The onslaught of work for the end of the year has sadly begun. With papers and tests and job prep stuff, there's more than enough things to be worrying about and doing. Of course, it's hard to perform mental acrobatics without some fuel, though! Still, as time gets tight, things get a little dicey culinarily. What can you whip up with the stuff on hand?
Last night was a desperation meal that turned out much better than expected. I needed to come up with something to make for dinner last night, but only had odds and ends and no time to head to the grocery store. Between hanging out with Grace (beer and popsicles on the deck!) and having to do a bunch of homework, there wasn't a ton of time left over. I stood in the middle of the kitchen, surveying the contents of our freezer, and amongst the frozen drink mixes, Morning Stars and Kashi meals (both of which I'm sad to say I'm sick of) I spotted a bag of frozen chopped spinach I'd forgotten about (as I do most of the stuff that isn't in eye sight. I look for stuff in the fridge like a dad, it's pretty bad. Just ask poor Cecily.) My friend Katie made a pretty good quick version of Saag Chicken. My repertoire mostly consists of Mexican or Asian (lime, ginger and soy sauce make everything better.) but I've been wanting to branch out into Indian. After a quick gchat consult to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything too important, I was in business. The whole process took maybe a half hour, and made enough that I had some leftover for lunch (well, whatever you call eating a first meal a 2:30 after classes...)
Almost Chicken Saag
Ingredients
(this is definitely one that you can improvise on, depending on what you have in the fridge/pantry)
-1 small/medium onion
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 decent sized pieces of chicken. I used 2 frozen chicken breasts, but you can use thighs or whatever
-1 bag frozen chopped spinach
-Something creamy to get the texture and hold everything together. I used sour cream, although you could sub in plain yogurt
-Cheese! I used a handful each of some grated swiss and cheddar I had left over from the stratta, but I don't think it's a huge deal what you use, as long as you steer clear of blue cheese or gorgonzola or something like that. This part isn't super legit, but it makes everything come together!
-Cumin
-Ginger. I love it, and had a knob in the fridge, so I grated up a tablespoon or so. You could also used ground ginger, just add a couple shakes at the end
-Rice
Start your rice cooker (my favorite thing in the kitchen, even if it has gotten busted up and is missing the steam vent part!) or do whatever it is you do.
Halve the onion and cut into thin slices. Heat some oil in a medium-large pan over medium heat, mince the garlic, and sauté the two until the onion is soft. I tossed in the grated ginger and sautéed that up at the same time. While that is happening, I defrosted my chicken (good job if you can skip that part) and cut it into slices — you could just cook the chicken whole, but the strips go much faster! Once the onion looks good, add the frozen spinach to the pan and nestle the chicken strips in there. Sprinkle on a couple pinches of cumin and mix in. If you've got a lid, throw it on. I never do, but a sheet of aluminum foil does the trick. Cook covered for a couple minutes, then uncover, flip the chicken slices, and let them finish cooking for another minute or two. Turn down the heat to low, sprinkle on a handful or two of cheese, and mix that in. Add two good spoonfuls of sour cream, mix in, and let simmer for a couple minutes if it looks too wet. It should be creamy, not liquidy. Once the consistency seems right, spoon some on top of rice and get to it!
You can adapt it a little... Katie tossed in a can of chick peas and some diced tomato, and I think I'd do something to add a little heat next time.
This weekend we're planning on attempting Eggs Benedict, one of those foods that I love getting at restaurants but have no idea how to make on my own. Wish us luck getting the hang of poaching... and Hollandaise...
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