Go to, easy dishes you cook (with basic recipes)

Cafe Society
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BASIC SPANISH OMELETTE

Wash a potato, pat dry, and cut into thin slices (use a mandoline if you have one). Cut a small onion into thin slices as well. Peel and crush a couple of cloves of garlic.

Crack three eggs into a bowl. Add a splash of milk, a spoonful each of oregano and smoked paprika, and some salt and freshly ground pepper. Beat well with a whisk.

Heat a (preferably well-seasoned iron) skillet. Pour in some olive oil and wait until it’s very hot.

Brown the potatoes and onion in the oil. Add the garlic and beaten eggs. Poke the edges of the omelette to allow more of the liquid to flow under it, but do not stir or flip. Cover the pan and turn down the heat.

Wait until the bottom of the omelette is browned and the top is set. Cover the pan with a plate and carefully turn the whole thing upside down, so that the omelette falls out of the pan intact onto the plate.

I like to add some frozen peas and chopped green onions to the mix. I also like to top the omelette with some goat’s cheese (feta is good). If I have some, I also use goat’s milk instead of cow’s. (For reasons I fail to understand, some people don’t use milk at all but add a splash of water instead.)

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BASIC SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Chop up an onion, green pepper, three or four cloves of garlic, and a half dozen mushrooms.

Saute the vegetables in olive oil. Sprinkle with some Italian seasoning (dried oregano and basil, at least) and red pepper flakes. Dump in a can each of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well to combine everything.

Heat gently and serve over pasta with freshly cracked pepper and grated Parmesan, Romano, or Pecorino.

Ground meat (beef, pork, veal) can be cooked separately and added to the mix. Stir in some wine (red or white) if you want to be fancy.

If you want to go all out, brown some Italian sausage or pork chops in olive oil and add them to the pot as the sauce simmers. Remove and serve as a side dish after they’ve flavored the sauce.

If the sauce is too thick for your taste, stir in a small can of chopped tomatoes to thin it out and adjust the seasoning appropriately.

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Dinner tonight:

Chicken (tonight is a whole chicken cut into pieces, but I often do just thighs)
Mushroom soup
1/2 onion, sliced

Throw it all in a cast iron pan with a lid. Throw that in the oven at 350 for about 75 minutes.

Serve over rice.

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CREAMY PASTA SAUCE

Chop up a small onion and three or four cloves of garlic.

Open and drain a small can each of pitted black and green olives (not too salty, chopped or whole).

Saute the vegetables in some olive oil. Season with freshly ground pepper and a little salt.

Stir in up to a litre of thick cream (18–35%). Let simmer until it thickens.

Serve over hot buttered pasta with some grated cheese.

CREAMY TEX-MEX BEAN BAKE

Chop up a medium-sized onion, three or four cloves of garlic, and a bowlful each of salt pork and chorizo.

In the bottom fo a deep pot, saute the meat and vegetables in olive or corn oil. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Dump in three or four cans of pinto beans with their liquid.

Cut some mild white cheese into cubes and add to the pot. (I normally use a bowlful each of Edam and Gouda; Monterey Jack and Havarti are good choices too).

Stir well to combine and heat in oven until the cheese melts and is incorporated through the dish.

Sprinkle with chili powder and/or red pepper sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over white rice, as a side dish, or as a burrito filling.

CUBAN-STYLE BLACK BEANS AND PORK RIBS

Chop up a medium-sized onion, a green pepper, three or four cloves of garlic, and a bowlful each of salt pork and chorizo.

In the bottom of a large pot, saute the meat and vegetables in some olive or corn oil. Add a can of chopped tomatoes and a tablespoon each of smoked paprika and ground cumin. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Dump in three or four cans of black beans into the pot with their liquid. Stir well to combine everything and simmer until the mixture thickens.

Rub a panful of pork ribs with salt, smoked paprika, and cumin. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Cover them with a litre of orange juice and a cupful of lime juice. Cover pan with aluminum foil and punch holes in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake in the oven until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is falling off the bones.

Serve the beans and ribs together with white rice. Cook the rice in chicken broth if you want, and ladle some of the rib juices over it. Garnish with more chopped pepper and onion.

EASY PAELLA

Cook 1 1/2 cups of white rice in chicken broth.

Cut up an onion, three or four cloves of garlic, a red and a green pepper, and some cooked chicken.

Heat some olive oil in a large pan and saute the vegetables and chicken. Dump in the rice and a couple of cans of chopped tomatoes. Stir well to combine everything.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano, and smoked paprika. Use saffron too, if you have any.

Add things like peas, shrimp, scallops, chopped ham, and chorizo if you have them. This is a great way to use up leftovers in your fridge.

45

Here’s an easy home-grown chorizo recipe in case you’re not wild about the commercial chorizo made from salivary glands, etc… (seriously- look at the ingredients. Nasty!)

46

I just put this in the oven:

Chuck roast 3-4 lbs
one can golden mushroom soup
one package onion soup mix

Place roast into small enameled roaster pan. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the roast. Pour golden mushroom soup over that. Cover and place into 300 degree oven for four hours. Serve with mashed potatoes and veggies of your choice.

Leftover roast works well for beef pot pie.

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This is a family favorite, made at least once a week.

Just Good Chicken

About 3 lbs chicken, any cut. I use boneless, skinless breasts (6 or so) or leg quarters, bone in.

1 package Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix the dressing and brown sugar together and sprinkle on the chicken. Bake in 350 degree oven until juices run clear. Internal temp should read 165.

48

I made a dinner coupla nights ago that managed to combine easy + delicious + good-looking:

put a bit of salt and butter between the skin and breast meat of a Cornish hen
place onto Pyrex pie place with about 1/2 inch of water
add three baby potatoes, halved + a few baby carrots + quartered onion

Bake for an hour or so at 400 F until the skin is golden brown and crispy. At the halfway point, I added whole peeled garlic cloves and turned the potato halves over. It was soooooo good.
ETA: this is a one-person one-serving meal.