Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals (29 page)
Read Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals Online
Authors: Rachael Ray
No bread crumbs and it’s not fried. Eat two portions. Life is good.
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | pounds thin chicken breast cutlets |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling, plus 5 tablespoons | |
| 3 | to 4 garlic cloves, chopped |
| 1 | teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes |
| 1 | small yellow onion, finely chopped |
| 1 | can (28 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, such as Muir Glen brand |
| 20 | fresh basil leaves (1 cup), shredded or torn |
| ½ | cup Parmigiano-Reggiano |
| ½ | pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced |
| 6 | cups mixed greens, any variety |
| 2 | tablespoons red wine vinegar |
Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with EVOO to keep it from sticking to the grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to a foil-covered platter to hold. If you are using a grill pan, cook the chicken in 2 batches if necessary. While the chicken cooks, make the sauce.
Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the EVOO (twice around the pan). Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and onion. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and heat through, 2 minutes. Wilt in the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler to high.
Layer the chicken with the tomato sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with Parmigiano and mozzarella. Brown the chicken parm casserole under the broiler for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the salad.
Place the greens in a salad bowl. Dress with the vinegar and the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken parm alongside a little salad.
Indian Spiced Vegetable and Couscous Pot4
SERVINGS
| 3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (3 times around the pan) |
| 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced or grated | |
| 1 | teaspoon cumin seeds (⅓ palmful) |
| 1 | teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| 1 | head cauliflower, cut into florets |
| 3 | baby eggplants (1½ pounds), cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges |
| 1 | small yellow onion, sliced |
| 1 | can (15 ounces) chickpeas |
| 1 | tablespoon ground coriander (a palmful) |
| 1½ | teaspoons turmeric (half a palmful) |
| 1 | teaspoon allspice (⅓ palmful) |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 1 | cup chicken stock or broth |
| ⅓ | cup couscous |
| 1 | cup fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded, or ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish |
Heat a deep nonstick skillet or pot (choose one that has a tight-fitting lid) over medium-high heat with the EVOO. When the EVOO ripples, stir in the ginger, cumin, red pepper flakes, and garlic, then add the cauliflower. Stir and sear the cauliflower, caramelizing it at the edges, 2 or 3 minutes, then push it to the side of the pan. Add the eggplant and onion and let them sit for
3 minutes or so; they will caramelize a bit as well at their edges. Toss to combine the vegetables and add the chickpeas. In a small dish mix the coriander, turmeric, allspice, and salt. Stir in the spices and chicken stock and combine well. Bring the stock up to a bubble, 1 minute. Stir in the couscous and place a lid on the pan. Turn the heat off and let the pot stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff the mixture with a fork. Top each portion liberally with either torn or shredded basil or chopped cilantro.
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (twice around the pan) |
| 4 | hot Italian sausage links |
| 4 | 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch-thick slices |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | teaspoons poultry seasoning (⅔ palmful) |
| 1 | medium yellow onion, thinly sliced |
| 4 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 2 | celery ribs, chopped |
| 1 | small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced |
| 1 | 10-ounce box frozen French-cut green beans, defrosted |
| 1 | cup chicken stock or broth |
| ½ | cup pitted kalamata olives |
| 1 | tablespoon capers, drained |
| 2 | oranges, zest reserved, peel and pith removed, cut into disks |
| ⅓ | cup plain couscous |
| 2 | handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped |
Heat a large soup pot with the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown all over for about 5 minutes. Move the sausage to one side of the pot and then add the sliced chicken. Season liberally with salt and pepper and add the poultry seasoning. Brown the chicken for about 3 minutes, then turn to brown opposite side. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the defrosted green beans and the chicken stock. Bring the liquid up to a simmer, then add the olives, capers, orange slices, and orange zest, and stir to distribute. Stir in the couscous and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the stove off and let the pot sit covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add the parsley while fluffing the dish with a serving fork. Serve immediately, making sure everyone gets a sausage link.
OPTIONS
If you’ve met your pork quota for the day or just don’t do pork any day, try a flavored chicken or turkey sausage instead of the Italian sausage. Or, if you are suffering from chicken overload, then omit the chicken and the Italian sausage and go for a good-quality seafood sausage. Bump up the total amount of sausage, figuring about 3 seafood sausages per person.
Broths and stocks have come a long way in the last few years, not only with their taste and consistency but with their packaging, too. They now come in resealable paper containers found on the soup aisle right alongside the cans. The paper containers make storage of remaining product easy; always keep some on hand in your refrigerator. Stocks especially add long-cooked flavor to any quick-cooking dish!
Eggplant and Wild Mushroom Pasta with Ricotta SalataLeaving a little skin on the eggplants will add color and texture to the dish. The small, firm eggplants are not too bitter and when they are firm, they will not soak up as much oil, so they do not need to be salted and pressed. However, if you leave all the skin on, especially when you use baby eggplant, the skin overpowers the flavor of the flesh and the texture is too tough, overall.
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | ounces dried porcini mushrooms |
| 1 | cup chicken stock or broth |
| Salt | |
| 2 | medium vine-ripe tomatoes (½ pound) |
| ½ | pound cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped hollow pasta), or other shaped pasta |
| 2 | pounds (4 or 5) baby eggplants |
| 3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (three times around the pan) |
| 3 | garlic cloves, chopped |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| ⅓ | pound ricotta salata cheese, chopped and crumbled into small pieces (in specialty cheese case of market, among Italian selections) |
| 1 | cup (20 leaves) fresh basil, torn or shredded |
Combine the porcinis and chicken stock in a small pot and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to lowest setting and let the mushrooms soften and steep for 10 to 15 minutes, until very tender.
Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. When it boils, salt the water to season it. Cut a small x into the bottom of
the tomatoes and plunge them into the boiling pasta water for 30 seconds, then remove to a cutting board to cool. Add the cavatappi to the water and cook to al dente, or with a bite to it.
While the porcinis and pasta cook, trim half of the skin from the eggplant.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the eggplant into 1- by ½-inch bite-size pieces. Add the EVOO to the pan, followed by the garlic and eggplant. Turn and toss the eggplant and season it with salt and pepper. Let it brown lightly at edges, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook.