TV Dinner, Sans TV
As a kid growing up in the 1970’s it seemed like the shag carpet was oranger in someone else’s den - someone else had cooler parents, later curfews, more relaxed rules about dating. I am starting to get some of that sentiment from my oldest child. “Other kids my age have a game system why can’t I get one?”
When I was younger, I suffered from an unusual sort of envy. My mother was, and still is, a wonderful cook. We had sit-down dinners every night of the week. Secretly, however, I longed for something different.
“Mom, can we have TV dinners sometime?” I’m not sure what it was about TV dinners that was so appealing. I know other families had them and some even had special trays so they could eat dinner while watching Gunsmoke. There was also something sort of space-age about TV dinners. I could imagine the Astronauts on Skylab chowing down on them.
My mother dismissed my requests each time I made them. Although I could never prove it, I think my mother, like many housewives of that era, had taken some sort of June Cleaver pledge to serve their families only wholesome, made-from-scratch meals and to serve these meals in their proper venue - at the kitchen table. My mom made it clear, in no uncertain terms, we were not TV dinner people.
My mother’s firm stance did nothing to erode my resolve. I merely did what all kids do when faced with parental rigidity, turned to grand-parental indulgence. One well-timed hint to my Grandmother Hutcheson when visiting her for the weekend, and I was golden. If her favorite grandson wanted TV dinners, then TV dinners he shall have. Turkey and Dressing in July. Mac and cheese for lunch and meatloaf for dinner. I tried them all. I went on like that, living a lie, until I left for college.
When I got my first apartment I stocked my freezer with all manner of frozen dinners. Somehow, after a few months, they began to loose their appeal. Sitting alone, in front of the TV, seemed pathetic. I eventually emptied the freezer and learned how to cook.
Fast forward 20 years and I can’t remember the last real TV dinner I ate, aside from the occasional Lean Cuisine microwaved for lunch at work. They are not part of my kid’s world and the only thing we eat in front of the TV is popcorn on movie night. Every once in awhile, however, I get nostalgic and long for the taste of a good TV dinner.
The other day, the memory of Salsibury Steak sort of just jumped into my head. My first thought was to head to the store and grab a TV dinner, maybe to take to work for lunch. Lean Cuisine even makes a trimmed down version of Salisbury Steak. Then I had a different idea. Who says Salisbury Steak has to come frozen in a cardboard box? I decided to make my own. It turned out well and my boys loved it. We didn’t eat our dinner out of the three-compartment foil tray but it still brought back lots of memories.
Salisbury Steak
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg - beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups beef stock
2 medium onions, sliced thin
2 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
3 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
In a mixing bowl, use your hands to combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce with hands. Shape into 5 patties, about a half inch thick. In a skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high and brown each patty for about five minutes per side or until brown.
Remove the patties and add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet and sauté until the onions are just beginning to brown. Add the stock and one tablespoon Worcestershire and scrape the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, reducing liquid by half. In a bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch and whisk into the reduced stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and put the patties back in the sauté pan, cover, reduce and simmer for about ten minutes.
Originally published in quality newspapers on January 19, 2007
