I want the frim-fram sauce...

Now, you know girls, we really got to eat
And you know we should eat right.
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight.

I don't want French fried potatoes,
Red ripe tomatoes,
I'm never satisfied.
I want the frim-fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafah on the side.

                                          ~Redd Evans lyrics (1945) adapted by Dianna Krall (1996)

Yeah, I know these lyrics were not really talking about food, but I had to mention them here because so many of my single girlfriends don't really spend a lot of time and energy cooking great meals for themselves.  Why?  They're too tired at the end of the workday and just want to settle down with a glass of wine and some microwave popcorn.  Vindaloo has been there and done that in a former life...in fact, in many former lives...

One of my single friends made a plea to me recently that I do a blog post on quick, healthy and easy meals that she could put together in 20 to 25 minutes.  I thought that was a great request because I know that lots of people won't cook well for themselves when they live alone.  Mostly, it's a stand-at-the-kitchen-sink-and-eat kind of dining.  Or, it's a graze on anything you can find as you stand in front of the open fridge.  This, dear readers, is not healthy for mind, body, nor spirit!!

Let's get all of you frustrated foodies taken care of and headed in the right direction today.  Let's talk about what you can have on hand in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to make your meals more interesting, more healthful and more satisfying.  It's really very simple and comes down to one basic concept: condiments and other flavoring ingredients that are prepared and ready to go.

OK, so you have mayo, catsup, mustard, maybe some steak sauce, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and maybe something wild like Tiger Sauce or Pick-a-Peppa sauce.  That's great, but let's expand your reperatoire by making some condiments that you can have on hand that will blow the grocery store variety out of the water.  You can invest a mere afternoon's time and have a mind-boggling array of new food options available to you.  If you don't have a food processor, buddy up with a friend who does and do these little projects together.

First let's talk about pesto.  My favorite, hands down, will always be made from sweet Genovese basil, plenty of pignoli nuts, a wonderfully fruity olive oil and the best Parmesan cheese I can afford.  It is fabulous on fresh homemade pasta, stirred into arborio rice, or atop a bowl of minestrone or pasta fagioli.  I've also brushed basil pesto on cooked meats, on bruschetta, and it makes a fabulous pizza with proscuitto or pancetta and oven-roasted tomatoes. I'm going to assume that we've all tasted basil pesto.  And if we haven't made ourselves, someone else has, or we bought a jar of it somewhere near the deli section and have been disappointed. 

But there are several wonderful pestos out there, each with a different flavor profile.  I'm going to give you four different pesto recipes--plus an olivada recipe--that can be frozen and ready to use in plenty of new ways.  Some suggestions: dilute pesto with a little citrus juice or vinegar and make a marinade for fish, chicken, pork, beef, etc.  Smear as is on fish, chicken, pork before grilling or broiling.  Put a heaping spoonful in a bowl of soup or stew.  Use it to finish sauteed or grilled veggies.  These pestos will be made without cheese so that you can freeze them, use them as you need them and you can add cheese later to vary the richness and intensity.


Cilantro Pesto  
     I know many people who can't stand fresh cilantro.  Chopping it finely and suspending it in oil changes things miraculously.  It becomes a different thing entirely...

4 large cloves garlic
2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and stemmed
1 cup slivered blanched almonds
2 large bunches of cilantro, stem ends trimmed and washed well
1 cup (or more) of fruity olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic cloves and jalapeno in workbowl of food processor and chop finely.  Add almonds and pulse until chopped finely, then add cilantro, including stems, and process until a rough paste forms.  Drizzle in olive oil through feed tube of processor while the motor is running.  The finished pesto should be the consistency of mayonnaise.  Add more olive oil if necessary.  Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.   Store airtight in freezer until ready to use.  Will keep for several months.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

How I use this pesto:  Grill boneless chicken breasts then place in a baking pan.  Spread generously with some thawed pesto.  Crumble queso fresco or lay slices of queso quesadilla on top of the pesto and chicken.  Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Or, spread a mild fish fillet such as basa, tilapia or halibut with a generous amount of thawed pesto.  Bake or broil until fish is done. 


Parsley Pesto

4 large cloves garlic
1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts
2 large bunches of Italian flat-leaf parsley, stem ends trimmed and washed well
1 cup (or more) fruity olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic cloves in workbowl of food processor and chop finely.  Add walnuts or hazelnuts and pulse until finely chopped, then add parsley, including stems and process until a rough paste forms.  Drizzle in olive oil through feed tube while processor is running.  The finished pesto should be the consistency of mayonnaise.   Add more olive oil if necessary.  Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.   Store airtight in freezer until ready to use.  Will keep for several months.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

How I use this pesto:  Stir into hearty soup for an extra hit of flavor.  Wonderful on toasted garlic bread with lots of Parmesan, Fontina or Romano.  Great with whole wheat pasta, spicy Italian sausage, chick peas, and lots of good-quality grated cheese.

Or make your own version of chimichurri sauce by thawing about 1/2 cup pesto and adding 1 Tbs. finely chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp. dried oregano, 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar and the juice of half a lime.  Blend well and serve alongside grilled steaks.  This sauce is also wonderful as a marinade, and it is delicious on vegetables.


Spinach Pesto

4 large cloves garlic
1 cup walnuts or pinenuts
1 pound baby spinach leaves, washed and dried (or substitute and equivalent amount of frozen, chopped
      spinach which has been thawed and most of the water pressed out)
1 cup (or more) fruity olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic cloves in workbowl of food processor and chop finely.  Add walnuts or pinenuts and pulse until finely chopped, then add spinach and process until a rough paste forms.  Drizzle in olive oil through feed tube while processor is running.  The finished pesto should be the consistency of mayonnaise.   Add more olive oil if necessary.  Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.   Store airtight in freezer until ready to use.  Will keep for several months.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

How I use this pesto:  Spinach pesto is wonderful on foccacia with lots of melted cheese.  It's great in minestrone and pasta fagioli.  It gives lentil soup a bright, fresh flavor.  It's great with pasta, bacon or pancetta and lots of cheese. 

It also makes a wonderful appetizer on toasted slices of french bread that have been brushed with garlic and olive oil.  Put soft goat cheese (such as chevre, brie or gouda) or fontina on top of spinach, add slices of roasted red pepper and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.


Basil Pesto

4 large cloves garlic
1 cup pinenuts
4 cups cleaned basil leaves (I also use the tender parts of the stems because they have a lot of flavor)
1 cup (or more) fruity olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic cloves in workbowl of food processor and chop finely.  Add pinenuts and pulse until finely chopped, then add basil, including stems and process until a rough paste forms.  Drizzle in olive oil through feed tube while processor is running.  The finished pesto should be the consistency of mayonnaise.   Add more olive oil if necessary.  Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.   Store airtight in freezer until ready to use.  Will keep for several months.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

How I use this pesto:  I thaw out what I need for pasta, adding lots of cheese before serving.  I spread it on garlic toasts with finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  I use it to season fish and chicken before broiling. 

This pesto is also especially good on a firm white fish (such as halibut) cooked en papillote.  Take a piece of parchment paper and brush with olive oil or butter.  Place fish on paper and spread generously with pesto.  Shave good-quality Parmesan or Asiago cheese on top and add several slices of roasted red pepper.  Drizzle with 2 Tbs. dry white wine.  Fold up edges of paper to form a packet, stapling if necessary.  Bake at 375 for 12 to 17 minutes, depending on thickness of fish.


Olivada

2 large cloves garlic
1 can pitted black olives, drained
1 small jar pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
1 small jar pitted kalamata olives, drained
1 cup (or more) fruity olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put garlic cloves in workbowl of food processor and chop finely.  Add black olives, green olives and kalamata olives and process until you have a rough paste.  Drizzle in 1 cup olive oil with motor running.  You should have a mixture the consistency of thick mayonnaise.  Add more olive oil if neccesary.  Season generously with fresh black pepper.  Store airtight in freezer until ready to use.  Keeps for several months.  Makes about 2 cups.

How I use the olivada:  Great on fish and chicken.  Wonderful on garlic toasts.  Enriches spaghetti sauce (especially store-bought).  Enriches hearty soups.  Extra bonus points for those who like to impress:  If you make your own bread, roll out the dough to a 9 x 12 inch rectangle, spread generously with thawed olivada and sprinkle with good-quality grated cheese.  Roll up dough into loaf and seal seams.  Let rise (this might take a little longer than usual) and then bake per your recipe directions.  Heaven!

May your tastebuds continue to dance, good people.  Stay in touch.  More fabulous single-lifestyle cooking ideas to come...