Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Pork-and-Tofu Stir-Fry

I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of tofu, though there are several tofu centric dishes I've loved over the years. The Phantom used to make a wonderful tofu enchilada that the first time I tried it, I had no idea was made from tofu (lots of cheese might have helped). Mr. L also made a fried tofu dish years ago, that I loved the flavor of. But I tend to bypass most recipes that call for any types of tofu.

Of course, you tell me that you're going to add pork to tofu, I might just give the recipe a second glance. Which is what I did when I found this recipe for Pork and Tofu Stir Fry in the May 2009 issue of Food & Wine magazine.

This was okay, but I felt it could have been better. I loved the flavor of the sauce but it didn't coat the meat/tofu/veggies enough for me. The sauce was very "liquid" so I'd like it to be a bit more syrupy, a bit thicker. Next time I would cut the leeks a bit smaller and simmer the liquid longer so that it reduces more.

This was a quick dish to put together and the sauce had a nice flavor so I'd make this again with the changes mentioned.

 

PORK AND TOFU STIR-FRY
(Food & Wine May 2009)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound pork loin, cut into 1 1/2-by-1/4 inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of crushed red pepper
1 large leek-halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the pork, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry over high heat until cooked, 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and crushed pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the leek and 1/4 cup of the stock, cover and cook until the leek is softened, 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of stock and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu, then stir in the pork, hoisin, vinegar and sesame oil. Transfer to bowls and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: The leeks were a bit too big for me so I'd cut them smaller next time.

Note: I'd simmer the liquid longer to reduce it a bit more.

Note: This went well over rice and would work over couscous or quinoa.

Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Still continuing my Operation Pantry Project, I came across a bottle of Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Marinade. I checked on the Saucy Mama's website where they have a ton of recipes using their products, but didn't find anything that tickled my taste buds. I then searched online and found this pulled pork recipe from A La Carte Kitchen. The fact that it could be made in the slow cooker made the recipe sound even better.

Super simple to make, you throw everything in the crock pot and let it do it's thing for 8-10 hours (makes this a nice slow cooker dish if you're not sure you'll be home on time). I served it between some wheat sandwich rolls, with some packaged cole slaw.

This turned out okay. The pulled pork did have a nice taste and it made a ton of sauce (maybe too much for the sandwich) which made it great to serve over mashed potatoes later. I think my problem was with the coleslaw and bread. The coleslaw was store bought and had no flavor which made a nice crunch in the sandwich but I think I wanted something a bit tangier to go with the pulled pork. The wheat bread buns I used completely fell apart when you tried to eat the sandwich. I'd use a sturdier roll next time. Bread that's a bit chewier. But I did like the Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Marinade and would use it again.

You can find the recipe for the Pulled Pork on A La Carte Kitchen's blog here:

SAUCY MAMA'S LIME CHIPOTLE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Note: I used pork butt. I used whole wheat sandwich buns. I used packaged coleslaw. I used KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce.

Again, though the pulled pork made with the Saucy Mama marinade was fine, the dish as a whole didn't turn out so great. I was trying to be healthy and save calories buy using the whole wheat buns and cheap coleslaw. I did love the Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Pulled Pork over mashed potatoes and think it would work over rice or polenta too.

Note: Though I was sent this sauce from another blogger in a giveaway, I have not been compensated for this post nor was I asked or requested to blog about this marinade.

Red Posole

Though I've previously bookmarked recipes for Posole on blogs and in recipe books, I've never made it before (or eaten it for that matter). The magazine I got this recipe from, Skinny Slow Cooker (a Better Homes and Garden Special Interest Publication that says display until March 13, 2012), had two recipes for Posole...Green Chili-Pork Posole and Red Posole. The only reason I made the red version first is that I had some pork shoulder in the freezer and figured this recipe was a good use of it.

I have no idea how authentic the recipe or flavors in this dish are, but we loved it. The fact that I could just toss everything together in the crock-pot and have a wonderful dinner when I got home made this dish even better. I did cut up the pork and onions the night before and measured out the spices. Got up in the morning, tossed everything in the crock-pot and came home to a wonderful smelling house! Do remember that you don't add the cabbage or enchilada sauce until half an hour before the dish is done (I almost put them in at the start!).

RED POSOLE
(Skinny Slow Cooker)

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch-cubes
2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
Lime wedges
Fresh pineapple wedges (optional)

In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker combine pork, hominy, onion, green chiles, chile powder, oregano, garlic, and cumin. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Stir in cabbage and enchilada sauce. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

To serve, garnish with lime wedges and, if desired, pineapple wedges. Makes 8 servings at 279 calories a serving.

Note: I used white hominy because that was the only kind I found. I used a large carton of chicken broth that was not low-sodium and had an ounce or two more broth than called for.

Note: I cooked the Posole on high for 9 hours.

Note: I did not add the pineapple (pineapple?) but I did add a quick spritz of lime just before serving which brightened the flavors a bit.

Definitely make this again. Loved the crunch of the cabbage as, adding it late, it didn't get all mushy. Though this works fine on it's own, I can see serving this over rice (which my Mom did and loved) or maybe even polenta.

There are a ton of great sounding crock pot recipes in this magazine, all low calorie which is great this time of year!

 

Meat Sauce Over Rice Stick Noodles

When my Mom and I decided to make a Filipino dish called Pansit for Thanksgiving, we set out to find the correct noodles to go in the dish. It's been a while since we've made Pansit and we weren't sure exactly what noodles to buy as all the packaging seems to have changed. We found some "Oriental Style Vermicelli" at a Korean grocery store. The ingredients were listed as 'Mung Bean Flour and Starch'. They looked like the noodles we usually use...where you just put them in really hot water to soften up.

Not wanting to wait until the holiday to make sure we had bought the correct noodles, I tried to find a recipe in one of my cookbooks that could incorporate the noodles. I found this recipe for Meat Sauce Over Rice Stick Noodles in the Martin Yan Quick & Easy cookbook. The recipe called for Rice Stick Noodles but I figured the noodles I had would work.

Alas, these noodles were the kind you had to boil for 5-6 minutes to be usable. Yes, it was amusing watching me stand over the noodles in a bowl full of hot water for ten minutes trying to make them pliable. I finally boiled some water and tossed them in for a minute to get the noodles right consistency.

Other than having to deal with the noodles issue, this recipe was fairly quick to put together. You do have to let the ingredients marinade for a bit, but the meat sauce comes together quickly and you can be cooking the noodles while prepping the meat side of this dish.

Great flavor in such a small package. Not serving the meat sauce on the requested noodles wasn't a problem as Martin Yan says that it can be served over wheat noodles or steamed rice (I'm thinking even thin spaghetti noodles would work). Yan also said you could add some rich broth or pickled vegetables to the recipe. I found the meat sauce had a wonderful deep flavor and made a nice comforting dish while I panicked about not finding the right noodles for the Pansit dish!

MEAT SAUCE OVER RICE STICK NOODLES
(from Martin Yan's Quick & Easy)

Marinade:
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 pound ground pork, beef, or chicken

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
4 cups cooked rice stick noodles
Chopped fresh cilantro and green onions for garnish

To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the ground meat and stir to distribute evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic and the 2 green onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Add the ground meat and stir-fry until browned and crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.

Divide the cooked noodles among 4 large soup bowls. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the meat sauce over the noodles in each bowl. Garnish with the cilantro and green onions to serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: Per Yan, it's important to use dark soy sauce as it adds an intensity you can't get with regular soy sauce. I found some in my local grocery store and at a local Asian market.

Note: I used pork. I used dry sherry.

Note: I don't own a conventional wok. I own a Pampered Chef wok looking non-stick pan. It works fine  for most dishes like this I stir-fry.

Really nice flavor to this. Lots of ingredients, but once they are measured out everything comes together pretty quick. I'd definitely make this again using any type of noodle I happened to have in the pantry (or even rice).

 

Halloween - October 8, 2011

This is another one of those simple ideas I found on Pinterest. The idea came from Go Diary Free here where she made Quinoa Stuffed Mini Jack-O'-Lanterns. I choose to make some stuffed bell peppers.

I found some orange bell peppers, cut out the face, stuffed them with a mixture of cooked ground beef, ground pork, quinoa, onions and mushrooms and a bit of shredded cheese (seasoned with some Tabasco, Worchestershire sauce, onion and garlic powder). Though I know there was about a pound of meat, I didn't measure any of the other ingredients. I just used leftovers I had in the fridge. I baked the stuffed peppers at 350 degrees* for about 35 minutes in a pan with a bit of water in the bottom and had a nice tasty dinner.

Obviously you can use any sort of stuffing you'd like. Cut a sliver off the bottom to make the bell pepper stand up (I had to lay it on it's side to get the full effect for the photo). Hopefully you'll  be able to cut a better mouth for your pepper, I kinda forgot to give him a bottom lip!

You could also make these in small Oz pumpkins, use small orange acorn squashes like Go Dairy Free...or just cook a big pumpkin that you serve your stuffing out of.

*I think next time I'd turn the heat up a bit or at least let the peppers cook longer. I didn't quite get the wrinkled look on the finished bell pepper as I wanted.

Zucchini Pizza

I admit, when I first saw this on Pinterest I passed right on by. I just didn't think it would taste that good. But as everyone and their Mother's Uncle seemed to be pinning it, I took a closer look. Seems the original recipe came from one of my favorite bloggers...Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen so I pinned it thinking I'd probably never use it.

Fast forward about a week to a co-worker giving me some extra zucchini that had been growing in his yard. One of them was those nice round, ball like zucchini that I've actually never cooked with before. The Pizza Zucchini recipe was still stuck in my mind so I decided to give it a try.

I was actually very surprised by how good this turned out. The zucchini didn't turn mushy as I had feared and even though it was pretty simple to put together it had great flavor. I didn't exactly follow Kayln's directions (she grilled hers, I used my broiler) but this will definitely be something I make again.

ZUCCHINI PIZZA
(Kalyn's Kitchen)

For Kalyn's recipe go here.

You will need the following:

Globe zucchini
Pizza Sauce (or doctored tomato sauce)
Cheese
Pepperoni
Olive Oil

Note: My zucchini was larger than the one shown on Kalyns blog. I cut a bit off the top and bottom of the globe zucchini and then sliced it making four rounds. I brushed both sides with olive oil and then broiled the slices until tender (I did turn them over once).

Note: I didn't have any pizza sauce but I did have a bit of leftover tomato sauce. I added some oregano and a bit of this and that to make my own pizza type sauce. I just spooned some on top of the broiled zucchini.

Note: I used some pre-shredded four cheese mix that I had in the fridge. I probably added more than normal on top of the sauce as I like things cheesy. I also added a bit of cheese on top of the pepperoni.

Note: I used presliced rounds of pepperoni (Hormel brand). You can also use turkey pepperoni to make this a "meatless" meal.

Note: Once I'd added the toppings, I broiled for only a few minutes to melt the cheese and heat up the toppings.

Since we had a big zucchini, we had this as dinner with a salad. I can see using smaller rounds of zucchini and making this as an appetizer.

For a detailed recipe go to Kalyn's blog here. As she states in her post, this is one of those recipes that once you have the basic idea you can just wing it. Loved that it helped me use some leftover tomato sauce I had no idea what to do with!

TIE Fighters

Stop laughing. Yes, I realize that this looks nothing like a TIE Fighter. Trust me, I really did try to get it to look like that iconic shape. Alas, by the time I think I figured out how to make it look like the photo in the book, I was done shaping all my breadsticks. Instead I got what looks like...well, lets just say Mr. L was laughing hysterically and making all sorts of 9 year old boy jokes about body functions.

I honestly did have trouble figuring out exactly what the directions wanted me to do with the dough. I chalked it up to those child safe caps on medicine bottles. As an adult I can't get them off but a child can figure it out in about two seconds. Sigh. Check out my notes in the recipe to figure out what I mean.

Please don't let that stop you and your kids from getting the Star Wars Cookbook and trying to make these TIE Fighter Ties. It was kinda fun to try to put them together and the taste is, well, sort of like pigs in a blanket. Sausage and bread. Worked for me (and Mr. L once he could get up off the floor from laughing so hard).  I'm thinking that when Nathaniel gets to making these TIE Fighter Ties on his Cooking My Way Through the Star Wars Galaxy Blog, he'll do a much better job!

TIE FIGHTER TIES

4 pre-cooked sausages or hot dogs, approximately 5-inches long
1 package refrigerator breadsticks (8 breadsticks)
Ketchup and Mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut sausages in half crosswise. Set Aside.

Open the package of breadsticks and separate the lengths of the dough.

Cut the lengths in half and set aside. You should have 16 lengths of dough when you are finished.

Place one sausage half, cut-side down, on a baking sheet.

Take 1 length of dough and wrap it around the base of the sausage half. Cross the ends and let them fall on the baking sheet in the form of a letter V. Using another length of dough, wrap the same sausage in the opposite direction. Cross the ends and let them fall in the form of an upside-down V. Repeat with remaining dough and sausage halves.

Bake according to breadstick package directions, or until dough puffs up and turns golden brown.

Using pot holders, remove from the oven. Serve with ketchup and mustard.

Makes 8 TIE Fighter Ties.

Note: I used frozen packaged pork breakfast sausages that were about 3 inches in length.

Note: I used Pillsbury Refrigerator Breadsticks that made 12.

Note: So the directions say 5" sausages cut in half. Which I figured meant I needed about 2 1/2 slices of sausage. What's a person do do when what you have is 3" sausage to start with? You cut half an inch off, heat up the little tidbits and serve them to your husband as an appetizer. He did not object.

Note: The directions to "take the sausage and put it cut side down"...what...is this a test? Because most of my sausages refused to stand on end and if they didn't slant sideways, completely toppled over. I know, I know, I needed a neighbors child to do this so they would stand up straight. Frustrating little sausages.

Note: Forming the dough around the sausages. Hmm...I'm going to assume that maybe the breadsticks they used were different than mine. Mine were somewhat flat and certainly not long enough to go around the sausages and make a pretty V. The first ones were horribly flat and so not even close to a TIE Fighter. I ended up actually taking the dough and rolling it a bit to form a cylinder and to make it long enough to look decent. And then if you leave it in a "V" you kinda get whats pictured above. You need to bend the dough in a bit to make that TIE Fighter shape.  Use the photo in the cookbook to guide you Luke.

Note: Alas, the top of my breadsticks were barely browned, while the bottom almost burnt.

We didn't serve with ketchup and mustard. Actually, we kinda did a little butter thing with these. And, well, we ate them all up. All twelve (because I used the whole package of sausage and breadsticks). And you know what. We enjoyed every minute of it. Alas, I had no Star Wars action figures to serve and take photos with (which by the way, doesn't mean that said action figures or replicas of certain spacecraft don't exist in this household somewhere). Maybe when I make those Wookie Cookies.....

If you do try to make these you'll probably need to work with the dough a bit to make it into a shape that somewhat resembles a TIE Fighter. But don't worry if they all look like unmentionables since they'll taste good anyway.

 

 

Gingered Pork with Leeks

I debated between making this Gingered Pork with Leeks dish or the Asian Spaghetti dish from Simply Ming One Pot Meals. This pork dish won out because, believe it or not, I've rarely cooked with leeks or pork loin so I though it was high time I worked with both. My choice also had a lot to do with the fact that the photo of the finished dish in the cookbook looked pretty yummy.

This had a nice flavor. Not spicy at all (the serranos I had weren't that hot but added good flavor and a slight kick). Didn't quite taste like similar dishes I've ordered at Asian restaurants, but I liked that it seemed to have a fresher, less sugary taste.

Loved the tip Ming gave with the recipe on how to cut up the leeks into thin strips (see below). Though next time I would make sure to only use mostly the white part as even some of the light green was a bit tough (took more time to tenderize). And depending on their size, I maybe would use more than three large leeks in this recipe (the photo of the finished dish seemed to show more leeks than mine).

There was a recipe for 50/50 rice which in hindsight I wish I had made (half brown and half white rice). There wasn't any juice to really speak of in the finished dish so I was afraid it might be too dry to serve over rice. In the end I did think rice would have added to thejk     taste and texture of recipe.

GINGERED PORK WITH LEEKS

2 tablespoons organic Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 serrano chiles, 1 minced, 1 sliced thin for garnish
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
1 pound pork loin, sliced as thin as possible
3 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
2 tablespoons peeled finely sliced ginger
3 large leeks, white parts, halved, cut into strips, washed and dried (see Mings tip)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the Worcestershire, garlic, sesame oil, minced chile, and soy sauce, and blend. Add the pork, sir gently to coat it, and marinate for 30 minutes.

Drain the pork. Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the pork and stir-fry until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the wok, swirl, and when the oil is hot, add the ginger. Stir-fry 20 seconds, add the leeks, and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until the leeks are soft, about 2 minutes. Return the pork to the wok and heat through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the chile slices, and serve with the rice. Serves 4

Mings Tip: To cut the leeks into thin strips easily, halve the white parts length-wise and discard about one third of the interior. Flatten against your cutting surface and slice. Fill the bowl of salad spinner with water, add the leeks, and swish with your hands to remove any sand. Transfer the leeks to the spinner insert, dump out the water, and rinse the bowl well. Spin the leeks dry.

Mings Wine Suggestion: Chilled Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose from South Africa

Note: I used canola oil.

Note: I put the pork in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm it up to cut thin. It took only about 3 minutes for the pork to cook compared to the 5-6 listed in the cookbook.

Note: At the end of woking the pork, there was at least 3/4 cup of liquid in the wok. Wasn't sure if I should take it out since they said to use the oil to do the leeks. So I took the liquid out only to put it back in after a minute or two of sauteing the leeks. I think the dish would have been too dry without it.

Good basic quick dish. There is the 30 minute marinade so for an after dinner work recipe you'd have to deal with putting the pork in the freezer for a bit and then the 30 minute marinade, but I cut up the leeks and ginger while the pork was marinading and you could put the rice on right away to cut down cooking time.

Braised Sausages with Polenta (Salsiccie Brasate con Polenta)

My friend Pillownaut commented in my post about Nick Stellino's Glorious Italian Cooking cookbook, where this recipe came from, that "It is impossible to make bad Italian food"...I might have to disagree with her, as this dish just didn't make the cut as being something I'd ever make again.

Part of the problem with this Braised Sausages with Polenta dish was it's appearance. Kind of a dull purple/gray. That probably came about because I used red wine (you were given a choice to use red or white) and the potatoes in the dish came out looking pathetic. The other problem with the dish is that the taste just didn't come together. Both Mr. L and the poor guest I served this to (yes, I finally had a guest over for dinner and the dish sucked, sigh) commented that the potatoes just didn't compliment the recipe especially since this was served over polenta. Not sure what went wrong, but I do plan on trying another recipe from Glorious Italian Cooking which I'm hoping sure will turn out better.

I didn't have instant polenta so I made my favorite polenta recipe (Creamy Polenta) and added the cream and a bit of cheese. It was definitely everyone's favorite part of the dish.

The recipe was easy to put together, I just wish the parts would have made a good whole.

BRAISED SAUSAGES WITH POLENTA
Salsiccie Brasate con Polenta
(Nick Stellinos Glorious Italian Cooking)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound (450 g) sweet Italian sausage (about 4 links)
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup red or white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound (450 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes
1/2 (13 1/2-ounce) (390-g) package instant polenta
1/2 cup whipping cream (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saute pan set on medium-high heat until it begins to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the sausages and brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, cook the carrot, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring several times. Cut the sausages, into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces and add to the pan along with the wine, 1 tablespoon of the parsley and the rosemary. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine has reduced by half, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, pepper and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining parsley just before serving.

Five minutes before the sausages are done, cook the polenta according to package directions. If you wish, stir the cream and the cheese into the finished polenta. Serve immediately, as the polenta sets up quickly.

To serve, spoon a mound of polenta in the center of each dinner plate and spoon the sausage mixture on top.

Cooks Tip: If you don't have whipping cream on hand for enriching the polenta, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of butter, instead.

Serves 4

Note: I used red wine.

Note: The sausage was overcooked. I think maybe having it in there for 45 minutes was too long a cooking time.

I know a dish isn't the best when there is a big plate of leftovers and it sits in the fridge and never gets eaten. The leftovers of this dish were tossed in the trash after a few days. Not the best sign for a recipe!!

Pasta with Ham and Mushrooms

One of the things that I've been trying to work on, and I actually think I'm doing better at, is using up stuff that's in the fridge and pantry. Of course that usually means I've found a recipe that uses up some leftovers or I've made a list of what's in the pantry and go looking for recipes that use the stuff up. One of these days I want to just be able to look in my fridge, see that I have on hand and throw together a meal without having to go check out my cookbooks or look on the internet to see what to make.

This is a really simple recipe. But it is a recipe, not something I threw together. It comes from the December 2009 issue of Everyday Food magazine. It was in a section about using leftover holiday ham. Which, since we buy a really big Honeybaked for Christmas Day, I still have packages of in the freezer.

This is the type of recipe I need to commit to memory. Any leftover meat can be chopped up and added in place of the ham. Not exactly rocket science, not the most complex of flavors, but it gets dinner on the table quickly and uses up stuff in the fridge. Works for me.

 

PASTA WITH HAM AND MUSHROOMS
(Everyday Food December 2009)

12 ounces pasta
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cup ham pieces
chopped parsley
grated pecorino cheese

(Note: The recipe didn't have the ingredients listed out. I did that so that you can see how simple the ingredients are. Recipe below is how it was published in the magazine.)

Cook 12 ounces pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Meanwhile in a large skillet, combine 1 sliced large yellow onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high until beginning to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add 1 pound sliced mushrooms; cook until browned about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups ham pieces, cook until warm. Toss with pasta, adding enough pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Serve topped with chopped parsley and grated pecorino cheese.

Serves 4

Note: I'm thinking any sort of good tube pasta would work in this. I used a pre-sliced package of mushrooms that was probably 3/4 of a pound.

Note: I did not use parsley because I didn't have any on hand. I did use some shredded parmesan on top.

Note: I didn't use a lot of the pasta water. There seemed to be a bit too much liquid and nothing was "coating" the pasta.

Again, a very simple recipe that I need to have in my repertoire so that I can pull together something like this anytime I have any leftover meat.