Cooking Misc.: October 2004 Archives
So October 24 came and went and no terrine. I had bought all the ingredients, picked out a recipe for something that was at least layered (a ragu and polenta "terrine," layered then baked and served hot). But crises at work, the arrival of my parents for a visit then Todd's, and the exhaustion of late pregnancy foiled me.
My dad made "chili soup" out of the ingredients that would spoil. I guess to a lot of people "chili" is not really a type of soup, more of a stew (which I would also considered a type of soup). The chili soup I had growing up always had onions and peppers, ground beef, kidney beans, spices and a lot of tomato juice to make it soupy. Even now my dad had to improvise and add a couple serving-size cans of V8 to the whole tomatoes in juice I had him break into the chili.
So October 24 came and went and no terrine. I had bought all the ingredients, picked out a recipe for something that was at least layered (a ragu and polenta "terrine," layered then baked and served hot). But crises at work, the arrival of my parents for a visit then Todd's, and the exhaustion of late pregnancy foiled me.
My dad made "chili soup" out of the ingredients that would spoil. I guess to a lot of people "chili" is not really a type of soup, more of a stew (which I would also considered a type of soup). The chili soup I had growing up always had onions and peppers, ground beef, kidney beans, spices and a lot of tomato juice to make it soupy. Even now my dad had to improvise and add a couple serving-size cans of V8 to the whole tomatoes in juice I had him break into the chili.
We have a column in the magazine called Quick Cook, and after dinner a couple of nights ago I realized that's what I've become. A 30-Minute-Meal-er. A Quick Cook. I think things are about to slow down in my life, but for the past couple of months meals have consisted of whatever I can throw together and eat in the 45-minute window I have before I need to rush off someplace.
Pork tenderloin is a great quick meal. The other night I got home about 15 minutes before I needed to leave for a doctor appointment (the doctor's right across the street), so I mixed a spice rub I had received as a gift (it had fennel, something spicy, cinnamon and lots of other things I can't remember) with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then slathered that over the pork. Cubed up a sweet potato and tossed it with the spice mix and olive oil for me, then did the same thing with a white potato and just salt, pepper and olive oil for Todd. Arranged them all on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, covered it with more foil then popped it in the fridge. When I got home from my appointment, I got out the pan, preheated the oven to 450 degrees, then cooked the pork and potatoes for 20 minutes, plenty of time to reach that safe-food temperature I need.
And it was still tender, despite the lack of pink in the center. Hence the name, I guess.
We have a column in the magazine called Quick Cook, and after dinner a couple of nights ago I realized that's what I've become. A 30-Minute-Meal-er. A Quick Cook. I think things are about to slow down in my life, but for the past couple of months meals have consisted of whatever I can throw together and eat in the 45-minute window I have before I need to rush off someplace.
Pork tenderloin is a great quick meal. The other night I got home about 15 minutes before I needed to leave for a doctor appointment (the doctor's right across the street), so I mixed a spice rub I had received as a gift (it had fennel, something spicy, cinnamon and lots of other things I can't remember) with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then slathered that over the pork. Cubed up a sweet potato and tossed it with the spice mix and olive oil for me, then did the same thing with a white potato and just salt, pepper and olive oil for Todd. Arranged them all on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, covered it with more foil then popped it in the fridge. When I got home from my appointment, I got out the pan, preheated the oven to 450 degrees, then cooked the pork and potatoes for 20 minutes, plenty of time to reach that safe-food temperature I need.
And it was still tender, despite the lack of pink in the center. Hence the name, I guess.
