Sara’s Weeknight Meals Season 1
Eggs Baked in Ham with Sofrito
photo by Jessica Leibowitz Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Eggs baked in ham cups with creamed mushrooms underneath appeared on the February 2002 cover of Gourmet magazine. I made them on my show and was astonished (I don’t know why – everything is…
Egg, Canadian Bacon, and Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes All right, I’ll be honest. This is a take off on you-know-what served by that fast food restaurant. Only they use English muffins, which actually makes for a pretty lean breakfast sandwich. You can use English muffins also…
Pork Tournedos with Sage and Prosciutto
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 20 minutes This is a take off on the Italian dish called saltimbocca, which literally means “jump into the mouth,” because that is how tasty it is. The traditional dish has veal scaloppine, prosciutto, and sage. This variation, made with pork tenderloin,…
Middle Eastern Meatball Sandwiches with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Photo by Jessica Leibowitz My favorite meat for these meatball sandwiches is lamb but if you are not a lamb fan go with beef or even turkey for the leanest option. Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes 4-inch piece seedless (English) cucumber…
Seared Beef in Autumn Broth with Wasabi Cream
Makes 4 Servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 33 minutes This dish began as a variation on a French recipe called boeuf a la ficelle (literally “beef on a string), which requires the cook to tie a string around some filet mignon and lower it into a pot…
Green Chicken Posole
Photo by Jessica Leibowitz Makes 4 to 6 servings Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Posole is a hearty soup from the Jalisco region of Mexico that is traditionally made with pork and hominy. Hominy is dried corn kernels from which the hulls and germs have been…
Det Burgers
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes My first official cooking job was in the midseventies at a bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan (where I went to college), called the Del Rio. They featured live jazz on weekends. It was a democratic place; all decisions…
Where can I find Season 9 of “Sara’s Weeknight Meals”?
All of “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” Season 9 is now available on the Sara’s Weeknight Meals page at youtube.com. The Season starts with Episode 901: Havana Weeknights. In it we kick off with a trip to Florida to dive into the best local home cooking in the Sunshine State. First up, Miami and…
Quick Salmon Cakes with Corn Salsa
Makes 4 servings Hands-on-time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes Canned salmon has come a long way in terms of quality, and when combined with chiles, crushed tortilla chips, and cumin, moistened with mayonnaise, and topped with corn salsa you almost wouldn’t know that it was canned. I have long…
Parsley Pesto
Makes 1 1/4 cups Hands-on time: 5 minutes Total preparation time: 5 minutes This recipe has all the elements of traditional pesto with a couple of crucial substitutions – parsley instead of basil and walnuts instead of pine nuts. Still, it goes wherever a basil pesto would. Toss it with cooked…
Sautéed Duck Breast with Gingered Grape Sauce
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Duck and fruit are a classic combination, humans having long ago figured out that the acid in oranges, apples, or pears acts as a great counterbalance to the richness of the duck. Here I’ve used grapes, because I think grapes…
Pressed Smoked Salmon or Turkey Reubens
Makes 4 sandwiches Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 27 minutes Built of corned beef, melted Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, the Reuben sandwich is a masterpiece of heart-stopping excess, huge not only in flavor but in size. Indeed, as my father-in-law might say, the typical Reuben sandwich is…
Cheatin’ Jambalaya
Makes 4 to 6 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 15 minutes In its authentic form this Cajun specialty is so wonderful that Hank Williams wrote a love song to it half a century ago. My version is much simpler than the classic. It does indeed boast many of…
Adobo-marinated Chicken (Pollo Adobado)
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes plus marinating time For the adobo: 2 guajillo chilies, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded and toasted very lightly 2 chiles de arbol (with seeds) or less, depending on heat, wiped clean and well toasted 3 large garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon cumin…
Fried Chicken Salad
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 40 minutes The chicken in this salad isn’t really fried. It’s soaked in buttermilk, breaded, and sauteed. It is, however, evocative of fried chicken. It’s juicy. It’s crispy. It’s delicious – and it’s much less caloric than actual fried chicken. I learned…
Lamb Yiouvesti
Makes 6 servings Hands-on-time: 30 minutes Total preparation time: 1 1/2 hours 18 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 sweet onions, coarsely chopped Extra virgin olive oil 6 lamb…
Vegetarian Yemista
Makes 5 servings Hands-on-time: 30 minutes Total preparation time: 45 minutes 4 cups short grain white rice 5 Beefsteak tomatoes 5 yellow bell peppers 5 eight-ball squash Extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets 1 medium sweet onion, chopped 8 porcini mushrooms, chopped 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 stalk celery stalk,…
Yiouvarelakia (Meatball Soup)
Makes 8 Servings Hands-on-time: 30 minutes Total preparation time: 60 minutes 2 quarts chicken or beef stock 5 bay leaves Kosher salt Finely milled black pepper 1 pound loaf country white bread, crusts removed 2 cups whole milk 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1/2 pound ground pork 2 large eggs 1/4 cup…
Risotto Terrazzo-man Style
Makes 6 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes This recipe is an ode to the Bertin side of my family – my father’s mother’s family. The Bertin’s were traditional terrazzo artisans – my Dad is one of the last. They were hard-working guys from Friuli who could do beautiful…
Chicken Stock
Makes about 8 cups Hands-on time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 3 1/2 hours I understand that most people are going to reach for a can of chicken stock on a weeknight (and yes, let’s be honest, even on a weekend) but I am hoping that one weekend, when you…
Giant Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes When I was growing up, one of the more exotic items in my mom’s culinary repertoire was stuffed mushrooms. She would make them with cultivated white mushrooms, which were considered very elegant at the time, and stuff them simply with…
Buffalo Rice
Makes 4 Servings Hands-On Time 25 Minutes Total Preparation Time: 25 Minutes Suggested accompaniment: Tossed green salad Ingredients 1 c long-grain white rice 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast halves 3 T unsalted butter Kosher Salt 2 T hot sauce 4 oz blue cheese 1 c celery leaves, for garnish…
Grilled Southwestern Pizza
Makes 2 medium pizzas Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes plus rising time 1 recipe Food Processor Pizza Dough, divided into 3 balls Olive oil for brushing and drizzling 3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 3 scallions, white and 1 inch of the green parts, thinly sliced 1 fresh or…
Middle Eastern Pizza
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes plus rising time 1 recipe Food Processor Pizza Dough 1/4 cup pine nuts 3/4 pound ground lamb or beef 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1 medium plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped (about 1/3 cup) 1/4medium green…