[tps_header]Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned cook, you’ll want these recipes in your back pocket. Here are 5 recipes that should be in every cook’s arsenal :[/tps_header]
[tps_title]1. Simple Chicken Soup[/tps_title]
(serves 4)
- Ingredients : Carcass and bones from one 2 kg roast chicken, 4 cups chicken stock, 2 medium carrots (sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds), 2 celery stalks (sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices), 1 medium onion (chopped), 1 bay leaf, 1/2 cup white rice, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, salt to taste.
- Directions :
- Put the bones and carcass from a leftover chicken (they can be in pieces) in a large pot. Cover with the stock and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Skim any foam or fat from the stock with a ladle as necessary.
- Remove the bones and carcass with tongs or a slotted spoon; set aside to cool. Add the carrots, celery, onion and bay leaf to the stock; bring back to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are about half cooked (they will still have resistance when tested with a knife but be somewhat pliable when bent), about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice (to keep it from sticking to the bottom), and cook until the grains are just almost cooked, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, when the carcass and bones are cool enough to handle, pick off the meat, and shred it into bite-size pieces.
- When the rice is done, add the meat to the broth and simmer until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste. Serve hot.
[tps_title] 2. Simple Scrambled Eggs[/tps_title]
(serves 2-4)
- Ingredients : 8 large eggs, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Directions :
- Lightly beat the eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over low heat; swirl to coat the bottom and sides. Add the eggs, and cook slowly, scraping them up with a rubber spatula occasionally, until most of the liquid has thickened and the eggs are soft, about 10 minutes. (If you like your eggs a little firmer, cook them for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.) Remove them from the heat, and gently fold in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve hot.
[tps_title]3. Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies :[/tps_title]
(serves : about 30 cookies)
- Ingredients : 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, Fine salt, 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature), 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, One bag semisweet chocolate chips.
- Directions :
- Position 2 racks in the center of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
- Beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer) until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at time, beating after each addition to incorporate. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to medium, add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto each prepared baking sheet. Roll the dough into balls with slightly wet hands. Bake, rotating the cookie sheets from upper to lower racks halfway through, until golden but still soft in the center, 12 to 15 minutes (the longer the cook time, the crunchier the cookies). Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Let the baking sheets cool completely, scoop the remaining dough onto 1 sheet and bake. Store the cookies in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
[tps_title]4. Simple Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce :[/tps_title]
(serves 4)
- Ingredients : 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 4 cloves garlic (very thinly sliced), salt, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, 800 grams tomatoes (crushed by hand), 1 cup torn basil leaves, 350 grams spaghetti, Grated Parmesan (optional)
- Directions :
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook the oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the oil heats up and the garlic just starts to turn golden, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes; rinse the can with about 1 cup of water, and add the water to the skillet. Add the basil, raise the heat to medium-high and simmer until the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook according to package directions; strain well.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce, and stir to coat. Serve with Parmesan if desired.
[tps_title]5. Simple Roast Chicken with Gravy[/tps_title]
(serves 4-6)
- Ingredients : One 2 kg chicken, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 sprigs thyme. 3 cloves garlic (unpeeled), 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 cups homemade chicken stock
- Directions :
(Special equipment: a small roasting pan and rack, butcher’s twine)- Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels, and let sit at room temperature to take the chill off, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees F. Put a rack in a small roasting pan.
- Season the cavity of the chicken generously with salt and pepper, and stuff it with the thyme and garlic. Tie the legs together with butcher’s twine. Season the outside with salt (generously) and a few grinds of pepper, and place the chicken breast-side up on the rack. (Seasoning the chicken when on the rack could result in gravy that’s too salty.)
- Roast the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy and a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh registers 165 to 170 degrees F, depending on how you like your dark meat, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let the chicken rest on the rack for a few minutes, then carefully tip it forward to drain all the collected juices into the roasting pan. Discard the thyme and garlic. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board while you make the gravy. (To transfer the chicken easily, hold a wooden spoon handle in the cavity with one hand and use the other hand to lift the chicken with tongs.).
- Remove the rack from the pan, and pour the pan drippings into a small bowl. Skim off 2 tablespoons of the fat, and stir them into the flour and 2 tablespoons water in another small bowl. Heat the roasting pan over medium-high heat, add the wine, scrape up any browned bits and simmer until the wine reduces by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and any remaining pan drippings, bring to a simmer, add the flour mixture and whisk constantly until the liquid thickens into a gravy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper.
- Remove the butcher’s twine from the chicken. Snip off the wingtips using kitchen shears; reserve to make stock. Remove the leg quarters by slicing between the thigh and the body, then finding the hip joints near the backbone and slicing through them. Separate the drumsticks and thighs, and transfer to a platter. Sit the carcass upright; snip out the backbone and reserve it to make stock. Lay the breast skin-side up and slice in half through the breastbone. Separate the wings and breast, and transfer to the platter. Serve the chicken with the warm gravy.
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