This Lewiston mom makes five meals in three hours.
LEWISTON – Nano Zachary learned how to prepare five healthy, delicious meals for a week in three hours when she was a working mother of four children.
“When I got home from work, I wanted to relax and spend time with them, not answer that daily question of, ‘What’s for dinner tonight?'” said Zachary. On Sunday afternoons, she gathered her children in the kitchen to prepare five meals for their week.
“At first, it was just about help with the cooking, but it turned into something more,” she said. “Not only did we spend time together, but they learned how to cook.”
It gave her a chance to talk with her kids and find out what was going on in their lives. She’d let them play their music while they cooked, and she talked with them about things like her cooking experiences with her grandmother. “My earliest memory was when she taught me how to make gravy when I was 5,” she said.
One of Zachary’s daughters enjoyed their cooking experiences so much that she asked her mom to make her a cookbook of the family recipes for her 21st birthday. Zachary’s kids weren’t the only ones who learned to cook in her home.
“With four kids, I always had a household full of kids … their friends were always amazed that they were allowed to cook in the kitchen. … If they were hungry, I wasn’t going to order a pizza, they could make themselves a snack,” Zachary said.
She added that it was difficult to pull the cookbook together because a lot of it is in her memory. “I have a lot of respect now for people who write cookbooks. I really had to sit down and write everything down,” she said.
Zachary says that she has a “simple attitude” toward cooking. She follows advice that she learned from another chef: “Never rely on measurements – you have to learn how things look and feel and smell.”
5 meals in 3 hours
Ingredients:
Roast chicken, shepherd’s pie, stuffed shells, healthy meatloaf and Portuguese soup:
3- to 4-pound roasting chicken
1 section fresh ginger
Herbs and spices: thyme, sage, oregano, kosher salt, pepper, basil, paprika
5-pound bag potatoes
10-ounce package frozen corn or one 14-ounce can creamed corn
16-ounce package jumbo pasta shells
3 pounds ground chuck
2 onions, chopped
1 head garlic
4 to 5 tablespoons, flour
3 tablespoons soy sauce
10-ounce package frozen spinach
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs or ½ cup oatmeal and ½ cup bread crumbs
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 package of Polish kielbasa
2 cups chicken stock
14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
15-ounce can white northern beans
1 head escarole or kale or beet greens
1 head parsley for garnish
16-ounce ricotta cheese
5-ounce container grated Parmesan cheese
Nano’s note: Fresh herbs are great, if you have them
Method:
Step 1: Roasting chicken, wash and pat dry. Salt the outside of the chicken with salt (kosher, if you have it). Then cut the ginger into small chunks and put inside the cavity. Also add three cloves of minced garlic. Add thyme, sage and pepper to the outside of the chicken. Fresh sprigs of thyme or sage can be tucked under the flap of skin on the chicken for a more intense flavor. Put into preheated oven of 400 degrees for 15 minutes than turn down to 350 and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes longer. Baste during cooking time.
Step 2: Wash the potatoes. Cut into quarters and boil with a pinch of salt. Microwave the corn or you can used canned creamed corn. Put large pot of water on to boil for shells; cook per instructions. While waiting for the potatoes and veggies to cook, start on the mixture for shepherd’s pie.
Step 3: Shepherd’s pie: Put half of the ground chuck in a frying pan. When the meat is almost brown, add one chopped onion and one clove of minced garlic. Cook till the onion is clear. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of flour and stir. Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce for flavor and color. When the mixture is thick, put aside.
Step 4: Microwave the frozen spinach. When cooked, put the spinach in a towel and squeeze to remove excess water, then finely chop. Make sure the moisture is out of the spinach or it will turn the cheese mixture watery. Put aside half the spinach for the shells. Take the second half of the ground chuck and place in a bowl. Add the following ingredients: spinach, one egg, bread crumbs or oatmeal (I add oatmeal to my meatloaf for stability and health.), salt, pepper, small can of tomato sauce, oregano and garlic. Smush together. Form into a loaf and put aside. Cook meatloaf at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Nano’s note: Meatloaf is a meal that begs for creativity. If it seems like a good idea, try it. Some people put strips of bacon on top but I think herbs give it more flavor without the fat.
Step 5: Portuguese soup: Cover kielbasa with water in a skillet. Bring to boil and cook until water evaporates. Remove sausage and cool. Chop. Add one chopped onion and one minced garlic clove and cook until tender. Add four diced potatoes and 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil until tender. Add can of chopped tomatoes, and white northern beans. Simmer. Then add chopped fresh escarole or kale or beet greens. Add chopped kielbasa. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Nano’s note: Escarole is available at local supermarkets. It holds up well in soups and stews and is very good for you.
Step 6: Whip the cooked potatoes with milk, butter, salt and pepper. Divide in half. Put the meat and gravy mixture in the bottom of a casserole. Cover with the drained cooked corn. Top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top with paprika and Parmesan cheese. Cook the shepherd’s pie for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Save the rest of the mashed potatoes for the roast chicken dinner.
Step 7: Cool the shells in a colander. Put the ricotta cheese in a mixing bowl and add fresh parsley, half the spinach, one egg, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, oregano and basil and mix. Open the tomato sauce and put a small amount on the bottom of the pan. Take the shell in your left hand and fill it with the cheese and herb mixture. Place open end down in the pan. Repeat until finished. Top with sauce and grated cheese and fresh parsley. Cook the stuffed shells for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
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