Easy Recipes. Does what it sez on the tin.

July 22, 2009 5:20 PM

The 100 easiest, fastest recipes. Ever.
posted by lalochezia (71 comments total)

Note that this list is done by foodies, and chefs. Most of the preps are easy, most of the ingredients are easy to obtain, and most can be obtained in the USA. YMMV - I thought it was damn impressive.
posted by lalochezia at 5:21 PM on July 22

Heat the oven to the lowest setting and halve the tomatoes. Arrange them, cut-side up, on a lightly oiled roasting tray and scatter over some chopped garlic, shallots and thyme leaves. Drizzle generously with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Gently roast for an hour until tender. Serve at room temperature

The FUCK? Are you DAFT? Just eat the tomato if you're so committed to fast and easy.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:23 PM on July 22 [22 favorites has favorites]

Twitter: Cookbook
posted by Science! at 5:27 PM on July 22 [5 favorites has favorites]

Nice! Man, the Grauniad's print feature sure sucks donkeys, though.
posted by dersins at 5:35 PM on July 22

Mmm, thank you! These recipes look really good and are making me hungry. They seem suited for when you don't have much time before your dinner guests arrive but you want to make a tasty, guest-worthy meal.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:36 PM on July 22

They seem suited for when you don't have much time before your dinner guests arrive but you want to make a tasty, guest-worthy meal.

Yes, I'm always looking for something last-minute to do with the clotted cream, star anise, and quail cluttering up the pantry and fridge.
posted by not that girl at 5:43 PM on July 22 [22 favorites has favorites]

Quick and easy recipes written with no regard whatsoever to providing a semblance of healthy, balanced nutrition.

Looking at these light-on-the-veggies, heavy-on-the-fat-and-salt recipes, I am struck by the fact that, in virtually every case, you'd be *way* better off -- in terms of time, nutrition, and cost -- if you'd just steam some broccoli, heat a can of (low-sodium) beans, and accompany with a couple of slices of whole wheat bread, a glass of skim milk, and a piece of fruit.

A 100 recipes that would give me quick, easy, and healthy meals would be great. A 100 recipes for mouth candy? Not so much.
posted by Wufpak at 5:44 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

The FUCK? Are you DAFT? Just eat the tomato if you're so committed to fast and easy.

It's July, it's ok, garden tomatoes are still new and you may be intoxicated by their heady aroma. Come back in August when you have unexpected guests and a bowl full of tomatoes...roasting them into a quick app or pasta may not seem so galling.
posted by TungstenChef at 5:46 PM on July 22

Here's an easy and fast one from Ernest Matthew Mickle's book White Trash Cooking:

Open a snack size bag of shelled peanuts, the oily salty kind. Pour it into a glass of Pepsi. Eat and drink at the same time!
posted by longsleeves at 5:47 PM on July 22 [2 favorites has favorites]

Looking at these light-on-the-veggies, heavy-on-the-fat-and-salt recipes, I am struck by the fact that, in virtually every case, you'd be *way* better off -- in terms of time, nutrition, and cost -- if you'd just steam some broccoli, heat a can of (low-sodium) beans, and accompany with a couple of slices of whole wheat bread, a glass of skim milk, and a piece of fruit.

Now, Little Timmy, I know you wanted a book with some brash color pictures of animals in it! Don't you realise that this recycled newspaper describing in small-pointed grey type, the safest six ways to cross the road is so much more economical, healthier, safer and an overall better use of your time?

Oh, and happy birthday!
posted by lalochezia at 5:50 PM on July 22 [24 favorites has favorites]

Nothing is quicker, or a better idea in the middle of summer, or more energy efficient, than using the oven for an hour to cook a single tomato.
posted by DU at 5:53 PM on July 22 [18 favorites has favorites]

I have my own easy cookbook. A sample entry:

1. Pull still-beating heart from enemy's chest.
2. Eat it.

Aside from the exquisite simplicity of it all, I also gain their powers, which is nice.
posted by Navelgazer at 5:55 PM on July 22 [8 favorites has favorites]

Virtually none of these recipes are "fast and easy". One honorable exception:

I suggest boiling asparagus and laying on grilled, buttered bread with a fried egg atop; grated parmesan is a welcome addition.

Thank you Chef Jeremy Lee of Blueprint Cafe. You can actually follow directions.
posted by Justinian at 6:07 PM on July 22 [4 favorites has favorites]

Navelgazer, I hope you don't waste the whole rest of the enemy. There are Kali worshippers in India who are starving.
posted by PlusDistance at 6:07 PM on July 22

Three words: Burnt. Weenie. Sandwich.
posted by NedKoppel at 6:10 PM on July 22

Fine, I'll go and have an early lunch. See if I care...

sooo hungry now, feeling weak....
posted by pompomtom at 6:19 PM on July 22

you'd be *way* better off -- in terms of time, nutrition, and cost -- if you'd just steam some broccoli, heat a can of (low-sodium) beans, and accompany with a couple of slices of whole wheat bread, a glass of skim milk, and a piece of fruit.

That may be a way to stay alive, but it's no way to live.
posted by Cyrano at 6:28 PM on July 22 [22 favorites has favorites]

I actually thought it was a pretty good list. Most of these look yummy, easy to prepare in 20min or less, and simple.

About the only scary thing is the number of them I could cook with only having to get meat, fish or poultry from the supermarket.
posted by ysabet at 6:30 PM on July 22

A 100 recipes that would give me quick, easy, and healthy meals would be great. A 100 recipes for mouth candy? Not so much.

Is your self control so terrible that you can't manage a balanced diet without having every element in it something from your 'healthy' list?

Keep your beans, I'm doing those lemongrass chops this week, no fear.
posted by pompomtom at 6:32 PM on July 22

Easiest and fastest recipes? Not hardly.

How about some of my faves:

1. Sliced 'mater sammich.
Slice tomato, place on toasted whole wheat bread with some mayo. Pepper to taste.

2. Avocado-a-gogo.
Halve an avocado. Add a dollop of lowfat cottage cheese in the center. Grab a teaspoon and eat it right out of the peel - no dish needed!

3. Refreshing fruit-n-veggie smoothie.
In a blender, add 10 oz apple juice and two handfuls of spinach leaves (stems removed). Blend on high setting for a minute. Continue blending as you add a dozen baby carrots and a dozen seedless grapes. Enjoy!
posted by darkstar at 6:36 PM on July 22 [4 favorites has favorites]

Where in kingdom come am I going to find a cipollotto di tropea? Is that something I'd have to travel to Calabria or a very well-stocked and overcrowded Whole Foods to acquire?
posted by blucevalo at 6:39 PM on July 22

I wouldn't say these are easiEST or fastEST, but they all look pretty easy and pretty fast, and most of them seem pretty healthy, too. I'm looking forward to trying some of them.
posted by padraigin at 6:39 PM on July 22

Oh, and if that's not upscale enough to satisfy foodie sensibilities, feel free to add shallot or saffron to your heart's content.
posted by darkstar at 6:40 PM on July 22

It's an interesting list but Mark Bittman does it much better.
posted by Kangaroo at 6:43 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sorry about the double comments; Metafilter was wreaking havoc with my browser.
posted by blucevalo at 6:43 PM on July 22

Nothing is quicker, or a better idea in the middle of summer, or more energy efficient, than using the oven for an hour to cook a single tomato.

Okay, then, maybe you'd like my trick for dolling up less-than-stellar grape or cherry tomatoes.

pan-seared grape tomatoes

Halve grape tomatoes with a sharp knife --- a handful for each guest. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tiny splash of oil or a sliver of butter, a pinch of salt, paprika or chile powder, and the smallest pinch of garlic powder*.

Add the tomatoes to the pan, toss gently, top with a spoonful of plain sugar, and sear those tomatoes until they beg for mercy. It will take only a few minutes.

The tomatoes will be crumpled but not pulpy, charred in spots. They will also have a rich, delicious smoky-sweet flavor and a lusciously soft texture. Serve as a garnish or side with almost any meat or vegetarian protein, atop frittata, tossed over spinach leaves with shavings of parmesan (scrape the pan juices onto the salad and you won't need dressing), folded into an omelet, crammed into a panino, tossed with drained white beans or cucumber for a hearty salad, or any which way that strikes your fancy.

I recommend this as a treatment for less-than-perfect tiny tomatoes. I wouldn't bother doing this with the glorious farmstand grape tomatoes we get in the summer, but if they've been around long enough to get wrinkled and sad, it's a way to redeem them.

*not garlic salt, and not fresh garlic, which would burn and taste acrid. This is the only thing for which I use garlic powder, and alone it justifies keeping the stuff on hand.
posted by Elsa at 6:44 PM on July 22 [24 favorites has favorites]

Mark Bittman at The New York Times did a similar thing two years ago: Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less. This summer, he's done a version with salads: 101 Simple Salads for the Season.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:19 PM on July 22 [10 favorites has favorites]

Oh, Darkstar, I *heart* you right now. That list made me hungry but I haven't the patience to scroll through that list to see if I have the ingredients to whip up any of those recipes. But a sliced 'mater sandwich? That's totally doable. *goes off to the kitchen to make one*
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 7:21 PM on July 22

Yeah these are not easy or fast and most of them are gourmet-for-the-sake-of-gourmet fiddly crap that uses all the trendiest ingredients. Does not do what it says on the tin.
posted by tehloki at 7:24 PM on July 22

Frog and Peach. And, of course, Peche a ala Frog.
posted by SPrintF at 7:29 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

Any recipe list that calls zucchini "courgettes" is probably going to require way too much Googling to pass the "easy" test on my side of the Atlantic. Next thing you know they'll be calling eggplant "aubergine" and coriander "cilantro".

(Although "sweat a scallion" sounds kind of sexy in a Nine-and-a-Half Weeks-ish kind of way...)
posted by Mike D at 7:31 PM on July 22

Gag me with a mixture of Greek yoghurt and rose harissa.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:32 PM on July 22

Any recipe where you have to look up ingredients in the dictionary ("courage....corgi....courgettes!") is not an easy recipe.

Just frickin' call it a zucchini, fer pete's sake
posted by Lucinda at 7:44 PM on July 22

sorry, Mike D, should've previewed :)
posted by Lucinda at 7:44 PM on July 22

Oh, Elsa, I'll have to try that the next time I make grilled cherry toms-- I've always halved them with cut side up and drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper over the top and stuck them under the broiler. Wonderful side dish to Mac N Cheese or cheese omlettte or steak.

Here is my quick and yummy summer soup special:

Cut up 5 or 6 golden bell peppers, removing seeds and pith, and place in pot with just enough stock (chicken or vegetable) to cover. Simmer until tender (about 15 minutes.) Meanwhile carefully (those suckers burn fast) pan roast a 1/4 cup of pine nuts. When peppers are done process them with the nuts until smooth. Season. Serve warm or cold. What a lovely golden color! What a heavenly buttery taste!
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 7:54 PM on July 22 [7 favorites has favorites]

Easiest fastest recipe =
[[Anything]] + cloves and cloves of garlic.
posted by hillabeans at 8:14 PM on July 22 [5 favorites has favorites]

Lucinda: Just frickin' call it a zucchini, fer pete's sake

As much as I hate this list of recipes, it is a list in the Guardian. Which is a newspaper published in Britain, where the word for zucchini is 'courgette.'

The chefs on this list are guilty of many, many sins but abuse of vegetable nomenclature is not one of them.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:17 PM on July 22 [2 favorites has favorites]

I suggest boiling asparagus and laying on grilled...

I suggest blanching your asparagus in a roiling boil then plunging into an ice bath, to retain their color, bite and flavor. I'm puzzled why this man owns restaurant.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 8:19 PM on July 22 [2 favorites has favorites]

Mark Bittman at The New York Times did a similar thing two years ago: Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less.

Christ, after a year I'm still working through this. I still eat the things as I did before, but now I fry everything in olive oil first.
posted by xorry at 8:52 PM on July 22

Just frickin' call it a zucchini, fer pete's sake

Yes, your ignorance is the fault of the Guardian.
posted by pompomtom at 9:05 PM on July 22 [5 favorites has favorites]

YOUR FAVORITE FAST AND EASY RECIPE SUCKS (because I can think of recipes that are both faster and easier)
posted by 23skidoo at 9:16 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

1. Glass
2. Water

Ta-Dah! Glass of water!
posted by sexyrobot at 10:59 PM on July 22

1. Glass
2. [Turn glass so the hole faces upwards.]
3. [Fill with water from above the hole.]

After experimentation I can confirm step 2 & 3 are essential, and other variants do not result in success.
posted by jaduncan at 11:25 PM on July 22 [3 favorites has favorites]

I read this on Sunday - it's from the Observer's Food Monthly supplement, by the way, not the Guardian - and yes, not all of them are that simple. It is perhaps a little unfortunate the first recipe opens:

Pour boiling water over six white peaches and let stand for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Refresh in cold water and skin.

There is nothing difficult about that but it is a bit more fiddly than the feature suggests. Who cares though? There are plenty of other recipes in the feature. They are not the easiest, fastest recipes ever but that is just a line from the subeditors and not worth the snark (although when has that ever stopped MetaFilter). Take the tomatoes, for example: two minutes prep time and then shove them in the oven and forgot about them whilst you do something else, pretty quick and easy and the flavour of the tomatoes will be much improved. These lots of ideas like that here.

Top marks to MiltonRandKalman for opposing the party line and arguing the recipes aren't fiddly enough though.
posted by ninebelow at 1:38 AM on July 23

And to Wufpak for reminding us all why we hate hippies.
posted by ninebelow at 1:38 AM on July 23 [4 favorites has favorites]

Justinian: "Virtually none of these recipes are "fast and easy". One honorable exception:

I suggest boiling asparagus and laying on grilled, buttered bread with a fried egg atop; grated parmesan is a welcome addition.

Thank you Chef Jeremy Lee of Blueprint Cafe. You can actually follow directions."

But he doesn't mention when you get up again! And whether the egg goes between you and the bread or on top of yourself remains unclear, also!
posted by PontifexPrimus at 3:59 AM on July 23 [3 favorites has favorites]

I have my own easy cookbook. A sample entry:

1. Pull still-beating heart from enemy's chest.
2. Eat it.

Have you considered moving to Ottawa?
posted by oaf at 6:27 AM on July 23

Man goes into his doctor's office wearing a fried egg on top of his head and a spear of asparagus sticking out of each ear. "Doctor, I haven't been feeling very well lately." Doctor takes one look at him, "Your problem is you haven't been eating right."
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:31 AM on July 23 [3 favorites has favorites]

Fast and Easy? Here's some recipes I like:

1.Mix one jar of grape jelly, one jar of chili sauce;pour over meatballs, cook it up. If you are adventerous, when done, pour it over rice (the type that you only need to microwave for a couple of minutes).

2. Mix a bag of pre cut coleslaw with Kraft Coleslaw dressing and a handful (or two) of trail mix.

3. Layer sliced tomato, layer of provolone (or any other cheese), layer of sliced onion, repeat a couple of times, pour Italian dressing on top.

4. Heat up some chicken broth, when it boils, add in some frozen vegetables, cooked chicken (you can already cooked and cut up chicken breast), and some pasta.

5. Mix any flavour yogurt with cool whip (frozen simulated whipped cream), put it in a pie shell, freeze.

There you go, soup, 2 salads, main course and desert; in about 15 minutes.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 6:57 AM on July 23

"Any recipe where you have to look up ingredients in the dictionary ("courage....corgi....courgettes!") is not an easy recipe."

The list is easy recipes. Not, "easy recipes for people who don't care to know anything about food". That's a different list. If you are honestly scared away by the need to find out what a courgette is, you are likely better off scared away.

It would literally take less time to find out what a courgette is than it would to type a one sentence complaint about how it's stupid for people from other backgrounds to use words you don't know.

Put the complicated quesadilla recipe down and back away. People are cooking here and you're likely to become frightened.
posted by y6y6y6 at 7:11 AM on July 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

Fast and easy?

I want to see things like

- cheese on toast
- cheese on bread
- cheese on crackers
- boiled egg
- carrot sticks
- pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese on it (when you're feeling fancy)
- three things from the fridge, mixed together

this is what REALLY busy (and lazy) people eat. Also apples, so we don't get scurvy.
posted by jb at 7:12 AM on July 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

Cyrano: you'd be *way* better off -- in terms of time, nutrition, and cost -- if you'd just steam some broccoli, heat a can of (low-sodium) beans, and accompany with a couple of slices of whole wheat bread, a glass of skim milk, and a piece of fruit.

That may be a way to stay alive, but it's no way to live.

Stay fit and healthy til you're dead.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:15 AM on July 23

As with any cooking, you can get away with a very simple preparation if you have high quality ingredients.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:35 AM on July 23

How to make the dish I'm eating right now:

1. Steam about a half-pound of string beans until tender and bright green. Rinse under cold water and dump into a bowl.

2. Chop up about 3 slices of prosciutto into strips. Throw that chopped proscuitto and a handful of pecans (or pine nuts) into the beans.

3. Add a splash of olive oil and a splash of vinegar. Toss the whole thing together and serve.

I'm eating that with another "potato salad" which includes nothing more than potatoes, marinated red peppers, and cooked salt cod, but the salt cod was a little more fussy.


...The recipe for Pasta Carbonara is also simple enough that I was once able to give it to someone via text message from my phone.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:55 AM on July 23 [2 favorites has favorites]

False.
posted by PuppyCat at 9:19 AM on July 23

No, this is what you do with tomatoes:

Halve a bunch of cherry tomatoes. Heat an oven to 150 C or 300 F. Pour extra virgin olive oil in a glass casserole dish or other oven-safe vessel until it covers the entire bottom. Drizzle in about a "half dollar" of balsamic vinegar, perhaps a tablespoon or slightly more. Mix with the oil. Put the tomato halves in the dish flat side up. The oil/balsamic mixture should just about envelop the tomato halves entirely, so if it doesn't now is the time to add a bit more oil. Put dish in oven. Remove when tomatoes are tender and just starting to brown. I usually check after 10-12 minutes, but you can leave them in quite a bit longer if you want.

Sprinkle a little sea salt if you like. Eat when sufficiently cooled. The skin should come right off the tomatoes when you put them in your mouth. Delicious.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:20 AM on July 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sorry to have offended the gourmands on this post.
posted by Lucinda at 9:59 AM on July 23

It's late July. WTF are you people doing cooking your tomatoes? This is the time of year when you can eat them like freaking apples. If you can't, you're getting the wrong tomatoes.
posted by dersins at 10:23 AM on July 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have my own easy cookbook. A sample entry:

1. Pull still-beating heart from enemy's chest.
2. Eat it.

Navelgazer, before you die, Magua will put your book on the flames, so the Down Starer will know his recipes are wiped out forever.

/ Sounds tasty, though...
posted by IAmBroom at 10:44 AM on July 23

dersins:

Roasted tomatoes are better with nicer tomatoes, hence fresh season for tomatoes is the best time to roast them.
posted by Isaac at 11:40 AM on July 23

Lucinda: courgette is not a gourmand word. Courgette is the everyday British word, just like those crisp sweet things you eat with your tea are called biscuits, and the bathroom is a toilet or loo. It comes from the French word, which makes sense considering you can see France from Britain. It's as common as marmite on toast. (yum)

In Britain, saying "zucchinni" would be the fancy, Italian way of talking.
posted by jb at 1:15 PM on July 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

An easy recipe:

Take one pitchfork and use it to remove courgette from posterior.
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:10 PM on July 23

"Fast and easy" is in the eye of the beholder. I read as far as "Pour boiling" before I thought, nah, I'll order some delivery.
posted by Flunkie at 2:59 PM on July 23

I can say from experience that peeling blanched peaches is neither fast nor easy.

But I DO want to try Suzanne Pirret's "best crab cakes".
posted by muddgirl at 3:55 PM on July 23

I've got to give a shout out to the method of dipping fruit (peaches, tomatoes, etc.) in boiling water for a few moments and then removing to dip in ice water. The skins peel right off. One o' my favorite little tricks when I learned it. Kinda like hacking into an avocado pit and then twisting it right out or slamming a head of iceberg lettuce on the counter top to detach the core. (That was before I learned to stop buying iceberg lettuce, but you get the idea.)
posted by darkstar at 5:31 PM on July 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh man, I'm totally making that watermelon and feta salad (recipe #7) for breakfast tomorrow.
posted by safran at 7:46 PM on July 23

My quick and easy recipes are more like: 1) open can of tuna. 2) eat tuna with fork.

Alternately: 1) open bag of pretzels. 2) eat pretzels.

The 100 ‘q&e’ recipes here seem quite complicated, but then again I am nowhere near what might be called a foodie (or chef).
posted by LeLiLo at 8:53 PM on July 23

You crybabies - these recipes aren't that hard, and they wouldn't take long compared to any other complete meal you might make if you were going to move beyond eating things right out of a tin anyway. They just require you to have fresh fruit and veg available.

6. Asparagus, feta and smoked salmon salad: steam peas/beans and put them in the fridge while you unwrap everything else and put it in a bowl. After everything else is in the bowl, put the peas in too.

74. Nachos. Get some corn chips, put cheese and beans on them. Add some seasoning. Heat.

87. Gazpacho: chop things roughly, then put them in a blender to finish them off.

30. Fry some seasonings with some prawns for a few minutes, then tip in a can of beans. Serve on toast. (This one is a bit complicated, cos you have to get the toast happening at the same time as you're frying stuff. But I'm sure it's manageable.)

Not difficult. Not cheap either, some of them, but apart from the first couple that required removing skins from peaches/tomatoes, there's nothing here that actually requires cooking skills beyond frying or grilling.
posted by harriet vane at 12:51 AM on July 24

Riffing on the tomatoes theme, a friend of mine makes a simple and easy thing that I've never made myself, but the preparation seems to amount to

1. arrange tomato slices on a plate
2. put mozzarella slices on the tomato slices
3. spoon balsamic vinegar (or perhaps balsamic vinaigrette, I have no idea) over the plate
4. garnish liberally with fresh basil

I generally dislike eating fresh tomatoes, but in this form I adore them. We've had this for an appetizer, with some bread for lunch ... yum!

While the recipes these chefs and foodies provide aren't all fast and easy, they do provide some food for thought (ha ha) for this cooking novice. Garlic bread with marscapone? Intriguing! I'm going to try out of a few of these, crab cakes included.
posted by Devika at 7:19 AM on July 24

Great recipes..Thanks for posting! I like most of them.
posted by NJ09AnnUSA at 4:13 PM on July 25

Devka: My SO does the same thing, but with bocconcini rather than mozzarella. It's divine.
posted by pompomtom at 6:54 PM on July 26