Entrees
Pasqua’s Puglian Frittata
Serves 4-6 6 ounces bread (Pasqua uses 4 Chicago Rolls, but any kind of soft bread will work 2 cups whole milk 12 ounces (2 medium) zucchini coarsely shredded 12 ounces finely grated parmesan cheese, divided 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves finely chopped 1 tablespoon kosher salt 8 large eggs…
Simit Kebabs
1/3 cup bulgur 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon oregano ¼ cup chopped pistachio 1 white onion, grated 2 small garlic cloves, minced 4 ounces ground lamb 4 ounces ground veal Salt, pepper Pear Salsa (recipe below) as an accompaniment If using wooden skewers, soak…
Braised Lamb Shanks with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Orzo
Serves 2 -4 2 lamb shanks 2 green apples peeled and coarsely grated Zest of 1 large lemon Sea salt and freshly ground pepper Flour for coating the lamb 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 3/4 cup dry red wine 1 sprig fresh bay leaves 1 sprig fresh rosemary 2…
Poulet au Vinaigre
Serves 4 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 free-range chicken cut into 8 pieces ½ cup finely chopped onion 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled 1 tablespoon flour 3 ounces cider vinegar 3 ounces white wine 1 cup vegetable stock 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes 3 ounces heavy cream…
Salt Crusted Sea Bream
Serves 4 – 6 2 pounds whole Sea Bream, cleaned but not scaled 1 cup parsley leaves 1 cup coarsely chopped dill 1 cup coarsely chopped scallions 2 pounds kosher salt 1 pound rock salt 2 pounds table salt 8 large egg whites, stiffly beaten Ground black pepper to…
Chicken Tagine with Dried Apricots and Three Sauces
Serves 6 1 teaspoon each turmeric, allspice, ground white pepper, cinnamon, ground ginger, 2 large chicken breasts, bone in, skin on and halved crosswise 6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on ¼ cup butter 2 cups sliced onions 2 bay leaves ½ cup fresh orange juice 1 cup cooked chickpeas…
Turkish Steamed Sea Bass
Serves 4 -6 2 large tomatoes, diced 1 large russet potato, peeled and boiled until a knife barely goes through, and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch slices 1 large onion, sliced 5 small green peppers, sliced ½ bunch parsley, chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced 1 teaspoon chili flakes 1…
Spiced Lamb and Hummus Pita Pizzas with Herb Salad
Start to finish: 35 minutes Hands-on time: 20 minutes Servings: 4 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the pitas 8 ounces ground lamb, beef, pork or turkey Kosher salt 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup chopped plum tomatoes, with the juice and seeds 1 tablespoon minced…
Zucchini Pie
¼ cup olive oil plus extra for brushing the filo 2 cups sliced scallions 3 large eggs beaten 12 ounces feta, crumbled ½ cup ricotta cheese 5 medium zucchini, grated on the course side of a grater and drained for 1 ½ hours (or grated, lightly salted and drained in…
Warm Steak and Potato Chip Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes (40 hands on) Servings: 6 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing on the potato slices 1 large russet potato (about 12 ounces), scrubbed but not peeled Kosher salt 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire…
Green Chile Cheese Portobello Burger
Some of the greatest chiles you’ll ever eat hail from New Mexico’s Hatch Valley, which is why – naturally enough – tiny Hatch, New Mexico is known as “The Chile Capital of the World.” This being the season for Hatch chiles, I thought it might be fun to showcase them…
Tomato Mozzarella and Basil Tart
There are very few things more delicious than tomatoes in season. Sure you can buy them all year round, but these imports tend to be mealy and flavorless, so why bother? This tart is a celebration of the tomato at the peak of its perfection, namely right now. One important…
Grilled Caesar Salad Steak
Let’s say you wanted to land a luxurious rib-eye steak at the center of your Fourth of July picnic, but worried about being able to afford it. Here’s a simple way to make it happen: Instead of serving every guest a huge slab of steak, slice up a smaller portion,…
Leftover Chops Turned into Spinach Feta Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Leftovers! Some folks love them, others happily scrape them into the trash. Me, I’m on the love team. Leftovers speak to me. I’d always rather start a meal with a fridge full of tasty bits of this and that than have to confront a blank canvas of raw…
Five Ingredient Cheesy Pork Steaks
The appeal of a dish consisting of just five ingredients is pretty obvious – it’s easy to make and it takes almost no time at all to land on the table. Even so, it helps to start with a quick-cooking and naturally tender protein such as the pork tenderloin at…
Smoked Salmon, Hearts of Palm and Watercress Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
This recipe works because the richness of the salmon is beautifully offset by the pepperiness of the watercress, the heat of the chiles, and the acidity of the lemon and buttermilk. Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 30 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes 2 large hard boiled eggs 6 small…
Spaetzle Primavera
Start to finish: 1 hour (30 active) Servings: 4-6 ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus extra for salting the water 1 pound asparagus 1 pound shelled fresh or defrosted frozen peas 8 ounces assorted whole mushrooms, halved or quartered, if large 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups chicken or vegetable…
Seared Cuban-Style Steak
This recipe was inspired by Cuba’s (and Miami’s) ubiquitous mojo-marinated steak. Mojo is a combination of citrus (in Cuba, sour orange) and garlic. Given the relative scarcity of sour orange in America, I’ve substituted a mixture of lime and orange. Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time:…
Shrimp Saganaki
Servings: 4 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 20 medium raw shrimp peeled and deveined 1 small glass Raki or Ouzo 1 medium red onion finely chopped 1 medium green pepper chopped 3 tablespoons tomato paste 3 garlic cloves finely chopped 4 large ripe tomatoes crushed Pinch hot red pepper flakes…
Cheese Sandwich Soufflé
Start to finish: 2 hours (15 minutes active) Servings: 4 Butter for buttering the baking pan 8 slices homemade-style white or whole wheat bread, crusts removed ¼ pound thinly sliced cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, etc) 2 ounces thinly sliced boiled ham, prosciutto or smoked turkey 3 large eggs ¼…
Rustic Potato and Greens Pie – The Perfect Vegetarian Entree for a Cold Night
This is a forgiving and rustic pie. You start by making my very simple food-processor pie dough. Roll it out into a rough circle between sheets of plastic wrap and drop it into a pie plate. Spoon the filling into the middle of the pie, then fold in the edges,…
Red Beans and Rice Soup with Ham
Red beans and rice, served throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, is one of the signature dishes of New Orleans, a city rich with the influences of Latin America and the Caribbean. Indeed, that’s why Louis Armstrong, New Orleans’s pioneering cultural ambassador to the world, used to sign off his…
Sautéed Tilapia with Spicy Mint Sauce
This recipe contains everything you need to bestow some serious charisma on a bland fish fillet: lime juice for acidity, fish sauce for saltiness, mint for herb-ish brightening, and jalapeno for heat. I’ve cast tilapia in the lead role here, but almost any fish — catfish, arctic char, black cod,…
Baked Chicken Thighs with Quick Lemon Pickles and Artichoke Hearts
Preserved lemons, a/k/a lemon pickles, are a delicious and unique treat that have long delivered a ton of salty and acidic crunch to the cuisines of North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia…and to America, too, in recent years. Typically, there are two ways for us to opt in: …