Chef Patti Anastasia
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Serving Southern New Hampshire since 2003
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Chef Patti Anastasia Serving Southern New Hampshire since 2003 |
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Table Talk » Weeknight Saviors ArchivesNovember 1, 2009Asian Grandmothers' SecretsToday I used the last of my Thai basil to make this Thai Basil Pork. The recipe was featured in the Boston Globe on 10/28/2009 in a review of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. Last spring, a delicious spicy basil pork dish that I had at The Chatta Box inspired me to grow Thai basil in my Aerogarden. I became obsessed with Thai basil. Early in the summer, a friend told me that she bought some Thai Basil plants at her local Walmart. I'm not a fan of Walmart, but I was willing to break my no Walmart rule when Thai Basil plants were involved. My local store had five plants, I bought all five. They didn't like the cold weather we had at the beginning of the summer, but after a few weeks, they started producing a bumper crop of Thai basil. We enjoyed lots of delicious meals featuring Thai basil because the more I harvested it, the more it grew. When frost started threatening in mid September, I put the huge pot of Thai basil in my little red wagon so I could easily put it in the garage at night and bring it out on warmer days. I've been nursing it along for the past month. Tonight's dinner was the Thai basil's final hurrah. I cheated on the Asian grandmothers, but just a little bit. First, the recipe uses ground pork and the ground pork that I can get is very high in fat. So I bought pork tenderloin, trimmed it, cut it into chunks, and ground it in the food processor. This works great when you want lean ground pork. The recipe also called for Thai chilies, which I didn't have. I used a heaping tablespoon of Thai chili paste. And I tossed in about five julienned kaffir lime leaves, just because I'm crazy about the flavor of kaffir lime limes. I served the Thai Basil Pork with jasmine rice and roasted carrots tossed with a dressing of fish sauce, sesame oil, powdered galangal, and brown sugar. The grandmothers' Thai Basil Pork was easy and delicious. Perfect for a busy night.
January 19, 2009A new way to serve Sloppy JoesSloppy Joes make a quick and easy dinner, and if you use lean ground beef or turkey, Sloppy Joes can be both delicious and healthy. Joe at Culinary in the Country inspired me to serve my favorite Sloppy Joe meat over baked sweet potatoes. Well, I had mine on a sweet potato. Tom doesn't like sweet potatoes, so he had his on a whole wheat bun. I grew up with Manwich Sloppy Joes. But today's Sloppy Joes are homemade. Let's see, here's the ingredient list for Manwhich: Tomato Puree, Water, Tomato Paste, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Sugar, Dehydrated Onions, Dehydrated Red and Green Bell Peppers, Chile Pepper, Tomato Fiber, Spices, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Dehydrated Garlic, Carob Bean Gum, Natural Flavors. Ugh, as if high frutose corn syrup isn't bad enough, it also has corn syrup, and sugar. Spices, that's good. But lots of thickeners and fillers too. Sloppy Joes are a wing-it thing for me. Back when I first made homemade Sloppy Joes, I did consult with the Manwich can to see the ingredient list. Mine start with sauteing a mess of chopped onions, then browning 2 pounds of lean ground beef or ground turkey, stirring in a small can (6 oz) of tomato paste, and a 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. Then since I like them tangy rather than sweet, next I add in a tomato paste can of cider vinegar. For seasoning, I use oregano, basil, chili powder, salt, and pepper.Maybe a tablespoon each of oregano and basil, a teaspoon of chili powder, a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir it all up and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. If you like sweetness, start with a tablespoon of brown sugar. Taste it and adjust it to your liking. I almost always end up adding in more cider vinegar. I'm so glad that I came across this idea on Joe's blog. I loved the tanginess of the Sloppy Joe meat over the sweet potato. It was filling and delicious. Give it a try. September 21, 2008It feels great to cook againI was on the road from September 9th until just a few hours ago. A 10-day motorcycle trip out west with Tom followed by 2 days at a gluten-free culinary conference with Marcy. More about both of those later. So since breakfast on September 9th, I've eaten every single meal away from home. When I got home tonight, I was delighted to learn that Tom had picked up some chicken (and green beans!) so I could make one of our favorite dinners. Spicy Chicken Cutlets Boneless chicken breasts rubbed with a mixture of 3 types of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and basil, then seared in olive oil. The pan is deglazed with cider vinegar, tomato sauce is stirred into the pan and the chicken is simmered until cooked through. Easy and delicious. It felt really good to be back at the stove. Spicy Chicken Cutlets
February 4, 2008Fast (and Healthy) Pork Chops with Apples and ThymeI write a column called Fast (and Healthy) for Applaud, a local women's magazine. The column provides a quick and healthful recipe and some information about the health benefits of ingredients used in the recipe. This article appeared in the Winter 2008 issue. In the fall, I like to use local apples in my cooking. Apples not only taste delicious, they provide many health benefits. I’m sure that you’ve made apple desserts, but apples can also be a part of a fast and healthy dinner. Apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber, which helps aid digestion and promotes weight loss. When you snack on an apple, you are getting five grams of fiber, virtually no fat, and no cholesterol. Apples are delicious snacks that are good for you. When you snack on apples, it’s a good idea to eat apples with their skin. Almost half of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. The fiber and phytonutrients in apples have been shown to help in lowering cholesterol. Studies indicate that two apples a day reduced the damaging effects of LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol. Apples can help fight cancer. Studies have linked apples with reduced cancer risk in several studies. A Mayo Clinic study indicates that quercetin, a flavonoid in apples, helps prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells. A Cornell University study indicates that phytochemicals in the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43 percent. The National Cancer Institute has reported that foods containing flavonoids like those found in apples may reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent. So grab some apples and let’s make dinner.
Continue reading "Fast (and Healthy) Pork Chops with Apples and Thyme" » November 4, 2007Weeknight SaviorI always have canned diced tomatoes, capers, white wine, shallots, and garlic in my pantry. These ingredients pair well with chicken breasts to make a quick weeknight dinner. I've added this recipe to my list of Weeknight Saviors, recipes that I can make out of the pantry when I need a quick weeknight dinner. I love the sharp and salty flavor of capers and it just takes a few capers to perk up a sauce. This dish is delicious served over pasta and can be made in the time that it takes to cook your pasta. Toss some green beans with minced garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil and roast at 400 for 8-10 minutes and you'll have dinner ready in less than 30 minutes. Continue reading "Weeknight Savior" » July 13, 2007Spicy Basque-Style ChickenAnother weeknight winner from Cooking Light. The Spicy Basque-Style Chicken from the June 2007 issue was my test kitchen recipe this week. It's quick, easy, and full of flavor. In the time it takes to cook the rice to accompany it, you'll have dinner on the table.
Spicy Basque-Style Chicken, Saffron Rice, Roasted Asparagus I forgot to buy green olives, so I used capers. I really liked the dish with capers and will keep that change. The bottled minced garlic was replaced with fresh minced garlic. When I made this, I added the prosciutto, but I thought the prosciutto got lost in the dish so I omitted it from the final recipe. I get my smoked Spanish paprika from Penzeys. I've been buying herbs and spices from Penzeys for over 20 years. When I first started ordering from them, their catalog was a newsprint catalog; it was long before they had a web site and retail stores. Smoked Spanish paprika adds a smoky spicy flavor. Try it, you'll love it. Good paprika is nothing like grocery store paprika. When you buy Penzeys' Smoked Spanish Paprika, add some Hungarian sweet paprika and Hungarian half-sharp paprika to your order. You'll never buy grocery store paprika again. Continue reading "Spicy Basque-Style Chicken" » July 8, 2007Salmon for SupperThis super speedy recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal. It's based on Cooking Light's Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce. I don't care for the texture of tilapia, so I made it with salmon. Red curry paste can be quite hot, so I add 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the heat level of the dish is right for us. In this dish, 1 teaspoon of red curry paste gave us the perfect heat level. We love ginger and garlic, so I used more than the original recipe called for. Adding more brown sugar can temper the heat of this dish if you unwittingly add too much curry paste. I also made just two portions of salmon, but the full amount of sauce. I served this with Brown Basmati Rice with Edamame. I use the pasta method to cook brown rice, then toss in the edamame for a minute once the rice is cooked to the desired tenderness, about 25 minutes. The extra sauce was much hotter the next day when I had it for lunch served over the leftover brown rice with edamame.
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