Homemade Skillet Sensations
recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-09-26
Posted to rec.food.cooking by Sheryl Rosen

You need a deep skillet. Start by browning your meat. If using ground beef, you'll want to leave it in somewhat large chunks. Otherwise, cut the meat into strips about half an inch wide, and about a quarter inch thick (chicken, steak, pork, whatever). Lightly coat the meat with flour, and saute it in a small amount of oil. Let it get nicely brown. You might have to do it in small batches (for a family of 4, a pound will work fine). Adjust up or down depending on how many you are feeding). When the meat is browned, remove it from the pan, and put in some minced onion and garlic, maybe some diced carrots or bell pepper strips, whatever aromatic vegetables you like. Lower the heat and let the veggies ‘sweat’ for a few minutes. When the aromatic veggies are nice and transparent stir in a cup of long grain rice*. Coat the rice with the juices in the pan, and then put the meat back in the pan. Deglaze the pan with some canned broth (flavor depends on the type of meat you used). For a cup of rice, use 2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil and turn down to low, cover, and let the rice cook for about 10-12 minutes. Then top with vegetables of your choice (fresh or frozen, your choice). If you like your veggies softer, put them in sooner. Replace cover, and let rice finish cooking. If you want to add some cheese, do it at the end, when the rice has absorbed all the liquid. You could also add in some canned tomatoes, or if you like, replace one cup of the water with a can of tomato soup, or your favorite cream soup, for a creamy consistency.

*If you don't want to use rice, use elbow macaroni (1 cup with 3 cups of liquid). Same procedure, but reduce cooking time to 5-8 min. from boiling.

Here are some combinations I've put together:

Ground beef
2 cups water for liquid
onions, mushrooms, garlic for aromatics
frozen peas and carrots (any veggies will work)
oregano, basil
canned diced tomatoes

Same as above, but stir in a can of cheddar cheese soup near the end of the process. (I've made this with or without the tomatoes and it's fantastic) This is great with pasta, too.

Chicken breast meat
onions, celery, mushrooms
Chicken broth (use 3 cups broth for 1 cup rice, or 4 cups with the 8 ounces of pasta)
rice or pasta (egg noodles are especially good)
season with parsley, black pepper, sage, poultry seasoning
baby (or sliced) carrots
Put the carrots in with the rice (if using pasta, 5-10 minutes before the pasta, depending on how soft you like carrots)

Thicken the gravy with a mixture of a teaspoon of flour dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of water.

Use your imagination...once you perfect the method, there will be no end to what you can do with a skillet and a few ingredients. I have a 4 quart chef's pan (very deep skillet with rounded sides) especially for these types of meals. I make enough for dinner and lunch for a few days during the week.