Everyday Cooking for Beginners
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Updated July 2008: New post
EXCERPTS
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Recipe: Chicken Soup
Recipe: Vegetable Stir-fry
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
  HOME
  Why cook? Isn't it easier to eat out?
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  I'm the anti-chef! How do I get started?
  Rotten strawberries, sour milk and a DVD player
  Sell the sizzle *and* the steak
  How to add flavor to a dish
  5 S's of wine tasting
  Wine basics: Can't tell Cabernet from Cranberry?
  Recipes are like contemporary furniture
  Quick n' easy Shrimp appetizer for any party
  How to kill monotony in the kitchen
  Summer relief: Mango lassi & Mango milk shake
  What is comfort food?
  Secret to a really flavorful dish: Mop it up!
  Crepes: versatile, yummy, impressive and painfully easy
  Simple dessert with 3 ingredients
  Low-fat option for your Super Bowl party
  Fresh fruit salad - sweet, crunchy, creamy and delicious
  Breakfast is served!
How to kill monotony in the kitchen

Monotony is a terrible thing, especially when it comes to food. It’s like listening to the same song over and over until it loses its edge. We’ve all experienced periods of gluttony when we’ve eaten the same thing every single day for a week or two, only to be disgusted by even the thought of that dish going forward. Why do we do this to ourselves? Perhaps because we believe that unlike popping in a new CD, making a new dish in the kitchen requires more effort than we’d like. We often equate variety with a painful amount of work in the kitchen, but the truth is actually quite opposite. The secret is to decide on a base ingredient that is incredibly versatile. There are many examples, but let’s take a closer look at a pork roast. If you pick up 2 lbs of pork roasting meat (shoulder, loin, or whatever you might like), you could craft completely different plates to satisfy your stomach for the next 3-4 days … with minimal extra effort. Seriously, why cut into our TV time?

Begin by creating a marinade with chopped garlic, chopped ginger, chopped red onion, chili powder, salt, pepper, powdered cumin, any other favorite seasoning, olive oil, your favorite red wine, limejuice, chopped jalapenos or habaneros and a sprinkling of chopped herbs (cilantro, parsley, oregano, thyme all work well). Mix the marinade thoroughly and set aside. Now, trim the fat and "silver skin" from the pork roast. Next, score the meat and make deep cuts throughout the length of the meat to create traps for the marinade to seep in. Transfer the pork to a casserole dish and pour the marinade over, rubbing, massaging and coating the meat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Next, pre-heat the oven to 350 F and bake the pork for roughly 20 minutes per pound. While the pork is baking, do a rough chop on two sticks of celery, two carrots, half a green pepper and half an onion. Remove the pork from the oven and create a bed of these veggies in the casserole dish, placing the pork back on top, turned upside down from its earlier position. Bake for another 15-20 minutes per pound at 400F. Note that the actual cooking times may differ, so make sure that the pork is completely cooked when you take it out. At the end of the cooking time, remove the pork and set aside for a few minutes before carving out slices. Use the juices/drippings in the casserole dish to create pan sauce (with some more wine and/or butter).

This pork roast will now serve you in several ways over the week. For example, after the first dinner of pork roast and veggies, you could use the same roasting meat to make sandwiches on the second day. Simply cut two slices of your favorite sandwich bread (I like multi grain or whole wheat) and lay on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Arrange the pork slices and chopped roasted veggies on top of each slice. Bake for about 8 minutes at 400F. Next, put a slice of your favorite cheese and some dried oregano on top of the meat on each slice, stick back in the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with ketchup, lettuce slices and any other condiments you care to throw on there and devour! On the third day, if you have some leftover rice, you could use the same meat/veggies again with some more chopped onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, white from one egg and additional herbs/seasonings to make fried rice. Anyways, that’s my rant for now. Gotta go, my TV beckons.

  © Vineeth Subramanyam 2006
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