Entrees
Soba Noodles with Asian Clam Sauce
Photo by Jamie Tiampo Soba noodles are thin Japanese buckwheat noodles that are rich in protein and fiber. The Japanese usually serve them cold, in salads, but they’re also great served hot. Anytime you steam clams, you get an instant full-flavored sauce in the form of clam broth. In this…
Green Chicken Posole
Photo by Jessica Leibowitz Makes 4 to 6 servings Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Posole is a hearty soup from the Jalisco region of Mexico that is traditionally made with pork and hominy. Hominy is dried corn kernels from which the hulls and germs have been…
Seared Beef in Autumn Broth with Wasabi Cream
Makes 4 Servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 33 minutes This dish began as a variation on a French recipe called boeuf a la ficelle (literally “beef on a string), which requires the cook to tie a string around some filet mignon and lower it into a pot…
Middle Eastern Meatball Sandwiches with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Photo by Jessica Leibowitz My favorite meat for these meatball sandwiches is lamb but if you are not a lamb fan go with beef or even turkey for the leanest option. Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes 4-inch piece seedless (English) cucumber…
Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper and Gorgonzola
I enjoy cooking and serving vegetable main dishes all year long. I love to let the vegetables shine in the center of the plate. You’ll find a whole chapter of meatless recipes in all three of my cookbooks. My Portobello Burgers are absolutely wonderful meatless sandwiches. In the center is…
Japanese Beef Fondue
This recipe is based on a Japanese dish called shabu-shabu, but I left out the kombu (dried kelp) and the tofu, then poked it here and pinched it there, so I can’t pretend that my version is even remotely authentic. But both recipes are built around poached beef. I’d almost…
Chilled Pea Soup with Mint, Curried Shrimp, and Peanuts
Cold soups generally leave me cold. They just seem like an excuse for a cold drink. But this one is an exception. Prepared with all the prescribed accoutrements – curried shrimp, shredded carrots, and toasted nuts – this dish is a perfectly refreshing warm-weather meal. Makes 4 servings Hands-on…
“Fried” Fish BLTs
The Husband tends to scorn the BLT as an “air sandwich.” Of course, it’s delicious—how can it not be as long as bacon is involved—but it’s hardly what you’d call filling. That’s why I’ve bulked up the traditional BLT with some “fried” fish. I’ve also tricked up the standard-issue mayo…
“Fried” Catfish BLTs
The Husband tends to scorn the BLT as an “air sandwich.” Of course, it’s delicious—how can it not be as long as bacon is involved—but it’s hardly what you’d call filling. That’s why I’ve bulked up the traditional BLT with some “fried” fish. I’ve also tricked up the standard-issue mayo…
Pasta Pizza
I first learned about “pasta pizza” from Leslie Glover, one of Gourmet’s test cooks, who developed it for “In Short Order.” It is ridiculously simple and so tasty. Anytime you make angel hair pasta, just cook double the amount you need. The leftover pasta, recast as the star of this…
Two Melon, Prosciutto, and Feta Salad
This dish, from Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals, is perfect for those warm summer nights when you don’t even want to switch on the stove. Melon and prosciutto is such a refreshing summertime appetizer that I wondered if there was a way to make it entrée-hearty without ruining its essential…
Carrot “Fettuccine” with Spicy Shrimp
This recipe from Sara Moulton Cooks at Home is the happy result of an unhappy incident. My friend and fellow chef Sandy Gluck was trying out for a job at a very fancy cutting-edge restaurant in New York City in the early eighties. One of the many reasons she decided…
Indian Scrambled Eggs with Pappadams
My favorite eggs are poached or fried (I love those runny yolks), but scrambled eggs are a close second, as long as they’re properly cooked. The right way to do it is slowly and at a very low temperature; this guarantees the eggs’ creaminess, but it also requires a measure…
Egg, Canadian Bacon, and Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches
This hearty sandwich from Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals (page 103) is featured on Episode 104 of my public television show, Sara’s Weeknight Meals. Lots of folks prefer breakfast to any other meal. These range from the relative few who pour themselves a bowl of cereal in the evening and…
Breakfast Strata
Although this recipe from Sara Moulton Cooks at Home is called Breakfast Strata and the dish was originally designed for a weekend brunch, it will solve your busy-night dinner problems as well. You set it up the night before and then just put it in the oven 60 minutes before…
Poussin en Cocotte
The baby chickens called poussins by the French are often tastier than large supermarket chickens because they are not mass-produced. If you cannot find poussins for this recipe, use Cornish game hens, which are about the same size as poussins but more widely available. (Look for Cornish game hens in…
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
I frequently get e-mails requesting a good dish to make for vegetarian guests. This is one of my favorites. So many vegetables and so many “meaty” ones go into this stew that my caveman husband did not think to utter his usual bon mot in these situations, namely, “Where’s the…
Fried Clam Sandwich
This hearty sandwich from Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals (page 94) will make a memorable meal any time of the year. It is featured on Episode 102 of my public television show, Sara’s Weeknight Meals. Go to Weeknight Meals to find preparation, equipment, and ingredient tips. I just love fried…
Crispy Roast Duck with Mustard and Green Peppercorn Sauce
Roast Duck is one of my absolute favorites, but it is not easy to get it right. If you concentrate on achieving moist meat, the skin might not crisp up. If you concentrate on crisping up the skin, you risk drying out the breast meat. Still, the desired result is…
Det Burgers
Sandwiches are a perfect choice for weeknight meals and this generously-topped burger is one of my all-time favorites. My first official cooking job was in the mid-seventies at a bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan (where I went to college), called the Del Rio. They featured live jazz on weekends. It…
Balsamic Chicken
The balsamic vinegar in this recipe and you can use the regular old affordable supermarket variety provides a sweet and sour base and great depth of flavor to this very quick sauce. This sauce would go nicely on sautéed pork chops or a flavorful fish such as salmon or bluefish…
Braised Short Ribs
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…
Quick Asparagus Lasagna
Even though you can buy asparagus from South America out of season, I think of this easy meatless entrée as a sign of spring. Asparagus is tastier if you buy it locally and in season. All the thicknesses are fine with me – from pencil-thin spears to thick stalks. However,…