Shop, Stock, Cook
I maintain a well-stocked kitchen during the winter months, making my trips to the supermarket few and far between. I don’t mind stopping at the store for a small bag of fresh items like fruit, salad and vegetables. I just don’t enjoy schlepping tons of groceries from the store to my car to my home when wet snow is blowing down my boots.
Here are a few mains and some desserts to get you through the next week or so. They include ingredients that home cooks usually have on hand — such as eggs, cheese, butter, sour cream, heavy cream, mustard, beef and chicken broth, pasta, marmalade, oatmeal, raisins, herbs, spices, garlic, potatoes, onions — and canned goods, such as tomatoes, chipotle chilies and beans. Freezer items include spinach, shrimp, salmon and raspberries. Buy and freeze meat as it goes on sale. The recipes here call for Italian sausage meat, beef sirloin tip roast and a whole chicken. Pick up the following items at the market as needed: French bread, deli ham, flour tortillas, lemons, oranges, Guinness draught, lager beer and, of course, wine. Be sure to up the nutritional value by serving a vegetable or green salad with each meal.
If you have eggs in the fridge, you have a lot of options for dinner. Hard-boil and mix with mayo and pickle relish for egg salad sandwiches; whip up a vegetable frittata, cheese omelette, quiche or soufflé; poach and serve over buttered English muffins; or scramble with little bits of bacon. Call me boring, but I prefer my fried eggs hard, yolks broken. However, make your eggs as you like for this yummy open-faced sandwich.
Ingredients
- 4 slices French bread, cut 1 inch thick
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tsp honey mustard, or to taste
- 8 thin slices ham or other deli meat
- 4 slices Swiss, Cheddar or Provolone cheese
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat broiler to high.
- Place bread slices on baking sheet. Brush top of bread with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until toasted, about 2 minutes. Watch closely as bread will burn quickly.
- Spread each bread slice with mustard. Place 2 ham slices and 1 cheese slice on each. Broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Fry eggs, flipping once, until whites are set and yolk is still slightly runny, if desired. Top each sandwich with an egg. Season with pepper.
Drink Suggestion:
Excellent with Champagne or sparkling wine mixed with orange juice.
This soup uses the leftover French bread from the Ham and Egg Sandwiches. Use whatever beans you have on hand, and vary the herbs depending on what’s in your cupboard. You can substitute frozen meatballs for the sausage meat. You can also add a few cups of cooked small pasta such as ditalini or shells.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage meat (no casings)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 8 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 can cannellini, kidney or other beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- Leftover French bread, cut into cubes and toasted in oven until browned
Instructions
- In Dutch oven, in hot oil, cook sausage meat until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
- Add garlic, oregano and parsley to pan. Sauté 2 minutes or until garlic is softened. Add broth and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
- Add sausage, spinach, salt and pepper. Turn up heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Serve with French bread croutons.
Drink Suggestion:
The soup pairs well with a Barbera D’Alba.
Sometimes the simplest ingredients can result in the most delicious meal. This is a super-easy tomato sauce for quiet Sunday afternoons.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 lb angel hair pasta, gnocchi or tortellini, cooked
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the onion, tomatoes, olive oil and salt. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add more salt if needed. Toss sauce with pasta and top with cheese.
Drink Suggestion:
Nothing but a Chianti Classico will do.
Keep frozen shrimp and scallops on hand for quick and elegant dinners. After opening the can of chipotles, freeze the remaining chilies in 1 tbsp portions in small freezer bags. If you don’t have sour cream, make the chipotle sauce with all mayo. If you prefer lime, you can substitute lime juice for the lemon.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 large onion, sliced
- Large flour tortillas, warmed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil and chili powder. Add shrimp, mixing to coat. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in large skillet, in remaining olive oil, sauté onion over medium heat until softened and golden. Remove shrimp from marinade and add to skillet. Sauté until shrimp curl and turn pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Serve shrimp mixture with warmed tortillas and Honey Chipotle Sauce (recipe below).
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 minced chipotle chili in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In small bowl, whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle chili with adobo sauce, honey and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.
Drink Suggestion:
Try with a Spanish white such as Albarino.