The Single Guy Cookbook: How to Cook Comfort Food Favorites Faster, Easier and Cheaper than Going Out
192
The Single Guy Cookbook: How to Cook Comfort Food Favorites Faster, Easier and Cheaper than Going Out
192eBook
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Overview
There comes a time in every man's life where he has to step away from the microwave. With the help of Avi's man-centric recipes, techniques and commentary, you'll build confidence in the kitchen—and you'll have some pretty amazing meals to show for it.
Recipes are geared toward goals like cooking the perfect burger, using leftovers to make a gourmet meal that'll wow your family, impressing a date, saving money, feeding the guys on game day, and most importantly, just flat out making an easy, hardy meal you can sit down and enjoy alone. Recipes include Sizzling Skillet Steak with Twice Baked Potato, Kickass Fish Tacos and Mind-Blowing Meatballs with Ziti.
With The Single Guy Cookbook, you'll make delicious and awe-inspiring dishes that you'll be proud to place in front of any person who enters your man cave.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781624141249 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Page Street Publishing |
| Publication date: | 07/28/2015 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 192 |
| File size: | 44 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Avi is the owner of The Chubby Chickpea, a popular Mediterranean food truck based in Massachusetts. He and his wife are food consultants for his larger than average group of hopelessly single men. He has been featured in the Boston Globe and on DigBoston.com. He lives in Canton, Massachusetts.
Read an Excerpt
The Single Guy Cookbook
How To Cook Comfort Food Favorites Faster, Easier and Cheaper Than Going Out
By Avi Shemtov
Page Street Publishing Co.
Copyright © 2015 Avi ShemtovAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-62414-124-9
CHAPTER 1
NO SHIRT, NO SHOES
FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN GOING OUT
Some of the best food I've ever eaten has come from the kitchens of great home cooks; I've always believed that a home-cooked meal can be every bit as good as a restaurant's. Lo mein made with fresh veggies and Chinese sausage (here) is so good, you'll wince at the thought of takeout. Mac and cheese with steak and seafood (here)? Kick-ass grub without having to make reservations. Try the tuna melt, too (here) — it's as good as it gets. These recipes are meant to replace meals you'd have to open your closet and wallet to eat. Enjoy them from the comfort of your very own kitchen.
THE ONE GUY STIR-FRY
A stir-fry is the ultimate healthy, quick and fresh dinner, and this one makes a complete one-man meal. If carbs are a no-no, just get rid of the rice noodles and check out the tofu noodles in the produce section of your supermarket. If you go that route, however, add the noodles with the steak because they'll need a lot longer to dry out, or they'll taste like tofu!
MAKES 1 SERVING
1 cup (90 g) rice noodles
2 tbsp (30 ml) sesame oil
1 (5-oz [142-g]) shoulder steak, cut into strips
½ cup (90 g) chopped broccoli
½ cup (50 g) snow peas
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
½ white onion, cut into rings
1 tbsp (15 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the rice noodles. Boil for 1 or 2 minutes and drain them well.
In a very large frying pan or a wok, if you have one, heat the sesame oil over high heat. Put in steak strips and cook, using a wooden spoon to keep the meat moving constantly, so it doesn't burn. When the steak is browned, about 2 minutes, add the broccoli, snow peas, carrots and onions. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the veggies have softened.
Add the soy sauce and rice noodles. Mix everything up and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, or until the noodles are hot. Dump the stir-fry onto a plate and eat.
CHINESE SAUSAGE LO MEIN
Anyone who knows me knows better than to hand me the phone for a late-night Chinese food order if we've gotten pretty banged up. But I'm pretty sure my buddy Coco hands me the phone on purpose, knowing we'll end up with everything he likes, too! This lo mein recipe combines those tasty sparerib-style sausages, which became so popular a few summers ago, with the undeniable beauty of fresh lo mein. If you happen to have a bunch of veggies around, go nuts — I try to keep the ingredient lists short for those of us who don't keep weird stuff around unless we need it.
MAKES 1 LARGE SERVING
SAUCE
1½ tsp (7 ml) sesame oil 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce Pinch of sugar Pinch of ground ginger (optional)
4 oz (115 g) lo mein egg noodles
1½ tsp (7 ml) sesame oil
½ red bell pepper, sliced thin
½ green bell pepper sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup (17 g) mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2 Chinese sausages links, chopped
Use a fork to mix together the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and ginger (if using) in a small bowl. Put this aside for a few minutes
Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water according to the instructions on the package, and drain them well. Set aside.
Pour the sesame oil into a large frying pan over medium-high heat. After giving it a minute to get hot, throw the peppers, garlic and mushrooms (if using) into the oil and cook, stirring them often, for 2 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the Chinese sausage and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring often.
Once the sausages are browned, add the noodles and sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring for about 1 minute, or until the noodles and sauce are warm. Pour everything into a large bowl and eat.
CHEESY SAUSAGE POTATOES
Here is a delicious way to combine greasy sausage with two other favorites — cheese and potatoes — and keep it simple and cheap at the same time. Almost all of the work is done by the oven; all you have to do is cut the potatoes, mix up the sauce, watch SportsCenter and then dig into all that melted cheese!
MAKES 1 SERVING
2 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 small onion, peeled and sliced thin
SAUCE
3 tbsp (45 g) butter
2 cups (460 g) chopped sausage links
3 tbsp (23 g) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (355 ml) milk
1 tbsp (16 g) brown mustard
½ cup (56 g) shredded Colby Jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Spray the inside of a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the pan with the potato slices and scatter the onion over the potatoes.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often so it doesn't burn, for about 3 minutes or until the sausage is lightly browned. Mix in the flour, and keep stirring until you have a smooth paste. Add the milk, stirring and until the sauce is smooth. Add the mustard and cook, stirring the whole time, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the cheese and stir for another minute, or until the sauce is smooth.
Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and onions and cover the pan with foil. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until you can pierce the potatoes with a fork really easily. Transfer to a plate and eat.
SPICY PASTA & CHICKEN SALAD
Orzo is an awesome pasta to use for pasta salad because it cooks really fast and it's small, so you can mix almost anything into it. The other cool thing about orzo is that it's great hot or cold. This recipe is so good because it uses tangy banana peppers for a little bite, always-on-the-money rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and some fresh herbs for a great home-cooked touch! By the way, I like the dark meat, but you can take the meat from any part of the chicken you want.
MAKES 1 SERVING
4 cups (950 ml) water
1 cup (170 g) orzo
¼ cup (43 g) chopped banana peppers
¼ cup (40 g) diced vine-ripe tomatoes
1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
¼ cup (10 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup (45 g) chopped green olives
1 cup (125 g) chopped cooked chicken, such as rotisserie chicken
1 tbsp (8 g) paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
Pour the water into a medium-size pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and let it boil until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring it occasionally while it cooks to keep it from clumping. Drain the orzo well and return it to the empty pot or transfer it to a mixing bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients, mix the pasta salad really well and eat.
TUNA MIND MELT
Every time I make this sandwich, I think of chef Josh Smith, one of the most inspiring people I've ever met in the food business. As he served me a jaw-dropping dish he said, "If there's a way to do it, overdo it." This sandwich is made in that spirit. Sub in perfectly cooked fresh tuna for the canned version, melt some great cheese, get some fresh bread (instead of the stuff sitting on the shelf) and add all of the toppings you want. You don't have to complicate it if you don't want. You can just cook a tuna steak and mix it with mayo and some seasonings. Remember, though: Don't just do it, overdo it!
MAKES 1 LARGE SERVING
1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
1 (8-oz [230-g]) tuna steak
1 bakery-fresh torpedo roll or another long sandwich roll
¼ cup (56 ml) real mayo or Miracle Whip
4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite)
2 tbsp (20 g) dry unseasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup (38 g) chopped white onion (optional)
1 tsp (5 g) salt
1 tsp (2 g) black pepper
2 slices tomato
2 romaine lettuce leaves, cut into shreds (optional)
¼ cup (43 g) chopped banana peppers (optional)
1 kosher dill pickle, quartered lengthwise (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for about 45 seconds. Using electric? Give it 45 minutes — that's a joke. Give it 1 or 2 minutes; an electric burner takes longer to heat a pan. When the oil is hot, put the tuna in the pan and brown on one side for 1 minute or so. Flip it — this is the easiest step of the whole recipe — throw a cover on the pan, and let the tuna cook all the way through, 5–8 minutes, depending on how hot your stove runs and how thick the tuna is. The tuna should be cooked through and tender enough to flake apart with a fork. Remove from the heat and set aside.
With a serrated blade, cut the torpedo in half lengthwise, leaving a hinge. Don't cut all the way through dude; you want a sub, not sloppy joe of the sea. Open up the roll and spread each side with 1 tablespoon (14 ml) of the mayo. Place 2 slices of cheese on each side and put the roll into the oven — on a baking sheet, please! Bake, checking every minute or so, until the cheese is gooey.
In a large bowl, flake the tuna (mash it up) with a fork, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of the mayo. Add the bread crumbs, and if you wish, the onion. Season with the salt and pepper. Using the same fork, mix the tuna until the ingredients are evenly distributed and all of the fish is broken up.
Place the sliced tomato on the bottom half of the roll, and scatter the lettuce on top, if you wish. Mound the tuna on top of the veggies, and if you like, scatter the banana peppers over the tuna. Top with the pickle and grub!
CHOCOLATE CHIP & BACON PANCAKES
Breakfast food is some of the cheapest and easiest comfort food around. Who doesn't love a sweet-and-savory, greasy breakfast after a rough night or to kick off a lazy day? Inspired by chocolate-covered bacon, which has been popping up all over the place, I created bacon and chocolate chip pancakes. Although pancake mixes are a shortcut, they don't eliminate enough steps for my money.
MAKES 1 SERVING (4 PANCAKES)
3 strips bacon
¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp (4 g) brown sugar
½ cup (120 ml) milk
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips
Cut the bacon strips in half crosswise and place them in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown on the bottom. Flip the bacon and cook until it has crisped up. With tongs, transfer the bacon to a paper towel to absorb the fat. Be careful! Bacon grease is very hot. When the bacon has cooled, crumble it up, put in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, melted butter and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the milk and egg. Using a large spoon or whisk, or even better, an electric hand mixer, mix the ingredients until you have a smooth batter with no lumps. If you leave those lumps, your pancakes are not going to be good enough!
Spray a large frying pan with nonstick cooking spray or melt 1 tablespoon (14 g) of butter in the pan over medium-low heat and swirl it around to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, pour in about a quarter of the batter into the pan. Cook until little bubbles form on the surface of the pancake, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Sprinkle a quarter of the bacon and a quarter of the chocolate chips over the pancake. After the pancake has begun to look firmer around the edges, about 30 seconds more, flip the pancake. Use a spatula — don't be a hero. Cook the second side for 1 to 2 minutes, or until done. Repeat these steps to make the remaining 3 pancakes.
HARD CIDER PORK CHOP
Pork Chops are great to cook for yourself and for friends because they're cheap and really easy to prepare. Baking an apple is also easy to do and adds sweetness, along with the hard cider, to the tender, juicy pork. Plus, the mushy baked apple makes for a great contrast with a fork full of the seared chop. This is a simple recipe for a very tasty dinner.
MAKES 1 SERVING
1 whole red apple, washed
1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
1 bone-in pork chop
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup (240 ml) hard cider
1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter
1 tbsp (13 g) brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
Put the apple in a baking pan or baking dish and bake until the insides are so mushy that you can see the apple imploding on itself, about 30 minutes. The apple should not offer any resistance at all when pressed with a pair of tongs. It's ready to rock.
While the apple bakes, heat the olive oil in a medium-size frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the pork chop with salt and pepper and brown it in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add half of the hard cider, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan. Simmer the pork chop in the cider until the pork looks white all the way through, kind of like chicken, about 12–15 minutes. If you're feeling pro and have an instant-read thermometer around, 155°F (68°C) will work nicely. Take the chop out of the pan, leaving the grease and juice in the pan. Set the pan and chop aside.
When the apple is ready, use tongs or a fork to remove the skin. Scrape all of the pulp (but not the seeds) into the pan your chop was cooked in. Add the butter, brown sugar and the remaining cider to the pan and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon so the mixture doesn't burn, until the apple pulp has browned a little and the cider has reduced to a sticky, sugary syrup, This will take only 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape onto a dinner plate. Put your chop on top and bang, dinner is served!
CHEESY SAUSAGE FRENCH TOAST
The gourmet grilled cheese craze and the stuffed French toast craze are ready for an arranged marriage. There are only a few steps and the ingredients are cheap, so making extra for a friend isn't a problem. If you're in the mood for a hearty and savory breakfast with a little sweetness to it, this will definitely do the trick. The crispy outside, fluffy inside, greasy sausage, gooey cheese and sweet apple will start your day off right. You'll need to cut the sausages in half lengthwise while they're raw, which is a pain, but they'll cook much faster.
MAKES 2 STUFFED FRENCH TOASTS
½ cup (120 g) unsalted butter
1 apple, peeled and sliced
4 breakfast sausage links, halved lengthwise
2 eggs
1 tbsp (15 ml) milk
1 tsp (4 g) grated Parmesan cheese
4 thick slices challah bread
4 slices cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C).
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter and add the apple. Cook, stirring the apple slices every few minutes to keep them from burning or sticking, for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the sausage to the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until cooked all the way through. Remove from the heat.
While the apples and sausages are cooking, crack your eggs into a large shallow bowl or a baking pan and add the milk and Parmesan. Use a fork to mix it all up, making sure the eggs are completely broken up.
On a baking sheet, arrange the bread slices side by side. Place a slice of cheese on each slice of bread. Divide the sausage halves between 2 of the bread slices. Arrange the apple slices over the sausage.
Clean out the frying pan and melt another 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter over medium heat. Use the slices of bread topped with only cheese to cover the bread with the sausage and apples, forming 2 sandwiches. Pick up a sandwich and dunk each side carefully into the egg mix. Place the sandwich in the hot butter and let it brown for 1 minute. Carefully flip the sandwich, using a spatula, and let the other side brown. Take out the sandwich and put it back on the baking sheet. Melt another 1 tablespoon (15 g) of butter in the pan and brown the second sandwich.
Put the baking sheet with the 2 sandwiches into the oven for 15 minutes. The bread will be crispy and the cheese will ooze. You're ready to eat.
STUPID-EASY POT ROAST
Some nights you just want beef, and lots of it. This pot roast has great flavor and is always tender. Plus it doesn't really need any attention (wish that was true about everything in your life, don't you?). Just come home, brown the sides and put it in the oven. By the time you're caught up on Game of Thrones, you'll have a tender block of meat to tear apart.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
8 oz (230 g) beef shoulder roast
1 cup (140 g) diced carrots
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 potatoes, quartered
1 tsp (5 g) salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
1 tsp (2 g) ground coriander
Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C).
Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat and quickly brown all sides of your meat, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat.
Add the carrots, onion, potatoes and the seasonings. Cover the skillet with heavy-duty foil, sealing it completely, and place it in the oven. Cook for about 1 to 1½ hours, depending on how rare you like the meat.
The best part of this pot roast is how versatile it is. You can shred it and eat it on its own, have it on a roll with BBQ sauce and cole slaw or cut it into tender pieces and eat it over rice and its own juices.
MARY HAD A LITTLE STEW
Making stew is a great solution when you don't mind waiting but have a few things to get done before you eat. This recipe will take very little time to throw together; then the stove top will get the rest done for you. The stew is meaty and filling, too, and doesn't use very much of that pricey lamb to get the flavor lamb lovers crave. Oh, I almost forgot — you're only gonna have to wash one pan.
MAKES 2 LARGE SERVINGS
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1 carrot, diced but not peeled
4 vine-ripe tomatoes, diced
1 potato, diced but not peeled
1 lb (455 g) lamb stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup (240 ml) water
¼ cup (10 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp (5 g) salt
1 tsp (2 g) black pepper
1 tsp (3 g) granulated garlic
1 tsp (2 g) cumin
Heat the olive oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potato and lamb. Turn the heat down to medium and add the water, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and cumin. Mix it up a little to blend the ingredients well.
Cover the stew and cook, checking on it every 5 minutes or so and adding water as needed to keep it from burning (but remember, you want it to be thick). The stew should be done in about 45 minutes, or when the lamb is tender enough to cut with a fork. You're ready to grub.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Single Guy Cookbook by Avi Shemtov. Copyright © 2015 Avi Shemtov. Excerpted by permission of Page Street Publishing Co..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
INTRODUCTION,
NO SHIRT, NO SHOES FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN GOING OUT,
NO MESS, NO STRESS CLEAN UP-FREE MAN FOOD,
GAME DAY GRUB FANTASTIC PIG-OUT FOOD,
HASSLE-FREE MEALS THAT WILL GET YOU LAID COOKING TO IMPRESS,
HELP YOURSELF TO SECONDS REPURPOSING YOUR LEFTOVERS,
HEALTHY MEALS FOR HUNGRY MEN GOOD FOR YOU FOOD THAT TASTES GREAT,
TAKING STOCK IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS TO KEEP ON HAND,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR,
INDEX,
Copyright,