Timing is everything 02/04/2010
 How do you have a meal on the table for a party or just for your family when they are starving? Here are some “timing-oriented” tips... Cooking ahead Look at your recipes and see if you can break them down into stages that can be performed early. Sometimes just having your vegetables chopped makes it easier to throw a recipe together. Be sure that any steps you do early do not compromise on the taste of the final dish. Also, make sure food is properly stored – not only for health reasons, but also to maintain the best taste and flavor for the dish! Reheating To cover or not to cover, that is the question...here are the basics: · If you want something to stay moist and it is already fairly moist – cover it tightly to reheat · If you want it to be moist but are afraid it got a little dried out in the cooking process you may want to dab some butter over the top before you cover it. · If you want it to be crispy – reheat it uncovered! Freezing I really think my Mom is the expert here. It is a skill that was passed down through generations. My grandmother was the queen of dividing and wrapping things up. My father’s standard joke was that if we did not see my grandfather for a few days – check the freezer. He may be wrapped, sealed and dated. Here are a few does and don’ts for freezing: Zip-top plastic bags and foil and saran wrap. The key is to get as much air as you can out! Suck the air of a baggie before resealing it. Everything doesn’t freeze well, but plenty does: · cooked foods like meats and chickens · most casseroles · Vegetables freeze well – vegetables can be frozen fresh or cooked! · Potatoes and Pasta don’t freeze well! Don’t be afraid to experiment – you can usually figure out a way to salvage something that didn’t freeze well. I experimented once with roasted poblano peppers. When they are in season, they taste better. So, I roasted a bunch and divided them into plastic bags and threw them in the freezer. Then, a few days went by and I tested them in my favorite Chile Con Queso dip page 27 in the Simply Southern With a Dash of Kosher Soul! It worked! Now when I want to make that dish I am able to cut out the step of charring the peppers! It’s good planning to freeze something – canned soups, tomato paste – I usually divide them into measured amounts – ¼ cup of chicken soup/stock or tablespoons of tomato paste. Take leftover bread – wrap it up, throw it in the freezer – after you accumulate a bunch, pull out the processer and make bread crumbs – keep them stored in a plastic baggie in the freezer. This helps keep them fresh, but I think it also helps with the consistency of the bread crumbs. There is a misconception about toasting bread or allowing bread to get stale to make bread crumbs – I have found neither to be necessary! Anyone out there have some ideas to share???? Please do!  Are you looking for some great weeknight meals to put together for your family that will satisfy everyone’s requests? Here are some great ideas that are Simply Southern... Nana’s Baked Spaghetti – Page 109 Salmon Tuna Loaf – page 167 Steamed Broccoli Southern Smothered Burgers – Page 125 Roasted Potatoes – page 188 Italian style Chicken Schnitzel with Italian Spinach – Page 139 Memphis Special Pasta - Page 102 Classic Garlic Bread – page 107 Caesar Salad with Challah y’all croutons – Page 83 Easy Breezy broccoli Quiche – Page 90 or Crustless Spinach Quiche – Page 91 Chicken and Rice – Page 143 Memphis’ Favorite Cole Slaw – Page 66  By: Tracy Rapp There are many ways to plan menus. One way to plan a menu is to visualize the plate. A colorful plate is appetizing and pleasing to your diners - meat and/or chicken or fish, a brown/beige starch, a green vegetable, a red/orange side dish, a cold colorful side salad. When someone sees color popping off the plate in contrast with favorite dishes that are not necessarily colorful – it enhances the anticipation of the taste and flavors in store. I like to see a balance of color on a plate. There is nothing more unappetizing than a plate of brown, colorless dishes. The bad part is that often the dishes are delicious and tasty there is just no excitement in the visual part of the dish. It is also nice to plan a menu by starting with a dish or two that one knows their guest likes. For example, if you are having adventurous eaters or traditional food eaters? Are there a lot of children or more sophisticated adult diners? And then from there either stay with that theme or go for contrasts. My mom always starts with dessert! She is a great dessert maker and loves sweets! I always find this amusing and what makes us a good team – I usually run out of steam when I get to thinking about dessert! Not Mom – she thinks of a sweet treat that she is having a craving for! She even balances dessert – a chocolate and a fruit – something cold and some cake, a pickup cookie and a dessert treat.” Other ideas to start a menu:
| AuthorsSeveral chefs from Simply Southern will periodically share useful tips on various culinary topics. Subscibe by clicking the RSS Feed below ArchivesFebruary 2010 |
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