Tossed-together meal would make ‘Mother Hubbard’ proud
By Jennifer Harr Herald-Standard
Necessity is the mother of all inventions.
Whoever said that must have envisioned some of the hurried dinners making their way from my kitchen as of late.
My cupboards have been doing their “Mother Hubbard” impression, and it feels like my time has been more and more crunched.
Between work, home and the various other commitments that fill my few seconds of breathing time, I haven’t found sleep time, let alone grocery shopping time.
So it was a relief to find time, last weekend, to actually cook. Unfortunately, by the time I had a moment to cook, I was in awe of what I did not have to cook with.
A few potatoes, some pork and vegetables that were going to be over-ripened in another few days didn’t exactly sound like dinner. But, undeterred, and ready to flex my creative muscles, I found a way to make them into something.
Along the way, I had my handy kitchen helper, 4-year-old Gabriel, who offered color commentary about the apparently abhorrent smell of horseradish (he still gobbled down the potatoes), the yummy taste of roasted garlic and how funny roasted asparagus looks.
Putting everything together was hectic, especially since I didn’t have a plan. And Gabe had a great time making light of my lacking fridge.
In the end, I have to say my tossed together meal was one of my better ones.
Although next time, if only to avoid the stress of what to make, I think I’ll find the time to keep my cupboards stocked.
HORSERADISH
MASHED POTATOES
5 large baking potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons cream
salt and pepper
Peel and boil the potatoes until soft enough to mash, but not mushy. Drain water, but do not rinse, and add butter and 2 tablespoons cream. Break up the potatoes with a masher, and add more cream if necessary to get potatoes to desired consistency. Stir in horseradish and cheese, and taste. Add more horseradish for additional kick, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
PARSLEY PORK CHOPS
3 thick-cut pork chops
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Combine parsley, garlic, oil and salt and pepper to form a paste. Spread over the pork chops and let them marinate for about an hour.
Pre-heat the oven broiler to the low setting, and put the chops on a broiler pan and place in the middle oven rack to broil for about 6-7 minutes per side.
The chops should feel firm to the touch, but not looked dried out.
ROASTED VEGGIE SAMMY
1 loaf Italian bread
6 slices deli ham
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks lengthwise
6-8 spears asparagus
4 marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 large onion, cut into thin rings
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Lemon pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut top from bread, reserving it, and hollow out bottom to form a shell. Put zucchini and asparagus into a shallow pan and drizzle lightly with oil and lemon pepper seasoning. Roast, shaking pan occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
The vegetables should look slightly browned. For the last five minutes of the roasting time, put the top and bottom of the loaf into the oven to crisp, checking occasionally to make certain it does not burn. In a skillet over low heat, caramelize the onions. The process will take about 15 minutes.
Remove the loaf from the oven and sprinkle the bottom crust with cheese. Add two slices of ham. Top the ham with all of the zucchini, asparagus and artichoke, and half the onion. Sprinkle another layer of cheese on top and add a second layer of ham. Add the rest of the onions, another layer of cheese and the final layer of ham.
Top with remaining cheese and put the whole sandwich back into the oven on the top rack, for another 10 minutes to heat through.
Add the bread top and serve.
(Jennifer Harr is the Herald-Standard court reporter. She welcomes comments and recipes at Jennifer Harr, Herald-Standard, 8-18 E. Church St., Uniontown, Pa. 15401 or e-mail to jharr@heraldstandard.com.)