Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals (17 page)
Read Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals Online
Authors: Rachael Ray
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (twice around the pan) |
| 1 | pound bulk Italian sausage, sweet or hot |
| 4 | garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 2 minced |
| 1 | large yellow onion, chopped |
| 1 | carrot, peeled and chopped |
| 2 | celery ribs, chopped |
| 1 | quart chicken stock or broth |
| 1 | can (15 ounces) pizza sauce |
| 1 | pound ground beef, pork, and veal mix or ground sirloin |
| ½ | cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (a couple of handfuls), plus more to pass at table |
| 2 | tablespoons Italian bread crumbs |
| 1 | egg yolk, beaten |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| ½ | teaspoon allspice |
| A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add EVOO (twice around the pan) and the sausage. Break up the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it, about 3 minutes. Add the 2 crushed garlic cloves and the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and pizza sauce and raise heat to high to bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the ground meat with the minced garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, egg yolk, salt and pepper, and allspice. Form bite-size balls and drop them into boiling liquid. The meatballs will cook like dumplings in about 8 minutes. When all of the balls have been added and the stoup returns to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the parsley, stir, and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with a little grated cheese at table.
4
SERVINGS
| 2½ | pounds red snapper fillet, cut into 3-inch chunks |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1½ | tablespoons Old Bay or other seafood seasoning blend (a palmful and half again) |
| 3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (three turns of the pan) |
| 1 | teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed and peeled |
| 1 | can flat anchovy fillets |
| 1 | cup white wine |
| ¼ | cup (6 to 8 pieces) soft sun-dried tomatoes, not in oil (on the produce aisle), coarsely chopped |
| 3 | tablespoons capers, drained |
| 4 | scallions, chopped |
| 1 | quart chicken stock or broth |
| A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped |
Season the fish pieces with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO, hot red pepper flakes, garlic, and anchovies. Melt the anchovies into the oil. Add the snapper, skin side down, and crisp the skin. Turn and brown the fish for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan (lift up drippings), then add the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and scallions and stir in the chicken stock. Stir the stoup gently so you do not break up the fish. Bring the broth to a simmer and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes to combine flavors.
Serve the fish in shallow bowls with plenty of crazy broth. Garnish with parsley.
4
SERVINGS
| 1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (once around the pan) |
| 5 | slices bacon, chopped |
| 1 | small yellow onion, chopped |
| 2 | celery ribs and their greens, finely chopped |
| 4 | sprigs fresh thyme |
| 2 | garlic cloves, chopped |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | tablespoons flour |
| 1 | small baking potato, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 1 | quart chicken stock or broth |
| 1 | cup heavy cream or half-and-half |
| 1 | 8-ounce bottle clam juice |
| 2 | pounds lean, flaky fish such as cod, haddock, halibut, monkfish, or tilapia, skinned and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces |
| Hot sauce, to taste | |
| 3 | tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional) |
Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the crispy bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and reserve. Add the onion, celery, thyme sprigs, garlic, and salt and pepper to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes, mixing it every now and then. Add the flour to the vegetables, stirring to distribute, and cook for 1 minute. Add the thinly sliced potato, then whisk in the chicken stock, heavy cream, and clam juice. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the fish and continue to gently simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down a little if the pot is boiling rather than simmering. Add the desired amount of hot sauce and taste for seasoning; add more salt and pepper accordingly. To serve, carefully ladle the soup into bowls, trying not to break up the fish too much. Garnish each bowl with a little of the reserved crispy bacon and some chopped parsley. Serve the soup alongside a simple mixed green salad with your favorite salad dressing.
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons vegetable oil (twice around the pan) |
| 1 | medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced |
| 3 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 2 | poblano or Anaheim peppers, seeded and thinly sliced |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | cup shredded carrots (in pouches on the produce aisle) |
| 6 | cups (1½ quarts) chicken stock or broth |
| 2 | pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size chunks |
| 1 | small bundle from a 3.75-ounce package of bean thread noodles (there are usually 3 bundles in 1 package; recommended brand Kame) |
| 3 | tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped |
| 15 | fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped |
| Juice of 1 lime |
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot with the vegetable oil over high heat. Once you see the oil ripple, add the onion, garlic, and sliced peppers. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and 6 cups chicken stock. Cover with a lid and bring up to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chicken and noodles and simmer for 10 minutes more. Remove the soup from the heat and add the cilantro, basil, and the lime juice.
This is a great late-night snack or easy lunch. It’s my version of
stracciatelle
or “rag” soup. Basically, it’s an Italian egg-drop soup. I make mine really full of egg “rags” or ribbons because when I eat chicken noodle soup I would make a bowl of noodles with a little broth. It’s best to eat this really fresh and hot, so if you’re cooking for one or two, just cut the recipe in half.
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | quarts chicken stock or broth |
| 8 | eggs |
| ½ | teaspoon grated nutmeg |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| ¼ | cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at table |
| 3 | tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium soup pot, then reduce heat to medium to have a good strong simmer going on. Beat the eggs with the nutmeg, pepper, and cheese. Add the eggs to the soup pot and stir them in with a whisk, swirling in a figure-eight pattern, making the eggs into rags in the soup. Ladle into shallow bowls and garnish with generous sprinkles of parsley and more cheese.
Buy stock or broth in asceptic boxes rather than cans. They might cost a little more, but the stocks especially have great slow-cooked flavor that really makes fast-cooked food taste rich. Plus, whatever you don’t use can go directly into the refrigerator, without having to transfer it from a can. If I know I am not going to use my remainder stock within the next few days, I will transfer it to a resealable plastic bag and freeze it flat. (I have had a small revolution of freezer storage space since embracing the freezing of things flat.)
4
SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons butter |
| 1 | large yellow onion, chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, chopped |
| 1 | teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | tablespoons ground cumin |
| 2 | tablespoons flour |
| 1 | quart chicken stock or broth |
| 1 | cup heavy cream |
| 5 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) |
| 5 | thin chicken breast cutlets |
| 1 | tablespoon ground coriander |
| 2 | limes |
| 1 | ripe Hass avocado |
| ½ | head iceberg lettuce, shredded |
| ½ | pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half |
| ¼ | cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped |
| 4 | cups good-quality aged Cheddar cheese, grated |
Heat a soup pot over medium heat with the butter. When the butter melts, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the cumin (a palmful). Cook for 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the chicken stock and heavy cream, bring up to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
