Dayrecipe Food Community

Sour cream and beets are inseparable in Eastern European cooking. Here’s a fresh new way to enjoy them together.

Makes 6 first-course or 4 main-course servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1tablespoon butter
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 2garlic cloves, minced
• 3cups (packed) coarsely grated peeled uncooked beets (about3 large)
• 1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice12ounces tagliatelle or fettuccine
• 18-ounce container sour cream
• 6tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley, divided

DIRECTIONS Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; stir until pale golden, about 1 minute. Add beets and cayenne; reduce heat to medium-low and sauté just until beets are tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in sour cream and 4 tablespoons parsley, then beet mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.

Test-kitchen tip: Surgical gloves (sold at drugstores) are ideal for protecting hands from staining when working with beets. Regular kitchen gloves work well, too, but they are a little more cumbersome.

Save time by using vacuum-sealed pouches of tuna, which don’t need to be drained.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3cup light mayonnaise
• 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2/3cup finely chopped celery
• 2/3cup finely chopped red onion
• 3tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley
• 27.06-ounce pouches water-packed chunk light tuna20belgian endive leaves (from about 2 heads)
• fresh italian parsley sprigs

DIRECTIONS
Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Mix in celery, onion, and chopped parsley. Stir in tuna. Season salad with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Spoon salad onto endive; place on platter. Garnish with parsley and serve.

An elegant main course from Xaviar’s restaurant in Garrison. Ask the butcher to bone the lamb for you.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1large bunch parsley, stems trimmed
• 8tablespoons olive oil
• 6tablespoons ice water
• 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice22-pound racks of lamb, boned, trimmed
• 1 1/2teaspoons ground cumin7ounces smoked andouille sausage orhot links, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2cups chicken stock or canned
• low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2teaspoon curry powder
• 1cup couscous
• 3tablespoons chopped fresh mint

DIRECTIONS Blanch parsley in large pot of boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain well. Place parsley, 6 tablespoons oil and 6 tablespoons ice water in blender; purée until well blended. Strain into small bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Parsley jus can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle lamb with cumin, salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add lamb; cook until brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven; cook lamb to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to cutting board. Tent with foil to keep warm. Let stand 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté sausage in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown, about 4 minutes. Bring stock and curry powder to boil in medium saucepan. Mix in couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Add sausage and mint; toss to blend. Season couscous to taste with salt and pepper.
Slice lamb. Spoon couscous onto plates. Surround with sliced lamb. Spoon parsley jus around lamb and serve.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 50 min

Makes 2 to 4 servings (about 3 cups).

INGREDIENTS

• 1medium leek (white and pale green parts only)
• 1large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (1/4 lb), leaves separated from stems and stems coarsely chopped
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1medium zucchini (1/2 lb), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/4cup dry white wine
• 2cups water

DIRECTIONS Chop leek and wash in a bowl of cold water, agitating it, then lift out and pat dry.

Cook parsley stems and leek in oil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and water and simmer, covered, until zucchini is very tender, about 10 minutes.

Purée mixture in a blender with parsley leaves until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Season with salt and pepper. If desired, pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned saucepan, pressing hard on solids, then discarding them. Reheat if necessary.

A spoonful of this classic compound butter, known as maître d’hôtel butter, makes an instant sauce for anything from grilled steak to sautéed chicken to steamed vegetables. It can also be stirred into soups and stews.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Makes about 1/2 cup.

INGREDIENTS

• 1stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2tablespoons minced shallot
• 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2teaspoon minced garlic
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS Purée all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.