Great 30-Minute Recipes

Want to serve delicious dishes that take only a half-hour to prepare but will taste as if they took all day?

The Chris Kimball has recipes for you.

The founder and editor in chief of Cook's Illustrated magazine and host of Public television's "America's Test Kitchen" offered several on The Early Show Tuesday as part of the weeklong "Culinary Inspirations" series.

The recipes are from the latest cookbook from the test kitchen editors, "The Best 30-Minute Recipe: A Best Recipe Classic."

According to the book's publisher: "It has more than 300 great-tasting recipes, along with time-saving techniques and shopping tips to help you become more efficient in the kitchen. You'll find evaluations of ingredients important to quick cooking, such as chicken broth, shredded cheese, instant rice, and more. And because the equipment you use is important to the success of any recipe — made in 30 minutes or not — the editors of Cook's Illustrated tell you which brands are worth buying."

RECIPES

SKILLET STRATA

Strata, in its most basic form, is a layered brunch casserole made from day-old bread, eggs, cheese and milk. The result is a hearty, savory bread pudding.

Typically, strata is made hours in advance, usually the night before serving, giving the dry bread enough time to soak up the custard; it then bakes for an hour or so. But we wanted a fast strata, one that would deliver the same cheesy richness in a fraction of the time.

After numerous tests, we discovered a way to speed things up by using an oven-safe, non-stick skillet. Sautéing the filling ingredients is the first step. Then fresh bread (not stale) is added and cooked until lightly toasted; toasting the bread in the skillet is a crucial step, because it gives the strata structure and prevents the bread from turning to mush.

Finally, the custard is added to the skillet off the heat, and the strata is finished in the oven, producing a delicate, souffléed texture for an elegant main course in less than 30 minutes.

Skillet Strata with Cheddar and Thyme

Serves 6 to 8

Do not trim the crusts from the bread or the strata will be dense and eggy. Using a 10-inch skillet is crucial for the thickness and texture of this dish.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
Salt and ground black pepper
6 large eggs
11/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 slices high-quality sandwich bread, cut into
1-inch squares

1. Heat oven and Cook Onion: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to coat skillet, until foaming subsides. Add onion and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

2. Combine Egg Mixture: Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, thyme, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper together, then stir in cheese; set aside.

3. Toast Bread: Add bread to skillet and, using rubber spatula, carefully fold bread into onion mixture until evenly coated. Cook bread, folding occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

4. Add Egg Mixture: Off heat, fold in egg mixture until slightly thickened and well combined with bread. Gently press on top of strata to help it soak up egg mixture.

5. Finish In Oven: Bake until edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of pan, about 12 minutes, and serve.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

Making cream of tomato soup in LESS than 30 minutes is no problem: Simply open a can, heat and serve. But if you want a flavorful cream of tomato soup, rather than the tinny-flavored, overly sweet variety, time is definitely an issue.

In the past, when making cream of tomato soup, we found it's important to roast whole canned tomatoes to rid them of excess water and intensify their flavor. (Think of the flavor difference between a fresh tomato and a sun-dried tomato and you'll understand what we're talking about.)

The problem is that this one step takes 30 minutes. Still wanting to rid our tomatoes of excess juices, but not having the time to roast them, we turned to sautéing them. We began by sautéing canned diced tomatoes (instead of whole tomatoes to save on time) along with minced onion. This step gave the tomatoes a chance to dry out and begin to caramelize, which in turn gave the soup the intense tomato flavor we wanted.

A touch of brown sugar and tomato paste also helped deepen the tomato flavor. To finish the soup, we called on a splash of sherry and a pinch of cayenne. These two ingredients gave the soup a lively note. In all, a few simple steps added only minutes to the preparation and cooking times, but the results were immeasurable.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Serves 6

3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons dry sherry
Pinch of cayenne

1. Heat Broth Mixture: Drain tomatoes, reserving juice. Add broth to reserved tomato juice to measure 5 cups (if necessary, add water). Bring broth mixture and bay leaves to boil, covered, in large saucepan and set aside.

2. Sauté Tomato Mixture: Meanwhile, melt butter in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add drained tomatoes, onion, brown sugar, tomato paste, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and cook until tomatoes are dry and beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add Broth Mixture: Slowly stir in broth mixture. Bring to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

4.Puree, Finish, and Season: Puree soup in batches in blender until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and stir in cream and sherry. Return to brief simmer, then remove from heat. Season with salt and cayenne to taste and serve.

CHICKEN & RICE

Most quick recipes for chicken and rice rely on boneless chicken breasts, instant rice and canned soup. The chicken comes out dry, the rice mushy, and the sauce tastes, well, canned.

We knew we could do better on all fronts. We wanted fresh-tasting chicken and rice that resembled the traditional version, but could be on the table in 30 minutes. We started with the chicken. Because chicken breasts are so lean, they do require special treatment to prevent the meat from drying out.

We found that dredging the chicken breasts in flour protected their exterior, giving the chicken a golden brown crust, which ensures juicy meat. And because this is a 30-minute recipe, we relied on quick-cooking instant rice.

The texture of instant rice can often be mushy, so we made some modifications in cooking it.

We sautéed it first (in butter or oil) with aromatics, and then added the cooking liquid. This step not only gave the rice a deeper flavor, but it kept the grains a bit more distinct and creamy, instead of mushy.

As for the canned soup, forget it. There are some convenience products we find acceptable in certain applications (instant rice, for one), but canned soup just doesn't make the cut. Instead, we built our own quick broth in the same pan we used to sauté our chicken.

We simply sautéed aromatic vegetables along with the browned bits left in the pan from the chicken, then added chicken broth, creating a rich tasting, deeply flavorful liquid. To boost our fresher flavors even further, we added red pepper flakes and stirred lemon juice and scallions into the rice before serving.

We also created a number of variations with bold flavor combinations like broccoli and cheddar, coconut milk and pistachios, curry and raisins, and saffron and chorizo.

Chicken and Rice with Broccoli and Cheddar

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
11/2 cups instant white rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
11/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Tabasco

Making the Minutes Count:
While the chicken browns, mince the onion and garlic.

1. Season and Brown Chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour to coat and shake off excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside.

2. Sauté Aromatics and Rice: Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and return to medium- high heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add Broth; Cook Chicken and Rice: Stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle chicken into rice, browned side up. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed and thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

4. Rest Chicken and Finish Rice: Transfer chicken to clean plate. Off heat, gently fold broccoli, 1⁄2 cup of cheddar, and Tabasco into rice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle remaining 1⁄2 cup cheddar over top, cover, and let sit until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Serve with chicken.

FASTEST DINNER ROLLS

While there are many brands of "brown and serve" rolls at the market, we've always been put off by their unpronounceable ingredients and disappointed by their artificial flavors.

The answer to our predicament was prepared pizza dough. Many supermarkets and pizzerias sell their dough for just a few dollars a pound and the dough can be easily frozen. Using prepared pizza dough, you can shape and bake fresh rolls that taste like homemade in a matter of minutes.

Cut one pound of dough into 8 even pieces and roll each into a ball. Arrange the rolls on a well-oiled baking sheet. Brush the top of each roll lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack.