Sunday I stocked my kitchen with about 30 pounds of veggies from the Farmer's Market (baby eggplant, Asian eggplant, apples. rhubarb, peas, beets, peppers, spinach, corn...). This week I am doing my best to cook my way through them. Last night I made a dinner in about 15 minutes, nothing remarkable, but thought I would share it with you in case you find any of these tips handy.

My recommendation is to turn on all pans at once to speed up the cooking. Turn on the broiler, put the pot to boil and throw butter and garlic in a large pan for the spinach. By the time you have shucked the corn, washed the spinach, and wrapped the bacon around the tenderloin, you will be ready to get cooking!

#1
2 4 oz Beef tenderloin (or fillet minion or any tender cut of meat)
2 pieces bacon
Salt and Pepper

Heat broiler to high. Wrap bacon around trimmed tenderloin pieces and secure with toothpick. S&P top and bottom of tenderloin. Place 3-4 inches below broiler and broil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until done. (Keep an eye - and a thermometer- on these guys as they will cook differently depending on how thick they are and how hot your oven is.)

#2
Corn on cob, shucked
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a pot large enough to hold corn. Cook 5-6 minutes or until corn is al dente when poked with a fork. Remove from heat and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

#3

1 lb spinach (I used Chinese Spinach, pictured)
3 TB Butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced thickly
Salt and Pepper

Heat butter and garlic over medium heat until butter is brown and garlic is soft. When other items are ready, throw in spinach, salt and pepper, and cook 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from heat, reduce butter/water mixture until sauce-like. Pour over spinach.

Chinese Spinach is a hardier, spicier spinach that I had never used before. It held up really well in the saute pan and kept its form while adding a nice zing to the sweetness of the corn and the smokiness of the bacon.

Tip for the day: Research shows that washing a bag of pre-washed spinach can actually introduce more germs and bacteria than were in the originally pre-washed bag. (Cooks' Illustrated). So it really is pre-washed!

What delicious meals have you made in a jiffy recently?