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The Heat Is On For Quick Meals

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

Time, or the lack of it, is the basic reason many of us choose the foods we eat.

Pressed by family needs, work schedules, long commutes and other time gobblers, we welcome the chance to slap something on the dining room table - fast. Even empty-nesters and retirees sometimes prefer to spend their time on other pursuits besides cooking.

The key word today is quick.

Turn on a TV, read the newspaper or surf the Internet and you will find lots of advice on how to save time in the kitchen. Subjects include quick-fix foods; quick and simple meals; quick, wholesome foods; quick and healthy recipes; swift suppers; hasty, tasty meals; nearly instant meals; meals in a hurry; quick, throw-it-together dinners - and that's just for starters. The array is so dizzying that your head will spin.

Quick sells. Making food fast is a popular trend for anyone associated with cooking, especially cookbook writers and culinary personalities.

Just ask Rachael Ray, host of the Food Network's show '30 Minute Meals' and author of a gazillion cookbooks associated with the same topic. The celebrity chef promises her dazzling dishes are meant to go from the fridge to the serving table in 30 minutes or less. Gotta love that.

Stroll down any cookbook aisle and it's obvious we're obsessed with 'get me out of the kitchen fast' and if 'I gotta cook, make it quick.'

With minimal time to prepare food, we're fixing fewer side dishes to go with our main entrees. According to a recent study from Food Technology magazine, Americans are demanding - and redefining - one-dish dining.

Minnesotans used to call this a 'hot dish.' Remember casseroles? Also called container cuisine, these easy, meal-in-one recipes include a plethora of main dish meals in a bowl. They typically consist of a starch, protein or meat and a vegetable or fruit, all in one. They're generally convenient, filling and easy to make.
Sun City Center resident Barbara Wrede sent me a recipe that I consider quick and easy. She first tried the dish in Spain and found this recipe at www.epicurious .com. Wrede said the recipe has become a favorite company dinner.

'The Spanish certainly know all the good things,' she said.

STUFFED RED BELL PEPPERS

6 large, red bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onions, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2/3 cup cooked white rice, cooled

1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef

1 large egg

Cut off the top half-inch of peppers and reserve. Scoop out the seeds. Discard stems and chop pepper tops. Heat the oil in heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley, garlic and chopped pepper pieces. Saute until onions soften, about eight minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in rice, paprika, salt, pepper and allspice. Cool 10 minutes. Mix in half-cup of tomato sauce, then beef and egg.

Fill pepper cavities with beef mixture. Stand filled peppers in single layer in heavy large pot. Pour remaining 2 cups tomato sauce around peppers. Bring sauce to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer 20 minutes. Spoon some sauce over each pepper. Cover and cook until peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through and firm, about 20 minutes. (Dish can be made a day ahead. Cool, cover and chill. Re-warm covered over low heat.)

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 286, Ruskin FL 33575-0286. Readers are encouraged to send their recipes, comments and suggestions.

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