Middle of the week can be busy with appointments, kids’ sports and errands. It can be difficult to get a good meal on the table. Takeout or frozen prepared meals are tempting. With a little advance planning it is possible to create a tasty and nutritious home-cooked meal in 30 minutes or less.
Cook once, eat twice is a simple idea. Make enough for two meals when you cook. Leftover steelhead steaks will make a nice sandwich filling. They can also be pulled into pieces with two forks and added to a pasta salad.
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Stock up on staples so there is no need to run to the store or do without.
Don’t forget to use what is in your freezer. This seems so basic but I can’t count the times I have seen fully filled home freezers and the home owner doesn’t even know what is on the bottom. Plan ahead and take food out the night before and defrost safely in the refrigerator.
Steelhead trout steaks
I seldom see fish steaks. I made these by slightly freezing a whole fish, for easier slicing, and then cut cross-sections into one to two inch (2.5-five centimetre) thick steaks. Freeze completely for future use or use immediately.
Ingredients:
- 1 steelhead steak per person
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- cooking oil
How to cook:
- Thaw steaks completely, if frozen. Drizzle lightly with cooking oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat a heavy pan over medium high heat. Add cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
- When the oil is very hot carefully place the fish in the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until nicely browned and turn over. Cook steaks until the second side is browned. Total cooking time should be about 10 minutes per inch of fish. Serve on a lightly dressed green salad.
Chicken Paprikash
The key to a tasty dish is using fresh spices. Paprika loses flavour much more quickly than most spices. Hungarian paprika has a richer flavour than regular paprika. It comes in sweet and hot.
Ingredients:
If you don’t have Hungarian paprika just use regular paprika.
- 3 to 4 lb. chicken thighs and drumsticks, or whole chicken legs 1.5-2 kg
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. cooking oil 15 mL
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter 45 mL
- 1 large yellow or Spanish onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tbsp. Hungarian paprika, sweet or hot, or a combination 45 mL
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 45 mL
- 1 c. canned crushed tomatoes or 1 large ripe tomato, chopped 250 mL
- 1 c. chicken stock homemade or low-sodium 250 mL
- 1 lb. egg noodles 500 g
- 3/4 c. sour cream 175 mL
How to cook:
- Heat oven to 400 F (200 C). Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and one tablespoon (15 mL) of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe pan or Dutch oven on high heat, until the butter is foaming. Brown chicken in batches, on both sides, until it is golden and crisp.
- Remove chicken to a plate.
- Pour off all but a tablespoon or two (15-30 mL) of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion.
- Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, about five minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, about three to four minutes. Add the paprika and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant, about four to five minutes.
- Add tomatoes and stock, whisk until smooth and then add the chicken and accumulated liquids back in the pan, skin-side up. Place the pan in the oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over high heat. Cook noodles in the water until they are almost completely tender, about seven to eight minutes.
- Drain the noodles, and toss them with the remaining butter.
- Place the noodles on a serving platter and place the chicken on top of the noodles. Add sour cream to the sauce still in the pan and stir until combined. Ladle sauce over chicken and noodles.
Hamburger steak with onion-mushroom gravy
Save time by making a large batch of beef patties. They can be frozen for up to three months. Once the patties are thawed, the meal will be ready in about 20 minutes. Thaw patties overnight in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
If you have homemade beef gravy, all the better. Use it in place of the brown gravy mix.
- 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs 125 mL
- 1 lb. ground beef 500 g
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper 2 mL
- 1 envelope brown gravy mix
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 15 mL
- 1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms 250 g
- 1 medium-size sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
How to cook:
- Place breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl and add ground beef, egg, garlic, salt and pepper. Gently combine until blended, using your hands. Shape into four patties.
- Whisk brown gravy mix with 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) water.
- Cook patties in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat two minutes on each side or just until browned. Remove patties from skillet.
- Add mushrooms and onion to skillet, and sauté six minutes or until tender. Stir in prepared gravy and bring to a light boil. Return patties to skillet, and spoon gravy over each patty. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer eight to 10 minutes.
Recipe contest
We would love for you to share your favourite family recipes with us. A selection of the recipes will be printed in a December column. From all of the recipes received, we will make a draw for a variety of prairie-made products. Please submit your family favourite recipes to team@producer.com. All entries must be received by Nov. 8.
