Making A Fine Meal Fast

So Wife is off in Amsterdam doing her super Mom-Grandma thing (she looks so happy every time we Skype) while I'm holding down the fort. Does that mean I'm going to just hole up and be a hermit. Well actually yes for the most part because I'm mostly troll with equal parts spiritual recluse. BUT I do occasionally have the need to be social. So I invited my friends K and A over for dinner.

Now it turns out that the same night that I invited them over was the day I did the hike to the summit. So I my challenge was how do I cook a meal that meets my standards with minimal time and energy available?

Ah acolytes - you do it by falling back on simple things with a twist and the trusty freezer.

THE GUESTS

Why do they look so terrified? Oh they probably read all of the de-I Outfitter posts instead of the foodie posts. Worry not. Your in for a totally safe experience...unless you decide to go hiking with me (ominous dun dun dah)

Dish One - Spanish Flavored Chard with Egg

This is a stand by for me. It looks complicated but isn't. Since Wife has Chard growing in the garden it's easy to access but you can do this with lots of vegetables.

Clean, chop and dry the chard

Start your flavor base by sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil.

Now the other flavor elements
Chicken stock base, pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika) and some tomato paste.

Add some water and dry sherry and cook for 10 minutes to meld the flavors.

Add the chard. Our chard is very tender so it only takes 10 minutes to get it tender.

This is done before the guests arrive.

Now take some pancetta (Italian salted bacon)

Saute until nice and crisp

This is done all in advance and takes around an hour. It was the most time intensive thing I did.
Then before serving, fry an egg, warm the chard mixture in the microwave, put egg on top of chard and sprinkle with the crispy pancetta and some pecarino cheese.

Dish Two - Shrimp Salad with Asian Mayonaise

Frozen shrimp from Costco. Love it. Defrosts in about 10 minutes
Marinate in some oil, spicy Szechuan Garlic Paste, some garlic, and some Thai fish sauce.

Shred some jicama and carrot, put in water with ice to get nice and crisp

Saute the shrimp for just a minute or two on each side.

Add some of the chile paste to prepared mayonnaise with a little soy sauce and sesame oil.
Drain and dry the jicama and carrots and mix with the mayo.
Plate with a scoop of the veggie slaw in the center, the shrimp around the salad and a scoop of the mayo in the center.

Dish Three - Linguine with Meat Sauce

Thank you freezer!
A trusty container of long, slow cooked meat in tomato. Ideal for a quick pasta.
I jazzed it up with a slurry of parsley, basil and garlic from the garden.

This takes no time at all. Cook the pasta, Finish it in the sauce with some fresh Parmesan and olive oil.

When guest asks what they can bring, tell them to bring dessert and that saves time too :)