Sara’s Weeknight Meals
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…
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…
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…
Linguini with White Bean, Sun-dried Tomato, and Olive Sauce
Makes 4 servings Hands-on-time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 20 minutes Mashing up white beans instantly produces a creamy pasta sauce – without cream – that’s capable of binding together all the ingredients in a dish. Here I’ve “beefed up” the sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and olives from the pantry. Of course,…
Fried Rice
Makes 4 servings Hands-on-time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 15 minutes If you order Chinese takeout (and who doesn’t?), chances are you often have cooked white rice on your hands. I can’t think of any better use for it than to transform it into fried rice. The kids love it. I have…
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…
Asian Turkey Burgers with Wasabi Sauce
Makes 6 servings Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes Sure, ground turkey is a nice lean alternative to ground beef, but its very leanness guarantees that it will usually be quite dry. How to juice it up? Vegetables – in this case Napa cabbage, which gives off moisture…
Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper and Gorgonzola
Makes 4 servings Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour marinating This is an absolutely wonderful meatless summer sandwich. In the center is a marinated and grilled Portobello mushroom cap. It is filled with melted Gorgonzola, topped with roasted red peppers, and lathered with just a…
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…