Here are two skillet dinners that are easy and delicious with your choice of shrimp, beef, chicken, or meatless. Serve with garlic bread, Israeli couscous, couscous, pasta, farro, or your favorite side of potatoes, rice or grain. The creamy juices from the Tuscan skillet will mix with your side. Or use bread to sop up the juice. The dressing for the Mediterranean skillet can be served over couscous.
Fast Tuscan Skillet:
First grill or saute the meat or seafood until just done or before done and set aside. Keep warm.
Heat 2 tsp. oil in a medium skillet over medium high. Add 4 oz. baby spinach and cook only until just wilted, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Melt 1 T butter in the same skillet and add 1 pkg grape tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook undisturbed until tomatoes are blistered, 2-3 minutes.
Add the meat that is still warm. Add 4 oz mascarpone and still until melted. Stir in the spinach and serve with garlic bread and a side of roasted potatoes.
Mediterranean Skillet:
Heat 1 T oil and add 1-1/2 cup grape or tiny plum tomatoes in the skillet you used to saute meat or seafood. Add 3/4 c. finely sliced yellow onion. (Chop 1 T onion for dressing.)
Add 1 thinly-sliced garlic clove and salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are lightly browned, or 3 minutes. Add a sprig of fresh oregano, 3/4 c water, and 1 T red wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is lightly thickened. Tomatoes should be burst but not crushed.
Nestle the meat or seafood, pouring in resting juices. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in 1 oz. chopped Kalamata olives and the lemon zest. Remove the oregano sprig from the tomatoes. - Place meat and tomatoes on serving plate.
For the dressing, stir the 1 T chopped onion (from above) and 1 tsp fresh oregano leaves into 2 T oil. Zest one lemon and juice 1 T. Add juice to dressing (not zest). Season with salt and pepper.
Serve dressing, crumbled feta (1/4 cup) over the meat and tomatoes. Spoon the dressing on the dish, including any sides or grains you serve with it.
