When asked why families don’t cook at home more often, the number one excuse given is TIME!
It would appear that it takes a superhero to get a well balanced, well tasting, dinner on the table that doesn’t take hours to prepare.
Robert St. John, Executive Chef, Cookbook Author, and Restauranteur, joined us from Hattiesburg, to share his best tips to keeping the flavor, slashing the time, and pleasing the whole family.
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A note and recipe from Robert St. John
I love pesto. It is one of my favorite flavor profiles— not only in Italian cooking, but— of all cuisines. It’s fresh tasting and clean. But it’s also light and extremely versatile.
I keep pesto portioned into small batches in the freezer. It thaws quickly and is perfect for a quick supper. Just place the pesto in a bowl and add a little extra virgin olive oil. Remove your favorite noodle from the boiling water and toss in the pesto. Finish with some grated pecorino and call it dinner.
Pesto
1/3 cup Toasted pine nuts or almonds
2 cups Fresh basil leaves (2 oz. by weight)
1 TB Minced garlic
pinch Kosher salt
¼ cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
3 TB Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
Combine nuts, basil, garlic and salt in a food processor. Slowly add olive oil. Remove and fold in cheese.
Yield: 1 cup
Creole Cream Sauce
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 Tbl Creole Seasoning
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbl Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 tsp Paprika
Place all ingredients in a double boiler over medium high heat and reduce by one-half until thickened.
Yield:
1 1/2 cups