"Meez"

Let’s kick things off by talking a little bit about “Mise en Place” or simply, Meez, literally meaning, put in place. This is the philosophy that drives any professional kitchen and there’s no reason why you can’t apply it at home. This includes everything from getting your pots, pans and utensils ready as well as cutting all your meats and vegetables beforehand. The more prepared you are the easier things will flow when you actually come to cook your meal.

Something else to think about when cooking any meal is to start by cooking the item that will take the longest. This obviously goes without saying but you would be surprised by how often it gets overlooked.

So with that in mind, here’s a two simple recipes that require little to no Meez.

Chicken & Snow peas stir-fry with Shitake Mushrooms
Served on a bed of white rice

White Rice

*Converted rice 1 cup (serves 2-4)
Water 2 cups
Salt 2 grams

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce temperature to a simmer. (on most domestic stoves the ideal simmering temperature is 2)
3. Simmer the rice until tender or most of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Remove from the heat and allow excess moisture to evaporate, approximately 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid if necessary.
5. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Stir-fry ingredients:

Vegetable oil, or sesame oil if you have it
Chicken breasts, cut into strips (depending on the size of the breast, estimate about half to a full breast per person)
Shitake mushrooms, sliced (substitute with button mushrooms)
Snow peas, cut into halves
Soy sauce
Mirin sauce (substitute with brown sugar, pineapple juice or honey)

Directions:

1. Heat your pan with medium heat and add your oil.
2. Sauté chicken, making sure chicken is cooked before adding the rest of your ingredients.
3. Add shitake mushrooms and snow peas and sauté for about a minute. These items don’t need much cooking time.
4. Add Soy and mirin sauce and bring to a slight simmer.
5. Serve on bed of rice and garnish with sesame seeds, if you have any.

*On choosing rice:

Converted rice is parboiled to remove surface starch. What that means is that while the cooking time is longer, it retains more nutrients and flavor.

Instant/quick cooking rice is done by fully cooking then flash freezing milled rice. While this gives you the advantage of a quick cooking time, the process removes some of the nutrients and flavor from the rice.

Bolognese (or quite simply, tomato & meat sauce)

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil 15 ml
*Lean ground Beef 3 lbs
Bay Leaf 2 (optional)
Garlic, minced 20 grams
Oregano, dried 5 grams
Thyme, dried 5 grams
Basil, dried 3 grams
Onion, medium diced 500 grams
Celery, small diced 500 grams
**Crushed tomatoes 1 can (540 ml)
Tomato paste 1 can (284 ml)
Granulated sugar To Taste (optional)
Salt & Pepper TT

Directions:

1. In a medium sized sauce pot, brown the meat in the oil.
2. When beef is cooked, add the garlic, herbs, onions and celery. Sauté until vegetables are soft (Until onions are almost transparent)
3. Add tomato product and bring to a simmer over medium to low heat. (You don’t want the temperature too hot here because the natural sugars in tomatoes will cause the sauce to burn and stick to the bottom. Always watch your heat)
4. Season with sugar, salt and pepper until desired taste. (I try to always leave this until the end, adding by small increments to avoid over seasoning)
5. Serve over your favorite pasta. If you’re looking for something a bit healthier for you, use whole wheat pasta. It contains fiber and proteins and just generally tastes better.

*You can substitute ground beef here with ground chicken or pork for a leaner option.

**The amount of crushed tomatoes here is used simply as a guideline. If you want more volume or a thinner texture then add more crushed tomatoes or tomato juice.