once upon a time, i took a spiritual gifts test, and my top two categories by far were hospitality and wisdom. that was long before kiddos, and i seriously wonder about the latter =p, but hospitality is definitely still up there. it has been frustrating to me not being able to invite people to our apartment this year, since most of our friends have kids. even for those who don't, our dining room area is so small that it's a pinch to fit more any more people in it (well, maybe the keyboard in it doesn't help, not to mention the fact that we don't have any more chairs =p)
anyways, one of the surprises of taiwan was that i got to exercise some hospitality - in a funny way, since it wasn't my home, but i got to cook for p and e and some of their friends three or four times. it's easy and affordable to eat out there, but of course, only chinese food, so i made some simple american staples. being able to feed people and foster community is one of my great joys =) it felt a bit like cooking at a retreat or a vacation home or syria for that matter, since taiwanese kitchens don't have regular ovens and some of our usual ingredients aren't easy to come by (at least for the mostly illiterate). we did make some flexible, easily-adaptable dishes requiring no pre-made ingredients though, so i thought i'd share.
note that measurements are quite approximate, and everything can be adjusted to taste. sorry, no pictures, believe it or not! ;-)
Cheesy Pasta with Veggies - serves about 3, easily doubled
this is an adaptation of a recipe i found in syria, one of the first things i made in our married life and still the base of many pastas i make
1/2 box of pasta, any shape, or 1/2 bag egg noodles
2-3 cups assorted cut veggies (broccoli, peppers, asparagus, zucchini, carrots*)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth or 1 cup hot water with 1 tsp or 1 cube bouillon
1/2 to 1 cup shredded or chopped cheese
1 fresh tomato, diced, optional
salt and pepper and any other seasonings (basil, red pepper flakes, green onions...)
can of tuna, drained, optional
1. cook pasta according to directions. if using broccoli or asparagus, add to water during last 3 minutes or so. carrots will need to be in longer, maybe from the beginning depending on how you slice them. peppers or zucchini i'd recommend either sauteeing or roasting with olive oil and sea salt in the oven (~10 min at 400F).
2. make cheese sauce: melt butter in large saucepan, add flour. stir in milk slowly (use a whisk if you have one) till smooth. add chicken broth. cook a few minutes till thickened, then turn off heat and stir in cheese till smooth.
3. add pasta to sauce and season to taste. add tuna or leftover grilled chicken, etc.
Potato-Crusted Easy Quiche
my own invention: potatoes seemed like less trouble and a bit healthier than a pie crust
~ 3 unpeeled potatoes, sliced thinly (enough to cover the bottom of a pie plate with ~3 layers)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups veggies, cut thinly (broccoli, peppers, asparagus, spinach*)
1/3 cup chopped bacon or ham, optional
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cheese
salt and pepper and any other seasonings (basil, red pepper flakes, green onions...)
1. in a large pan, saute potato slices in olive oil in a single layer until golden on both sides. season with a bit of salt.
2. in another pan, saute garlic, add veggies. if using broccoli, you may have to add a small amount of water and cover to steam for a few minutes. you want them to be fork-tender, as they will not cook much in the oven. for spinach, use enough to make 2-3 cups cooked, and be sure to drain any excess liquid
3. grease a pie pan with butter or olive oil. layer potatoes, then veggies and meat, if using. pan should be almost full.
4. mix eggs, milk, cheese and seasonings, then pour into pan. don't worry if the liquid looks shallow - the egg mixture will rise as it bakes.
5. bake at ~375F till golden and set (~35 minutes?). if you cut into it and it's runny, bake it some more.
Homemade Pizza
an easy use for the no-knead bread recipe. i mix the crust first thing in the morning, and it's ready by evening
crust: (make 10-12 hours ahead)
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/8 tsp yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil, optional
herbs or cracked pepper, optional
~3/4 cup water
sauce and toppings:
3-4 cloves garlic
1 small onion, thinly sliced, optional
~ 3 tomatoes, diced*
salt and pepper
shredded cheese
toppings (thinly sliced peppers or roasted peppers, bacon, olives, etc)
1) mix all crust ingredients. add water until combined and damp but not too sticky. cover with plastic wrap and let rise 10-12 hours.
2) when ready to bake, dust a cutting board with flour, then scoop the dough out on to the board. if it's too sticky to handle, dust with more flour. fold each side (top, bottom, left right) in towards the middle, then let it rest while making the sauce.
3. saute garlic and onions in olive oil till soft, then add diced tomatoes and seasonings. cook till liquid is mostly gone (~10 minutes). it should be thicker than salsa and spreadable. if the sauce is too runny, the pizza won't rise well.
4. grease a pie pan or cookie sheet. stretch the dough to desired shape (pie pan for deep dish or a rectangle or circle on a cookie sheet).
5. spread sauce, then cheese and toppings.
6. bake at ~ 375F for 18-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the dough. if the middle is still very floppy, it probably needs more time.
* you can also use pasta sauce or salsa or canned diced tomatoes, just cook it down so it's not too runny
Chicken Pot Pie
also dates from the syria days. for entertaining, sometimes i get pre-made pie crusts and make individual shells by cutting them to fit the backs of muffin tins and baking. make up a big batch of filling and pass the shells
filling:
4 chicken breasts
~ 6 potatoes, cubed
~ 8 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cubes or 2 tsp bouillon
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
~ 2 cup frozen peas
crust: i used a simple all-butter recipe, since that was easiest to get
1. cook chicken, potatoes and carrots in just enough water to cover: bring to a boil, add bouillon, then reduce heat and simmer till carrots are soft (~15 min).
2. remove chicken and cube or shred. from potato mixture, remove and set aside as much liquid as possible. re-add chicken.
3. in another pan, melt butter, add flour till smooth. stir or whisk in milk. simmer till thickened and bubbly. add peas, then add sauce to chicken mixture. this is your filling - if too thick, add some reserved liquid. if too thin, simmer till thickened
4. make pie crusts: the key is to keep the butter cold, and do use ice or refrigerated water. cut in with two knives till butter is incorporated into a crumbly meal. divide in two. refrigerate half, then roll out half for the bottom and transfer to pan (easier if you roll on a piece of wax paper or cutting board). if there are holes or it isn't quite the right shape, just mend it with your fingers till it covers the bottom and the sides. it may look funny, but it will bake up just fine.
5. add filling.
6. roll out the other half for the top, and seal the edges to the bottom crust with your fingers.
7. bake at ~375F till bubbly and crust is golden (~20 min).
finally, by request, my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, that we made for little l's 3rd birthday =)
enjoy!
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