Sara’s Weeknight Meals Season 1

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 30 minutes Total preparation time: 3 hours This is actually an adaptation of a recipe by a very talented New York chef named Tom Valenti. Who (no pun intended) is known for his stick to your ribs cooking. We ran the recipe in Gourmet many years ago when he was the chef at a place called Allison on Dominick. Now he has two of his own restaurants on the upper West Side of Manhattan, Ouest more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes My favorite way to cook salmon when I am in a rush is simply to drizzle it with a little olive oil and lemon and then to roast it in the oven. As long as you don’t overcook it, the salmon will invariably turn out so well it doesn’t even need a sauce. I love the tiny green French lentils, lentilles du Puy, with salmon and this light mustard dressing. more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Every cook knows that fish has to be perked up with a little acid, even if it’s just a spritz of lemon or lime. This gazpacho vinaigrette addresses the problem head on. Gazpacho is a Spanish soup with many variations, but the basic model is a cold chunky tomato vegetable soup. The dish’s acidity comes from the tomatoes.  I have notched up the acidity by adding sherry wine vinegar and more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 20 minutes This is about as exotic as any recipe in this book. It calls for a few ingredients that you might have to search for: Kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and curry paste. You can find all of them in Asian markets and in some supermarkets. But if you don’t live near a convenient Asian market, use two teaspoons freshly grated lemon or lime rind in place of the kaffir lime leaves more »

Makes 6 servings… Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes This recipe is an ode to the Bertin side of my family – my father’s mother’s family. The Bertin’s were traditional terrazzo artisans – my Dad is one of the last. They were hard-working guys from Friulli who could do beautiful things with marble and cement. The Bertin’s have worked on most of the important buildings in my hometown, and every house any member of my Dad’s family lives in has more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes Salsa Giallo always ends up on the menu at A Voce in the summertime, when we have beautiful local peppers and tomatoes. Salsa Giallo is my fancy name for “yellow sauce.” It’s super-super-easy, and great with grilled fish like tuna or seafood like shrimp. The idea here is to very slowly cook the peppers in the olive oil till they’re very soft. Add the salt at the beginning, so that the more »

Makes 6 servings… Hands-on time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes I love Chicken Cacciatore. When I opened up A Voce, some – what do you call them? – ah – food snobs, and even some chefs (who will remain unnamed) busted my chops about it. “Who puts chicken cacciatore on a serious restaurant menu?” they would bellow. “It’s so pedestrian! So boring!” I would smile politely and walk away. I mean – ok – it’s Chicken Cacciatore. What – you want more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Duck and fruit are a classic combination, humans having long ago figured out that the acid in oranges, apples, or pears acts as a great counterbalance to the richness of the duck. Here I’ve used grapes, because I think grapes are unjustly overlooked in cooking – they add sweetness, acidity, and crunch. And once they’re cooked, they become even more grapey. By the way, if you’ve never before tried duck, more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes For the longest time torikatsu chicken was one of my favorite Japanese takeout items. In fact, I loved this dish so much that I pretended it wasn’t fried. Alas, one day I confirmed the awful truth. Heartbroken, I decided to invent a non-fried version and add lemon to it. Here it is. The chicken comes out very moist from the marinade and crunchy from the coating. 1/2 cup fresh lemon more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 50 minutes This is based on an Italian dish called scarpariello – sort of a “turf and turf.” I love the combination of chicken and sausages to begin with, and when you throw in the pickled peppers, the whole dish takes on a lively peppery taste. When I first made this, I braised the chicken in the sauce and it came out a little tough (my stove is electric and it is more »

Makes 6 servings… Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 45 minutes Seven 6 ounce bags (or six 7 ounce bags) baby spinach or 2 1/2 pounds loose baby spinach or 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen 6 large poblano chiles (about 1 1/4 pounds) 1/4 cup mild olive oil 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup pine nuts Salt 2 cups Ranchera Sauce (recipe follows) 1/2 cup crema, creme fraiche, or thinned sour cream Half of an 11-ounce long, plain goat cheese log, cut more »

Makes 6 servings… Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 40 minutes plus prep time for salsa if making 4 cups Cooked Green Salsa (recipe follows) or store bought green salsa 2 poblano chiles, roasted (see page 21), peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped. 1 cup heavy cream 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas 1/4 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil 4 cups cooked shredded chicken (leftover, or a store bought rotisserie chicken) 1 1/2 cups shredded Queso Chihuahua or Muenster cheese (about 6 ounces) more »

Makes 2 to 4 servings… Hands-on time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 10 minutes plus prep time for chicken and sauces 1 1/2 cups coarsely shredded queso Chihuhua (about 6 ounces) Adobo-marinated chicken, cut into 1/4 inch slices Four 10-inch flour tortillas Pico de Gallo Guacamole Pasilla de Oaxaca Tomatillo Salsa Make a thin layer of the Chihuahua cheese on 2 of the tortillas. Arrange half the chicken slices evenly on each tortilla. Top with an even layer of the remaining cheese. more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes plus marinating time For the adobo: 2 guajillo chilies, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded and toasted very lightly 2 chiles de arbol (with seeds) or less, depending on heat, wiped clean and well toasted 3 large garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts Salt Prepare the adobo: Put both chiles, the garlic, cumin, more »

Makes 4 servings… Hands-on time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes Lemon, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic – this is my favorite marinade for lamb, whether I am cooking a roast or skewering kabobs. They work well together because both the marinade and the lamb are products of the Mediterranean. The sauce, made of garlic and olive-flavored mayonnaise, is also Mediterranean – and a great shortcut, given that mayo is premade. I love grilled onions with the lamb, but you can more »