Sara’s Weeknight Meals Season 4
Spicy Meatball Tagine with Poached Eggs
This recipe from Morocco for little meatballs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce topped with poached eggs is irresistible. Middle eastern spices add an exotic touch. Serve over whole wheat couscous with a big green salad on the side. Serves 6 Sauce: 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup…
Pork Ragù with Broken Lasagne Maialino Style
Maialino Restaurant in New York City serves this hearty pork ragu as a sauce for dried lasagna pasta that has been broken into 3-inch pieces. It’s unusual in that it has no tomatoes–just onion, celery and fennel seeds for flavor. At the end of the cooking, the meat is torn…
Italian Onion Soup with a Poached Egg
One of our favorite neighborhood restaurants used to be Beppe, where Chef Cesare Casella had created a menu bursting with the big sunny flavors of his native Tuscany. He made a mean lemony fried chicken, succulent spareribs in tomato sauce, and French fries fried with fresh herbs. But I was…
Korean BBQ Tofu Tacos
Serves 4 Gochujang Roasted Tofu Filling 2 T. gochujang (Korean chili paste) 3 T. sesame oil 2 T. maple syrup 1 lb. extra firm tofu Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with parchment paper and lightly oil it’s surface. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the gochujang,…
Ancho Chili Black Bean Potato Skins
Serves 4 Ingredients 2 dried ancho chilies 1 C. boiling water 2 T. olive oil 1 small yellow onion, minced 1/4 C. minced fresh cilantro 1 t. ground coriander 2 T. tomato paste 2 C. cooked, drained black beans salt to taste Place the ancho chilies in a pie pan,…
Homemade Beer Bread with Pulled Chicken Barbecue and Quick Cucumber Pickles
Makes 4 Servings Hands-On Time: 20 Minutes Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes Suggested Accompaniment Cole slaw Ingredients 1 recipe Beer Bread (recipe below) or use 4 large rolls or hamburger buns 1 recipe Basic Barbeque Sauce (recipe below) or 2 cups store-bought sauce 1 recipe Dill Pickle Cucumber Slices (recipe…
Cold Pea Soup with Shrimp and Carrot Salad
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 time: 25 minutes…
Two-Melon, Proscuitto and Feta Salad
Melon and prosciutto is such a refreshing summertime appetizer that I wondered if there was a way to make it entree-hearty without ruining its essential appeal. I did it by adding watermelon and feta cheese to the lineup. These two play together beautifully – the sweet watermelon and the salty…
Watermelon Screwdrivers
Serves 4 to 6 Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 4 1/2 hours (Due to freezing) Ingredients 1 pound cubed watermelon flesh, about 5 cups 1 quart orange juice, preferably fresh 3/4 cup vodka or to taste Directions Remove all the seeds from the watermelon and place in a…
Asian Chicken Salad with Carrot Ginger Sauce
This recipe was an excuse for me to repurpose the super-refreshing carrot salad dressing served at sushi restaurants. You’re welcome to substitute peanuts for the almonds, and cooked broccoli for the sugar snap peas. The “uncooked” ramen noodles add crunch, sort of like an Asian crouton. Many people don’t know…
Bruschetta al Tonno
Everyone loves Italian food, especially The Husband. When we go out to eat, Italian is his number one choice and one of his favorite Italian spots is Tre Dici, a tiny little neighborhood spot with a terrific chef, Giuseppe Fanelli. We love Giuseppe’s gutsy down to earth food. It is…
Duck Tacos
I was plenty happy to meet rotisserie chicken, but now I have found rotisserie duck. Rotisserie duck, like rotisserie chicken, should be one of the home cook’s favorite cheating ingredients. It’s tasty and it’s good to go. If you don’t want to eat it heated, straight up, you can shred…
Mushroom Enchiladas
Makes 4 Servings Hands-On Time: 25 Minutes Total Preparation Time: 40 Minutes Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 6 medium to large) 3 T fresh lime juice 2 t ground cumin Kosher salt 1/4 c plus 1 T vegetable oil 3 garlic cloves, 2 unpeeled 3/4 pound plum tomatoes…
Peach and Blackberry Dessert Tamales
This is a brilliant recipe invented by Suzie Trivisonno, my new friend from Charlotte, North Carolina who entered our locavore competition last summer and submitted what we felt was the most original recipe using ingredients from 50 miles near her home. I was so happy to visit Charlotte and her…
Charred Tomato, Chicken and Tortilla Soup
Serves 4 Ingredients 12 plum tomatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) 2 ears corn, husks removed 2 small unpeeled onions, halved 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon chili powder Kosher salt 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from rotisserie chicken or two 6-ounce packages…
Brie, Bacon and Spaghetti Frittata
Makes 6 servings Hands-on time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes Here’s how to turn your leftover pasta into a new meal in the form of an Italian omelet. You can bulk it up with just about anything kicking around in the fridge—including leftover vegetables, meat, and poultry. If…
Roast Chicken Stuffed with Zucchini and Cheese
Makes 4 Servings Hands-On Time: 40 Minutes Total Preparation Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes Ingredients 1 medium zucchini (about 1/2 pound) Kosher salt 1/2 medium onion 2 T extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove 1 t fresh thyme 1 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 slices firm white bread 1/4 c…
Sautéed Beer Batter Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce
Makes 4 to 6 Servings Hands-On Time: 25 Minutes Total Preparation Time: 25 Minutes Ingredients One 12 ounce bottle beer 1 c plus 1/3 c Wondra or unbleached all-purpose flour 1 t Dijon Mustard Kosher Salt Asian Dipping Sauce (see recipe below), Homemade Tartar Sauce (see Cook’s Notes) or soy…
Healthy Car Snacks
Back Seat Car Tips for the Long Ride 1.In order to get the kids to eat healthy snacks on the road, give them a tackle box and let them fill it up with snacks that you provide, such as raisins, pretzels, crackers, cereal, and trail mix. Have them write their…
Pasta Pizza
For each 10-inch pizza: Kosher salt to taste 1/6 pound capellini 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 small green bell pepper, sliced into thin rings 1/2 cup Quick Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or your favorite store-bought tomato sauce 2 ounces thinly sliced provolone 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, ripped into pieces…
Peanut Sesame Sauce
Make this sauce to use as a vegetable dipper tonight and as an ingredient for tomorrow’s dinner. Hands-on time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 10 minutes Makes about 1 3/4 cups Ingredients: 3 medium scallions 3/4 cup smooth unsalted peanut butter 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice…
Spaghetti In Parchment with Clams and Scallions
Note from Marc: The pasta in this dish cooks twice, so be sure to undercook it when you first boil it. Then when it bakes in the parchment, it will absorb all the briny, garlicky, wine-soaked, chile-flecked juices from the seafood. That’s how you create flavor! It also helps to…
Salmon Baked in a Bag with Citrus, Olives and Chiles
Servings: 4 Start to finish: 35 minutes (25 active) Ingredients 1 small orange 1 lemon Four skinless 4 to 5-ounce center cut salmon fillet pieces 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped Kosher salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup olives, preferably oil cured, chopped 1 small serrano chile, sliced thin,…
Hungarian Pork Sauté
Makes 4 servings Hands-Preps Time: 10 min Total Preparation Time: 20 min 4 thin boneless pork chops 1/4 cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large shallot, minced 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet or hot paprika 1 tablespoon caraway seeds 1/4 cup dry…