Fish en Papillote

While it sounds kind of fancy, this is one of the easiest ways I've found to cook fish--"en papillote" simply means "in paper," parchment paper in this case. As someone without a dishwasher, the lack of dishes/cooking utensils required to make this is also a plus. There's no "recipe" here per se, it's a technique that you can then alter with whatever ingredients you like or are in season.

•  fish (assume 1/4 pound per serving), any white, flaky fish works well, such as cod, tilapia, or monkfish
• olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per serving
• vegetables/herbs/etc...I know I'm being vague here, but some good combinations are (1) sliced onion, fennel, and parsley; (2) tomatoes, shallots, and dill; (3) peppers, onions, and cilantro; (4) tomatoes, shallots, and kalamata olives; (5) spinach, asparagus, and lemon juice/zest; the list goes on and on...use your own taste/imagination!
• salt and pepper
• parchment paper, one approx. 12" x 16" piece per person*

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
(2) Divide the fish into equal portions, one portion per parchment paper rectangle.
(3) Place the fish into the center of the parchment rectangle.
(4) Salt and pepper the fish.
(5) Top with desired veggies, herbs, olives, etc.
(6) Drizzle with olive oil.
(7) [Pictures to come once I am no longer gimpy!] Fold the parchment paper by first bringing the two long sides up (horizontally) and together and holding them there. Then, fold/roll each of the short (vertical) ends together towards the center. Once you have rolled the short sides inward, roll and tightly crease the top (horizontal) fold downward, forming a packet.
(8) Place the packet into a roasting pan (to catch any liquid that might accidentally escape).
(9) Repeat with other portions of fish until all packets are assembled in the roasting pan.
(10) Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Cooking time is dependent on the size and thickness of your fish. I would check thinner fish after about 8 minutes and thicker fish after about 10 minutes. You want the fish to be opaque all the way through at its thickest part.
(11) Serve by placing the packets directly onto dinner plates. The eater can open up the packet (be careful of the steam) and eat right out of it! See, minimal dish washing!

*If you don't have parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil instead.

Cheesy Tomato Egg Bake

I don't need to sell you on this recipe. The title says it all. It's adapted from Everyday Food Magazine.
This one is super easy to scale up or down. I usually plan for two eggs per person. It makes great leftovers as well, they are easy to reheat in the toaster oven or microwave. For four people:

• one recipe of easy tomato sauce
• approximately 1.5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• eight corn tortillas, cut into one-inch strips
• eight large eggs

(1) Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
(2) Distribute about half of the tomato sauce into a 9" x 13" baking pan.
(3) Top with the tortilla strips.
(4) Add the remaining tomato sauce on top of the tortilla strips.
(5) Crack the eggs on top, two rows of four eggs works well. It's ok if they're not perfectly spaced, just do your best.
(6) Sprinkle the cheddar cheese in an even layer on top of the eggs.
(7) Bake until the egg whites are set, about 30 minutes or so.

Faki (Greek Lentil Soup)

An easy, healthy soup. My mom gave me the recipe, I'm not sure where she found it. It's easy to make and freezes well. I usually make a large recipe and store some of it in plastic baggies in the freezer until I'm ready to eat them. Ok, here's what you'll need:

• one pound of lentils
• one 14 oz. can of vegetable stock (the original recipe calls for beef stock)
• six cups of water
• one medium onion, chopped
• two stalks celery, chopped
• two large carrots, peeled and chopped
• two garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• one tablespoon tomato paste
• two large (or three medium) bay leaves
• three tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

(1)  Rinse the lentils in a colander and pick through them, sometimes there are tiny rocks in there and no one wants to eat rocks. Unless they are a 3 year-old and in that case, it really isn't good for them.
(2) In a large soup pot or dutch oven, saute the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for about 10-15 minutes, until they are soft.
(3) Add the lentils, broth, water, tomato paste, and bay leaves.
(4) Bring to a boil.
(5) Simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
(6) Add a big pinch of salt.
(7) Cook for another 15 minutes.
(8) Add red wine vinegar.
(9) Serve in soup bowls with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

Orecchiette with Sundried Tomatoes, Broccoli Rabe, and Cannellini Beans

This recipe is a combination of one that my mother makes, as well as a recipe from the Whole Foods website, plus some tweaks of my own. Another easy weeknight dinner, it's also great with some chopped up and sauteed Italian sausage (sweet or hot).

• one pound orecchiette pasta (or any small pasta of your choice)
• few tablespoons olive oil
• one bunch broccoli rabe (stems and leaves), chopped into one-inch pieces
• two cloves garlic, minced
• one cup of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
• one (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste

(1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
(2) Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve about a cup of the pasta water.
(3) Return the drained pasta to the pot.
(4) In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic.
(5) Cook for 1-2 minutes.
(6) Add the broccoli rabe and saute until it wilts and the stems are fork tender.
(7) Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cannellini beans and combine.
(8) Cook until warmed through.
(9) Add the contents of the saute pan to the pasta in the pot. (If your saute pan is large enough, you can add the pasta to the saute pan, otherwise add the contents of the saute pan to the pasta in the pot.)
(10) Stir and add some of the pasta cooking water to form more of a sauce.
(11) Add salt and pepper too taste.
(12) Serve with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

The Easiest Tomato Sauce You'll EVER Make...Promise

Given that my Nana's tomato sauce recipe is an all-day procedure, I have long been in the hunt for an easy tomato sauce that you can whip up on a work night. After long last, I found this one, it sounds almost too easy, but trust me, it's tasty. It's from Glamour magazine, I lost the original article, but they adapted it from another cookbook.

• one 28 oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes (the San Marzano brand is a little more expensive, but I think they're worth it for the quality).
• 1/2 stick of butter
  
• one medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• salt and pepper to taste (if you're using salted butter, you won't need that much salt in the recipe)

(1) Place entire can of tomatoes into a saucepan or skillet.
(2) Add the butter and the two onion halves, cut sides down.
(3) Bring to a gentle simmer (without a lid).
(4) Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes.
(5) Cook over low heat for about 30-45 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
(6) Add salt and pepper, to taste.
(7) Remove onions and discard (or chop them up and serve them on crusty bread, yum).

I've served this over pasta, spaghetti squash, eggs. It keeps in the fridge for a few days, but doesn't freeze very well.