I had an idea to write a cookbook for Han Solos like myself. Tasty, easy-to-make, single-portion meals. To go with the ennui and the DVDs of Stargate SG-1. Of course there are a thousand of these books out already. So here’s mine, for no good reason, based on the things I cook for myself. This was my dinner tonight–
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
* 2 portobello mushrooms
* 1/4 c. olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1. Clean mushrooms by tapping them gently against the table till all the dirt falls out. Remove stems–or else the ‘shrooms won’t sit flat in the grill. Save the stems for something else. Like putting them in a rival’s sneakers. Place the caps on a plate with the creepy-looking gill parts up.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic and vinegar. Pour the mixture over the mushroom caps and let stand for about an hour.
3. Heat up your grill pan. Don’t tell me you don’t have a grill pan, because then I have nothing to say to you. Go! Get out of here. Now when your grill pan is hot, place the cap creepy side down. Grill on each side for 10 minutes. Serve immediately!
Warm Spinach Salad
6 c. fresh spinach leaves (this does NOT work with frozen spinach, trust me)
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Rinse that spinach 50 times. Even then there will still be dirt. But by then it’s hopefully microscopic. Heat the oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper and maybe some herb de provence, what the hell. Toss the spinach with the warm dressing and sprinkle the salad with Parmesan cheese, if you want. I didn’t, but that’s because I didn’t realize I could’ve. See what you get — spinach warmed by the heated dressing. Very classy! Serve immediately. Pour yourself some wine. This is about 6 servings, although I ate the whole thing just to stifle the pain and because I hate leftovers. Other ways to really dress this up, for the rare occasions you actually have someone else there: Add some basil to the spinach. And/or add 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts and or some prosciutto or turkey bacon to the oil as it heats, diced.
All in all a very healthy meal that I enjoyed with some wine and a rerun of Rocky IV. ”I must break you!” Then I got hungry and ate half a bag of apricot turnover cookies.