Have you ever pulled out a cutting board and sighed? Ever wished you could skip the chopping and go straight to the cooking? After 26 cookbooks, even the two of us can find knife work a hassle at the end of a busy day.
Let’s face it: Many of us like to cook. And we probably like the honest romance of preparing a meal, a glass of wine or iced tea at hand. We certainly like hot, fresh food on the table. We just don’t want to stand there dicing into the small hours.
That’s why we’ve developed no-chopping recipes that are geared to the wealth of convenience items in your supermarket produce section and freezer aisle.
We found that changing the way we think through recipes helped us modify standard ones into no-knife ones. For example, frozen vegetables and fruits are often picked closer to ripeness than their fresh kin in the produce department. Those are often picked underripe so they’re sturdier for transport. So the frozen versions can end up sweeter on their overall palate.
To use them successfully, we have to pump up the sour, savory or even bitter notes in a dish. To that end, dried herbs are sometimes the best bet with frozen fare because the herbs have a slight, tealike tang — a little bitter muskiness that’s a better foil to those sweeter bits.
What’s more, frozen vegetables and fruits cook quickly. To avoid mush in the pan, we adjusted timings, even the moment when an ingredient is added; sometimes we add them straight from the freezer to the mixture in the pot. Yes, we can make a pretty fine onion soup with frozen, chopped onions. The trick is, we add them twice: upfront for flavor, then later for texture.
Some convenience items are just better all around. Frozen pearl onions are peeled, which is a real time-saver. They can be tossed into hot fat while they’re still frozen and often end up with better caramelization than their fresh counterparts — and they’ll hold together better in long cooking.
All that said, the two of us don’t want to use any ingredient that increases the chemical signature of what we eat. We’re not talking about making “semi-homemade” fare here; we want to use the best we can for ourselves and our families. And, of course, you can execute the accompanying recipes with knife in hand. We’ve kept them fairly flexible so they’ll work even with the drudgery of chopping. Another benefit is you can double the recipe if friends drop by or when you want a hearty portion of leftovers for lunches. (Good luck pulling more servings out of a packaged meal box.)
Jamaican-Inspired Curry Mango Shrimp
4 servings
A little fiery, sweet and intensely satisfying, this main-course dish typically involves a lot of chopping — but not this particular version. Frozen mango cubes will hold their shape a bit better than their fresh kin, adding better texture. But use fresh (not frozen) pre-chopped vegetables otherwise for the best texture.
Red curry powder is a blend that often contains paprika; a McCormick brand is available at some large supermarkets. Coconut cream is a Southeast Asian specialty, far thicker than coconut milk. (Do not use cream of coconut, a concoction for tiki drinks. Instead, search for coconut cream in Asian markets or online outlets.) Or buy 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk. Do not shake them. Set them in the refrigerator overnight, then scrape the thickened coconut solids off the top, adding as much coconut liquid from below as necessary to yield ¾ cup.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, and consider roasted cashews for a garnish.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut oil
⅓ cup pre-chopped fresh onion (see headnote)
⅓ cup pre-chopped fresh celery
⅓ cup pre-chopped fresh green bell pepper
1 tablespoon pre-minced ginger
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon bottled jerk seasoning
1 to 2 teaspoons red curry powder
1 teaspoon pre-minced garlic
2 cups cubed frozen/defrosted mango (from a 1-pound bag; see headnote)
¾ cup coconut cream (see headnote)
¼ cup water, or as needed (optional)
1 ¾ pounds medium, peeled/deveined shrimp (about 25 per pound; may use frozen/defrosted)
Kosher salt (optional)
Leaves from a few stems cilantro, torn, for garnish
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green bell pepper and ginger; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the jerk seasoning and curry powder (both to taste) and the garlic; cook until aromatic, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.
Add the mango; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour in the coconut cream; once it starts to bubble at the edges, cook for 1 minute, stirring often. If the mixture seems too thick, add the water, as needed.
Stir in the shrimp; reduce the heat to low; cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until pink and firm and the sauce has thickened. Taste and season lightly with salt, if desired.
Garnish with the cilantro just before serving.
Nutrition | Per serving: 370 calories, 41 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 320 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 16 g sugar
Red Lentil and Bulgur Mash
6 servings (makes a generous 4 ½ cups)
Here’s a go-to substitute for mashed potatoes when you want something richer and heartier alongside fish, steaks or chicken off the grill.
Ingredients
1 quart no-salt-added vegetable broth
⅔ cup dried red lentils
⅔ cup regular bulgur, preferably whole-grain golden bulgur (do not use quick-cooking)
¼ cup pre-chopped frozen/defrosted onion (see headnote)
1 teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Directions
Combine the broth, lentils and bulgur in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. All the liquid will not be absorbed at this point.
Stir in the onion, drill, thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Increase the heat to medium; cook, uncovered, stirring often, for 15 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and rich, about 10 minutes. Taste and add a pinch of salt, as needed. Serve warm.
Nutrition | Per serving: 160 calories, 8 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar
Arroz con Pollo
6 servings
It’s hard to believe you don’t have to chop or mince to make a pretty fine version of this Spanish classic. If you want to take it over the top, scatter a handful of small clams over the casserole before you set it aside for the final 10 minutes. They’ll open in the residual steam, adding a briny accent to the otherwise earthy casserole.
You may find that a full sausage link plus a chicken thigh per serving is mighty meaty with that vegetable-studded, saucy rice; in testing, we found that we could pinch and twist 5-to-6-inch-long links in half, creating smaller portions that could be divided easily at serving time.
We found that some packages of frozen artichoke hearts do not specify “quarters” even though the hearts are, in fact, separated that way. Birds Eye brand are in quarters.
MAKE AHEAD: The arroz con pollo can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; you may need to add water to loosen it up during reheating on the stove top.
From cookbook authors Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein.
Ingredients
3 fresh sweet italian sausage links (9 to 12 ounces total; see headnote)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces frozen pearl onions (1 generous cup; do not defrost)
6 ounces frozen artichoke heart quarters (1 1/2 cups; do not defrost)
2 teaspoons pre-minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano (may substitute 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves)
1 teaspoon mild Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 3/4 cups canned, fire-roasted diced tomatoes and their juices (from one 14-ounce can; preferably no-salt-added)
2 1/2 cups no-salt-added chicken broth
1 1/2 cups arborio or Valencia rice
3 ounces frozen bell pepper strips (1 cup; do not defrost)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Brown the sausage in a wide, ovenproof Dutch oven, cast-iron casserole or ovenproof deep saute pan over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes; they will not be cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper. Add to the same pan you used to cook the sausage; brown on both sides, turning once, about 6 minutes total; it will not be cooked through. Transfer to the plate with sausage.
Add the oil and pearl onions to the pan; reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then add the artichoke heart quarters; cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, oregano, paprika and saffron; cook until aromatic, about 20 seconds. Pour in the sherry, using a wooden spatula to dislodge all the browned bits in the pan. Once the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, add the tomatoes and their juices, the broth, rice and bell pepper strips. Stir well as it comes to a low boil. Taste and season lightly with salt, as needed.
Return the sausage and chicken to the pan, nestling them into the pan mixture. Cover and transfer to the oven; bake until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let sit, covered, 10 minutes before serving (to blend the flavors).
Nutrition | Per serving: 470 calories, 34 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 120 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar
