Five-Minute Meals
TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-709 -- More Projects »
Culinary expert Colleen Miner has tips for preparing quick and tasty meals within minutes.
- If you want to prepare pasta in five-minutes, do not choose a chunky type because those take longer to cook. Instead, choose angel-hair pasta. You can find it fresh in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. Fill the pot with the hottest possible tap water and cover.
Always make the entire package of pasta and place the excess in a plastic freezer bag (figure A) for a later use. To thaw, place in the microwave for about a minute. Follow the same procedure when cooking rice.When making chicken breasts, cook extra and freeze. These are great for salads and other quick dishes.
Before cooking chicken breasts, pound them out flat between two sheets of wax paper (figure B). The thinner the breasts are, the quicker they'll cook. Normally, a flattened chicken breast will cook in about two minutes per side. Be sure to preheat the frying pan first.Purchase thin pork chops--they cook in about two minutes per side.
To make an easy sauce for pork chops, add about one cup sliced red grapes, one tablespoon sugar, and two tablespoons sherry vinegar (figure C). Let simmer for a few minutes in the frying pan with the pork chops.To make a quick salad, toss a bag of prewashed mixed greens, pine nuts, precrumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, sliced pears and sliced deli chicken.
Couscous can easily be made in just a few minutes. Just spoon some onto a plat and top with a pork chop and the sauce (figure D).
