Express Lane Meals.

by Rachael Ray.

Introduction

I am asked often about what I keep in my kitchen to have on hand at all times. I am also often asked what everyone else else should keep on hand in their own kitchens. Answering the first question is pretty easy: pasta, EVOO, tomatoes, canned beans, cheese, salami, and the like. That second question, though, always throws me for a loop! If I don't answer I feel as if people might get the impression I don't care; by answering it too specifically, I might sound like I know what you like to eat better than you do! Messy question, indeed. should keep on hand in their own kitchens. Answering the first question is pretty easy: pasta, EVOO, tomatoes, canned beans, cheese, salami, and the like. That second question, though, always throws me for a loop! If I don't answer I feel as if people might get the impression I don't care; by answering it too specifically, I might sound like I know what you like to eat better than you do! Messy question, indeed.I get off the hook by answering as diplomatically as I can. "It depends on what style of food you enjoy most. If you love Tex-Mex and spicy food, keep lots of beans, tomatoes, dried ground cumin, chili powders, and canned chili peppers on hand. If you love Italian, go for pastas and grains, tomatoes, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar."Boy, did I fix my red wagon! Now people have started asking for the details: Which kinds of beans? How many cans of tomatoes? Well, I am going to give it a shot!This book contains a list of around seventy items that I always always have on hand in either the spice rack, fridge, freezer, or cupboard. It is based on a mixed bag of cooking styles: Mediterranean, Mexican and Spanish, Continental or Bistro, Asian, and American. If you build this On-Hand list and restock the list every two weeks or so, then you can make any of the recipes that follow with the addition of no more than ten items from the market, ensuring yourself a perpetual spot on the Express Lane! I'm not suggesting you go out and buy every item on this list all at once, but rather that you accumulate them over time. Most of the items are nonperishable or frozen, so once you've made the investment it will pay dividends for many months of meals. have on hand in either the spice rack, fridge, freezer, or cupboard. It is based on a mixed bag of cooking styles: Mediterranean, Mexican and Spanish, Continental or Bistro, Asian, and American. If you build this On-Hand list and restock the list every two weeks or so, then you can make any of the recipes that follow with the addition of no more than ten items from the market, ensuring yourself a perpetual spot on the Express Lane! I'm not suggesting you go out and buy every item on this list all at once, but rather that you accumulate them over time. Most of the items are nonperishable or frozen, so once you've made the investment it will pay dividends for many months of meals.This book is a true reflection of how I live my day-to-day life. I do a BIG shop every couple of weeks and pick up a few fill-in items or entree basics each day I cook. I cook a lot because the system works and always keeps me in groceries. Best of all, even if I am super tired, I always have the security blanket of knowing I can go straight home and cook something groovy right from my cupboard.Happy stocking up, and good eating![image]

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Rachael's Top 5 Tips for Grocery Shopping Like a ProUnit Price Always look at the unit price (generally noted as price per ounce, either fluid or weight) rather than the sticker price when you are selecting an item. You'll find the unit price on the shelf label to the left of the item's sticker price. It gives you the value of the grocery item and it is the only true way to compare costs between different brands and package sizes. This way you'll know the actual price of your EVOO, stock, tomatoes, et cetera.

Stocking Up When you see a sale on a pricey item like chicken breasts or filet mignon, buy more than you need for your meal and freeze the extras in small portions. Place the chicken breasts in small freezer bags with a splash of water and pound them out into cutlets, then place them in the freezer. When frozen solid you can stack them to save space. Cut a large piece of filet into small tournedos (1-inch-thick steaks), and wrap them in parchment paper, and then place them in freezer bags in single-serve portions. Salmon is on sale? Buy a whole side and cut it into 6-ounce fillets, then individually sack 'em and stack 'em! This way you always have go-to versatile, high-quality entree choices in single or multiple servings. The small portions also defrost quickly.

Time Is Money. What's Your Time Worth?

If you need to get the food on the table fast, take a little help on the prep work. In the fresh produce department I will often pick up raw trimmed green beans or shredded carrots or cabbage. I even pick up whole boiled eggs from the salad bar when I want to use them for a salad garnish.

Many Trips Make Small Work Once you've built up your on-hand goods, keep it up with biweekly big shops. Every other week hit the market hard with your master list of staples. Use the list in this book or download a list you can customize from www.clarksonpotter.com to reflect the staples to reflect the staples you you use most often in your kitchen. During the workweek, all you'll need are fresh meats and fill-in ingredients, which you can pick up every couple of nights, helping you become a frequent traveler through the Express Lane! use most often in your kitchen. During the workweek, all you'll need are fresh meats and fill-in ingredients, which you can pick up every couple of nights, helping you become a frequent traveler through the Express Lane!

Put It Away Clean!

When you bring home your groceries, wash all the greens, herbs, and veggies, dry them, and put them away in plastic food storage bags. The herbs especially will keep up to 2 weeks once trimmed, plus you will save time every night because your ingredients will be ready and waiting for you to use-no stopping to spin lettuce or rinse parsley.

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Swap MeetBurgers and sammies of all descriptions have to be at the very top of my list for dinner on those nights when I'm almost almost too tired to cook. Nine times out of ten I just add a handful of chips-good quality, well-seasoned, thick-sliced chips like Terra's Yukon Golds-to the plate and I'm done. Chips not your bag? Substitute one of the following based on what you have on hand and how much extra energy you have: too tired to cook. Nine times out of ten I just add a handful of chips-good quality, well-seasoned, thick-sliced chips like Terra's Yukon Golds-to the plate and I'm done. Chips not your bag? Substitute one of the following based on what you have on hand and how much extra energy you have: - [image]Raw veggies. Buy them right off the salad bar or use whatever you've got in the fridge, and think sugar-snap peas, trimmed green beans, sliced bell peppers and fennel, or cherry tomatoes in addition to the same old carrots and celery sticks; - [image]Tossed green salad (buy washed baby greens in a sack) topped with one or all of the following: canned chickpeas, halved grape tomatoes, and/or black olives in a simple EVOO-and-red-wine vinegar dressing; - [image]Doctor prepared hummus with a squeeze of lemon juice and a chopped roasted red pepper and serve with cucumber chips or celery dippers; - [image]Mix any leftover cooked vegetables-chopped green beans or broccoli, corn, peas-with a drained can of black beans. Dress with EVOO and a good squeeze of lime juice plus a pinch of cumin and salt (throw in some chopped cilantro if you have it and want to get fancy); - [image]Stir together thinly sliced cucumbers and onions with sour cream or yogurt; add a splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt and sugar.

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Keep It On Hand: The Master List of What to Buy, How Much to Keep Around, and Where to Store ItThese are the basics that you should have on hand at all times-not just what to buy but how much and where to store it. Restock these items every two weeks, (keep the cheat sheet from the back flap of this book with you when you do a big shop as a reminder). Use the Express Lane shopping lists at the back of the book for quick, end-of-day shops. You can also note any staples you may need to replenish mid-week there as well.Note: Most spices and seasonings are available in small, square metal tins, glass jars, and small plastic bottles-any and all of which I think of as a single "unit." Buy spices in the smallest units you can find and toss whatever you haven't used after 6 months or so for the freshest flavor. The exceptions are salt and pepper, which you can buy in larger quantities because you will go through them quickly and should never run out!

In the Spice Rack

[image]coarse salt 1 large unit,

26 ounces or more [image]coarse black pepper or peppercorns to grind 1 large unit [image]chili powder 1 unit [image]ground cumin 1 unit [image]grill seasoning 1 large unit [image]paprika 1 unit [image]smoked sweet paprika 1 unit [image]whole nutmeg 1 unit [image]curry paste or powder 1 unit [image]ground coriander 1 unit [image]poultry seasoning 1 unit [image]bay leaves 1 unit [image]red pepper flakes 1 unit [image]dried oregano 1 unit [image]dried thyme 1 unit [image]ground cinnamon 1 unit [image]fennel seeds 1 unit [image]ground allspice 1 unit [image]cayenne pepper 1 unit

In the Fridge

[image]milk 2 quarts [image]heavy cream or half-and-half 1 quart [image]unsalted butter 1 pound unless it's on sale and then you should buy a backup to keep in the freezer [image]eggs 1 dozen [image]Parmigiano-Reggiano 1-pound cut of Parm [image]Pecorino Romano 1 large tub of freshly grated Pecorino Romano [image]bacon 1 pound unless it's on sale and then you should buy a backup to keep in the freezer [image]hot sauce 1 6-ounce bottle [image]Dijon mustard 1 jar (8 to 10 ounces) [image]spicy brown mustard 1 jar (8 to 10 ounces) [image]capers 1 jar [image]flat-leaf parsley 2 bunches washed and dried, in food storage bags [image]celery 1 bunch [image]carrots 1 pound [image]mayonnaise 1 small jar (8 ounces)

In the Freezer

[image]frozen peas 2 10-ounce boxes [image]frozen corn 2 10-ounce boxes [image]frozen chopped spinach 2 10-ounce boxes [image]plain and Italian bread crumbs 1 15-ounce container each

Somewhere in the Kitchen

[image]Idaho potatoes 5 pounds [image]small red, baby Yukon Gold, or small white boiling potatoes 5 pounds [image]lemons

6.

[image]limes

6.

[image]Spanish or yellow onions 4-pound sack [image]shallots 4 large [image]peanut butter, chunky or smooth 1 jar [image]garlic 4 heads

In the Wine Rack

[image]white wine 2 bottles [image]red wine 2 bottles [image]dry sherry 1 bottle

In the Cupboard

[image]chicken stock in a box 3 32-ounce cartons [image]beef stock in a box 2 32-ounce cartons [image]diced fire-roasted tomatoes 2 14-ounce cans [image]diced tomatoes (regular and petite-diced) 1 14-ounce can each [image]crushed tomatoes 3 28-ounce cans [image]tomato paste 1 tube or small can [image]tomato sauce 2 8-ounce cans [image]chipotle chilies in adobo or dry chipotle powder 1 small can or jar [image]black beans 2 14-ounce cans [image]chickpeas/garbanzo beans 2 14-ounce cans [image]cannellini beans 2 14-ounce cans [image]long-cut pastas such as spaghetti, varieties linguine,vermicelli, angel hair, and fettuccine 4 pounds, different [image]short-cut pastas such as penne, varieties ditalini, gemelli, and cavatappi 4 pounds, different [image]plain couscous 2 6-ounce boxes [image]white rice 1 5-pound sack [image]all-purpose flour 1 2-pound sack [image]white sugar 1 2-pound box [image]brown sugar 1 pound box [image]Italian tuna in EVOO 2 4-ounce cans [image]tuna in water 2 6-ounce cans [image]Alaskan salmon 1 14.75-ounce can [image]Worcestershire sauce 1 10-ounce bottle [image]vegetable oil 1 48-ounce bottle [image]tamari 1 bottle [image]balsamic vinegar 1 bottle [image]red wine vinegar 1 bottle [image]cider, white wine and/or rice vinegar 1 bottle [image]honey 1 small jar [image]EVOO 2 large bottles (whatever the bargain is) [image]anchovy fillets 2 tins or 1 small jar [image]roasted red peppers in water 1 16-ounce jar [image]canned clams, whole baby 2 14-ounce cans

MEALS FOR THE EXHAUSTED.

Here is a whole bunch of recipes for those nights when you are most likely to call for take-out (hey, sometimes I do, too). I group these recipes together because they require the least amount of brain power and physical effort. You may find recipes in other sections made entirely from your "On Hand" ingredients, whereas there are are short Express Lane lists throughout this section. Don't let that stop you; these remain the simplest dinners to put together, period. I did leave out a few of my "I'm exhausted" fallbacks, like Grape-Nuts with Milk and Grilled Swiss and Tomato on Rye and the ever-popular "Raid the Deli Tubs and Glass Jars in Your Fridge" because none of these needs a recipe. However, there are some real surprises in here, including easy, elegant, bistro fare for last-minute date nights such as Sexy Surf and Turf. Some personal favorites: Spaghetti alla Ceci and Three-Vegetable Penne with Tarragon-Basil Pesto, 'cause I love pasta ... especially when I'm tired. The carbs send me off into a blissful food coma. short Express Lane lists throughout this section. Don't let that stop you; these remain the simplest dinners to put together, period. I did leave out a few of my "I'm exhausted" fallbacks, like Grape-Nuts with Milk and Grilled Swiss and Tomato on Rye and the ever-popular "Raid the Deli Tubs and Glass Jars in Your Fridge" because none of these needs a recipe. However, there are some real surprises in here, including easy, elegant, bistro fare for last-minute date nights such as Sexy Surf and Turf. Some personal favorites: Spaghetti alla Ceci and Three-Vegetable Penne with Tarragon-Basil Pesto, 'cause I love pasta ... especially when I'm tired. The carbs send me off into a blissful food coma.

Inside-out Pizza-dilla Margerita Take a pizza Margerita, make it on a tortilla, then fold it like a quesadilla and you get a pizza-dilla!

4 SERVINGS.

1.

tablespoon tablespoon EVOO EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), once around the pan, plus more for drizzling (extra-virgin olive oil), once around the pan, plus more for drizzling

2.

garlic cloves garlic cloves, chopped

2.

pinches pinches red pepper flakes red pepper flakes