Entrees
Roasted Ratatouille Crêpes with Goat Cheese
My mom made ratatouille from the New York Times Cookbook all the time when we were kids, and I just loved it. This venerable vegetable stew from the south of France with its many flavors layered together has all the complexity of a meat stew without the meat. All the…
Moroccan Spiced Leg of Lamb with Preserved Lemon Relish
Butterflied boneless leg of lamb is a great dish for a crowd. I have used a Moroccan-style dry rub here, but you could substitute any chicken or meat marinade, wet or dry. One of my old favorites is a Jacques Pepin recipe that we ran when I was in the…
Esther’s Chicken Fricassee
Esther Adler, my mother-in-law, gave birth to three sons in less than three years (yikes!) and a daughter three years later. All four kids had hearty appetites, and all four turned out to be fairly strapping individuals. I’ll confess that I’ve often wondered how in the world she managed to…
Grilled Salmon, Arugula & Grilled Corn Salad, Sweet Pea & Avocado Crostini
Makes 4 servings Suggested Accompaniment Serve with a Chardonnay Ingredients Four 6-ounce boneless, skinless filets of salmon seasoned with extra virgin olive oil to coat and a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper Sweet Pea Hummus (recipe below) Crostini (recipe below) 2 ears of fresh corn shucked, grilled and cut…
White Chicken Chili
There is one good reason—other than chicken and chilies—why I love the white chicken chili on the menu at the burrito palace in our neighborhood: sour cream. This quick-to-make home version is delicious unadorned. Add the accompaniments and some homemade or store-bought cornbread and it is over the top. Makes…
Chickpea Patties with Creamy Garlic Dressing
Photo by Jessica Leibowitz For this weeknight salad I have streamlined and speeded up the process of making falafel. I’ve renamed it “Chickpea Patties” since it is not the same as the authentic version. I start with canned chickpeas instead of dried chickpeas or favas. Then I shape them into…
Roast Duck with Mustard Green Peppercorn Sauce
Serves 4 One 5-pound Long Island (Pekin) duck Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small onion, coarsely chopped 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife 1 cup dry red wine 1 small celery rib,…
Rosemary Honey and Georgia Peach Chutney Burgers
Serves 4 For Peach Chutney: 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar 1/2 cup Savannah Bee Rosemary Honey 1 large sweet red pepper, seeded, diced 1/4 inch, about 1/2 cup 1 small white onion, peeled and diced, about 1/2 cup 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced, 2…
Chicken Piccata
Although none of us wants to devote more than 45 minutes or so to getting dinner on the table during the workweek, we still want to eat well. In Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, I included “ four quick chicken recipes” that all start with the same easy prep and…
Roasted Salmon with Lentil Salad
photo by Jessica Leibowitz French lentils are tiny green lentils that cook in no time and have a wonderful texture and flavor but if you can’t find them go ahead and use plain old green lentils. If you don’t eat pork you can just leave out the pancetta or you…
Seared Beef in Autumn Broth with Wasabi Cream
Everything that goes into this soup contributes flavor. You can vary the vegetables according to your taste and what is available in your supermarket. Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: about 15 minutes Total preparation time: 33 minutes 2 medium carrots 2 medium parsnips 2 small turnips 2…
Clam Tomato and Bacon Stew with Grilled Garlic Bread
Cooked hard-shell clams are an unbeatable two-for-the price-of-one delight – you get the clams themselves and the clam liquid they give off as they cook, which creates an instant sauce with astonishing depth of flavor. And it’s simple. You just combine the clams with some liquid (and aromatics, if you…
Salade Niçoise
Inspired by the produce in my box from Chefs Garden, I made one of Julia Child’s favorite salads – Salade Niçoise. Anytime she invited people over for lunch she made this salad. You can see both the fresh baby lettuces and also a mix of micro greens, micro herbs (those…
Baked Orzo and Cheese
I can’t tell you how hard I tried when the kids were little to come up with a homemade macaroni and cheese that they would choose to eat over that stuff in the box. They just weren’t interested. But now that they are older and have traveled a little bit,…
Very Very Crispy Chicken Thighs
This is a loose technique recipe. You can make 2 chicken thighs or 8 chicken thighs following these instructions and then top the thighs with a sauce of your choice or no sauce at all, perhaps just a squeeze of lemon. Skin on, bone in chicken thighs Kosher salt Freshly…
Fried Catfish
Yield: 6 servings Rice bran oil for frying the fish (or any high heat oil) 6 (7 to 9-ounce) US farm-raised catfish fillets 2 cups buttermilk 1 recipe fish fry mix (recipe below) Heat the rice bran oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350…
Chef Airis Johnson’s Jambalaya
NOTE: This recipe can be cut in half and all proteins don’t have to be used (i.e. shrimp can be omitted) but are highly recommended.Serves 6 to 8 2 tablespoons butter 1 small onion, diced 3 celery stalks, diced 1 small green bell pepper, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1…
Butternut Squash, Date and Blue Cheese Crostata
Start to finish: 2 hours Hands-on time: 45 minutes Servings: 6 1 small butternut squash (about 1 ¼ pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into slices about ¼-inch thick 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 large leeks, white and light green parts sliced, halved, sliced 1/2…
Sauteed Fish with Gazpacho Vinaigrette
Fish needs a little acid, even just a squeeze of lemon to perk it up. I have gone a little further here with a gazpacho vinaigrette. Gazpacho is a Spanish soup with many variations but the basic one as we know it is a cold chunky tomato vegetable soup. I…
Bahamian Soup
Serves 8 to 10 2 ounces diced slab bacon, rind removed if any is on it ¼ cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced 1 Scotch bonnet, seeds and stems removed, minced 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced medium 4 celery stalks, cleaned and diced medium 1…
Pesce all’Acqua Pazza (Fish With White Wine and Cherry Tomatoes)
Yield: 4 servings Easy enough for a weeknight, this simple, simmered fish dish originated along the Amalfi coast, where seafood is eaten regularly. Acqua pazza, which means “crazy water” in Italian, is derived from the way Neapolitan fisherman used to cook the day’s catch; in seawater, imbuing it with salty…
Peking Style Duck Wraps
Makes 8 wraps, 4 servings Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes Ginger Hoisin Sauce (recipe follows) 1/2 medium napa cabbage 1 medium jicama 1 medium red bell pepper 4 medium scallions 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon hot red…
Bistro Duck Breasts
Makes 4 servings 6 Peking duck breast halves Kosher salt 1 shallot, minced (about ¼ cup) 1 cup chicken broth ¼ cup dry red wine 2 teaspoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Score the skin…