresh and
delicious is realistic.
In the time it takes you to leave
your home, drive to a restaurant,
pick up your food and drive home,
you could cook a simple meal at
home. Of course, you would need
the ingredients necessary for your
recipe, so it's not completely without
planning. Still, if you really want to
cook during the busy week — or
even for a dinner party when you
conceivably have more time — these
recipes will work for you, without
big preparation or clean up.

BROILED TROUT WITH
ASIAN GLAZE

JN

10/15
2004

86

Many people pan fry trout, which is
a delicious way to cook this fish.
This recipe broils the fish for ease.
You can use this with most any type
of fish, including whitefish and
salmon.
4 6-oz. boneless golden trout fillets
with or without skin
2 T. olive oil
salt and to taste

juice of half a lemon
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. minced gingerroot (not ground
ginger)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 T. sesame seeds, optional
Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a
baking sheet well with non-stick
cooking spray. Arrange the fish fillets
on the baking sheet. Brush the fish
with the olive oil and season lightly
with salt and pepper. Roast the fish,
uncovered, for 10 minutes or until
just cooked through.
While the fish is cooking, combine
the lemon juice, soy sauce, brown
sugar and gingerroot in a microwave-
safe dish or glass measuring cup.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and
microwave on high for 1 minute.
Remove from microwave, stir well
and set aside until ready to serve the
fish.
Just before serving the fish, heat
the sauce for 30 seconds more.
Arrange the fillets on individual din-
ner-sized plates and drizzle with the
soy mixture. Sprinkle the scallions
and sesame seeds, if using, over the
fish. Serve immediately. Makes 4
servings.

SIMPLE ASIAN STYLE
CHICKEN SOUP

10 cups canned low-salt chicken
broth
1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken
breast halves, partially frozen, cut
into very thin strips
2 T. sesame oil
4 button or white mushrooms, cut
into thin slices
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves or
bok choy greens
1/4 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup fresh chopped scallions
Pour soup into a large pot and
bring to a boil. Just before serving,
add the chicken, sesame oil and
mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
While the soup is heating, divide
the remaining ingredients among six
soup bowls. Divide the hot broth
and chicken among the bowls and
serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

SEARED TUNA STEAKS WITH
LIME DIJON MAYONNAISE

Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lime
2 scallions, minced
Tuna:
2 T. vegetable oil
4 6-to-8-oz. tuna steaks
salt and pepper to taste
Make the mayonnaise: Combine
all mayonnaise ingredients in a
medium bowl and stir well to com-
bine. Set aside with you make pre-
pare the tuna.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high
heat until very hot. Place the tuna
steaks in the skillet and cook for 2
minutes. Turn the tuna steak over
and cook for 2 minutes more (for
rare). Serve immediately with the
lime mayonnaise on the side. Makes
4 servings.

SEARED ORANGE CHICKEN

This is very good, too, with turkey
cutlets or tenders.
1/4 cup olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breast
halves (about 2 pound
2 cups orange juice
1 cup white wine, any kind
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. grated orange peel
1 T. drained capers
1 T. dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet over high
heat until very hot. Place the chick-
en breasts in the skillet and cook
until the underside is very golden,
about 3 minutes (the skillet must be
very hot). Turn the breasts over and
cook for 1 minute more.
Add the juice, wine, garlic, peel,
capers and parsley and cook until the
liquid is reduced by half, about 6
minutes. Season the chicken and
sauce with salt and pepper and serve
the chicken with the satice drizzled
over. Makes 4-6 servings.

ANGEL HAIL PASTA WITH
EGGPLANT, SUNDRIED TOMA-
TOES AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 T. minced garlic
1 medium eggplant (about 1
pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup red wine, any kind
4 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 28-
oz. can diced tomatoes with juice)
12 sundried tomatoes packed in oil,
cut into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound dried angel hair pasta
2 cups Ricotta cheese
fresh basil leaves, garnish
fresh grated Parmesan cheese, gar-
nish
Bring a large pot of water to a boil
over high heat (this is for cooking
the pasta).
Heat oil, onions and garlic togeth-
er in a large skillet or pot over medi-
um-high heat. Cook, stirring fre-
quently, for 5 minutes. Add the egg-
plant and cook, stirring frequently,
for 5 minutes more. Add the wine,
tomatoes and sundried tomatoes and
cook for 5 minutes more. Season the
sauce to taste with salt and pepper
While sauce is cooking, cook pasta
according to package instructions
until just al dente. Drain well in a
colander but do not rinse. Add the
ricotta cheese to the pasta and toss
well (the cheese will not fall through
the colander).
Transfer the pasta to plates in 4
entrée portions or 8 appetizer por-
tions. Divide the sauce among the
pasta plates and tuck in fresh basil
leaves and sprinkle with grated
Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-8 serv-
ings. ❑

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