Monday, June 25, 2012

Week 25: Southwestern Turkey

The Recipe
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 pounds turkey breast cutlets -- cut into 1/4" strips
1 lb chili
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 bell pepper strips
1 onion -- thinly sliced
1 can corn
2/3 cup salsa -- your favorite

In a skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add turkey; stir-fry 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Add bell pepper and onion; stir-fry 3 minutes. Stir in corn and salsa. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serve with rice.

The Verdict
I couldn't find turkey, so I used chicken instead. Otherwise, I made no alterations.
Unfortunately it was rather dull and bland. Not something I'll be making again.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Week 24: Pasta Cabonara

Pasta Cabonara recipes seem to be hit and miss for me, as I find many of them simply too rich. This seemed like a nice change though, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

The Recipe
(Serves 1)
125g spaghetti
100g bacon
1 clove garlic, peeled BUT NOT CHOPPED!!!
1 egg
Black pepper
Chilli
Grated Parmigano cheese

Boil spaghetti according to directions on package.

Cut the bacon into pieces. Put them in a skillet and season with chilli according to taste. Cook for 2 minutes, until fat begins to render. Add the whole clove of garlic and cook another 5 minutes until the edges of bacon just begin to get crisp. Do not overcook.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into the bowl you will serve the pasta ind and beat them with a fork. Add some grindings of pepper.

Remove the garlic from the bacon pan.

When it's cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce. Add the bacon with its fat, toss again, add cheese and serve.

The Verdict
I'm glad I gave this a chance, because it was very good! The egg/pasta ratio and lack of added milk made for a less rich sauce than I'm used to, which is definitely a good thing. There was slightly too much bacon though (I know, I know, that's an oxymoron), so I think I may limit myself to 75g next time.

But good! :)

(Photo taken at a later time where I added mushrooms, bell pepper and tomatoes.)

Monday, June 4, 2012

Week 23: Crock-pot Italian Pork Chops

It's starting to become a tradition that I start up the crock-pot each Sunday when I get home from church. Terrific tradition if you ask me. I love not having to worry about dinner :)

The Recipe
4 pork chops
1 small squash, sliced thinly
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
6 tomatoes, diced
12 olives without pits, halved (the original recipe called for just FOUR olives!!! Might as well not bother then!)
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp wine vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
salt, pepper

Brown the pork chops on a pan if you feel like it... I didn't :)

In a crock-pot, add onion and bell pepper. Put the pork chops on top and sprinkle with oregano and other spices that might catch your fancy (I used a bit of a BBQ mix I had and some curry). Put tomatoes and olives on top and cover with a layer of squash slices. Mix together vinegar and stock and pour over. Add salt and pepper according to taste (it needed more salt than I'd added). Cover and cook on LOW for 5-8 hours.

Serve with pasta or rice.

The Verdict
I cooked mine for just about 7 hours, but don't think that was quite enough, as the pork chops were still quite dry. It tasted okay - the vinegar and olives gave it a nice 'twist' - but I have so many other, better pork chops recipes, so I don't think I'll be making this again.