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Cook from the Heart, Not by the Book
by: ARA
(ARA) - You don’t have to go by the book to create tasty, easy, sociable food. Easy-peasy meal preparation is all about stripping cooking down to its bare essentials (they don’t call me the Naked Chef for nothing!), using little techniques and conveniences to make the most of your recipes. It’s so simple: Skip the fuss and follow your heart.

Here are some tips to take the stress out of cooking, whether you’re stirring up supper for your mate or hoping to impress the new in-laws:

Dinners-in-a-Bag

When Jools and I first moved to London we were completely broke, our kitchen was the size of a cupboard, and we were working opposite shifts. I didn’t want Jools to feed herself on frozen dinners, so I found myself custom-making the fantastic “Jamie Oliver Dinners in a Bag,” involving glorious aluminum foil.

What I would do for Jools was make up a combo at 4 p.m. as I was going off to work and write with a marker pen “25 minutes at 425 F”, for example, on the foil. Even though Jools didn’t like cooking, she never had a problem with cooking the bags. Now that we have our Amana range, however, it’s easier than ever -- I just program the “Favorites Cycle,” which lets me preset the cook time and temperature for the recipes I use most often. Here’s just one version, but feel free to vary the recipe with things like grated parsnip, smoked bacon or red wine.

Chicken Breasts Baked in a Bag

(Serves two)

2 7-ounce skinless chicken breasts

1 handful of dried porcini

9 ounces of mixed mushrooms, torn up

1 large wineglass of white wine

3 large pats of butter

1 handful of fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

Using wide aluminum foil, make your bag by placing two pieces on top of each other (about as big as two shoeboxes in length), folding three sides in and leaving one side open. Mix everything together in a bowl, including the chicken. Place in your bag, with all the wine, making sure you don’t pierce the foil. Close up the final edge, making sure it’s tightly sealed and secure on the sides, and slide it onto a roasting pan. Place the pan on a high heat for one minute to get the heat going, then bake in the middle of a 425-degree oven for 25 minutes.

When it’s time to take it out, the Amana EasyRack oven rack, with its practical U-shape design, lets you remove the pan without touching the hot rack. Then you just place the bag on a big plate, take it to the table, break open the foil, and start hearing the raves.

Bare-Bones Cooking Techniques

Here are some other bare-bones techniques I’ve perfected using my Amana range:

* If you invited friends to come round but they’re running late, pop up to four plates of food in the separate warming oven. Your glorious food not only stays warm, but also keeps the kitchen smelling wonderful until they walk in the door.

* If your side dish is ready but you still have other things to cook, just slide the pot onto the middle of the cooktop. The “warming zone” there acts like a fifth burner, keeping it warm and freeing up the other burners so you can finish cooking.

* If your recipe’s left a mess in the oven, don’t fret -- the hidden bake element and smooth oven bottom make it simple to mop up spills before they become baked-on disasters. The oven can clean itself while you’re in the middle of a dinner party -- just flip on the self-clean mode, pour yourself another glass of wine, and go back to your guests.

Visit www.amana.com for more practical appliance solutions from Amana.

Courtesy of ARA Content



EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information contact Maggie O'Brien, (612) 375-8510, mobrien@clynch.com.

Recipes are adapted with permission from Happy Days with the Naked Chef, Hyperion. Jamie Oliver 2002. Food Photographs, David Loftus 2002.


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Courtesy of ARA Content




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 Choosing Wine on a First Date
 by: Neil Best

First dates are nerve wracking enough without having to worry about what wine to choose to impress your new friend!

One of the great things about wine on a date is that one bottle is a defined amount, normally about five glasses. If shared equally it is unlikely that you will fall off your chair drunk after half a bottle of wine!

However, there are some other social sins that can be committed whilst choosing wine on a date.

Getting Started

First, you need to decide whether you want white, red, rosé or sparkling wine. This is perhaps the most important decision. As a general rule, red wine is more of an acquired taste and it can be harder to select a good red. Therefore, when you do not know your companion's tastes it may be wise to steer clear of the red wine section.

Sparkling wine can make you appear a little pretentious or if you go for a cheaper version, a tightwad; so this is usually best avoided. If you are not sure whether your companion likes wine at all, rosé wine is often a safe option as it often lacks the sharpness that people commonly dislike in wines.

How Much to Spend?

Remember more money doesn't always mean more quality. If you are very new to wine, go for a house white. A house white is unlikely to be extremely imaginative or unusual, but is almost always perfectly drinkable. For this reason it is a safe, middle of the road option.

If you want to impress, look for something other than the house white. Keep away from extremes until you know your companion a little better, so don't go for bone dry whites. Instead, opt for a fruity dry wine that appeals to those who like both dry and medium whites.

Whilst neutral wines may seem like a bit of a cop-out, bear in mind that you simply want a drinkable wine that does not offend.

If you are really not sure what to choose, why not offer your companion a choice of glasses as an aperitif while you have a beer or spirit. This way you can judge your companion's taste. Even if they select a spirit, you can still get a measure of whether they prefer sweet or dry wines.

Of course, you could always give your companion the choice…


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