Betty Kaiser
January Cooking Blues
It’s January, and as usual, I’m sick and tired of cooking. The frenzy of holiday cooking has depleted not only my grocery budget but also my desire to cook. So if you’re like me and you’ve got the January Cooking Blues, keep reading. I’ve got some recipes to entice you.
My resource for today is the sheaf of recipes that I have collected and loosely assembled in folders in a kitchen drawer. Some day I’m going to file them. (Yea, right!) Until then, leafing through the stacks is kind of like a treasure hunt. I never know what is buried in the pile.
Sitting down with a cookbook or recipe file quickly jogs my memory about long forgotten dinner choices. This time, the litmus test for the recipes I was searching was whether or not I had the ingredients on hand or they were easily obtainable. These are simple recipes and for the most part, my pantry and freezer yielded what was need.
In the meat department, the following recipes called for ground pork, chicken thighs (or parts), and either cooked ham or ham slices. I had all of the above because I routinely use ground pork in meatloaf/meatballs; a cut-up chicken is a weekly meal and I had frozen the remainder of our Christmas ham.
I didn’t have Chinese plum sauce or Hoisin sauce for the meatball recipe. I am printing the recipe as written but I just made a sweet ‘n sour barbecue sauce, substituting apricot jam for the plum sauce and teriyaki sauce for the Hoisin. I know, they are not the same but it worked! So don’t be afraid to experiment and enjoy!
TANGY ASIAN MEATBALLS
1 pound ground pork
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped
1 large egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup jarred Chinese plum sauce
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce (or teriyaki sauce)
Combine pork, panko, scallions, egg, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a large bowl; mix gently but thoroughly with your fingers. Roll into 1-inch balls.
Spray a large skillet with non-stick coating. Brown meatballs, turning often until evenly browned. In a small bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, plum sauce and hoisin sauce; pour over meatballs. Gently stir to coat. Cover and cook on low until meatballs are cooked through.
Serve over hot cooked rice with stir-fried vegetables.
Note: Sauce recipe is easily doubled.
LEMON-ORANGE ROSEMARY CHICKEN THIGHS
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lb.), excess fat trimmed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons orange juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
Preheat broiler. Rinse chicken thighs; pat dry. Arrange thighs, skin side down, on a broiler pan. In a small bowl, combine lemon and orange juices, olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Brush 1/2 of mixture over chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
Using tongs, turn chicken thighs skin side up. Brush remainder of juice mixture over skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until thighs are browned, about 7 minutes.
Turn off broiler and set oven to 450°F. Add marmalade to lemon-orange juice mixture and spoon over chicken pieces (discard any excess). Return pan to oven. Bake until juices run clear when pricked with a fork and meat is no longer pink at the bone.
Serve hot with a vegetable and mashed potatoes.
CREAMY PASTA SHELLS WITH BROCCOLI AND HAM
6-8 ounces small pasta shells
2 cups small broccoli florets (from 1 medium head broccoli)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
4 ounces cooked ham, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream, warmed
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4+1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Add broccoli for last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time. Drain and return to pot.
While pasta is cooking, melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add ham and cook, stirring, 2 minutes longer. Stir in cream, cream cheese and basil; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour cream mixture over pasta and broccoli. Add 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, passing more Parmesan.
Note: whole or canned condensed milk can be substituted for the cream to reduce the fat content.
HAM STEAK WITH PINEAPPLE
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ham steak (about 1 1/4 lb.), cut into 4 portions
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups cubed fresh (or canned) pineapple
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. When foaming subsides, add ham and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer ham to a plate and reduce heat to medium.
Pour orange juice into skillet and, with a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Stir in mustard and cook until liquid thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add pineapple and cook 2 minutes longer, then return ham to skillet and turn to coat with sauce.
Serve with baked sweet potatoes and vegetable.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.
