Though I don’t get summers off, I’m still tickled pink when
school gets out in June.
Though I don’t get summers off, I’m still tickled pink when school gets out in June. There’s something about the warm weather and the lack of homework that makes me want to cook meals that take a little longer, taste a little slower, like a summer day.
Because of our hectic lives, a lot of new cookbooks are geared to meals that can be prepared in half an hour, with the cook standing at the counter or stove the entire time. While it may be practical to cook this way, it’s not exactly relaxing.
Lately, I’ve been trying to collect recipes that will allow me to do some prep work and then have a break, to read in the backyard, do some needed exercise, or just do nothing.
Casseroles are perfect for this type of cooking: gather and cut up ingredients, assemble the dish, put into the oven. Many casseroles can be baked at the same time as potatoes or while rice is cooking in the microwave.
Another friend of slow cooking: the slow cooker. When summer days feel too hot to turn on the oven, the slow cooker can fill in. The recipe below is one of my favorites; so easy to make. Besides, sandwiches at an outdoor table fit the bill perfectly for summer.
I’d love to add to my collection of “slow down” recipes. Please send in your favorite casserole or oven recipe so we can all benefit from a more relaxed pace from now until August.
• Mexican influence: Serve this chili verde rolled up in tortillas or spooned over rice. It’s got a kick from the jalapeños – omit or lessen the amount if you’d like a milder dish. You can also add 1/2 tsp. of cumin to give it a flavor boost. This dish takes two hours and is from Margaret Radtke in the Italian Catholic Federation’s most recent cookbook.
Easy Chili Verde
2 lb. pork, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 cans green chilies
2 fresh jalapeño chilies, small
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 (28 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
Brown meat and onions. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 hours.
• Overnight chicken wings: These will take half an hour, but you won’t be doing anything to them during that time. The trick is to put them in the marinade the night before. The wings benefit from the long hours in lemon with rosemary. Serve with a simple tomato salad mixed with garlic.
Lemony Herbed Chicken Wings
4 lbs. chicken wings (about 24 pieces)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh rosemary, minced, or 3 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Salt and pepper
Rinse the chicken wings well and pat dry. In a medium bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.
Put wings into one or two large glass baking dishes. Pour the marinade over them and then cover dishes with plastic wrap. Refrigerate wings, turning once the next morning to distribute marinade.
When you get home, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the chicken wings in the marinade, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, turning once. If you would like them a little more brown, put under the broiler for last 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Perfect sandwiches: This is the most requested slow cooker recipe I have. It needs long and slow cooking and is so easy to assemble … perfect for an outdoor meal. It’s also great for large parties. Just borrow your neighbor’s slow cooker and make two batches.
BBQ Pork Sandwiches
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
4 oz. can green chiles
5 lb. pork shoulder or butt roast
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup apple juice
1/2 cup prepared BBQ sauce
1/4 cup chili sauce
Salt and pepper
15-20 hamburger or other rolls
In slow cooker, combine onion, garlic and chiles. Place pork on top. Pour in all other ingredients (except rolls). Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Before serving: Lift pork out and shred with two forks. Return to sauce and heat 25 more minutes. Serve in rolls.
Note: After shredding, the pork can be kept warm for up to an hour on low heat. If it becomes too dry, add a little water and stir well until it reaches desired consistency.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• From Dr. Myles Bader: When you need to barbeque for a large crowd and your grill isn’t so large, you can put hamburgers between two sheets of foil on a cookie sheet. Bake for 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then finish on the grill in only 5-10 minutes.
• Did you know … a 3-oz. cut of lean beef accounts for 50 percent of the body’s protein needs and 39 percent of zinc needs per day? The USDA bases this info on a 2,000-calorie per day diet.
• Locals and visitors to Boston’s North End would often end up at Salumeria Italiana for the best cheeses, pastas and other Italian delicacies. Now, the shop has opened an online store. Though it’s new, it is already selling about 400 pounds of Parmigian cheese a week. Check out their incredible selection of handmade pastas at www.salumeriaitaliana.com. The website is an education as well as a super Italian market.
End notes: “Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.” ~ Robert Benchley
Happy cooking!
