Shrimp Wrapped in Pancetta and Sage

 For my weekday meals, I tend to fall into a monotonous rotation of sauteed chicken breasts and pork chops served with not very imaginative pan sauces.  It's not that I especially love these meals (although I have been known to throw together a darn good pan sauce), it's just that after a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is to struggle with a new recipe, so I stick to the familiar.  I'm always excited when I do go out on a limb and discover a new recipe like this one for shrimp wrapped in pancetta and sage that is simple enough for weeknights.  Thanks to my Manhattan stomping grounds, I do have the luxury of having a market between my office and my apartment that sells both very fresh shrimp and high-quality pancetta, so assuming you can find those two components of the ingredient list, this recipe is as easy as it gets.  It is also quite tasty with the shrimp and crispy pancetta creating somewhat of a high-end hot pocket, perfect for eating on the couch after a harrowing day. 

Shrimp Wrapped in Pancetta and Sage
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
• pepper
• 1 bunch sage
• 1/4 lb pancetta, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Lay the shrimp out on a cutting board.
2. Season the shrimp with pepper.  There is no need to salt the shrimp as the pancetta is very salty.
3. Place a sage leaf on top of each shrimp.
4. Wrap a slice of pancetta around each shrimp.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until just before smoking.
6. Gently place the shrimp in the skillet.  Cook without disturbing for 2 minutes then flip each shrimp using a spatula.  Cook the other side until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent, another 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove the shrimp from the pan and serve immediately. 

Chicken Breasts wrapped in Pancetta and Sage

I rarely cook chicken breast dishes, especially those that do not contain a flavorful sauce to drown out the blandness of the lean breast.  Despite my misgivings about the the sound of it--sauceless chicken breast wrapped covered with a few leaves of sage and several slices of pancetta-- I was impressed with how this dish turned out.  The pancetta provides the chicken with crunch exterior, and it's amazing how much flavor is packed into each sage leaf.  No need for a recipe here, just season each breast with salt and pepper, cover it with 6 sage leaves, wrap it in 3 slices of pancetta, and saute it in a small amount of olive oil until the chicken is cooked through, about ten minutes per side.  This techique would also work well with shrimp.

Swordfish with Creamy Basil and Shrimp Tomato Sauce

I’m still not overly confident when it comes to cooking without a recipe, so I was especially proud of this dish. I asked the Significant Eater what she would like for dinner and she described to me a dish she had eaten on a night out with her girlfriends at Extra Virgin, a quaint Mediterranean restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village. “Monkfish, in a buttery pink tomato sauce, with rock shrimp,” she stated, paraphrasing the surely hunkish waiter who had made the dish so memorable. It sounded easy enough to me, so I went to work. My fishmonger had sold out of monkfish for the day, so I chose the more sustainable swordfish, which I felt would be meaty enough to hold up to the tomato sauce. Similarly, I replaced the rock shrimp with bite-size pieces of larger shrimp. I had a lot of fun simply cooking by taste, sight, and feel: a splash of wine here, a handful of basil there. As the cooking came to a close, I asked the Significant Eater how it looked in comparison to the dish from Extra Virgin. She raised a spoonful of sauce to her lips and exclaimed, “You nailed it!”

Swordfish with Creamy Basil and Shrimp Tomato Sauce
Serves 2, with plenty of extra sauce for pasta the following day

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes with their juice, crushed by hand
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ bound medium-size shrimp, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonaded (leaves rolled and thinly sliced)
• 2 6-oz. swordfish steaks

Directions:

1. Heat the butter and 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Once the butter has melted, stir in the crushed tomatoes.
3. Bring the tomatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and allow the tomatoes to simmer until the sauce is no longer watery, about 30 minutes.
4. Pour in the wine and return the sauce to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the cream, shrimp, and basil and simmer the sauce until it is thick and the shrimp have cooked through, about 5 minutes. While the sauce simmers, prepare the swordfish.
6. Season the swordfish steaks with salt and pepper.
7. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Add the swordfish to the pan and cook undisturbed until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip each steak and cook until the other side has browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Set each swordfish steak on a serving plate.
9. Taste the sauce for salt and pepper.
10. Spoon the sauce over each swordfish steak and serve immediately.

Seared Scallops with Lemon and White Wine

This scallop dish was my triumph over bachelorhood.  I had come home from having a couple beers with my friends and my first thought was order a big bowl of pad see ew from the neighborhood Thai restaurant.  But as my alcohol-induced laziness wore off, I decided that I would cook the jumbo sea scallops that I had purchased earlier in the day.  I scrambled to the stove, seared the scallops in a healthy amount of oil and butter, splashed in some white wine and lemon juice, and served it all over some wilted arugula.  Dinner was ready within 10 minutes, the whole dish cost less than ten bucks, and it tasted a whole lot better than takeout.  Bachelorhood has never felt so glamorous. 

Seared Scallops with Lemon and White Wine
Serves one hungry man

Ingredients:

• 4 large (U-10 or bigger) sea scallops
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• juice from 1/4 of a lemon
• 2 handfuls of arugula or spinach

Directions:

1. Remove the tough muscle from each scallop and pat them dry with a paper towel.  Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
   
2. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and pour in 1 tbsp of the oil. 
3. Once the oil is hot, add the scallops.  Cook undisturbed until they are well browned on the bottom, about 2 1/2 minutes.  
4. Reduce the heat to medium and flip the scallops.  Add the butter to the pan and continue to cook the scallops, basting frequently with the butter, until they are just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
5. Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
6. Pour the wine into the skillet and bring it to a boil.  Cook until the wine is reduced by half, approximately 2 minutes.  
7. Meanwhile, as the wine reduces, wash the arugula. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the arugula and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove the arugula from the pan and set it aside on a serving plate. 
8. Remove the skillet with the white wine from the heat and pour in the lemon juice.  Taste the sauce for salt and pepper. 
9. Top the arugula with the scallops and pour the white wine lemon sauce over the scallops.  Serve immediately. 

Deviled Pork Chops

 I probably make deviled pork chops every other week.  They take little more effort than plain old pan roasted pork chops, but carry loads more flavor thanks to a coating of dijon mustard and paprika. My recipe is a riff on a Mark Bittman recipe; mine has the addition of paprika and makes a more robust pan sauce than his.  Nonetheless, this is still very much a minimalist recipe and makes for a killer weeknight meal.  For the dish in the picture, I used boneless sirloin chops from Dickson's Farmstand Meats in New York's Chelsea Market, but any sort of pork chops will work just as well so long as you alter the cooking time accordingly.

Deviled Pork Chops
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless sirloin pork chops, 1" thick
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 sprig thyme

Directions:

1. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper.  Rub the paprika over the pork chops, then rub them all over with the Dijon mustard.  Set the chops aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the pork chops.  Cook the pork chops until they are well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.  
3. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the pork chops until they are cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Remove the pork chops to a plate and tent them with foil to keep them warm. 
4. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the shallots.  Stir them them for 1 minute, then pour in the white wine.  Bring the wine to a boil, using the back of a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Let the wine boil until it is almost completely reduced, about 2 minutes.  Pour in the chicken stock and the thyme and bring the liquid to a boil.  Reduce the liquid until it has thickened to a desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes.  Pour in any liquid that has accumulated on the plate with the pork chops.  Taste the pan sauce for salt and pepper. 
5. Serve the pork chops immediately with the pan sauce drizzled over top. 

Trout with Cured Ham and Lemon

After stuffing myself with pork belly and Sriracha wings over the past few weeks, it was time to detox with some fish, albeit fish stuffed with a few slices of cured pork.  The ham and a healthy dose of lemon juice make this dish taste far more complex than the ten minutes it takes to prepare. I used Spanish lomo, but prosciutto or Serrano ham would work just as well.


Trout with Cured Ham and Lemon
Serves 2


Ingredients:

• 2 whole rainbow trout, cleaned and butterfield
• salt and pepper 
• juice of 1 lemon
  
• 4 to 6 thin slices cured ham such as Spanish lomo or prosciutto
• flour, for dusting
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Season the insides and outsides of the trout with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
2. Place one layer of cured ham inside the fish.
3. Dust both sides of the fish with flour. 
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the fish to the pan and cook until it is cooked through, about three minutes per side.  Serve immediately.
   

Braised Soy Chicken with Thai Basil

For simple weeknight meals, I often turn to braised chicken dishes. They take very little time to prep and cook, tend to be friendly on the wallet, and provide me with plenty of leftovers to enjoy over the course of the week. Serve this Asian-style braised chicken with plenty of rice to soak up the braising liquid. If you can't find Thai basil, lemon juice would be another nice addition to the sauce.

Soy Braised Chicken with Thai Basil
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs and drumsticks
• Salt
• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
• 1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. double black soy sauce (a thicker, sweeter soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup Thai basil, chiffonade

Directions:

1. Lightly salt the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet without crowding and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. If necessary, cook chicken in batches.
4. Add garlic and ginger to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add wine, soy sauces, and sugar to skillet. Boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
7. Stir in Thai basil and serve.

Kung Pao Chicken

To me, Kung Pao chicken is Chinese comfort food. It's one of those guilty pleasures that I find myself frequently making a batch of on Thursday nights when I have little desire desire to cook after a long week of work.

For my latest dose of Kung Pao chicken, I improvised quite a bit based on the ingredients I had on hand. I adapted a recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop, substituting shallots for the a few garlic cloves and adding a healthy dose of spinach. Although it was not quite the real deal, it was completely delicious. For authentic Kung Pao chicken, just omit the spinach addition and shallot-for-garlic substitution.

Eddie's Kung Pao Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 lbs. chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 6 dried chiles
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 large handful of spinach
• 1 handful of unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Mix cornstarch with wine in a large bowl and whisk until cornstarch dissolves. Add chicken to bowl and mix well to coat pieces with cornstarch mixture.
2. Add oil to wok or large skillet and heat over high heat. Add dried chiles to pan and cook until they are blackened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
3. Add shallots and ginger to pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add chicken to wok and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar and soy sauce and mix well. Simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about five minutes.
6. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about two minutes.
7. Remove pan from heat. Mix in peanuts, scallion, and sesame oil and serve.

Granola Bars

I have to give a shout out to this recipe for cranberry-walnut power bars from Food and Wine. They have been powering me through workouts, mid-afternoon slumps, and after-dinner sugar cravings all week. They are tastier, healthier, cheaper, and much more hearty than packaged granola bars. And they are a cinch to make; I made a batch of 16 in less time than it would have taken to walk down the street to the store to purchase a package of six granola bars. I simply can't give these treats enough praise.

Puttanesca Power

Yesterday, I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon. With the race day forecast calling for hot and humid conditions and my training being nowhere near adequate, the best pre-race preparation I could do was to eat a carb-heavy meal that would power my ill-trained body through the race. I ended up making spaghetti puttanesca; a meal that was both carb-laden enough to give me energy for all 13.1 miles and salty enough to help me avoid cramps during the race. The result: a personal best half marathon time. Normally, I would take all of the credit for a great race, but this time all the credit goes to the puttanesca power.

Spaghetti Puttanesca
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. spaghetti
• kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in juice, crushed by hand
• 5 basil leaves
• 3 anchovy fillets, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp. capers, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Ground black peppercorns
• Parmesan cheese, grated for serving

Directions:

1. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water according to directions on box.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
3. Add tomatoes and juice, basil, anchovies, capers, olives, pepper flakes, and oregano. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
4. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Hake with Lemon, Chive, and Butter Sauce

Here's a perfect weekday dish that's so easy, it doesn't even need a recipe.  Just season a fillet of any white fish with salt and pepper, then dust both sides with Wondra flour.  Melt a mixture of butter and olive in a pan over medium-high heat, and sautee the fish for about three minutes a side.  Let the fish rest while you make the sauce: melt more butter with chopped chives, lemon rind, and lemon juice.  Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve.  In this case, I served the fish with sauteed broccoli rabe.