Sara’s Weeknight Meals Season 15
Episode 1505 is All About Hearty Sandwiches
Lucky me, I am in Portugal where I uncover Porto’s vibrant sandwich culture, sampling the Bifana, the Prego, even a local hot dog before learning to make the granddaddy of them all, the absolutely sinful, sky high Francesinha, packed with meat, covered in cheese and smothered in a boozy secret…
My Grandmother’s Cheese Sandwich Souffle
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…
Crispy Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Start to finish: 1 hour (40 active) Servings: 4 For the dressing: ½ cup buttermilk 1/3 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as tarragon, chives, and parsley) 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced garlic Kosher salt and black pepper For the crispy tomatoes…
Francesinha Sandwich
For the sauce: 3 tablespoons lard (or oil) 3 tablespoons chopped chorizo 5 garlic cloves, minced 1 onion, minced ¼ cup tomato paste ¼ cup paprika paste (bell pepper paste) 1/3 cup chili paste (piri piri) White pepper Salt 1 bay leaf ⅓ c brandy ½ cup port wine ⅔…
Episode 1504: Bordeaux
In this episode I explore the rich culinary traditions of Bordeaux, beginning with a decadent dessert crawl featuring local specialties like guinettes, cannelés and dune blanche. With a local expat couple, I dive into the region’s famed wines with a hands-on blending experience. Then we bring those flavors into the…
Episode 1503 – in Basque Country
When France meets Spain in the Basque country, some great food is born. I discover that first when I travel to a Shepard’s School in the Pyrenees, learning to herd sheep and then make a delicious local cheese with their milk. In Bilbao, I join a men’s cooking club, or…
Steak with Bordelaise Sauce and Sarlat Potatoes
Serves 4 3 tablespoons butter, divided Olive oil a heaping tablespoon minced shallot Salt and pepper (preferably white pepper) 1 cup dry red wine (Bordeaux) 1 cup beef or chicken stock 2 hanger steaks or 1 flank steak – (about 6 ounces per person) 1 tablespoon duck fat or olive…
Grilled Caesar Salad Steak
Start to finish: 1 hour 45 minutes (30 active) Servings: 4 Kosher salt 1 ½ pounds 1 ½-inch thick boneless rib eye steak 1/4 cup mayonnaise ¼ ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about ¼ cup if grated on a microplane) 2 anchovy fillets, minced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic…
The Soil Farm
When Sasha Marsh and Jock Pettitt noticed that 98 per cent of the island of Guernsey was reliant on imports for food, and those who did farm used small plots scattered over the island that were depleted from centuries of use they decided to set up The Soil Farm. At…
Weeknight Soy Sauce Chicken
Serves 4 Jeannie replaced the whole chicken from the original recipe for soy sauce chicken with boneless skin-on thighs so that the recipe can be prepared more quickly. She kept the skin on for flavor. If you only can find boneless, skinless chicken thighs then use them. You can also…
Poulet Basque (Pollo a La Vasca)
Please note: on the show we made a half batch of this recipe Serves 10 4- 5 pounds chicken on the bone with the skin, cut into medium pieces salt and pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 glass of white wine 4 white onions, sliced thin 4 garlic cloves,…
Episode 1502 Has Started Airing!
In Episode 1502 I visit a goat farm, a soil farm, and an honor vegetable stand on the island of Guernsey. Then I learn how to prepare the local iconic dish, the Bean Jar and finally make my own bean dish – a white bean soup with bread dumplings. Tune…
All Things Guernsey!
If you happen to be planning a trip to Guernsey, you’ll be in excellent hands if you reach out to Jo Ferguson at Visit Guernsey (@VisitGuernsey and https://www.visitguernsey.com), where you’ll find everything you need. You’d also have plenty of fun if you checked out Ant Ford Parker’s Tour Guernsey company (@TourGuernsey and https://tourguernsey.com) for a delightful guided trip…
White Bean Soup with Greens and Bread Dumplings
Servings: 4 2 large eggs 2 cups fresh white or whole wheat bread crumbs 2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 ounces chopped pancetta 1/2 cup medium chopped onion 1 cup medium diced carrot 1 ½ cups medium diced fennel…
Guernsey Bean Jar with Buttered Chard
Serves: 8 1 pound dried haricot beans 1 pound dried butter beans 2 pounds beef shin 1 large onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper 4 cups beef stock 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 2 cups water Soak the beans overnight in water. Place all…
The Best Butter In France
When we were shooting my show this last May, I got to taste what many French chefs have called the best butter in France. It comes from a shop in St Malo called Bordier. I have actually sort of been an olive oil girl for many years but I have…
Sara’s Weeknight Meals Season 15 Has Started Airing!
Episode 1501 has me tasting the best butter in northern France at the mother store, Bordier, in St Malo, visiting Cancale, a seaside village in Brittany where I slurp some local oysters and learn how to make savory buckwheat crepes with an American ex-pat, Mary Margaret Chappell, and finally, preparing…
Season 15 Starts Airing on October 6!
On Season 15 I travel the Atlantic coast of Portugal, Spain and France on food adventures with weeknight cooking at its heart. I explore the sandwich culture of Porto, make a classic Basque chicken dish with a men’s gastronomic society in Bilbao, learn a quick version of Steak a la…
Tiny “Honor System” Farmer’s Markets
When we were on Guernsey Island shooting Season 15 of “Sara’s Weeknight Meals,” we visited one of their “hedge veg” stalls. Guernsey’s “hedge veg” stalls are a long-standing tradition of small, roadside honesty boxes where residents sell surplus homegrown produce and handmade goods. Rooted in a culture of communal trust,…
Cooking with the Locals on Guernsey Island
In May, when I was shooting Season 15 of “Sara’s Weeknight Meals,” our last stop was Guernsey Island where I learned how to make a Bean Jar, a local specialty consisting of beans and pork layered and cooked low and slow for hours. Ours, was delicious. The Guernsey butter was…
Cheese Curds
When I visited the Alluitz Natura, a sheep farm in Basque Country, Spain, they showed me how they make cheese curds from the sheep milk. It is a very simple process. The curds are usually served as a snack or dessert with honey. The taste of the curds is unique…
Pollo a la Vasca
When I was in Bilbao, in Spain’s Basque country, I got to cook with two members of a txoko. A txoko is a traditional Basque gastronomic society — a private, invitation‑only club where members gather regularly to cook, eat, drink, and socialize. There are 1500 altogether in Basque country. They…
Dunes Blanches – Cream Puffs in Bordeaux
Stop 2 on our sweets adventure in Bordeaux France was a place called Chez Pascal Dunes Blanches, s pastry shop that only sold whipped cream filled cream puffs. They are crispy on the outside and explode in your mouth. There are several rotating flavors but I for one fell for…
Savory Crepes in Brittany
In Cancale, Brittany, I learned how to make one of the local specialties – a buckwheat galette (essentially a savory crepe) filled with local scallops and leeks, sauteed in butter and finished with a white wine creme fraiche sauce. My teacher, Mary Margaret Chappell, an expat American, gave us all…