QUICK, EASY AND TASTY

 

                                    Quick, Easy and Tasty

           Its’ mid-March and we seem to have survived the ‘Ides of March’ and St. Patrick’s day has been duly celebrated with appropriate food and libations. As I write, daylight saving time has lengthened our days and the Vernal or Spring equinox is arriving this Sunday March 20^th .  As it’s Latin name ‘Vernal’ implies we need to think ‘fresh and new’.

At the same time spring comes with more outdoor activities even if you are not a farmer. So, often the time for evening meal preparation seems to have shrunk and requires deft handling to come up with something tasty in minimal time. Stir fries provide an infinite variety for new combinations using beef, chicken or pork and a multitude of ingredients from your refrigerator and pantry. This combination of beef with kimchee was recently successful at our house but could taste as well using pork and kimchee, which gives it a slightly tart and spicy flavor.

                                       Beef and kimchee stir fry

Prepare the ingredients: ½ large onion and ½ carrot cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced, 1 cup coarsely sliced mushrooms, 1 large chopped garlic clove, ¾ -1 cup shredded kimchee and 2/3 lb. sirloin sliced in ¼ inch or less.

1)    In a heavy pan heat 2 tblsp. peanut oil and when hot stir fry the beef 2-3 minutes with a sprinkle of salt until seared on both sides. Set aside.

2)    Turn heat to medium and sauté the onion, mushrooms, carrots and garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil, 1 tblsp. soy sauce and the kimchee. Cook for 4 minutes, occasionally stirring the mixtures.

3)    Stir in the beef and 2 sliced scallions to heat and serve with rice.

Before stir-fries became so popular, cream sauces provided the vehicle for quick meals with either processed meat or leftover meat or even seafood.

                       Creamed dried beef or ham

Melt 3 tbslp. butter in a large pan and sauté 1 finely chopped stalk of celery on medium heat for 5 minutes. On low heat stir in 3 scant tblsp. flour and then slowly blend in 2 cups milk. Cook with constant stirring until thickened and smooth. Stir in seasonings: ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, ½ tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. mushroom powder (optional). Stir in 4 oz. dried beef cut in strips, heat and serve on a baked potato, toast, pasta or rice. With the coming spring, this would be equally good made with strips of ham and asparagus spears that have been pre-cooked for 3 minutes.

          One of my favorite quick meals as a graduate student many years ago was a slightly different creamed tuna on an English muffin. It still appears at our house sometimes as a luncheon dish.

                                 Creamed tuna with dill

          Heat 1 tblsp. olive oil in a medium pan and sauté ½ medium onion and 1 stalk celery finely chopped for 5 minutes on low heat. Stir in 4 oz. canned mushrooms drained, 1tsp. dill seed, 1 tblsp. lemon juice and 6 oz. canned tuna, packed in water and drained. Break up the tuna with a fork and stir in enough sour cream to moisten and make it slightly saucy. Heat, but do not allow to boil or the cream will curdle. Serve on a toasted English muffin.

          Here is looking forward to the coming asparagus and strawberry seasons!

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)