Side Dishes
Mama Pat’s Cedar Planked Salmon
Our spiritual connection to the fish of this region has sustained us for millennia. Sockeye or King salmon, with a hint of smoke, sweet and savory, honors the fish’s journey and nourishes our souls. We have countless ways to prepare our bounty, and this is one of my favorites. For…
Sauteed Sea Asparagus with Bacon and Balsamic Red Onion
Note: Various species of sea asparagus grow around the globe A succulent – its pea-green segments are plump with salt water – and it has a crisp texture and salty taste. If you want to tone down it’s salinity you can either soak it in cold water before serving raw…
Fried Plantains (Tostones)
1 to 2 large green plantains 5 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil or enough to reach ¼ -inch up the side of a large skillet Kosher salt Peel the plantain and slice it on the diagonal ½ – 1-inch thick. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high…
I have been challenging myself to new baking projects and just made Gougeres from Dorie Greenspan’s recipe.
I, like you, have been challenging myself to new baking projects and here is one which made me enormously happy – Gougeres – totally addictive French cheese puffs. And it gets better – I learned from Dorie Greenspan’s recipe, gougeres can be frozen in the raw state and then just popped…
Southwestern Sweet Potato Sauté
Discovering the grating disk on my food processor many years ago was a eureka moment for me—ten minutes later I was grating and then sautéing every vegetable I could put my hands on. Talk about convenient! Baking a whole sweet potato takes about an hour, but sautéing the grated potato…
A Summer Salad from Paris
Several years ago Cory Van Horn sent me this photo along with an e-mail saying “I made your ‘Summer Salad from Paris’. . . . This recipe is delicious! I loved how all the flavors scream summer.” You can find more of his work at www.culinarycory.com. Janis Adler is my…
Tostones (Fried Plantains)
1 to 2 large green plantains 5 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil or enough to reach ¼ -inch up the side of a large skillet Kosher salt Peel the plantain and slice it on the diagonal ½ – 1-inch thick. Heat the oil in a large skillet…
Green Bean Casserole Moderne
Ever since I developed this update of that sentimental favorite of yesteryear, the Green Bean Casserole, with fresh ingredients in place of the canned green beans, canned mushroom soup, and canned crispy onions, I have had a flood of requests for the recipe at this time of year. A favorite…
Grilled Radicchio Salad
I’m not a big fan of radicchio – it’s very bitter. Grill it, though, and you’re talking about a different animal entirely, something mellow and almost sweet. Topped with a little balsamic vinegar, grilled radicchio makes a wonderful warm salad. Serves 4 Ingredients 1/4 c. pine nuts, optional 2 heads…
No-knead Bread
Makes 1 loaf (1 1/2 pounds) Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery Time: About 1½ hours, plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising Ingredients 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons salt In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt.…
“Good Morning America” Breads
Hope you had a chance to see me make bread on Good Morning America. Bread baking is one of America’s original do-it-yourself projects and you’ll be surprised to find out how easy it is with my no-fuss recipes. The rewards are double; you will save money and have a delicious loaf…
"Good Morning America" Breads
Hope you had a chance to see me make bread on Good Morning America. Bread baking is one of America’s original do-it-yourself projects and you’ll be surprised to find out how easy it is with my no-fuss recipes. The rewards are double; you will save money and have a delicious loaf…
Fried Sweet Onion Rings
My favorite beer batter is the perfect coating for these crispy, deep-fried, sweet onion rings. You’ll find the recipe in my cookbook, Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals (Broadway Books, October 2005). Make sure you don’t skip the step where you dust the onions with flour because the batter will slither…
Mashed Potatoes
From Sara Moulton Cooks at Home Everyone loves mashed potatoes, particularly if the meal includes simple gravy. My husband (admittedly an extremist on the subject) swears that he’d be content to make a whole meal out of nothing but mashed potatoes and gravy. There are two main candidates for the…
Shredded Butternut Squash with Dates and Pistachios
Start to finish: 20 minutes Hands in time: 20 minutes Servings: 4 1 medium butternut squash (1 ½ pounds) 2 medium shallots 1/3 cup shelled natural pistachios 3 large dates 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 large mint leaves 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice Kosher salt Cayenne pepper Peel the…
Rawia Bishara’s Brussels Sprouts with Panko
Adapted from: Olives, Lemons & Za’atar (Kyle Books, 2014) Rawia’s Tip: If you are not a fan of frying, Brussels sprouts can be brushed with oil and oven roasted at 400°F until tender. That being said, I think fried tastes better! Start to finish: 40 minutes Hands-on time: 40 minutes…
Simple Boiled Rice
Makes 4 to 6 servings Hands-on time: 3 minutes Total preparation time: 22 minutes Kosher salt 1 cup long grain white rice 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or to taste Freshly ground black pepper Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Gradually pour in the…
Creamed Corn
You can make creamed corn without cream and still get just what you want from the dish: the texture of cream and the flavor of corn. In fact, creamed corn without cream is a distinct improvement on creamed corn with cream. Relying on the corn’s own starch for thickening guarantees that…
Radish and Orange Salad with Peppery Orange Dressing
Radishes don’t get enough love in this country and I have no idea why. They are both peppery and sweet, crunchy, and quite refreshing. Teamed up with oranges, arugula, and olives, they make a great side salad. By the way, The best way to slice radishes is with a food…
Grilled Potato and Corn Salad with Chipotle Mayonnaise
The corn in this salad should be grilled, but what’s the best way to do it? In the husk? With some of the husk removed? Stripped naked? My wholehearted vote is for the “naked” or fully husked, method, which creates an unbeatable toasted popcorn flavor. The secret ingredients here are…
Easy Fresh Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup water 1/2 cup fresh orange, tangerine, or clementine juice 3/4 to 1 cup sugar or to taste 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups) 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange rind Bring water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and…
Chinese Fried Eggplant with Pine Nuts
This recipe was featured in a travel story on Taipei written by Fred Ferretti and published by Gourmet in January 1993. Served at a hotel called the Imperial Palace, this dish was tested and fine-tuned by Fred’s wife, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, one of my favorite cookbook authors and Chinese cooking…
Southern Braised Mustard Greens with Ham
These are good old-fashioned mustard greens, cooked slow and low with a ham hock. It is a great make-ahead dish for a crowd, and it nicely rounds out a buffet. You can make the same recipe using kale or collard greens or mix up all three. Me, I prefer the…
Creamed Spinach with Crispy Shallots
Creamed spinach was one of those special-occasion side dishes my mom served up as kids. Although she usually worked with frozen spinach, which is fine, it’s even better using fresh spinach. The richest and most luxurious way to make this recipe is with—surprise—heavy cream. But because I like a lot…