I have been there: looking through the cupboards at six o'clock in the evening and trying to decide between mac and cheese or soup from a can, reading a delicious recipe only to find it serves eight, baking a batch of cookies and then giving them away at random, asking friends to dinner so you can cook the souffle you've been itching to try. Try to cook for one person, without relying on mac and cheese, soup-in-a-can, and top ramen, is hard.
However, there are lots of people out there, from college students to professionals to seniors, who daily face the challenge of concocting sustenance for one. Most cook books and recipes are geared towards serving four to eight, a cooking size that leaves a single eater swimming in leftovers. Many (including myself) would rather opt for the easiest route: packaged meals or eating out. But with recipes and advice, cooking for one could be a satisfying experience. You can eat healthily, frugally, seasonally, locally, and well, even if you are the only one at the table.
Someday I hope to write a cook book for single cookery. For now my work as a student limits the time I have to experiment. Therefore, I will post my advice in blog format and accumulate recipes over a longer period of time.
This Week's Challenge: Marinara Sauce
There are some ingredients that you can only buy in large quantities. Marinara sauce is one of these ingredients. A jar of this tomato-based sauce will go a long way. A really long way. I opened one last week and I still have 3/4 of the jar left. And how can one person use up a full jar of sauce before it goes bad? Most people can't eat that much pasta!
If you think creatively, using up marinara turns out not to be as hard as you might have thought. Quick and easy ways to use Marinara Sauce:
Home-made Pizza
If you have never made your own pizza, you are truly missing out. My sister has a friend who makes some of the best pizza I have ever had. She let my family in on the three secrets to making truly gormet home-made pizza.
Number one, use fresh dough not a ready-made crust. While making the dough from scratch probably yeilds the best product, it can be hard to find the time. Fortunately, a lot of natural stores like Trader Joe's and New Seasons now sell pizza dough in their refrigerator cases. One ball of dough will make three to five individual size pizzas. Break off a piece about the size of a plum and stretch it into a very thin circle.
Number two, use good ingredients for the toppings. Nothing can ruin a perfect pie like the rubbery mozzarella or tasteless olives. I suggest fresh mozzarella (available in most stores) for the cheese. The only thing that doesn't matter too much is the marinara sauce; just get a medium brand and you'll be fine. Spread the marinara leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the dough circle and then add the toppings of your choice.
Number three: pizza should cook really hot. I'm talking about 500 - 600 F on your oven. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven before you preheat. Preheat the oven and DON'T put the pizza in until it has fully heated. Then slide the pizza onto the pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, place your pizza on a cookie sheet and put it into the oven. Bake until the edges of the crust are golden brown.
Marinara Bruschetta
If you don't want the trouble of pizza dough, bruschetta is simpler but similarly delicious. A traditional bruschetta might be topped with fresh tomatoes.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Take a thick slice of artisan bread or a rustic roll. Spoon marinara sauce onto the top (I like a fairly thick layer of sauce). Top with one of the following options:
- Thin slices of zucchini (a small zucchini should be enough) and then crumbled goat cheese or feta
- Fresh mozzarella and kalamata olives
- Salami and fresh mozzarella
- Bell peppers and feta
- Mushrooms (thinly sliced) and goat cheese
Zucchini with Marinara
Larger zucchini's lend themselves to roasting. This recipe is fairly simple. Preheat your oven to 375 F. Choose a zucchini that is about 8-11 inches long and plump. Cut off the stem and split the zucchini in half. Place both halves on a cookie sheet and spread with a thick layer of marinara. Top with crumbled goat cheese and bake until a fork pierces the zucchini (25-30 mins).
Marinara sauce can be used as a base for soups, a topping for polenta, and (of course) a sauce for pasta. In my next post I will include more recipes for cooking with marinara, but for now I would like to close with a dessert.
Strawberry Shortcake for One
'Tis the season for strawberries. It's only a few days into July and in Portland succulent, red Hood Strawberries are still flooding farmer's markets. Far superior to the California-raised berries in the supermarket year-round, local strawberries are fragrantly flavorful and bursting with juice. These berries are eaten straight out of their green cardboard baskets, but they also shine in strawberry shortcake. I haven't found the perfect shortcake recipe yet, but here is one I have cut down to yield one shortcake (you can easily double the recipe to make two):
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease a cookie sheet.
Mix 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in a bowl.
Mix in 3/4 teaspoon sugar.
Cut in 1 tablespoon cold butter (or cut into chunks with a knife and then mix with fingers) until mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add enough milk to form a soft dough. A tablespoon or two should be enough.
Shape dough into a three inch circle and place on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
Cut up strawberries and mix with a little sugar (they won't need much). Slice open the short cake and fill with strawberries. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Bon appetit!
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