The French Don't Diet Plan
Page 27
4 large eggs, beaten
IN A LARGE FRYING PAN
Melt the butter over medium heat, add the ham and red pepper, and sauté until just barely done (about 2 minutes), as they’ll cook a bit more along with the eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the beaten eggs, keeping the heat on medium, and thoroughly mix the ham and pepper through the eggs. Cook until the eggs are as firm as you like them.
Play with Your Food
Clean out your fridge. Everything works in this—onions, spinach, bacon (of course), potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes (sun-dried tomatoes are fantastic), or smoked salmon. Sprinkle in some Parmesan or goat cheese to hold it all together.
You could also add 1 teaspoon of cream to your beaten eggs—it’s wonderful.
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Uncle Ben’s Breakfast Bowl, Ham, Eggs, and Peppers
Ingredients: Scrambled eggs (whole eggs, skim milk, soybean oil, modified food starch, salt, xanthan gum, liquid pepper extract, citric acid, natural and artificial butter flavor [clarified butter, lipolyzed butter oil, artificial flavor, annatto]), potatoes (sodium acid pyrophosphate, water), fully cooked diced ham (cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrate), green bell peppers, red bell peppers, onions, reduced-fat cheddar cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto, vitamin A palmitate [calcium carbonate, potato starch, powdered cellulose]), nonfat dry milk, lightly salted butter, chicken base (roast chicken, chicken fat, autolyzed yeast extract, gelatin, maltodextrin, salt, chicken broth, flavoring [contains torula yeast], sugar, dehydrated mushrooms, xanthan gum), modified corn starch, bacon base (cooked bacon [cured with water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium erythorbate, and nitrate]), salt, yeast extract, ham stock, bacon fat (TBHQ, citric acid), sugar, corn starch, natural flavorings, natural smoke flavorings, caramel coloring, potassium sorbate, corn syrup solids, natural butter flavor (whey, natural flavors, salt, corn syrup solids, guar gum, annatto, turmeric extract), stabilizer (modified food starch, xanthan gum, guar gum), onion powder, black pepper.
Tilapia with Sherry and Rosemary
Tricks of the Trade
To make sure the fish is cooked all the way through, notice when the center responds to gentle prodding by flaking apart. That’s when you’re ready to pull it out and eat!
Time to the Table: 15 minutes Serves 3
YOU’LL NEED
3 small tilapia fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Pinch of cayenne pepper
¾ cup dry sherry
Season the fish with salt and pepper and set aside.
IN A MEDIUM PAN
Heat the olive oil over medium heat, then sauté the garlic and 1 ½ tablespoons of the rosemary for a couple of minutes, until the garlic just starts to brown.
ADD THE FILLETS
Setting them side by side in the pan, sprinkle with some of the cayenne and remaining rosemary. After 3 minutes, flip the fillets and sprinkle with the cayenne and rosemary again. Continue to cook until done through (about 4 minutes).
PREPARE THE SAUCE
Remove the fish to a warm plate and add the sherry to the pan, deglazing by scraping up the bits of fish and garlic from the bottom of the pan. Cook these drippings over medium-high heat until reduced by more than half and the sauce is almost syrupy (about 4 to 5 minutes). Serve the sauce hot over the fillets.
Play with Your Food
Thyme is another great seasoning to go with fish and can be substituted for the rosemary. Add a tang to the mix by sautéing a little lime zest with the garlic at the beginning or by squeezing lime juice over the fish.
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Swanson Breaded Fish Fillet
Ingredients: Alaska pollock, bleached wheat flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, modified food starch, salt, dextrose, corn flour, yeast, malt syrup, sugar, cellulose gum, soy flour, carrageenan, oleoresin, paprika, spice, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), mono-and diglycerides, natural flavor, sodium alginate.
The Last Lasagna
Lasagna underachievers come in many varieties. The worst of the bunch are those with oversugared sauce. The second is the flavorless kind that some restaurants serve because they’ve got to lower the bar for the masses. Some patrons don’t like it seasoned, so no one gets it seasoned.
If you have a favorite place to get your lasagna, please don’t make this one. It’s so good, it’s the last lasagna you’ll ever try.
Time to the Table: 1 hour Serves 15 to 18
Tricks of the Trade
When cooking the noodles, be sure to put the olive oil in the water. Otherwise, after you strain them, they’ll dry out, stick together, and tear.
If you have problems with acidic foods, place a couple of carrot slices in the sauce while it cooks.
FOR THE SAUCE YOU’LL NEED
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ cup red wine
FOR THE RICOTTA CHEESE MIX YOU’LL NEED
1 16-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 large egg
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 lasagna noodles
1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, grated
Cook 12 lasagna noodles in a pan of salted boiling water and a splash of olive oil.
MAKE THE SAUCE
In a large pan over medium heat, cook the Italian sausage with the onion and garlic until browned. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce right to the pan. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano, basil, cayenne, and red wine. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
The sauce can simmer over low heat for a while, because it only gets better as it cooks. While the sauce is bubbling its way into its various stages of perfection, continue with the lasagna.
MAKE THE RICOTTA CHEESE MIX
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and oregano. Use your own discretion here. You may be reading this recipe and thinking, “A quarter cup Parmesan? Only ¼ cup Parmesan?” If so, throw in some more.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
IN A STANDARD LASAGNA PAN
Line the bottom of the pan with lasagna noodles. Spread a third of the ricotta mix onto the pasta, and a third of the sauce over the ricotta mix. Sprinkle a third of the mozzarella onto the sauce. Repeat the process for the remaining 2 layers ingredients.
IN THE OVEN
Bake for 45 minutes. When the cheese is crisping a bit on the top and the sauce is bubbling up on the sides, pull it out. If you can resist it, allow another 30 minutes for it to cool and set.
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Marie Callender’s Meat Lasagna
Ingredients: Tomatoes (water, tomato paste), lasagna pasta (water, enriched semolina), ricotta cheese (pasteurized whey, milk, cream), seasoned cooked beef (beef, seasoning [flavorings, salt, spices, dextrose], tomato paste, salt, soybean oil), premium pizza cheese (part-skim mozzarella [pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, whey protein concentrate, enzymes]), Parmesan and Romano cheese (part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, cellulose powder [to prevent caking]), garlic (contains citric acid), carrots, celery, seasoning (salt, dextrose, sugar, spice, spice extractives, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate [flavor enhancer], tricalcium phosphate and soybean oil), onions, heavy whipping cream, sugar, salt, bread crumbs (wheat flour, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, yeast, and calcium p
ropionate), spices, modified food starch, dried egg whites.
Red Roasted Chicken
Roasted chicken makes for dozens of delicious dishes. After you have the bird itself for dinner, you can pull the leftover meat off the bones for a stir-fry, Chicken Potpie in Sherry Cream Sauce, stews, salads, and barbecues. Save the chicken bones to make Super Chicken Stock. This stock makes any soup better, any sauce richer, and any risotto irresistible.
Because the chicken is covered while baked, the overall flavor is infused by the red wine and herbs you add beforehand.
Tricks of the Trade
Keeping the chicken covered is a great way to keep it from drying out because, essentially, it bastes itself.
Time to the Table: 50 minutes Serves 6
YOU’LL NEED
1 medium whole chicken, washed and patted dry
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup red wine
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
5 to 10 whole, peeled garlic cloves
BEFORE YOU BAKE
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the chicken in a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Rub it with the olive oil and give it a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Simply add the vinegar, red wine, onion, and garlic to the pan. Enclose the chicken with aluminum foil, and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
AFTER IT’S DONE
Pull out the chicken and remove the upper layer of foil from the pan. Turn the temperature to broil, put the pan back in the oven, and brown the chicken skin for about 5 minutes.
Play with Your Food
The juices in the bottom of the pan can be seasoned as you like, with lime juice or with 2 tablespoons each of honey and spicy mustard. Or you can make it Mediterranean by adding capers and olives to the base of the pan.
And please experiment with the vegetables. Carrots and potatoes will add a little sweetness to the broth.
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Healthy Choice Country Herb Chicken
Ingredients: Chicken breast with rib meat, water, soy protein isolate, modified food starch, chicken seasoning (modified food starch, dextrose, paprika, spice, xanthan gum), salt, chicken flavor (autolyzed yeast extract, chicken flavor [maltodextrin, natural flavor, mono-and diglycerides], salt, chicken fat, citric acid), partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sodium tri-polyphosphate, flavoring, gravy (water, sherry [sulfating agents], modified food starch, cream, flavorings [including clam extract], soybean oil, rice starch, nonfat milk, salt, chicken powder, spices, autolyzed yeast extract, sodium caseinate, caramel color, maltodextrin, chicken fat, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, turmeric, beef extract, citric acid, mushroom powder), roasted potatoes (potatoes, soybean oil, salt, maltodextrin, wheat starch, dehydrated onion, sugar, red bell pepper, corn starch, parsley, paprika, spices, flavor, caramel color, garlic, turmeric extract, annatto extract, citric acid), water, cherries, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brown sugar, cherry juice, rolled oats, modified starch, sugar, cream, crisped rice (rice flour, sugar, malt, salt, glycerol monosterate, rice extract), soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, honey, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, spices, sodium steroyl lactilate (emulsifier), salt, almond oil, alcohol, butter oil, enzyme-modified butter fat, dried whey, nonfat dry milk, soy lecithin (emulsifier), corn oil, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene.
Chicken Potpie in Sherry Cream Sauce
Time to the Table: 60 minutes Serves 8
Tricks of the Trade
You don’t want the vegetables in your potpie to turn to mush, even though you’re going to cook them twice. So make sure to undercook your vegetables at first, because they’ll be baked in the pie itself for 45 minutes.
YOU’LL NEED
1 piecrust with top and bottom
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cup half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN
In 1 tablespoon of butter, sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms over medium heat until they just soften, then remove from the pan. Sauté the chicken in a second tablespoon of butter until browned, but not crisp, and remove from the pan.
Over medium heat, add the remaining butter, and then the flour. Stir until the roux is chestnut brown. Add the chicken stock and whisk until all the roux is incorporated.
Bring this mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and add the sherry, rosemary, half-and-half, and salt and pepper. Taste and correct the seasonings. After the broth has become quite thick, fold in the vegetables and chicken and continue to heat for 10 minutes.
IN THE OVEN
Pour the potpie filling into the pie plate with the crust on the bottom, and top with the second layer of crust. Be sure to press the two crusts together along the edges to form a good seal. Bake for 30 minutes, until crust is golden. Serve right away, but be careful, it’s hot.
Play with Your Food
The vegetables you choose are absolutely up to you. Potatoes also go perfectly in this dish. Just dice and sauté along with the other vegetables early on in the recipe.
You will taste the rosemary right away, but another savory alternative is sage.
If you don’t have sherry, try a port wine instead. Once you have the basics of this recipe, you can modify it any way you choose!
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Pepperidge Farm Pot Pie with Chicken
Ingredients: Chicken stock, unbleached enriched wheat flour, roasted white chicken meat, water, partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening (soybean and cottonseed oils, colored with beta-carotene), carrots, peas, green beans, corn cream, modified food starch, chicken fat, caseinates (whey, calcium, and sodium), enriched bleached wheat flour, salt, pie dough base (dextrose, gelatinized wheat starch, salt, baking soda, calcium propionate [preservative], partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, sodium bisulfite), dextrose, natural flavoring, garlic juice, onion juice, chicken flavor (ascorbic acid, salt, chicken stock, chicken powder, chicken fat), sodium phosphate, soy protein isolate, sugar, caramel color, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, corn syrup, citric acid, spice extract, spice, oleoresin, turmeric, corn oil, beta-carotene.
Crock-Pot Beef Stew
Crock-Pots make for the easiest kind of cooking: You can handle dinner and do something else at the same time. Even better, the long, slow cooking process makes the meat so tender it falls apart.
Tricks of the Trade
Judge how long you want the cooking to last. If you are just getting started at two in the afternoon, put the Crock-Pot temperature on high. If you’re going to be out for the entire day, put it on low.
Time to the Table: 5 to 7 hours Serves 14 to 16
YOU’LL NEED
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds rump roast
2 cups hearty red wine
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground-pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef stock (no MSG)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
IN A HEAVY SAUCEPAN
Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and braise the beef until browned on all sides. Remove the beef to the Crock-Pot, and pour in ½ cup of the red wine to deglaze the pan. Once all the beef bits have been lifted from the pan, pour the contents into the Crock-Pot.
INTO THE CROCK-PO
T
Add the salt, pepper, onion, carrots, garlic, stock, remaining wine, bay leaf, thyme, and cayenne. Cover and set the temperature to low, go to work, and dream of the heavenly dinner you will have that evening.