At the end of a busy workday I pick up my kids, pull out my hair because they are already driving me nuts, and try to muster up the energy to put some delicious food on the table. Since most of this is done while also having one of them directly underfoot and/or pulling on my pant leg and the other one is barking orders and requests at me, I can really use a meal that requires little brain power and energy. I love hands off meals; the kind that you put very little effort into and yet they still knock your tastebuds around a bit.
Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook
has a great chapter called "5 Minute Wonders" in which he pulls off a meal for one in five minutes or less. I spotted a recipe for a Chorizo and Tomato Omelette and the chorizo was beckoning me. Since this recipe is only for one person, I adapted the omelette into a frittata in order to feed my whole family. It's a meal that can be prepped in 5 minutes and you'll be sitting down to eat 15 minutes later. I can definitely handle that.
Recipe adapted slightly from Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook
__________________________________________________________________________________
Serves 4
125 g (4.4 oz) hot Spanish chorizo, sliced
2 green onions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
2 roma tomatoes, deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
6 eggs
1 red chili, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
If you have an oven proof skillet use it, if not wrap some tinfoil around the handle of your skillet. I think non-stick works best.
Set your skillet over medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Saute the chorizo and whites of onions for 2-3 minutes until the sausage is starting to brown. Add the tomato and parsley and saute another 1-2 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the chili and season with salt and pepper. Pour the beaten egg mixture over everything in the pan and sprinkle with greens of onions. Turn the heat down to medium low and let cook for another 5-8 minutes until the bottom of your frittata sets. Then place it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the top of the frittata is set and your eggs are golden.
Remove from oven, cut into wedges and serve.
Click here for printable version of Chorizo and Tomato Frittata
_____________________________________________________________________________________
THE RESULTS?
The flavor of chorizo is fabulous and all the spices and garlic and paprika kind of melt into the oil when you saute it, which give the entire frittata a nice smokey spicy flavor. Studded with the bits of juicy tomato this meal will surely win you over. The combo is fabulous and the meal is effortless.
If I am being honest about the recipe as written in the book, the process is quite vague. Jamie doesn't give a clear set of directions for actually cooking the omelette, saying only "continue to fry until the eggs set, giving you a lovely little omelette." Ummm...how do you cook an omelette? No seriously. Had I actually cooked an omelette I would have had to google that first, then proceeded accordingly. But the flavors are smashing and lovely and wonderful, so I can't fault him for that :)
Meal Ideas:
- Chorizo and Tomato Frittata + Arugula Salad drizzled with Lemon and Olive Oil
- Chorizo and Tomato Frittata + Cream of Leek & Celery Soup
This recipe was intended to be another cookbook review for Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook, but the eight pounds of ham I had in my freezer was not the same as the one he uses in his cookbook. Are you as confused about hams as I am? Cured, smoked, not-smoked, Virginia, country ham, city ham, bone-in, bone-out, cooked, raw....WHAT IS HAM?!?!
The ham most home cooks would know around Canada is a pre-cooked, smoked ham or pork shoulder. It can be found super cheap for around a $1 a pound in the summer because of picnic season (thus, it can also be found under the name "picnic ham"), and it only needs to be heated in the oven until it reaches an appetizing temperature.
While Jamie uses a raw ham that he boils and then roasts, I skipped all that and went straight to the part about the rosemary marmalade glaze. The sweet earthy combo melds with the rich smokey meat creating a extraordinary ham to serve on holidays, for Sunday dinner, picnic or potluck.
Recipe adapted from Dinner with Julie and Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook
____________________________________________________________________
Serves 6-8
7-8 lb smoked pork shoulder (or other pre-cooked smoked ham)
1/2 cup marmalade
handful of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
Optional: 4-5 carrots, chopped to 1 inch pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the ham in a baking dish large enough to hold it, fat side up. Place into the oven and roast for about an hour.
Remove from the oven. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Stir up the marmalade to loosen and smear it all over the outside of the ham. Sprinkle on the rosemary, reserving some leaves for later. If using carrots, toss them in around the ham and place back in the oven for another 30 minute or so. Remove from the oven and scatter the fresh rosemary leaves over all. Scoop the carrots into a serving dish, carve the ham and pour any juices remaining in the pan into a gravy boat to pass at the table.
Click here for printable version of Rosemary Marmalade Ham.
____________________________________________________________________
THE RESULTS?
Before trying this, I never would have guessed how great marmalade and rosemary pair with smokey salty ham. The fat on the ham melted into the pan and mingled with the sweet citrusy marmalade making this incredible sauce that we were pouring liberally over our plates. The rosemary adds an earthy dimension. And those carrots? OH MY GOSH. They suck up all the flavors of the ham and sauce and create these ridiculous little morsels.
Meal Ideas:
Leftover Ideas:
If you have yet to try a warm potato salad, don't be put off by it. The still hot potatoes slurp up all the flavors of the sauce instantly leaving you with potato morsels bursting with pungency. The high electric notes of the lemon are balanced beautifully with the cool creamy sour cream and smokey fish. This is not your typical understated mayo-ey potato salad; it's one with sass. Pretty much perfect in my eyes.
Recipe adapted slightly from Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook
____________________________________________________________________
Serves 4
1 1/2 lb new potatoes, scrubbed
4 heaping tbsp sour cream
zest of 2 lemons, and juice of 1
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
1-4 tsp horseradish (can use fresh grated, or prepared)
a handful of fresh parsley
a handful of fresh chives
a small bunch of green onions, fined diced
7 oz smoked salmon or trout
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. You want potatoes to be a uniform golf-ball size, so add them whole to the pot if they are small enough, and cut others in half if you need to. Get all potatoes into the pot and boil until tender (about 10 minutes or so). Drain and place them back in the pot. While the potatoes are still hot, add the sour cream, zest and juice of 1 lemon and your olive oil. Toss around and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add or grate in your horseradish, tasting as you go, to see how much heat you can handle. Chop up the parsley and chives and throw these into the pot, along with the green onions. Tear up the smoked fish and mix everything together. Now it's very important to balance your salad with more seasoning and maybe an extra squeeze of lemon. You may even want to give it more of a kick by adding more horseradish. Put salad in a nice serving dish and eat as a starter, a side salad or even as a meal itself.
Click here for printable version of Smoked Salmon, Horseradish, and New Potato Salad
____________________________________________________________________
THE RESULTS?
This potato salad is phenomenal. I served this to a bunch of guests at a family gathering and EVERYONE went back for second and third helpings. The flavors are fresh and exciting and paired really well together. What I also loved was how forgiving it is. It tasted fabulous hot, room temperature or cold the next day, which made it perfect to serve to guests as I didn't have to worry so much about the timing.
I will point out that my slight adaptation of this recipe was to use smoked salmon instead of trout or eel as the recipe suggests. In my opinion the whole point is to pair smoked fish with horseradish, lemon and new potatoes, so whichever fish is more easily accessible to you should be your choice. I also cut the amount of fish down by half since it is a very pricey item. You can definitely get away with this since it is an ingredient with such a strong flavor.
Meal Ideas:
The grocery list is back! This time it's easier to use and printable as well. It is color coordinated by meal so you can easily pick and choose which meals you would like to make. Either print and use the grocery list as is and make all the meals I have planned, or cross off the meals you would rather not make. Hopefully this is useful and helpful to you!
Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan.
How 'bout I just skip over all the excuses about how I haven't posted in 3 months and we just hop to it, okay?
Day 1: Chicken and Tortellini in Rose Sauce with Fresh Basil and Sauteed Spinach
This is bad for my carb dosages because I can't stop eating it.
Day 2: Rosemary Marmalade Ham with Smoked Salmon, Horseradish and New Potato Salad and Asparagus
Two phenomenal dishes I served for a family gathering.
Day 3: Tomato and Chorizo Frittata with Garden Salad and Passion Tea Lemonade
This is a beautiful lunch for a warm summer day or a late Sunday brunch.
Day 4: Spanish Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Chorizo and Broccoli
This dish is so good I've served it three times this summer.
Day 5: Tender and Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes served with Parmesan Parsley Spaghetti and Salad dressed with Balsamic and Oil
A simple and rustic looking dish yet the flavors are fantastic. Would be a wonderful recipe to use up your sweet garden tomatoes.
I will admit that most of these recipes are from Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie's Dinners, but I wanted to pick up where I left off. Luckily it's a week of GREAT recipes to share. Here's to being back in the saddle!
For more great meal plans, check out my complete list of meal plans or the Menu Plan Monday links at Orgjunkie.
Posts
