weeknight gourmet

Posts Tagged ‘Bon Appetit’

Summer Meatless Mondays: Corn Pesto

August 10 2010 |  Leave a Comment

Here is another great summertime meatless Monday recipe using everyone’s favorite summer veggie — corn!  If you are looking for a way to enjoy corn other than corn on the cob, this is a delicious and unique pasta sauce.

The corn pesto and bacon combination reminded me of a corn chowder.  Make sure to save some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce — the pesto is pretty thick.

There is still nothing as delicious as a grilled ear of corn but this was definitely a tasty and different way to use corn.

Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto
Bon Appetit

  • 4 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces tagliatelle or fettuccine
  • 3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

0 Comment
Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree
Read more...

Summer Sides: Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan & Pine Nuts

July 22 2010 |  Leave a Comment

I made this delicious summer salad to go along with ribs last weekend.  I love zucchini and think it is one of the real culinary treasurers of the summer and this salad is a great no-cook way to put the veggie to work.  The lemon dressing adds a great freshness to the dish.  And I love anything with parmesan and pine nuts!

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
Bon Appetit

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • Small wedge of Parmesan cheese

Whisk oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and crushed red pepper in small bowl to blend. Set dressing aside.

Using vegetable peeler or V-slicer and working from top to bottom of each zucchini, slice zucchini into ribbons (about 1/16 inch thick). Place ribbons in large bowl. Add basil and nuts, then dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using vegetable peeler, shave strips from Parmesan wedge over salad.

0 Comment
Categories : Salads
Read more...

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps



June 17 2010 |  Leave a Comment

by Weeknight Gourmet Guest Blogger Happy Farrow

Here’s another quick and delicious recipe.  I never thought to make lettuce wraps at home, but after discovering how easy they are to prepare, they’ve become a regular weeknight meal at our house.  I usually substitute carrots for cucumbers and add green onion, assembling as one would a taco, rather than mixing the vegetables and mint with the turkey.

*Making your own peanut sauce is easy enough, and homemade tastes so much better than bottled options.  For the lettuce wraps, I make a little less than half of the peanut sauce recipe and skip the food processor step (it all blends into a creamy consistency when added to the cooked turkey).

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Bon Appetit, August 2002
Yield:  4 servings

  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup purchased Asian peanut sauce*
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus additional soy sauce for dipping
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint plus 1/3 cup small mint sprigs
  • 12 large butter lettuce leaves

Heat peanut oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and sauté until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 7 minutes. Add peanut sauce, hoisin sauce, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce; heat through. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat in microwave or skillet, adding water by tablespoonfuls to moisten if necessary, before continuing.) Stir in cucumber and chopped mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer turkey mixture to medium bowl. Place mint sprigs and lettuce leaves on platter. To make wraps, spoon turkey mixture onto lettuce leaf, add a few mint sprigs, fold in sides over filling, and roll up. Pass additional soy sauce alongside wraps for dipping.

*Peanut Sauce
Tyler Florence
Yield:  3 cups

  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as sambal
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 cup hot water

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the hot water to thin out the sauce, you may not need all of it.

Happy is freelance designer (http://www.happyfarrow.com/index.html) and lives in Boston with her husband James and daughter Cecily.

2 Comments
Categories : Poultry, Turkey
Read more...

Almost Meatless Monday: Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

May 5 2010 |  Leave a Comment

Today is my due date but Baby O is still happy so I am still blogging.

Ok, so we didn’t have a meatless Monday but this recipe could easily be adapted to be vegetarian but it is just so good with the pancetta, I am not sure you’ll want to eliminate it.  If you opt for a vegetarian version, just saute the asparagus in olive oil instead of the pancetta drippings.

I just love spring produce and this recipe showcases some of my favorites– fresh asparagus, peas, and green onions.  I cheated and used frozen peas, but bought some gorgeous asparagus, green onions, and fresh basil and parsley at the Manhattan Fruit Exchange.  The lemon juice and zest adds a nice brightness to the dish and the pancetta adds great flavor.

The parmesan and cream make a nice light cream sauce.  Since it was only two of us, I cut the penne by about one-third to half but used all of the veggies the recipe called for.

Tim and I both loved this dish!  I definitely plan to make it again.

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta
Bon Appetit

  • 12 ounces fettuccine or penne
  • 3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
  • 1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw)
  • 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
0 Comment
Categories : Pasta
Read more...

Halibut on Mashed Fava Beans with Mint

May 3 2010 |  Leave a Comment

Here is a delicious and light recipe for an unusually hot May evening.  Tim and I picked up the fresh spring produce and halibut from Chelsea Market this morning.  I just love shopping there!

The halibut has a great flavor from the lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and mint.

This was my first experience cooking fresh fava beans.  They take a while to shell but I just love fava beans so it was worth the work.  You need to take the beans out of the pods and then blanch the beans.  After you blanch the beans, it will be easy to remove them from their shell.

In addition to the mashed fava beans, I roasted some beautiful local asparagus for a great spring side.

This recipe showed me once again that I really need to buy a proper fish spatula!  One of the pieces did not escape the pan in good condition.  Luckily, it still tasted great!

Halibut on Mashed Fava Beans with Mint
Bon Appetit

  • 3 pounds fresh fava beans in pod, shelled, or 2 1/2 cups frozen doublepeeled fava beans, thawed
  • 2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 2 pinches of dried crushed red pepper, divided
  • 6 5-ounce 3/4-inch-thick halibut fillets
  • 9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • All purpose flour (for dredging)

Cook fava beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water 2 minutes; drain. Transfer to large bowl of ice water. Cool beans; peel if using fresh beans. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Mix 2 teaspoons mint, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1 pinch of red pepper in small bowl. Arrange fish on large rimmed baking sheet. Rub mint mixture all over fish. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add fava beans. Sprinkle with coarse salt, black pepper, and pinch of red pepper. Cook until heated through and tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by 1/4 cupfuls if dry, about 5 minutes. Using potato masher, mash beans to coarse puree, adding water by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Dredge fish in flour, shaking off excess. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over medium-high heat. Cook fish until lightly browned and just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, rewarm fava bean puree. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup mint, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Divide fava bean puree among plates. Top with fish and serve.

Serves 6.

0 Comment
Categories : Fish, Side dishes - vegetables
Read more...

Easter Dinner: Roasted Lamb Chops with Charmoula & Skillet Asparagus

April 5 2010 |  Leave a Comment

We had a quiet Easter at home in New York City.  My mom came in for dinner.  Since Tim, my mom, and I are all lamb lovers, I decided lamb chops were a perfect Easter dinner. I found this recipe on Epicurious and thought it looked delicious.

Charmoula is a zesty herb and garlic sauce from the Middle East.  The store was out of mint so I just doubled the amount of cilantro.  The sauce was delicious on the lamb and provided great flavor as a marinade.

I cooked the lamb for the 13 minutes the recipe called for and the lamb turned out perfectly.  I typically roast asparagus but the skillet asparagus was delicious.  I squeezed a bit of lemon juice on the asparagus before serving.

Roasted Lamb Chops with Charmoula and Skillet Asparagus
Bon Appetit

Charmoula

  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)* or sweet Hungarian paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Lamb & Asparagus

  • 8 (1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch-thick) lamb loin chops (about 2 2/3 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed, peeled, tops cut into 3-inch-long pieces, stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons chopped shallot
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

For charmoula:
Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and toast until aromatic and slightly darker, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Transfer to processor. Add parsley leaves and next 6 ingredients to processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarse paste forms. With machine running, gradually add 4 tablespoons oil. Transfer 2 tablespoons charmoula to small bowl; whisk in lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cover and chill to serve with lamb.

For lamb & asparagus:
Transfer remaining charmoula to large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb chops; seal bag and turn to coat well. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Let lamb and charmoula sauce in bowl stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place rack on prepared baking sheet. Place lamb on rack and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until thermometer inserted into center registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 13 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add asparagus and sauté until tender, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add shallot and lemon peel. Sauté 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 2 lamb chops on each of 4 plates. Divide asparagus among plates. Drizzle lamb and asparagus with charmoula sauce, passing remaining sauce alongside.

3 Comments
Categories : Lamb
Read more...

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

March 31 2010 |  Leave a Comment

Last night, I made these tasty chicken burgers that have all the goodness from chicken parm packed into a burger patty.

For the burger coating, I used store bought breadcrumbs because the bread I had on hand was rosemary flavored.  Wasn’t sure if rosemary would be a good add to the burger coating.  For the burger mixture, I just chopped some onion — I am still not sure sure why it was calling for grated onion.

One caveat, I used about 10 oz. of ground chicken which made 3 decent sized burgers.  If I were prepping dinner for 4, I would use a whole pound of ground chicken.

As the burgers cooked, I toasted some of the rosemary bread for the buns and prepared a green salad.

Overall a quick, tasty meal that I think kids will enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers
Bon Appetit

  • 10 1/2-inch-thick slices French bread (4 inches in diameter); 8 slices toasted, 2 slices (crust removed) diced
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 tablespoons minced fresh basil, divided, plus 12 large basil leaves
  • 3/4 cup purchased refrigerated marinara sauce
  • 12 ounces ground chicken (white meat)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
  • 4 large radicchio leaves

Blend diced bread and Parmesan in processor to fine crumbs. Transfer to pie dish; mix in 2 tablespoons minced basil.

Mix marinara and 2 tablespoons basil in small saucepan. Transfer 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce to large bowl. Add chicken, 1/2 tablespoon oil, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with pepper; blend. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; coat with crumbs. Heat sauce over low heat.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties until bottoms are crusty, 4 minutes. Turn patties over; top with cheese. Cook 3 minutes. Cover; cook until cooked through and cheese is melted, about 1 minute.

Assemble burgers with bread, radicchio, basil leaves, and warm marinara.

1 Comment
Categories : Burgers, Poultry
Read more...

Comfort Food Classic: Bolognese Sauce

February 28 2010 |  Leave a Comment

Since I am still on a quest for the perfect bolognese sauce, I decided this recipe from the March Bon Appetit was a good use for the last of the ground beef from the steer.

This recipe is from a “back country” menu, so it calls for antelope sausage and venison.  I didn’t have easy access to either so I substituted spicy Italian sausage for the antelope sausage and ground veal for the venison.  The only other changes I made were to halve the recipe and to use a bit more tomato paste than the directions called for.

I bought fresh fettuccine — the store didn’t have fresh pappardelle — to serve with the sauce and I prepared a simple green salad as a side.

The hearty sauce was delicious and rustic!  The four different meats — beef, sausage, bacon, and veal — provided wonderful flavor.  And, there is plenty left over for another meal this week.  I bet the sauce will taste even better when we have it later this week.  This just might become my go-to bolognese recipe.

Homemade Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce
Bon Appetit

  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped celery
  • 3/4 cup chopped carrot
  • 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
  • 1 1/2 pounds antelope sausages or spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
  • 3/4 pound ground venison or ground beef (15% fat)
  • 3/4 pound bacon, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup tomato paste (about 7 1/2 ounces)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for passing
  • 2.5 – 3 lbs fresh pappardelle

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients. Sauté until vegetables are soft but not brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Add beef, sausage, venison, and bacon. Increase heat to high. Cook until meat is brown, breaking into small pieces with back of spoon, about 15 minutes.

Stir in milk, wine, and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until sauce is thick, flavors blend, and juices are reduced, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Rewarm over low heat.

Cook pasta in very large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes if cooking immediately or 5 to 6 minutes if previously chilled. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add warm Bolognese and 1 cup cheese. Toss over medium heat until heated through, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Serve, passing additional cheese.

0 Comment
Categories : Beef, Pasta, Pork
Read more...

Q. What do I do with an eye of round roast? A. Roast Beef with Dijon-Caper Sauce

February 26 2010 |  Leave a Comment

I can’t believe how few pieces of beef we have left!   Last weekend I cooked our eye of round roast.  Like many of the cuts we had, I had to do a little research to figure out what to do with it.

I found this recipe on epicurious.com and it looked easy yet flavorful.  The roast cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the mustard-caper sauce.  My only big mistake, and piece of advice to anyone who cooks this cut of beef, is to slice the beef very thinly.  I made the slices much too thick.  I am not good at carving meat — I think I need to take a carving class!

I served the beef with an easy version of potato au gratin.  A delicious Sunday night meal.

Roast Beef with Dijon-Caper Sauce
Bon Appetit

Roast Beef:

  • 1 3-pound eye of round beef roast, trimmed of excess fat and sinew
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-salt beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers

For roast beef:
Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix thyme, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Heat oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 130°F, about 40 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; let rest.

For sauce:
Place skillet with juices over medium-high heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; bring to boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, whisking often, about 6 minutes. Whisk in mustard and capers. Season sauce with pepper.

Cut beef crosswise into very thin slices. Transfer beef to platter. Serve with sauce.

Test-kitchen tip:
Eye of round is not the most tender cut of beef. For the best flavor and texture, be sure to slice it very thinly.

0 Comment
Categories : Beef
Read more...

Scampi Fra Diavolo with Orzo

January 10 2010 |  Leave a Comment

Here’s a very tasty and easy shrimp dish.  The recipe is basically a spicy version of shrimp scampi. It’s very simple and fresh tasting.

I didn’t make any changes to the dish other than adding some freshly grated pecorino romano to the panko mixture.  Serve the dish over your favorite pasta or some crusty bread.  I served it over orzo on Saturday night.  Yum!

Scampi Fra Diavolo
Bon Appetit

  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
  • 1 1/4 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left intact
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine (preferably Sauvignon Blanc)
  • Lemon wedges

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and stir until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; mix in 2 tablespoons parsley. Wipe out skillet.

Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in same skillet over high heat. Add red onion and sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté 1 minute. Add shrimp and sauté until barely opaque in center, about 1 minute per side. Add white wine and simmer until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining 6 tablespoons parsley. Transfer to shallow bowl. Sprinkle sautéed panko over and serve with lemon wedges.

0 Comment
Categories : Fish, Pasta
Read more...
« Older Entries
Copyright © 2010 weeknightgourmet.com All rights reserved.
Terms of Use   |   Privacy Policy