Category: Fast and Good

Spinach on Toast with Fried Egg

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Ever have one of those weary days when you get home and just need a really quick, really easy supper?  

I thought of this on my drive home last night and 10 minutes after I walked in the front door, Kumy and I were sitting down to eat. Kumy told me that when he was a child, spinach on toast was one of his favorite meals but they had it with hard-boiled egg slices. This may become a regular meal – it was so good!

4 slices good bread, toasted
butter
garlic powder

olive oil
garlic powder
two really big handfuls of fresh spinach
black pepper
parmesan cheese

eggs
salt & pepper

Toast the bread, lightly butter it and sprinkle very lightly with garlic powder.

While bread is toasting, heat olive oil in a large frying pan, sprinkle in a little garlic powder and add spinach. Cook until spinach is just wilted. Add a few grinds of black pepper and a handful of parmesan cheese. Set aside.

In another frying pan, heat olive oil, and make sunny side up eggs. (Yolks should be runny.) Season with a little salt and pepper.

Put toasts on a plate, top with spinach and fried egg. Delish!

Thai Baked Fish (in Nam Prik Sauce)

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Just made this tonight from Matt Danzer and Ann Redding’s recipe in the Wall Street Journal. Wow. So easy, and unbelievably good. Served with Gai Lan, a really delicious veggie. I varied a bit from the original recipe, but the Swai looked good at the Asian Market.

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 whole lime, zested then juiced
1 more lime quartered
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce (find this in the Asian section – adds an unmistakable flavor.)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 green chillies – very small and thin ones, sliced thinly
3 lbs. swai fillets (recipe calls for 2 lbs. cod or seabass in the WSJ)
6 Tbsp Cilantro leaves
Cooked white rice

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix garlic, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, olive oil, half of the zest, and the chillies, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Put fish fillets skin down (if they have skin) in a shallow baking dish. Spoon the sauce over it. Cover with foil, or flip another pan over it. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish is just cooked.

Serve over rice with the pan sauce. Garnish with cilantro, fresh lime and zest.

Sriracha Glazed Salmon (or Chicken)

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Just made this last night for dinner with  friends.  It was easy and delicious -plus you just let it marinate until it’s ready to cook.  So you can hang out with your friends instead of messing around in the kitchen.  What more can you ask?

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp vinegar (I used cider vinegar.)
1 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce (use less if you don’t like it too spicy)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated, or 1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp Sesame Oil  (Check the Asian section of the grocery store.)

2 large Salmon fillets

Mix glaze ingredients and pour into a large baking dish (I used a big rectangular pyrex dish, but you can also use a big, flat baking pan.)

Rinse fish, and shake off as much water as possible. Lay the fish skin side up in the glaze, so the actual fish meat is in the glaze. Lift it up from both sides to be sure it’s all in contact with the glaze. Let marinate at least 20 minutes.

Flip the fillets back over (skin side down now) and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until the fish just flakes with a fork.  This is also a great fish for grilling.

Remove from pan and drizzle glaze from the pan over the fish with a spoon.

The glaze is also good on chicken. I served this last night with Brown Butter Potatoes, and a spinach and strawberry salad. Love it when the plate is so full of color!

Chicken Picatta

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I love the tart flavors of lemon juice and capers in this classic Italian dish, and it’s so quick! I often serve it with smashed potatoes sauteed in butter, since the tartness of the sauce blends really well with the potatoes. This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people.

Ingredients

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, flattened between layers of plastic wrap.  (I used a rolling pin to smash them and make them even. It’s important to get the chicken quite thin so it cooks quickly.)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup flour (use more if needed)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers, drained
2 more Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
One more squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Heat oil and butter over medium heat in your largest frying pan.  Season flattened thighs with salt and pepper.  Put flour in a flat bowl or pie pan, and dredge the thighs, shaking off the excess.  Drop the floured thighs into the frying pan without crowding, and fry for 3-4 minutes per side, until they are starting to get golden bits on them.  Remove from pan and add more thighs. Continue until all the chicken is cooked.

Add in the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and add the chicken thighs back in along with any juices that have collected on the plate.  Cook for about 5 more minutes, turning the chicken so both sides are saucy. Add the last 2 Tbsp of butter and stir gently to distribute it.  Taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper.  Place in a serving dish, give one more good squeeze of lemon juice, and sprinkle parsley.

Samir’s Favorite Kitchiri

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Kitchiri is a wonderful mix of rice and lentils that is a great, filling vegetarian main dish. It is kind of based on kedgeree, which is more soupy. But it’s easy, quick and definitely worth trying. It is also, as per the title, one of Samir’s favorites.

1 cup red daal, soaked for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic puree
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves
3 cardamoms
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
5 cups water (or 5 cups chicken stock if not worried about being vegetarian)
2 tsp vegetable stock
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp salt
black pepper

Saute onion and garlic in butter and oil for 5 minutes. Add rice and spice and saute for 1 minute. Add all else, stir well, cover and cook on low heat 20 minutes.