On the Go with Lorraine Wallace

Lorraine Wallace recently shared with Peachy her passion for creating easy, healthy meals. Wife of Fox Sunday News anchor Chris Wallace, Lorraine has written three best-selling cookbooks: Mr. Sunday’s Soups, Mr. Sunday’s Saturday Night Chicken, and Mr. & Mrs. Sunday’s Suppers: More than 100 Delicious, Homemade Recipes to Bring Your Family Together. An expert on making meals for the whole family, Lorraine presents recipes that are sure to bring everyone together on any occasion, from weeknight meals to holidays to game day.

When Lorraine and Chris Wallace married in 1997, they blended their six children together. In the midst of their busy schedules, Lorraine made family mealtime a priority. Now that the Wallaces are empty-nesters, Lorraine still loves to cook for herself and Chris as well as for family gatherings. Lorraine graciously shared with Peachy some of her tips for how home cooks (which she considers herself to be) can use fresh ingredients and a well-stocked pantry to create wonderful meals for any night of the week to bring families closer together.

Where did you grow up?
I am a Virginia girl!

Is there someone or something that greatly influenced your childhood?
Like everyone else, my mother.

When did you start cooking?
I began to cook when I became a young wife and mother.

Tell us a little about your cookbooks, recipes and pantry list.
I am like every woman out there who faces the dilemma of how to get her family to stop, unwind and re connect over a nutritious and delicious meal. It is not so easy in this modern world with hectic schedules and time constraints. My cookbooks are recipe suggestions with timelines and pantry and refrigerator solutions to help bring your family together.

What markets do you like to frequent in DC to get the freshest ingredients?
Dupont Farmers Market, Whole Foods and Wagshal’s Market.

What is your favorite recipe?
I don’t have a favorite. They are like my children—my creations.

What are your husband’s favorite recipes?
Chris, official taster and designated to KP duty, enjoys “Meat Loaf with Herb Gravy,” “Gazpacho with BLT Sandwiches” and any dish prepared in a skillet like “Spicy Shrimp” because there is only one dish to wash afterwards.

Where is your favorite place to relax and unwind in DC?
Rock Creek Park for long walks and Barre 3 classes in Georgetown.

Tell us a little about DC becoming such a gourmet city with many of the country’s top chefs having restaurants in town.
In the last five years, Washington has developed a real food culture with so many top chefs opening fun, delicious restaurants: José Andrés, Bryan Voltaggio, Mike Isabella, Patrick O’Connell, Aaron Silverman, Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck—just to name a few.

What is your favorite place to go for dinner with your husband?
Since Monday is his day off, we often go to a movie in Georgetown and dinner at Martin’s Tavern, a Washington pub that has been in business since 1933. They still have the booth where JFK proposed to Jackie.

What is your favorite lunch spot with friends?
I am a new member of the Sulgrave Club, a women’s club in DC. The food is amazing and the company wonderful.

What do you like to bring as a hostess gift?
I like to give copies of my cookbooks with a soup pot or white cocktail napkins, which everyone can use.

What is something that people don’t know about you?
I want to dispel the notion that supper has to mean a frazzled, harried experience for the home cook. And I do consider myself a home cook. With a few fresh ingredients, a good spice drawer and stocked pantry, you can create wonderful meals for your family.

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Lorraine shared three of her favorite recipes from her most recent cookbook, Mr. & Mrs. Sunday’s Suppers.

TOMATO PIE FOR SUMMER

Makes one pie, serves 8

This makes for a light supper with lots of tangy flavors thanks to the combination of Dijon mustard, basil and Swiss cheese. It’s quite rich, so each person only needs a small slice, served alongside a green salad sprinkled with whichever fresh herbs you happen to have on hand.

For the crust:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all‑purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons ice water

For the pie:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 large tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices
1¾ cups shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup loosely packed basil leaves
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the crust:
In a food processor, blend the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse until the dough forms small pea‑size pieces. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and press it out with the heel of your hand. Gather the dough together and flatten it into a disk about 4 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12‑inch round. Transfer to a 9‑inch glass pie plate. Trim any overhanging dough and flute the edges. Prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Line the frozen pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake the pie until the edges are slightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the center loses its raw look, 5 to 8 minutes more. The shell should be a little light; it will be baked again. Let cool on a rack before adding the filling.

To make the pie:
Preheat the oven to 425°.

Spread the bottom of the crust liberally with the Dijon mustard. Add a layer of about half the tomato slices and then about half of the cheese. Scatter all of the basil on top and season with salt and pepper. Repeat the tomato and cheese layers.

Bake the tomato pie until the cheese is melted and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

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SPICY SKILLET SHRIMP

From the kitchen of Ann Free Serves 8

When I was looking for a good shrimp recipe I turned to my friend Ann, who always talks about this shrimp dish she learned to make from a cook of hers named Vaida. Ann likes to entertain, and this is one of her go‑to dishes because it can be made ahead and left alone until it’s time to eat. Now it is one of my simple go‑tos, too. Thank you, Ann, for sharing!

2 tablespoons extra‑virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
One 28‑ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
One 6‑ounce can tomato sauce, homemade or store‑bought (about ¾ cup)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2½ pounds large shrimp (18 to 20 count), peeled and deveined
1 cup tender fresh garden peas or thawed frozen peas (optional)
Steamed long‑grain white rice (optional), for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium‑high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the jalapeños and garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute longer. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest to the skillet and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the mixture has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Place the shrimp on top of the tomato mixture and cook until opaque and pink in color, about 8 minutes longer. If you like, stir in the peas and serve over a bed of rice.

TIP: It’s easy to take Ann’s spicy shrimp skillet and turn it into a quick version of a classic New Orleans-style shrimp Creole. Simply stir in a roux of butter and flour along with some sautéed tricolor peppers, then add a bay leaf, a dash of cayenne pepper, a dash of hot sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

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MEAT LOAF WITH HERB GRAVY, DOWN‑HOME STYLE

Makes two loaves, serves 8

The technique of poking small holes in the top of the meat loaf and pouring a little water into them ensures even cooking, prevents the meat loaf from drying out and yields more golden juice to make a gravy if you like.

For the meat loaves:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 large eggs
¼ cup tomato paste
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup beef broth, homemade or store‑bought
2 pounds ground beef chuck
2 pounds ground pork
2 cups plain dried bread crumbs
4 medium celery stalks, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 1½ cups)
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat‑leaf parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried rosemary

For the gravy:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup all‑purpose flour
1 quart (4 cups) beef broth, or strain some of the meat loaf’s pan juices and combine with enough beef broth to make 4 cups of liquid
1 tablespoon dried ground sage
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the meat loaves:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray two 9 × 5‑inch loaf pans with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the tomato paste and salt and pepper until well combined. Whisk in the broth. Using your hands, work in the ground beef and pork along with the bread crumbs, celery, onions, parsley and rosemary and combine; take care not to overmix.

Divide the mixture evenly and pack into the prepared pans. Using a butter knife or the handle of a wooden spoon, poke 6 holes in each meatloaf, as evenly spaced as you can make them, and pour just a little water into each.

Bake the meat loaves on a rack in the center of the oven until an instant‑read thermometer inserted into the center of a loaf registers 165°, 1 to 1½ hours.

Gently and carefully drain the juices out of the meat loaf pans into a glass measuring cup or gravy separator, and set aside.

Cover the loaves loosely with foil to keep warm and let rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, and cook, whisking constantly to combine, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the pan juices and the broth, a little at time, to combine. While whisking constantly, raise the heat to medium and allow the gravy to just come to a boil; as soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium‑low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. Strain the gravy through a mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the sage, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, pour the gravy into a warmed sauceboat, cut the meat loaf into thick slices and place on a warmed platter, and pass them together.