Jamie Martin – Page 25 – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

7-7: Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Rolls

Jamie Martin Group 07: Pork, Section 2: Main Courses August 2, 2016June 19, 2020all-purpose flour, appetizers, beef broth, black olives, black pepper, boiled, braised, butter, chicken broth, chopped, creamy, deglazed, dinner, dried herbs, egg-free, fairly easy, fairly inexpensive, half-and-half, ham, herbs and spices, lunch, melted, mushrooms, parsley, party food, pork, pork shoulder, rolls, sage, salt, sautéed, shiitake, sliced, soy sauce, stuffed, tenderized, toothpicks, umami, untested, vegetables, yellow onions

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Simply Delicious uses mushrooms pretty heavily throughout their recipes–about 20% of the recipes I’ve covered so far have involved them. I wasn’t a big mushroom eater when I was a kid, but I’ve (slowly) begun warming up to them. 7-7: Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Rolls aren’t especially fancy, but they’re not a bad option for lunch, dinner, or even making in a large batch for a party.

This is the first recipe (of 160+ at this point) that uses sage, described as being “savory & slightly peppery.” I like using sage with mushrooms (along with parsley, rosemary, & thyme–the “essential herbs,” according to Simon & Garfunkel), as the earthy flavors of both complement each other well.🌿

3-3: French Onion Soup

Jamie Martin Group 03: Soups, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 29, 2016August 10, 2021all-purpose flour, appetizers, bay leaves, beef bouillon, beef broth, black pepper, boiled, bouquet garni, broiled, butter, caramelized, Cheddar, cheese, consommé, dinner, dried herbs, easy, egg-free, French, French bread, grated, Gruyère, herbs and spices, inexpensive, Jarlsberg, lunch, melted, parsley, salt, sautéed, side dish, simmered, soups, Swiss, thyme, untested, vegetable bouillon, vegetable broth, vegetables, vegetarian, white wine, yellow onions

It’s the middle of summer right now, so soup’s probably not your first thought. However, I continue to be surprised that how no matter how hot outside it is, people still enjoy soup. So here’s a classic: 3-3: French Onion Soup.

Simply Delicious cites Les Halles (the Parisian farmers’ market, not the NY restaurant where Anthony Bourdain worked) as the originator of French onion soup. I wasn’t able to directly verify that with 5 minutes of lazy Googling, but I did find a food timeline that gives a bit of the dish’s history–I suppose their claim is totally still possible.

10-17: Lamb Chops with Mozzarella

Jamie Martin Group 10: Lamb & Veal, Section 2: Main Courses July 27, 2016July 6, 2020basil, black pepper, broiled, butter, cast-iron, cheese, chiffonade, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly expensive, Feta, garlic, gluten-free, Greek, green olives, grilled, herbs and spices, lamb, lamb chops, lemons, Mediterranean, melted, Mozzarella, olive oil, pan-fried, pimento, restaurant-style, salt, scored, slit, untested

I definitely did NOT eat a lot of lamb or veal growing up, but cooking through these recipes has given me the opportunity to try out some different dishes these days. On a recent Costco trip we found lamb chops on sale, so I decided to use them for 10-17: Lamb Chops with Mozzarella.

This seems like a strange trend that Simply Delicious is perpetuating–7-2: Pork Chops with Tomatoes is essentially the same idea except with pork, Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and green beans. Take meat, stack a slice of cheese and random fridge/pantry items on it, call it a recipe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

1-7: Trader Vic’s Crab Turnovers

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 25, 2016July 20, 2020appetizers, Asian, black pepper, canola oil, cheese, chili powder, chili sauce, cocktail sauce, crab, cream cheese, creamy, crispy, deep fryer, deep-fried, Dijon mustard, eggs, fairly easy, fairly expensive, favorites, filling, fried, garlic, garlic powder, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, lobster, lunch, party food, pastry wheel, Polynesian, puff pastry, salt, seafood, shellfish, shrimp, snacks, Tiki, Trader Vic's, turnovers, untested, Worcestershire sauce

I had mentioned in 9-26: Crispy Beef Turnovers and 13-13: Spinach Turnovers that there was a third turnover recipe that I had intended to make (for a trio of turnovers), but that the third recipe required a different cooking method (deep-frying versus baking), so I chose to shelve it until I could do it right.

Well, I happened to have a (borrowed, since returned) mini deep-fryer in my possession recently, so 1-7: Trader Vic’s Crab Turnovers (the fabled third turnover recipe) was finally about to become a reality.

9-2: Mexican Fiesta

Jamie Martin Group 09: Ground Meat & Sausage, Section 2: Main Courses July 21, 2016July 5, 2020appetizers, black olives, broiled, canola oil, casserole, cheese, chili powder, chopped, dinner, dips, easy, egg-free, garlic, ground beef, ground meat, guacamole, inexpensive, lunch, melted, Mexican, minced, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, nachos, party food, Pepper Jack, pimento, pinto beans, sautéed, side dish, snacks, sour cream, tacos, Tex-Mex, tomato sauce, tortilla chips, untested, yellow onions

9-2: Mexican Fiesta sounds exciting, but it’s really just poorly layered nachos. I know that they were trying to make it seem like a casserole, but all the good stuff that goes in tacos/nachos is basically layered in a pan and covered with a layer of chips on top. I think you’re supposed to eat it like a dip? 🌮

I like the touch of the Corona with a lime in the background of their picture, like all of a sudden that makes it a party. I can’t think of too many decent Mexican places that would serve something like this, but if you want something festive yet inoffensive for a party or a lengthy Netflix session, I suppose this recipe could get the job done. 🌶

6-25: Salmon-Filled Chicken Breasts

Jamie Martin Group 06: Poultry & Game, Section 2: Main Courses July 19, 2016June 17, 2020all-purpose flour, black pepper, breasts, chicken, chicken bouillon, chopped, creamy, crème fraîche, dill, dinner, eggs, fairly easy, fairly expensive, foil pouch, grated, herbs and spices, lemon juice, lemons, lunch, salmon, salt, smoked salmon, sour cream, stuffed, tarragon, untested

I’ve been saving some lox in the freezer from a past brunch for this recipe, 6-25: Salmon-Filled Chicken Breasts. There’s not a lot of salmon recipes in Simply Delicious (despite salmon’s popularity in the 1980s & 90s), and this may be one of the only smoked salmon ones that I have in my collection for this book.

Definitely not the first time Simply Delicious has given a recipe for stuffed chicken breasts–see 6-4: Easy Stuffed Chicken Breasts for another take on the same idea. However, if you like smoked salmon like I do, you may have some extra laying around–here’s a use for it. 🐟

12-26: Pasta with Creamy Shrimp

Jamie Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses July 13, 2016July 28, 2020al dente, black pepper, boiled, butter, canola oil, chives, cooked shrimp, creamy, crème fraîche, dinner, easy, fairly inexpensive, fettuccini, grated, herbs and spices, horseradish, lemon juice, linguine, lunch, melted, parsley, pasta/noodles, salt, seafood, shrimp, side dish, sour cream, spaghetti, untested, whipping cream

Here’s a short one that was a solo dish for me (those cream ones always end up being a solo affair) – 12-26: Pasta with Creamy Shrimp. I envisioned it being more like an Alfredo sauce and less like herb-filled whipped cream with shrimp in it, but unfortunately the latter is what I got.

The description on this one is deceiving–it’s honest, yet vague. There is cream, shrimp, and horseradish–and it is easy to prepare. However, the “mouthwatering” and “delicious” descriptors were noticeably maladapt for me. 🍤

15-1: Lemon Mousse

Jamie Martin Group 15: Cold Desserts, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods July 12, 2016July 30, 2020chilled, citrus, Cointreau, cold desserts, creamed, creamy, dessert, egg whites, egg yolks, eggs, fairly easy, fairly inexpensive, folded, fruit, gelatin, gluten-free, granulated sugar, grated, lemon juice, lemons, liquor, mousse, orange juice, oranges, party food, ramekins, snacks, summer, untested, whipped, whipping cream, zested

It took more than two years, but I’ve finally ventured into the last untouched dessert category – Group 15: Cold Desserts – with 15-1: Lemon Mousse. I’ve experimented with mousse before, both within this project and in my own cooking (here’s one of my desserts from my restaurant days), but I’ve never made this version. It’s simple, refreshing, and a good summer dessert. 🍋

This recipe is for lemon, but you could probably substitute orange, lime, or something else citrusy that’s similar if you want to get creative/different with it. This freezes/holds well, so you can make it even further in advance of the night before if you want. ❄

13-2: Onion Tart

Jamie Martin Group 13: Vegetarian Dishes, Section 2: Main Courses July 1, 2016July 29, 2020all-purpose flour, appetizers, bacon, baked goods, black pepper, breakfast, butter, cheese, chilled, creamy, dinner, dough, egg yolks, eggs, fairly easy, flute, food processor, gift ideas, grated, Gruyère, herbs and spices, inexpensive, lunch, nutmeg, Parmesan, party food, pastry, pie crust, salt, sautéed, tart, tart pan, untested, vegetables, vegetarian, yellow onions

It’s hard to think of things to write about something you cooked awhile ago–a moment of honesty while I get my gears turning here. 13-2: Onion Tart is a great vegetarian (with a modification or two) option that satisfies everyone for any meal of the day. It’s not super exciting (which explains my inability to think of anything particularly interesting to say about it), but it’s definitely a pretty good fallback option if you’re in need of an easy, crowd-pleasing, inoffensive, yet impressive recipe.

Simply Delicious notes that this recipe is French and that this version comes from the Alsace region of the country. I found a few other takes on that version scattered around the Internet, but give or take some bacon and Gruyère cheese, they’re all relatively similar to this one. 🍷

7-14: Easy-to-Make Pork Casserole

Jamie Martin Group 07: Pork, Section 2: Main Courses June 29, 2016June 18, 20204-92 week, almonds, beef bouillon, beef broth, black pepper, boneless, butter, casserole, celery, chicken, chopped, cubed, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly inexpensive, ginger, green beans, green onions, ham, herbs and spices, Hutton house, lunch, melted, pork, pork shoulder, revisited, salt, sautéed, scallions, soy sauce, toasted, vegetables, yellow onions

I think Simply Delicious was aimed at the working-mom demographic primarily–a lot of the recipes focus on easy weeknight meals just as much as the fancy dinner party options. 7-14: Easy-to-Make Pork Casserole is a casserole in the sense of a casserole being a bunch of random stuff thrown together in a vessel and then heated.

Casseroles are typically defined as the traditional green bean or tuna types that we (by that I mean mostly Americans) associate with that word. This dish is a loose mixing of vegetables and pork cubes, and is honestly much more reminiscent of 7-55: Sunday Pork Stew than of “casserole”. My mom seemed to like it though, when she made it back in April of 1992.