I (HEART) the NYTimes Food Section

There are few things in the world that I gush about. My puppy. Good cheese. And Mark Bittman (aka The Minimalist).


Mark is my buddy and we hang out every Wednesday morning, when I read the food section of the New York Times before beginning work. This week, however, he has outdone himself.


One of the things that drives me crazy about being a student/young adult is that there never seems to be enough time to make a proper meal from scratch. Since eating out for me is a limited option, this either means buying prepared (or semi-prepared) foods and doctoring them, or (my usual tactic), taking Sunday to make food for the rest of the week and then reheating as needed.


My buddy Mark, however, has put together a BRILLIANT list of 10 minute mains. Some of them are very simple, like blanched asparagus and hard-boiled eggs. Others, alas, are not kosher (but the scallops sound so GOOD!). However, they do have some great ideas. As I move forward, I am going to try to put together a list of other good 10-minute mains (because otherwise, I may starve during recruiting season).

In addition to my spinach quesadilla recipe, here is another one I like:

10-Minute Faux Coq-au-Vin

1 kosher chicken breast, pref. butterflied, pounded very thin (I use two pieces of plastic wrap and a rolling pin - this tenderizes the mean AND reduces cooking time)
1 cup button or baby bella mushrooms, washed, trimmed and sliced (not to sound too much like Rachael Ray, but it really does keep weeknight cooking time down if you do the prep work when you get home from the store or buy pre-sliced foods. Yes, this does mean planning ahead. No, it is not a problem for me.).
1 tbsn diced sweet onion
1 clove garlic sliced, or 1/2 tsp jarred minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup kosher red wine (BH cabernet works well)
1 tsp white flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsn sundried tomatoes (TJ's has a hechscher), coarsely chopped 1 pinch saffron threads
1 cup plain couscous (uncooked)

Heat a cast iron frying pan over medium high heat (I love cast iron. More on this later) and set a small saucepan full of lightly salted water on to boil (amount of water to be determined by couscous package directions - usually about a 2:1 ration of water to couscous, I think - so, about 2 cups?).
Pour half the oil into the hot pan and shake on some salt and pepper, then throw in the flattened chicken breasts and shake on more salt and pepper. After about 2 minutes or so (bottom side will be opaque and beginning to brown), turn over chicken breasts and throw in another 1/2 tsp oil (onto the exposed areas of the pan, not the chicken), garlic, mushrooms and onions and reduce the heat to medium. Toss the mushrooms and onions around as they begin to brown. Tongs are a useful tool for this recipe (and generally, in the kitchen).

Meanwhile, the water in the saucepan should be coming to a boil. Into this water, dump couscous, sundried tomatoes, and saffron. Boil for about 1 minute, then remove from heat.

At this point, the chicken should be done and the mushrooms and onions should be starting to reduce. Remove the chicken from the pan, cut into 1" wide strips, and put on plate. Add 1/2 tsp oil and flour to pan and mix together with onions and mushrooms. Deglaze the frying pan with the wine (scraping any chicken residue off the bottom) and allow mushrooms and onion sauce to reduce and thicken slightly before turning off heat (pan heat will continue to reduce).

Fluff the couscous, making sure that the saffron and tomatoes are evenly distributed, then put on plate. Top chicken and couscous with mushroom-onion-wine reduction and enjoy.

And now, back to a memo about FEC rules on advertising disclaimers. Goody.