Meatballs 101

This is nothing new for you. You have been stretching your meat dollars for years now, right? By adding seasonings for taste, onions for moisture, bread for cohesion, and an egg to hold it all together? It's like meatloaf in ball form! (Except also delicious.) Betty Draper would be proud. Or at least, the mentally stable domestic equivalent of Betty in real 1960s America.

All you need is a half pound of ground meat-of-your-choice, and a couple pantry staples to make an Italian feast. Serve them over pasta, inside a hoagie bun, or atop a warm salad. They need very little else to round them out.

Standard Italian Meatballs

serves 2-3, depending on how many 'balls you like

1/2 lb ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, etc. Skip chicken: it's too lean)

1 slice bread, torn into small pieces

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 Tbsp finely minced onion

1 garlic clove, grated, pressed or minced

1 tsp spicy mustard

1 medium egg

healthy dose of salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl. (To increase tenderness, consider soaking your slice of bread in 1-2 Tbsp water or milk for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Totally optional.) Mix lightly with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated. Don't overdo it. Form into balls: I like ping-pong size.
2. Film a large skillet with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Cook, turning often until meat is cooked through. This will vary depending on your meat, but will probably take at least 18-20 minutes. I like to leave them undisturbed for 6-8 minutes at a time to develop a nice crunchy sear. Toss them around frequently in the last few minutes of cooking to ensure even doneness. Sacrifice one ball by slicing in half to check for doneness.
3. You're done now.

Tomato Salad ala Eggplant

I guess little dish falls under the category of Middle Eastern Experimentation that's been happening quite a bit around our house lately. Having recently realized that, though my body belongs in Cambridge and my heart belongs south of the Mason-Dixon Line, my tastebuds are ever yearning for the Mediterranean. I picked up (ok, Amazon shipped me) two or three great books on this subject lately--see here and here--and I've been devouring them like a 14-year-old with Harry Potter sequels. Or my 29-year-old sister with Harry Potter sequels.

Today's lunch was a function of fridge contents + techniques from my books + laziness, but turned out pretty tasty. The whole thing happened in a matter of about 20 minutes, thanks to the George Foreman--going strong since sophomore year of college, thank you. Oh the things that George has seen...

Tomato Salad ala Eggplant, with Tahini Yogurt

(serves 2; takes about a half-hour)

2-4 big, thick slices of eggplant (or one very small guy)

1 tomato, diced

2-3 Tbsp onion, verrrry thinly sliced

1 Tbsp chopped mint

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup yogurt, thick (greek-style) yogurt works best

1 Tbsp tahini paste

1 tsp salt

olive oil

1. Start with the eggplant. Make nice, thick slices (at least 1 1/2 inches) --peeling is optional. If the eggplant is small, you could just slice it in half long ways; in this situation, definitely peel, at least some. Brush both sides with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Either grill on the George or broil in the oven (10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through) or saute in a skillet (same).
2. While that cooks, combine diced tomato, thin sliced onion, mint, cumin, paprika, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and a little olive oil in a medium bowl. Toss and season with salt and pepper as desired.
   
   
3. Lastly, Take your tahini and stir it into the yogurt with 1 tsp salt and remaining 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Taste, adding more lemon juice if it's too sharp.
4. To assemble, place hot eggplant on plate, slather with tahini yogurt, and spoon salad over top. Consume with fork and knife. Alternately, get (or make) some flatbread, scoop it all in there, and eat it taco-style.

David's Delicious Insta-Barbecue

But seriously, folks, do I have a talented husband or what? Not only a scholar, a decent squash player, a knower of ridiculous sports facts, and an amateur coffee snob, this man made some mad-delicious barbecue two nights ago in approximately 12 minutes flat.

The technique came from an issue of Cook's Country I freeloaded a couple months back when I attended a "focus group" at their tasty headquarters. You are crazy if you think that, when they said, "Sure, take whatever magazines you like," I didn't swipe every single copy of every single issue on display. My near-embarrassment was outweighed by the bazillions of good dinners I knew would come from it. I should start carrying a bigger purse for times like these.

Another thing about David you should probably know is that he is a marketer's dream. This is the man advertisements were made for. Commercial for McDonald's? He's out the door for a Big Mac. Checkout counter batteries? He probably needs more. Ad in the paper for enchanting travel location? He's already bought tickets. So when we witnessed a barbecue-off on TV recently, it was all he could do to wait until dinner time to eat.

Alright the genius of this meal is twofold: (1) store bought barbecue sauce of your choosing [we really liked Stubbs] and (2) pork tenderloin. This cut of the pig goes a long way toward approximating the tenderness of slow-cooked meat without all the time needed to achieve it.

Faux Pulled-Pork Barbecue

(Adapted from Cook's Country; serves 2; start to finish - 20 minutes or less)

1 pork tenderloin

1 tsp chili powder (less if your chili powder is super hot)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

S&P

1/2 cup (or so) bottled barbecue sauce

1. Trim silver skin and visible fat from the pork tenderloin and cut into 1-inch slices. Whisk together spices and toss pork slices in mixture. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pork slices in a single layer and cook 5 minutes; flip and cook 5 minutes more. Remove to a large plate or bowl.
2. Reduce heat and add barbecue sauce (to warm). Meanwhile, take two forks and shred the tenderloin into bite-size pieces. Return to sauce and stir altogether until heated through.
3. Serve over a big piece of toast or on buns with cole slaw.

The Unnameable Pasta Dish

Somewhere between the enchilada and the manicotti lies last night's dinner: the noodle roll. A debate raged as we ate and continues this very day over what exactly to call these little beauties. I think they're no longer manicotti when they're not in manicotti pasta (the whole point of referring to them as "manicotti" in the first place, duh). David feels quite differently, and he will tell you so, at length.

The point is, those brilliant folks at Cook's Illustrated understood our collective pain at par-boiling, stuffing, splitting, and ultimately wrecking manicotti tubes, and came up with a genius solution. They softened no-boil lasagna noodles in hot water, dried them on kitchen towels for just a minute, then rolled them up with a prepared filling the way you would a jelly roll cake with, well, jelly.

What follows is an adapted-in-strategy but original creation with freshly rolled sheets of pasta (some leftover from spinach-shrimp, some super herby dough thrown together at the last minute, using our basic egg pasta recipe but swapping half the flour for spelt and adding about 2 tbsp of finely chopped parsley and thyme). If the pasta isn't dried, then there's no need to soften it, so we just plopped in some filling, rolled them up, drowned them in tomato sauce, and scarfed down our unnameable dinner.

Noodle Logs (a.k.a. Manicotti, I guess)

8 sheets freshly rolled pasta or 8 no-boil lasagna noodles

1/4 - 1/3 lb ground turkey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup ricotta or cottage cheese

1 egg

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

1 Jar prepared tomato sauce

-OR- about 2 cups homemade sauce

-OR- 1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in puree/juice

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1. If you are using fresh noodles, follow the tricks in the links above to shrimp-spinach and basic egg pasta. If you are using no-boil noodles, put a teakettle on the stove. When it boils, pour it into the pan you'll be using to bake the pasta. Slide the noodles in one by one, moving them around with the tip of a sharp knife to make sure they don't stick together. You want them soft, but not cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove to a clean kitchen towel.
2. Meanwhile, brown the turkey in a small pan with some oil. When turkey is just about done, throw in the garlic and allow to cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool just a bit.
3. In a large bowl, combine cheeses, egg, and spices. Stir in meat. Pour some tomato sauce into the bottom of your small baking pan, just enough to coat the bottom.
   
   
4. Now, put about 1/4 cup of the filling onto the bottom 3/4 of each noodle. Starting from the bottom, roll all the way up and place seam-side down in the pan. Repeat until filling and noodles are gone. Cover with lots and lots of tomato sauce--even add some water to your prepared sauce if you need to. Especially if you are using the no-boil noodles, which will soak up a lot of the moisture during baking.
   
5. Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 25 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with parmesan. Return to heat 5 minutes, or until bubbly and melted. Yum.

Eggplant Stacks

Dear Eggplant,

I can't believe it's taken me so long to say this, but, I love you. I do. Your shiny purple skin is so alluring in the produce section. Your mushy flesh is so weird and filling. Your ridiculous amounts of fiber, potassium, and vitamin B will ensure that I live a long, fulfilling, successful life. Thick-cut slabs, grilled or roasted, have slipped in and displaced meat in so many of my meals, without a complaint from my tastebuds. If I sprinkle a little salt on you, my coy mistress, and let you drain for an hour before cooking, you transform from malicious and bitter to tangy and melty. I am sorry that it has been so long coming, but accept now my utter devotion and lifelong commitment to you.

Love,

Abby

Eggplant stack
1 medium eggplant
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz fresh spinach
4-5 slices fresh mozzarella
Tomato sauce
Parmesan cheese
Toasted bread (optional)

Slice the eggplant crosswise into 1 1/2 inch slabs (you want at least 4--if it makes more, go ahead and cook it and eat it the next day or two). Sprinkle both sides with table salt and let drain on paper towels or a cooling rack for an hour, flipping halfway through. Wipe and squeeze before cooking.

[Note: the picture here is NOT sliced cross-wise, but long ways--it was for another use. I included the photo just to illustrate how to drain, and can you see how much water seeps out?? So don't slice them like this, but do drain them like this.]

Drizzle eggplant with olive oil, then salt, pepper, and sprinkle basil on both sides. Arrange in a single layer on a pan and roast in a 400º oven for 25 minutes. You want it cooked through, so leave it in if you still see thick green flesh. When it looks done, top the eggplant with mozzarella and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, film a skillet with olive oil and saute onions with a little salt until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add spinach and stir. Cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Make sure your tomato sauce is warmed.

To serve: place a small pile of spinach on the plate. Top with mozzarella eggplant. Spoon ample tomato sauce. Repeat. Top the whole thing with ample grated parm. Serve with extra tomato sauce and good bread.

[Alternately, you could do a big, thick piece of toast with the mozz melted on it. Top with eggplant and tomato sauce and parm. Also delicious]

Garlicky Shrimp and Fresh Spinach Pasta

I just about flipped my lid when I saw this lasagna recipe from Lynne Rosetto Kasper, via Zoe Bakes. If you are a normal human, you now want to dive into a swimming-pool sized vat of this and eat your way out. Not quite ready to commit to a full pan of lasagna, but (as you well know) still a big fan of fresh noodles, I took to scaling this spinach pasta recipe down for a regular, weeknight meal. I may have mangled it (sorry Lynne!) but it tasted just fine to me and my pasta-loving laborer, who always graciously and tirelessly does the rolling.

I don't know if it's the spinach or the whole wheat flour that I subbed in, but letting the dough sit for an hour or so before rolling helps with the consistency, so build that into your planning. You want the spinach really finely chopped, so a food processor is ideal, but some patient knife work will do just fine. Half of this recipe served us both well; I'm really excited about the other half that's still waiting in my fridge...

Secondly, the shrimp. This is a really simple, classic way of preparing shrimp that takes no time at all. Garlicky, lemony, and delicious, the only was we stretched this was by adding some additional chicken broth and lemon juice at the end to make enough sauce to toss the pasta in. It would be great with just a piece of crusty bread, no pasta necessary.


Fresh Spinach Pasta
3 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeeeeeezed dry
1 1/2 cups flour (we used half all-purpose and half barley)
1 tsp salt
1 egg
water

If you're processing, toss spinach, flour, salt, and egg in the machine and turn on. Slowly stream in water just until a shaggy dough starts to come together. Turn dough out and knead it a couple of times to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

If you're not processing, make sure your spinach is finely, finely chopped. Place flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add egg and spinach and stir to combine. Gradually add water 1 Tbsp at a time until you get a shaggy dough. Turn dough out and knead to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

*The ball will moisten as it sits, ok, so don't add too much water during the mixing process. If you do, no problem, you'll just use lots and lots of flour as you're rolling to offset.

Roll out the pasta and if you have the time, let it sit to dry out for a little while. [We did not do this.] Cut into noodles and boil 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.


Garlicky Lemon Shrimp
8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 small onion, minced
1/2 cup white wine, plus 2 Tbsp
1/2-3/4 cup broth
1/4 cup lemon juice, divided
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp butter
Parmesan or Asiago cheese to grate over

Film a medium skillet with oil. Saute onion with a little salt, 2-3 minutes. Add half of garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in 1/2 cup wine and let reduce until almost gone.

Salt and pepper both sides of shrimp and place in a single layer in the pan; let cook about 2 minutes, until pink about halfway through. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.

To the now-empty skillet, add remaining minced garlic. Cook 1 minute. Introduce 1/2 cup broth, lemon juice, and remaining 2 Tbsp wine . Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer until reduced by about 1/2. [Keep extra broth on hand in case you need to add more liquid.] Taste and season with salt and pepper.

When you're happy with the sauce, return shrimp to pan and toss. Turn off heat and add parsley and butter. Layer shrimp and scrape sauce out over pasta. Cover with a healthy coating of cheese.

Berry Bowl

Don't mean to be a downer, but if you're looking for summer fruits, just click on through.

This meal rests upon a substantial base of one of my favorite berries: wheat. I won't bore you with the wheat berry sermon again, but this is one serious grain that packs a chewy punch--right in the stomach, where it makes and keeps you full for a good long while.

As usual, this meal was kind of a fridge-sweeper, meaning it can be replicated exactly, or modified to fit your own grocery list.

Wheat Berry Bowl

(serves 2-3)

1/2 cup wheat berries

1/4 cup millet (optional)

1 bunch chard (or other green)

1/2 small onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

4 verrrrrrrry thin slices of lemon, chopped (peel and all)

1 small tomato, diced

1/2 avocado, diced

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Splash vinegar or pre-made salad dressing

S&P

1. Put a small pot of water (or broth) on to boil. When rolling, drop in the wheat berries and millet. Lower heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until you can actually chew and swallow the berries rather than chipping a tooth or just giving up out of weariness and spitting them out. Stir occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, wash and chop the chard (or spinach or kale or turnip greens or whatever). In a large skillet, heat some oil and sweat the onions with salt about 4 minutes. Add garlic and lemon and saute one minute more. Add chard and turn, getting the greens on the bottom and the garlic off (so it doesn't burn). Stir and let wilt until super tender, 7-10 minutes.
3. When the berries-millet are ready, drain in a fine mesh sieve and divide between two bowls. Drizzle with a touch of oil and a teaspoon or two of vinegar, or just a splash of ready made salad dressing. Top with greens, tomato, avocado, parsley, and walnuts.
4. Chow down.

Some notes.....

If you don't have all the pieces, don't worry. Avocado is kind of optional, but it adds a real depth to the whole experience. Definitely toast the walnuts (pecans or pine nuts would be good too). If you don't have a lemon, but maybe you have bottled lemon juice, just toss a few teaspoons in the skillet when you add your greens. Don't forget salt and pepper.

Quiche: It's What's for Dinner

I am only minorly embarrassed to admit that David and I run through almost 2 dozen eggs every week. We love eggs. We eat them for breakfast every day (and I usually bake something with them almost every night). They are a great, lean protein and -- Get ready for another life lesson -- can be really good for you...if you buy organic, cage free, and/or free range (which basically means you can be comfortable both with what the chickens eat and how they are raised).

Alright, you've seen Napoleon Dynamite. Most chickens whose meat and eggs we have been prone to consuming are raised in high-rise, immobilizing chicken barns (where their potentially "large talons" hang out in their own scat). They make cheap eggs, yes, but those eggs are created by genetically modified birds, which are fed hormones and other foods their little chicken bodies were not designed to digest well, and sequestered into tiny pens, just begging for a chicken virus to take everyone out. I'm not talking about having happy chickens, I'm talking about us humans ingesting the best quality (or even just the least bad) foods we can--for lifelong health.

You've heard of Omega-3 fatty acids? Then you probably know that they're very good for you. Did you know that Americans have a startling deficit of Omega-3s in our diet, and therefore in our bodies? Did you know that we should have a 3-to-1 ratio of Omega-6s (a different kind of fatty acid) to Omega-3s and that the average American diet has more of a 10-to-1 or 20-to-1 ratio? Did you know that hens fed a healthy diet can have 300% the Omega-3s that a standard-issue supermarket egg has?! That's THREE TIMES as much. Not to mention improved stats on cholesterol, certain vitamins, and a much better outlook on saturated fat. If you balk at the price of organic eggs, think of it as a small health insurance contribution. And if you don't believe me, talk to the researchers at Penn State.

(Sidenote: don't overcompensate by going for the Omega-3 enhanced eggs either. It certainly gets points for health, but these "enriched" foods are our food system's way of cutting corners on production, then applying a quick-fix enhancement at the last minute. Work on reaching back as close to the land or the animal as you can.)
I'm glad we've had this talk.

Now! On to quiche. The difference between quiche you have at a regular ole meal and quiche you have at a special calorie-unconscious ladies' brunch is the crust. Take out the lining, and you've got a super healthful meal (or two or three) that saves beautifully.
This is a basic, crustless quiche recipe for which I'll give you the proportions and let you go crazy. We used asparagus, leeks, and cheddar cheese, and it was great, but endless variations are possible here--based on what's in your fridge or on your mind.

Crustless Vegetable Quiche

(Fills one 9-in pie plate)

1 heaping cup chopped vegetables of your choice
5 eggs
1/2 cup cheese (I used cheddar)
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (meaning, tear up a slice of bread: not the stuff from the can at the store)
Plenty of S+P

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In a pan over medium-high heat, heat about 1 tsp olive oil. Add vegetables and 1 tsp salt, and saute until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
2. Whisk eggs until well beaten and uniform color. Stir in cheese and bread crumbs, and plenty of salt and pepper. Fold in vegetables and pour into greased pie plate.
3. Bake about 30 minutes. It's ok if the center is a little wobbly. It will continue to cook as it cools.
4. Slice into wedges and enjoy with a nice dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika.

If you have leftovers, just keep in the fridge and slice off wedges at will. It's equally satisfying cold or warm, and could serve as breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Can I get an "Ole!"? We are total suckers for stuffed peppers because they are so easy, so filling, and such a cinch to quadruple or divide. Plus they basically use one dish: our cast iron skillet. The classy container you see in the above photo is the tupperware David took for lunch, because I threw this together real quick-like in the morning to send with him before he left for the day. No. Time. At. All. The only caveat is precooking your grains...see my soliloquy on wheat berries, below.

Here are some tricks to good (and speedy) stuffed peppers: First, microwave your peppers so they're soft and compliment the rest of the dish. Second, grains + beans + cheese = a complete meal; riff at will. Third, don't even think about doing this without sauteed onions. Just don't do it. Fourth, saucing. See soliloquy number two on sauces, also below.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

(serves 2)

2 red, yellow, or orange peppers

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup broth, divided

1 1/2 tsp each of salt, cumin, and chili powder

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves (1/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed, will do fine)

1/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)

1/2 cup wheat berries (or other whole grain), cooked

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Fresh lime juice

1. Cut out an inch-wide wedge the full length of your pepper (or cut in half long-ways and eat both halves for your dinner, or just slice off an inch of the top, stem and all). Reach your hand in and carefully fish out the ribs and seeds. Wrap in plastic and microwave 4 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, saute the onions in some olive oil (with a little salt) over medium heat until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook one minute more. Toss in the broth and beans and using a flat wooden spatula or a potato masher, roughly mash the beans so you have some mush and some whole beans. Add seasonings and cook until broth is absorbed.
3. Now, add salsa and spinach, allowing the moisture from the salsa to wilt the spinach. When the salsa is sufficiently wilted, turn off heat and stir in cheese, wheat berries, and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste
4. CAREFULLY remove plastic wrap from peppers and stuff generously with your bean/grain mixture; top with sprinkled cheese. If you have the time, place peppers on a pan and roast in a 375º oven for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melty and pepper is nice and warm.

Do you share my gnawing conviction that a dish is not a dish without some kind of sauce? I think probably the annual income of the Heinz corporation alone will corroborate my theory. So for Mexican-type foods, I love to combine sour cream, cilantro, and lime in some way and drizzle it over whatever we're having--from tacos to peppers to quesadillas. So get about 1/4 cup sour cream and thin it out with some milk until it's pourable. Add 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, and 2-3 wedges of squeezed lime juice. Whisk and pour.

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Now, for a word on eating more whole grains. Do it. Wheat berries are a new favorite of mine. They're basically the entire kernel of wheat before it's been refined into different types of wheat flours. Along with other winners like pearled barley, whole spelt, kamut, and wild rice blends, they are a much more satisfying choice than plain white or brown rice and do more for you in the long run. So buy a bunch of wheat berries and cook a big pot one day. (Treat it like pasta: boil it for about 30 minutes or until tender, then drain.) Keep the cooked berries in a tupperware in the fridge and eat them for breakfast with yogurt and honey, or stir fry them with diced vegetables, or put them in soup, or basically use them wherever you would use rice. The end.

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Pork Tenderloin and Spicy Plum Sauce

Call me closed-minded, but pork tenderloin is pretty much the only part of the pig that I buy. Pork chops are boring and pork roasts come in 70-lb chunks. Wait, what am I saying? There's always bacon! Mmm....bacon, excuse me for a moment...

Ok, when you don't feel like smoking up your house or covering your stove in grease spatters or dying young like Dr. Atkins, choose a more healthful part of the pig that is a snap to divvy up into 1- or 2-person-sized portions.

Take the pork tenderloin medallion. Get the slim cylinder, slice it in 1-inch pieces, then simply sear on either side and you've got a meal in less than 10 minutes (I'm not kidding). Plus, these little beauties lend themselves to endless variation. I'm using a plum sauce here but you could do an apple-sage-cream medley, a little caramelized onion crown, or even some Asian-style sticky orange business. And it can all be done IN THE SAME PAN after you've seared the pork.

As if you need another reason, pork tenderloin medallions are perfectly delicious the next day. I like to slice them up for, ahem, salad, but David prefers to just stick the entire plate of leftover (if such a thing happens) in the micro and have at it.

Port Tenderloin Medallions with Spicy Plum Sauce

For the pork:

1 pork tenderloin

Salt and pepper

Canola oil

For the sauce:

3 medium plums

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp orange juice

2 Tbsp rice wine (or red wine) vinegar

2 shakes powdered ginger

Red pepper flakes, Tobasco, or other face-kicking spice

Trim the pork tenderloin of all silvery skin. Slice in 1-inch medallions, then turn them flat and slightly press them to flatten. Salt and pepper both sides. Heat canola oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat (smoking!). Place the medallions in, trying not to overcrowd the pan (do two batches if you need to).

Cook 2 minutes. Flip. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil. Let sit for 5 minutes--they will continue to cook. This would be a good time to make a pan sauce, if you like.

For the sauce: Place chopped plums, onions, and garlic in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Let them sweat for 5-6 minutes, they'll produce their own liquid. Stir to keep from sticking/burning. Add soy sauce, juice, vinegar, and ginger and bring to a boil. Continue to cook 5 more minutes, reducing heat if needed, until nice and thick. Add spicing element to taste. Pour over tenderloin after its sitting period.

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p.s. That pile of green you see on my plate? couldn't be simpler braised cabbage. Slice up some cabbage and 1/2 small onion. Heat a little oil, then throw the onions and cabbage in, toss around for about a minute. Splash the pan with about 2 Tbsp broth, then cover. Cabbage will cook itself. Season with plenty of S&P.

More than you ever wanted to know about crepes

David and I have been on what you might call a crepe binge of late. I've had a crepe recipe on a sticky note clinging to my kitchen cabinets for the last few weeks, so I decided to try it before it lost all hope and released itself onto the floor, and eventually the trash can. A week later, we've had crepes approximately 53 times (or at least 4), all with great success.

You should make crepes too! And here's why: (1) They're super easy. (2) You can make the batter in advance and just cook 'em up whenever you want. (3) They are like a blank canvas and take to whatever you stuff in them. (4) You can use the SAME batter for dinner AND dessert. Brilliance. (5) While they're best fresh, they're really not so bad on day 2, so fill and fold, stick in a tupperware, and break it out at lunch time the next day.

Below is a very basic recipe. We've also had success with beer-batter, and I've wanted to try buckwheat, maybe you can try some out and let me know how it goes... Heads up: the batter requires at least an hour of resting time, so plan accordingly, but it can also hang out up to 2 days in the fridge. So if you want them for dinner, stir together the batter in the morn' before you leave for work. It's pretty much instantaneous after that.

Basic Crepes

(c/o 1,001 recipes I researched online)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk (warm-ish)

3 Tbsp butter, melted

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Add eggs, milk and butter, whisking really well until no more lumps appear. This may take a few minutes. (The milk is warm-ish because you don't want the melted butter to immediately chill back into solid butter when it hits the bowl. 20 seconds in the micro should do it.)

Alternately, load everything in a blender and let 'er rip for a minute or so.

Cover in plastic and let sit at least an hour and up to 2 days.

When ready to use, stir batter (it may have separated) and break out your NONSTICK pan -- this is important -- and set it over medium-high heat. Using either butter or cooking spray, oil the pan and pour about 3 Tbsp of batter (just over half of your 1/4 cup measuring device). The amount will vary depending on the size of your pan. If all you have is a little guy, use only 2 Tbsp batter. If you have a mama-jama 12-incher, use a full 1/4 cup.

When the batter hits the pan, lift the handle and swirl to make a super-thin layer of crepey goodness. Cook 1 minute. Using a spatula, go around the entire perimeter of the crepe, releasing the edges. Carefully flip using the spatula or your hands. Cook another minute. Eat immediately.

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So we've had success with several different fillings, but the important part is to KEEP IT SIMPLE. The batter will take to almost anything, but don't load it down with a bunch of complicated, greasy stuff.

• Super thin sliced potatoes sauteed briefly with thin slices of red onion, added a few leaves of wilted spinach with preserved (or just plain) lemons. Sprinkled with feta.
• Sauteed shredded sprouts + leeks + garlic. Combined with cream and a touch of goat cheese = creamy filling.
• For dessert, nothing is better than strawberries and whipped cream, except maybe strawberries, whipped cream, and nutella
• Another winner? Any jam you have in your fridge, preferably warmed

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Homemade pizza in 20 minutes (no yeast required!)

Tonight we discovered a good, last minute stand-in for pizza crust if you don't feel like (or secretly fear the awesome and inexplicable power of) yeasted crust made from scratch. Instead of yeast, it uses a combination of baking powder and beer, which also adds a nice kick. It cooks on the stovetop, right in your hot pan. Could not be simpler.

Except that there's a food processor involved. As usual, you can absolutely make this recipe processor-less, just do some stretches before hand.

Pizza night (like salad night and pasta night) is usually my excuse to clean out the vegetable drawer and dump it on a tomato-ey round of dough. Tonight was no exception. Take yesterday's leftover barbecue pork, throw on some cabbage, green onions, sliced zucchini, and sprinkle it all with zesty jalapeno monterey jack. Maybe your leftovers don't sound like mine, but rest assured, a jarred tomato sauce and cheese will do you just fine. But let this be a lesson, you can put anything on a pizza. This crust recipe makes 2 individual-size pizzas (or one big mother if you have the badass, 80-lb. griddle/grill we do).

Speedy Stovetop Pizza Crust

(c/o Cook's Country)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup beer (a nice, light lager)

1 Tbsp olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, powder, sugar, and salt. With the motor running, add the beer and olive oil. Let run until it starts to clear sides and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Take it out, wrap it in plastic, let it rest 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a little bit of oil. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll each into a 9-inch circle. Place one circle at a time into the pan and cook 3-4 minutes, popping any bubbles that might appear with a fork. Flip 'er and layer your toppings, then cover with foil or a lid to the pan. In a mere 5 minutes, you will have delicious pizza! (Then you have to do it all over again with the second one, but it'll be just as good, promise!)

Pasta for Uno (or Due)

If I told you that you could have fresh, homemade pasta in LESS TIME than it takes to cook those wooden, dried skewers you're used to eating, would you believe me? Since dried pasta usually takes up to 10 minutes to cook, fresh pasta kicks its butt, with a mere minute-or-two cook time. And you can do all the prep while your water is coming to a boil. Well, there are a few caveats....you must have a pasta rolling machine and a little bit of counter space, and if you have a second pair of hands to help you, that's even better--it will cut your prep time (mathematically unsurprisingly) in half.

You just need some proportions is all. We're BIG fans of freshly rolled pasta up here, so much so that we do it probably once a week. It's so good all you need is a little butter and parm cheese and you've got a delicious (read: kissing my fingertips in exaggerated Italian gesticulations) meal.

Some things to keep in mind:

1. Use whatever flour you want. Durum/semolina is traditional; all purpose works great; we like to go halfsies with some whole grain flours (spelt, barley, whole wheat, and kamut flours have all worked for us in the past). Just be sure to use about half regular white flour and half grain flour.
2. Throw in other stuff too. As you can (or maybe you can't because I'm a saaaad photographer) tell, we had lots of fresh thyme in the fridge, so I chopped it up and threw it in the dough. This is your chance to un-bland one of the blankest canvases in the food universe.
3. This multiplies pretty well (so just double to serve 2-3).
4. Speaking of which, it will also last up to 2 days in a zipper baggie in the fridge. So if you feel like pasta 3 days in a row, double up.

Homemade Egg Pasta

(Serves 1, generously)

1 egg

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Throw all ingredients in a bowl and beat with a fork until combined (dough will be very shaggy and dry). Turn out onto the counter and knead 5 or 6 times, until you can form a pretty solid ball. It will be dense. If it's just absolutely too dry, sprinkle a little water (say, up to 1 Tbsp) on the dough while you knead. DO NOT over-water your dough. You'll end up with chewing gum instead of pasta.

Meanwhile, fill a small pot with water and put on stove to boil.

If you have time, let the dough hang out for about 20 minutes. If not, proceed to divide your ball into 4 chunks. Flatten slightly with your hand and begin running through pasta roller. You want to do it 7-8 times on the largest setting, folding dough in half between each run. It will seem like a tragically lost cause at first, but eventually you will end up with lovely sheets of dough. Once you've completed 8 rounds on the largest setting, turn the dial to the next-narrowest setting, running dough sheet through once on each number. If your machine is numbered like mine (1-7, 7 being the widest and 1 the most narrow), stop at 3. We found that when we went all the way to the end our pasta was almost nonexistently thin. Repeat with all four dough chunks.

If you do not have a pasta roller, break out the rolling pin. If you have the patience to roll that dough out into a super thin sheet (1/8-in), more power to you.

Finally, run the sheets through the cutter--we like the wide fettucini noodles--or cut sheets with a knife, you non machine-owning reader.

By now, your water is probably boiling. Drop your pasta into the water and push it around a little. Cook for 1-2 minutes (seriously, that's all!), then drain. Toss with a little olive oil and parmesan cheese -- not the powder, for the love of pete -- salt and pepper.

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If you need a little more than just the noodles, get creative with what's in your fridge or pantry. We happened to have some brussels sprouts and leeks, which I sauteed, and some ground turkey, which I made delightful little meatballs out of (but this is another post for another day). Beans work nicely, leftover meats cut bite-size, you see where I'm going with this...

For a fuller meal, chop up some veggies and saute them until soft. Don't forget the garlic, people. Save that water your pasta cooked in, dip some out with a ladle and throw it in to your veggie saute pan. Instant sauce!