EASIEST PIP̀̀̀ERADE

 Photo by Carol Guilford

From the Basque country, in Spain, a scramble of tomato, pepper and egg.  Frothy and creamy.  One of my favorite “single chef” treats and lovely for 2, too, augmented with a piece of brie cheese with small crisp crackers. In my photo above I have used seedless grapes. However, they may look like olives which would work too. 

3-6 eggs*

olive oil

2-3 tablespoons peeled, chopped sweet onion

½ -1 can (5-10 ounces) original RO*TEL DICED TOMATOES & GREEN CHILIES  (gives a nice kick)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

salt, to taste

1.      Use enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté them, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until they wilt over medium heat.

 

2.      Add the diced tomatoes and chilies and garlic powder. Cover the skillet and cook on the lowest heat (I use my “simmer ring”, too) for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or so.

  3.  Beat the eggs lightly, as for scrambling; add to the pan and cook over the lowest heat, until they are just set... about 10 minutes.  Serve as soon as possible.     

* Let me explain. When I make it for just myself, I use 3 eggs and my 8-inch skillet.  When I make it for 2, I use 4 eggs and my 10-inch skillet.  For 3 or 4, the 10-incher also works with the extra eggs.

EASIEST CRISP FRIED PORK CHOPS

Photo by Carol Guilford

From  Carol Guilford’s Main Course Cookbook. The chops should be thin. About 4 chops in ¾ pound. Will fit and fry in a 12-inch skillet.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

4 thin (1/4-inch thick) loin pork chops

1 egg

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

1 cup bread crumbs *

½ cup olive oil

1. Beat the egg with salt, garlic and onion powder.  Spread out bread crumbs on a plate.

2. Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel, then dip both sides into the beaten egg. Coat thickly and well with bread crumbs. Allow to set 15 minutes before frying. (If prepared in advance, the chops can be refrigerated until 30 minutes before cooking time.)

3. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles in the pan, fry the chops for 2-3 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a fork, tongs or spatula. Drain on paper towels. Serve as recipes are fond of instructing, immediately.  Have salt and pepper available on the table.

In summer, sliced tomatoes are perfect with  corn (recipe in Easiest Bar-B-Q beef)

In winter, I open a can of mandarin oranges or cranberry sauce.

*I’m through with making fresh breadcrumbs.  PITA—pain in the you know what. I buy them now at Whole Foods, 365 Panko.

EASIEST HOLIDAY STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Great for the holidays.  They go fast... as in gobbled up.  A variety of mushrooms are now available in the markets--gone are the days when the only mushroom choice was white and tasteless.

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Best Utensil: 9x13 shallow baking dish

12-16 mushrooms

  I favor crimini mushrooms

½ cup bread crumbs

  Whole Foods 365 brand panko

2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons fresh Italian flat parsley

  Parsley must be washed, dried and chopped. I learned somewhere, sometime ago to use

   kitchen scissors to perform this chore

olive oil

1. Rinse the mushrooms quickly in cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Remove (pull out) the stems, carefully.  With a basting brush, brush the bottoms of the mushrooms with olive oil, (keeps them from sticking) then  place the mushrooms, hollow-side up in the baking dish.

2. Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and parsley together.   

3. Moisten with olive oil—2 tablespoons should do it. Should be moist, not wet.    

4. Stuff the mushrooms—with a little mound on the top.

5. Bake in a 375 degree, preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

    

EASIEST BARBECUE BEEF AND SAUCE

For me, bottled bar-b-q sauce is too sweet, and indeed, the first ingredient on the label is usually high-fructose corn syrup, a no-no in my diet, plus modified corn starch and caramel color or flavoring (other names for MSG) along with hydrolyzed anything.

BARBECUE SAUCE (enough for 1-pound ground beef or use as a basting sauce for grilled meats)

one 8-ounce can Muir Glen organic tomato sauce

¼ cup worchestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon Wright's liquid smoke (never seen any other brand)

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon organic cane sugar

Mix and voila! As always, taste and tinker, if you like.

FOR THE BEEF

1-pound ground beef

one cup peeled chopped sweet onion

1. There is enough fat in the beef to put the beef and onion in a 10-inch pan, together. Don’t throw the entire pound in at once, instead, pull off  small chunks and add them to the pan.  Use low heat to get the red out of the meat, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Recipes always say “brown the meat” but what one wants to do is get the red out of it.

      2.  Pour in the sauce, reduce the heat to as low as you can.  I also use a “simmer-ring” 

           and tilt the lid of the pan. Cook for 30 minutes, checking and stirring every 10

           minutes.  Meat should be very tender.  If not, cook until it is.

4 servings

 Photos by Carol Guilford

Good on heated buns, nuked for 5 seconds, or with a side of organic, frozen corn heated with ½ tablespoon butter and a pinch of ground cumin. Trader Joe’s sells a can of non-genetically produced corn I like. 

EASIEST THANKSGIVING SWEET POTATO PIE

Photo by Carol Guilford

I am especially thankful this year because I had a freak accident and came through.

I fell off a truck, I kid you not. The truck wasn’t even moving. It was a mammoth Ford,  I slipped from the seat; my head hit the curb hard. So hard, I ended up in the emergency

room and a cat-scan. A week later, I had plastic surgery and a piece of my left eyelid was grafted onto the right one.

My appetite is returning. Gratefully, I share this sweet potato pie.

Preparation and baking time: about 1 hour. It may be prepared the night before, refrigerated and baked the day of the dinner.

Best Utensils: 4-quart pot and 10-inch pie plate

6-8 servings

4 large sweet potatoes

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 large egg

½ cup orange juice (approximately)

marshmallows *

1. Scrub the potatoes, cover with water and boil over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, until they are tender. Drain, cool slightly before handling, then slip off the skins. While warm, mash in a large bowl with a potato masher.
2. Mix in the drained pineapple, egg, and enough orange juice to moisten.
3. Spoon the potato mixture into the pie plate, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the pie is hot throughout. Top with the marshmallows, (I used 12) return to the oven, and bake until the marshmallows have melted into a crust (about 10 -15 minutes).

• I wasn’t pleased with the first “jet-puffed” marshmallows I bought, but I re-purchased at Whole Foods and the result was satisfactory.  I think those miniature marshmallows will work, too.  Let me know at guilfordcarol@gmail.com

EASIEST TOASTED CHEESE

Sometimes you get lucky.  At my mom and pop market/liquor store, I spied a 6-ounce package of cheddar cheese, labeled, All Natural, 100% Amish Farm Milk, Artificial Growth Hormone free, BGH being bad for the eater, not to mention the cows.

Heini’s (heinis.com) cheddar cheese is special. Check it out. The family owned store sells 50 varieties. 

The recipe is a good one for the single chef.  Use an 8-inch skillet for one sandwich. Two    will fit into a 10-inch skillet. 

For one sandwich

2 slices bread (I used Oroweat, a national brand made with unbleached flour)

2 slices cheese *

1 and ½ tablespoons unsalted butter (BHH free)

1.      Melt the butter over medium heat until it is foaming, and a drop of water sizzles in the pan.  Add the sandwich.  This is a stay-at-the-stove thing because the heat needs to be adjusted to avoid over-browning. 

2.      Grill for 2 minutes on the first side. Turn with a spatula (pancake turner) Grill for 2 minutes on the second side.  You shouldn’t have to add more butter.  If  the cheese had not totally melted, turn off the heat and put a lid on the skillet for  15 seconds.

* If you use chunk style, it looks like this. 

 

and turns into this

Photos by Carol Guilford

Cg note:  For a more substantial repast, especially in winter, I buy and heat up an organic tomato soup.

EASIEST LEMON CHICKEN

Photo by Carol Guilford        Note the meat thermometer.

I have made lemon chicken with fresh garlic (chopped, pressed, whole) and fresh lemon juice, but the ingredients in this version, to me, work better. To make sure, I cooked it for dinner last night.  The chicken needs to be marinated  overnight or at least for 12 hours, before baking.  

Best utensil: 8X8 baking pan

4-6 chicken thighs

    Thighs stay moist and don’t need turning

½ cup bottled pure lemon juice

     Santa Cruz organic.  If you can’t find it, vitacost.com ships. At Amazon, you must order a case.  Lemonade for 50, anyone?  

1 tablespoon garlic powder

kosher salt

low-sodium soy sauce

    I’m a fan of San-J  organic tamari sauce

1.      Rinse the chicken in cool, running water, pat dry.

2.      Mix together the lemon juice and the garlic powder.

3.      Arrange the chicken in the dish, and pour over the marinade, coating the chicken well. Cover with foil. Refrigerate. If you remember, turn the chicken over once or twice as it marinates. 

4.      Bring the chicken to room temperature before baking, about 30 minutes.

5.      Lightly salt both sides of the chicken, then, put it back in the marinade, skin side up.  With a basting brush, paint on just a little soy to aid in browning.

6.      Bake in a preheated 350 degree

oven for 1-hour, basting with the marinade in the dish after ½ hour.

  

Cg note: A medium-sized baking potato (russet, by name) should cook in an hour in the 350 ̊ oven.  For new cooks, here is a short version of how to bake potatoes, from The New Cook’s Cookbook.

Scrub potatoes with a vegetable brush.  Dry. Prick potatoes with the tines of a fork. (One or two stabs will do, allowing the steam to escape.) Put a  piece of foil under the potatoes, or just put them on the rack. When done, a fork will easily pierce them. Slit open, lengthwise from one end of the potato to the other. Press the sides with the fingers (you may need potholders) to fluff up the flesh.  Add butter or crème fraiche. Have salt and pepper available at the table.

 

EASIEST ACORN SQUASH

Photo by Carol Guilford

French impressionist, Henri Matisse (1869-1984) painted an oil of a squash, titled, “The Green Pumpkin.”

It’s the season for winter squash and I saw this pretty acorn squash at Trader Joe’s, for 99 cents.

I hadn’t thought about acorn squash for years, much less cooked it.

  

 A “winter” squash (a pumpkin is one) has a tough skin, as opposed to a “summer” squash such as zucchini with its soft skin.

Peruvian mummies, more than 7,000 years old, were found interred with the squash shell, flesh and seeds still intact.

Squash (cucurbitas) was eaten in ancient Rome. I have an English translation of what is purported to be the first (hand-written) manuscript of collected recipes, by Apicius—De Re Coquinaria (On Cooking)-- the fanatic foodie who when he could no longer entertain lavish feasts of flamingo’s tongues, lobster, wild boar, snails and hare—poisoned himself.  

In 1 AD, the Romans boiled the squash, squeezed it to remove the liquid, added pepper, cumin and a now extinct herb, silphium.  Butter was unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Dashing down millennia, Columbus, in the account of his first voyage, wrote about a village in Cuba where vast fields were planted with calabazzas, meaning gourds, but it is practically certain they were squashes.

In the United States squash was a staple (along with corn and beans) of Native Americans.

For one acorn squash (serves 2)

     2 tablespoons butter

     pinch (1/8 teaspoon)  cinnamon

1. Wash the skin. Slice in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds.

2. Put a tablespoon of butter and a pinch (1/8 teaspoon) of cinnamon in the squash’s cavity.

3. Wrap each half in foil, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until the flesh is tender. The butter and cinnamon moisten and perfume.  Salt at the table, if you want.

     

Goes with fish, fowl and meat.       

 A most beautiful squash is the Turban.  The check-out clerk in the market asked if I were going to cook it or use it for decoration.  I don’t know, I told her. So far, I haven’t tried it. 

Photo by Carol Guilford

EASIEST HOMEMADE PICKLES

Photo by Carol Guilford

I learned how to make pickles from a deli owner in the Catskill mountains where we escaped on weekends to escape New York City summer heat. He made them in a big barrel.

The jar is a 1-pint Mason, originally bottled with organic marinara sauce.

You may diddle around with the ingredients. I like mine slightly sour, garlicky and with a kick.

4-6 smallish Persian cucumbers

1 tablespoon pickling spice

     a combination of cinnamon, bay leaves, mustard seed, dill seed,  ginger, fenugreek, allspice, chilies, cloves and mace. Look for it in the spice aisle.

½ cup vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced lengthwise in half

2 small, hot, dried red peppers (optional)

1. Wash and dry the cukes. Slice lengthwise.
2. Put the pickling spice, vinegar, salt, garlic and peppers into jar. Arrange the cucumbers If there is extra space, slice one of the cukes, horizontally and put them on top. 
3. Screw the lid of the jar on tightly.
4. Leave the soon-to-be pickles at room temperature for 12 hours. If you remember, turn the jar upside down after about 6 hours. When upside-down, put a paper towel under the jar to avoid pickle juice leakage. Refrigerate. Will stay crisp for 3 weeks.

EASIEST GUACAMOLE

Photo by Carol Guilford

I flirted momentarily about attending the annual avocado festival, in Carpenteria, CA., but from LA, it is two hours up, two hours back. Aha! On-line, I checked out last years celebration to see what I was missing. 

The guacamole contest for the best guacamole confirmed my belief that the KISS rule applies.  “Keep it simple, stupid.”  With my “virtual” trip, no crowds, I didn’t have to try the avocado ice cream or personally witness the “largest” vat of avocado. Here is my avocado joke.  The party was so dull, the guests stood around watching the avocado dip turn brown.   

Hass avocados are good; the best is slightly nutty in flavor.  A ripe avocado gives way to gentle pressure. To hasten ripening, put in a brown paper bag, then refrigerate when ripe. Use soon. I have ruined many a lovely avocado by not using it at its peak.

1 medium avocado

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

3-6 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)

1.      Cut the avocado in half. Remove the pit. The skin should peel off easily or the flesh may be scooped out with a spoon.

2.      Mash the avocado in a bowl, with a large fork.  Don’t overdo it, there should be visible chunks.

3.      Add the lemon, salt and Tabasco, if you are using it.  Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the top, to keep it from turning brown. If you are making it for company, make it as close to eating as you can.  Recipe may be multiplied.

Serve with tortilla chips. Potato chips work too.

Photo by Carol Guilford

 El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration, a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. I appreciate the sentiment. Here is  a picture of two muertos eating guacamole.

Photo by Carol Guilford

EASIEST BEEF STROGANOFF

Beef tenderloin, Crimini mushrooms and crème fraȋche instead of sour cream

turns this Russian classic into a date-nite dinner. Ask first time guests if they like mushrooms.

Photo by Carol Guilford
 

best utensils: I use two skillets:  8-inch and 10-inch stainless-steel Cuisinart.  

preparation and cooking time:  under 30 minutes

                                                                                                             serves 2

½ beef tenderloin (filet mignon)

1 cup sliced Crimini mushrooms (4 or 5)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup crème fraȋche

1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce*

kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper

1. Pat beef dry. Cut into 2 inch long, ½-inch wide pieces. Lightly salt and pepper the beef on both sides.

2. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.  Cut off the tough end of the stems, then slice diagonally. 

for the mushrooms

      

3. Use medium heat to melt the butter in in the 8-inch pan. When it is hot and foaming, add the mushrooms and sauté/stir-fry for 1 minute, stirring with your favorite spoon. One cup of mushrooms yields ½ cup as they shrink up. Turn the heat down and slowly mix in the crème fraȋche and Worcestershire.

for the filet

4. Melt the butter (in the 10-inch pan) over medium heat until it is very hot. Add the steak and  sear very quickly—I’m talking 10? seconds on each side.
5.  Add the soy and turn the meat to coat it.

      Add the steak to the hot mushrooms, stir and serve.

* I use SAN-J organic, low-sodium tamari sauce

CgNotes

The mushrooms can be made in advance, and slowly heated.  For brunch or a light lunch, the mushrooms are good on toast, (a shot of brandy doesn’t hurt) coupled with fresh fruit.

To double the recipe, use a 10 and a 12-inch skillet.

An “easiest” cucumber salad makes a zesty side.

BOLO (police jargon for be on the lookout) for Persian cucumbers. If you use a regular cuke, after peeling, split it vertically and scoop out the seeds before slicing.

For 1 to 1½  peeled, sliced cucumbers, gently mix in 2 teaspoons vinegar* and ½ teaspoon sugar.**  A tablespoon of the white part of a green onion is optional. Salt, if you like. Refrigerate until serving time.

• Cook’s choice. For some years, I have been crushing on organic golden balsamic. Whole Foods sells Spectrum and I saw Star at Ralphs/Krogers. Time flies. I remember when there were two kinds of vinegar for sale--white and apple cider. They are still there, midst the array of rice vinegars, wine vinegars and the raspberry-infused.

 

EASIEST BUTTER MOCHI

Photo by James Dannenberg permission by Los Angeles Times.

What is mochi?  A Hawaiian delight.

The first time I tasted it, at a pot-luck, I thought it was bread pudding, not a favorite of mine.  I was wrong. It isn’t bread pudding.  

Eric who brought this almighty dessert is from Kailua, Hawai, on Oahu. Kailua means “where two currents meet together.”  There, butter mochi is a local staple.

The main ingredient of butter mochi is sweet rice flour—short grain, gluten free.
”Mochiko.”

I buy Kado Farms brand  at  an Asian market in LA.*  I did a little research and Walmart sells it, on-line, but one must buy 6 pounds. Best bet is to find an Asian market in your territory, or plan to make a lot of mochi.

The recipe following is for half of Eric’s recipe. Doubled it is a great contribution to a pot-luck which is, of course, where I found it.

utensils: large bowl, 6-inch wire whisk, 8X8 baking pan

8-ounces mochiko flour

2 eggs

½ can coconut milk  (6 ½  ounces)

½ can condensed milk (6 ounces)

½ stick unsalted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

1. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, coconut milk, condensed milk, melted butter and vanilla.

2. Add the sugar slowly, mix in.

3. Add the mochiko slowly, whip until the batter is smooth.

4. Bake in a 325-350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

5. Cool. Do not refrigerate. Cut into squares to serve. Will last 3-5 days.

*I always have a good time at the Ranch Market, once I make it through the large trucks burdening the streets of the San Fernando Valley.

     In a mall with Chinese Barbecue restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant, a shop selling Chinese herbs and an Office Depot, I wander the aisles, listening to (the last time I was there) piped-in Burt Bacharach instrumentals.

     At the market can be found, paper-thin slices of beef for sukiyaki, dried lilies, fresh pork hocks, a dozen varieties of mushrooms, shelves of boxed sauces.   

    I always smile when I pass the tanked live crabs with a warning sign that live crabs bite and children are not allowed to touch or play with them. 

 

      Photo by Carol Guilford

 

EASIEST SOUP FOR THE GODS

                           

Photo by Carol Guilford

 As instant as it gets. Low-cal, Lo-carbo, too. Surprisingly filling from seemingly nothing.  I try to keep the ingredients on hand.

The recipe is adapted from How To Cook And Eat in Chinese by Buwei Yang Chao (1889-1981), first published in 1945 when there was no fresh ginger in the market and Americans thought Chinese food began and ended with chop suey.

My favorite quote about cooking is from Dr. Andrew Boorde, in 1542. “A good cook is half a physician.”  

Mrs. Chou was a medical doctor who added the words “stir-fry” to the English language.

An historical note is that the preface to the book was written by Pearl Buck, Nobel Prize winner in literature. 

Feel free to tweak the measures to your own taste.

2 cups boiling water

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 -1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ -1 teaspoon kosher salt

1-2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 scallion (green onion) peeled and cut into 1/8 lengths (the white bulb and the  tender part of the green stalk.

1. Boil the water. Put all the ingredients into a large cup. Pour the hot water into the cup.

For a hot/sour twist, add 5-10 drops of Tabasco sauce and ¼-1 teaspoon vinegar

Carol’s notes:

Purified water makes all food taste better. I have a Brita attached to my kitchen sink’s faucet.

San-J organic, low sodium tamari is my preferred soy sauce.