| Hi, everyone, it's finally the weekend. Last week I talked about how my Saturday mornings are often spent planning the week's meals and then shopping for them. In addition to thinking about the ingredients I need for specific recipes, I take stock of those like-to-have items that can be used in impromptu cooking or a variety of dishes. The selection tends to change depending on the season or what I'm feeling most into in the kitchen. They include pantry and refrigerator staples. Right now, good-quality jarred marinara is at the top of the list, along with salsa, eggs and cooked turkey or chicken (in the freezer). What are your fridge and pantry must-haves, and why? Send me an email to let me know. Heavy cream is one I've come around to as well. I can use it to whip up a quick batch of tender drop biscuits or add a generous pour to turn tomato soup into tomato bisque. And did you know you can even fry eggs in heavy cream? Of course, cream often goes into sauces to create rich flavor and texture. That's just what Aaron Hutcherson did this week in his Chicken Breasts in Creamy Tomato Sauce, a one-pan, 30-minute meal well-suited for casual entertaining. "Delicious! My daughter and husband commented on how great the dish smelled from outside the front door! A first for me!" raved one reader. "Wonderful!" chimed in another. "Everyone liked it, even my fussy grandson," a happy customer wrote. Heavy cream shows up in a lot of pasta sauces as well. You'll find it combined with plenty of butter and parmesan cheese in Orecchiette With Shredded Brussels Sprouts, an indulgent dish Joe Yonan shared from Ed Barrow, founder of the popular Monday Pasta Club. Compliments are already in for this one, too. "It's delicious!" wrote one reader. "Excellent!" concurred another. There's no cream in Daniela Galarza's Savory Oatmeal With Mushrooms and Eggs, but I've always found that properly cooked oats convey the same sort of smooth, full-bodied texture. (For the nerds like me out there, that's in part because of beta-glucans, the indigestible carbohydrates in the grains that absorb and hold water.) Of course, the Asiago cheese and soft-centered eggs don't hurt either when it comes to breakfast-all-day enjoyment. Eggs also lend body to Ellie Krieger's 30-Minute Wedding Soup. The classic Italian dish typically features time-consuming mini meatballs, but Ellie smartly pivots to seasoned bites of ground turkey for a weeknight-friendly riff. Much like in egg drop or hot and sour soup, right at the end of cooking, eggs are poured into the broth, forming feathery threads that cook on contact as you stir. As usual, Aaron and I will be hosting our live weekly chat with readers on Wednesday at noon Eastern. If you have cooking questions you'd like us to answer, submit them now and then return next week for the full hour of conversation. Happy cooking, and be well. | 
0 comments:
Post a Comment