Recipes: Pork chops, Pasta with peas and cheese, Turkey burgers, Microwave- steamed vegetables
Life can sure throw some surprises your way! There I was, running around, shopping, cooking, working, living life, when suddenly I fell and broke my ankle and it all stopped. Then, instead of doing all those things, I found myself lying on the sofa with a heavy cast on my leg, "toes above my nose" to prevent swelling, with orders not to put any weight on my foot for two weeks. It was obvious I wasn't going to be working as a bartender for awhile, and I accepted that, but we still had to eat. Who was going to shop for food? Who was going to cook?
Fortunately there are two people living in my home, and the lot fell to my partner Wayne, who hates to shop and doesn't cook, although he's an enthusiastic eater. Turns out he has talent he didn't know he had. Here are two of the easy-to-make and wonderfully healthy meals he cooked for us under Emergency Conditions. He truly helped my ankle heal!
Pork Chops and Pasta with Peas and Cheese
Friends came to the rescue, too, especially when it came to shopping. I never realized how much W actually dislikes grocery shopping, which I love. Good thing I do. Anyway, a girlfriend and two of our wonderful neighbors did shopping for us on several occasions. That's where the fresh gluten-free pasta in this photo came from. W doesn't eat gluten. although I do, so we could both eat this. It was delicious, just like regular "glutenous" pasta.
Of course I keep meats and some vegetables like peas and corn in the freezer, so we had choices.
The pork chops
Easy as pie. Why do people say that? Pie isn't always easy. Wayne put the chops in the microwave on defrost for 5 minutes, as they were frozen. Then he heated up the cast iron skillet with a little olive oil in it, salted and peppered the chops, and cooked them, 5 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the other. He let them sit off the heat to rearrange juices and finish cooking while he made the pasta.
I told him the timing for cooking, but otherwise he was on his own.
The pasta with peas and cheese
Wayne does love him some peas. Almost always, he'll have peas if given a choice. He put frozen peas in a microwave proof dish with 2 or 3 tablespoons water. He micro'd it for 2 minutes, until they were heated through, not frozen and not mushy. Then he cooked the pasta.
He had fresh gluten-free fettucine, and the package said it needed to cook about 45 seconds. Yikes, that's like "in and out"! So, big pot of water boiling. W put a tablespoon of sea salt in and put a colander in the sink. Then he put the pasta in the water and stirred it. At one minute, he brought the pot over to the colander and drained it, and the pasta was perfect. Forty-five seconds might not have been enough.
He poured the pasta back into the pot, added the drained peas, and sprinkled a good handful of shredded Parmigiana-Reggiano over all. One more stir and dinner was ready. So good!
Turkey Burgers with Microwave-Steamed Veggies
Wayne made turkey burgers much the same way he made the pork chops, except that the ground turkey wasn't frozen. Our friend Jackie had just done some shopping for us and had brought it.
The burgers
Shape a pound of ground turkey (dark meat is tastiest, I think) into four or five patties, about an inch thick. Salt and pepper them on one side.
Heat a cast iron skillet, or another frying pan, with a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil. Add the burgers to the pan, seasoned side down, and fry for 4 minutes. Salt and pepper the up side, then flip the burgers and fry them 4 more minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the burgers to a plate, and let them stand to finish cooking while you make the vegetables.
The veggies
Wayne peeled 2 carrots and cut them into chunks. He scrubbed 6 small red potatoes and pricked them a few times with the tip of a paring knife. He cut the tops off several moderately hot little peppers (padrones) that we grew in our front yard. Then he put the carrots and potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water. He microwaved them on high for two minutes, then stirred them and microwaved them on high for two more minutes. He added the peppers and stirred again and microwaved them for two more minutes. He tested the potatoes and carrots, and decided to go for two minutes more.
With the addition of light sour cream on the potatoes and a little salt to taste, dinner was ready. Wasn't it beautiful? It tasted as good as it looks!
Just goes to show, dinner doesn't have to be a big production and cooking isn't brain surgery. It's enough to use colorful fresh ingredients and cook them simply with the addition of a bit of love! This was delicious home food, and I know all the veggie and protein nutrition, plus all the caring involved, helped me feel better. Wayne says he has enjoyed doing it. Maybe I can convince him to take over the kitchen once in awhile after I'm up and around again, now that we know!
Buon appetito!
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