The Dijon mustard in the dressing gives this easy salad extra kick
Makes 4 main-course servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4cup mayonnaise
- 1/4cup olive oil
- 3tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar5cups mixed baby greens
- 115-ounce can small white beans, rinsed, drained
- 2/3cup chopped drained roasted red peppers from jar
- 1/3cup chopped red onion
- 112-ounce can chunk light tuna
- 2/3cup kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, pitted, halved
DIRECTIONS Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
Toss greens in large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place greens in center of 4 plates. Toss beans, red peppers and onion in medium bowl with enough dressing to coat. Top greens with bean mixture, then tuna, dividing equally. Garnish with olives and serve.
It’s important to splurge on well-marbled choice or prime strip steaks for this recipe. Lighter eaters might want to share one of these substantial cuts.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 414- to 16-ounce new york strip steaks (each about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
- 3tablespoons black peppercorns, cracked with mallet
- 2teaspoons coarse kosher salt1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter
- 4teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
DIRECTIONS Sprinkle steaks with cracked peppercorns and coarse salt. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Melt 1/2 cup butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Stir in mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. Remove from heat.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill steaks until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plates. Top each steak with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Grill mushrooms until soft and beginning to release juices, about 3 minutes per side. Divide mushrooms among steaks and serve.
Test-kitchen tip: To make crisscross grill marks, place steaks on the grill pointingto ten o’clock. Halfway through cooking on one side, turn steaks to point to 2 o’clock. Turn steaks over and repeat.
Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min
Makes 2 1/4 cups.
INGREDIENTS
- 4plum tomatoes (1 1/4 lb)
- 1red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise and stemmed
- 1medium onion, sliced1/2 inch thick
- 4garlic cloves, left unpeeled
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4teaspoon dried hot redpepper flakes
- 3/4teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS Preheat broiler.
Toss tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic with oil in a shallow(1-inch-deep) baking pan and broil about 4 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charredon all sides, about 10 minutes.Cool 10 minutes.
Peel garlic and purée in a blender with roasted vegetables, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt until smooth.
Serve with: Three-bean deli salad spooned over arugula. Dessert: Ice cream bars.
Makes 2 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 110-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough, rolled to 12-inch square
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 18-ounce package shredded pizza blend cheese
- 1small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3cup sliced black olives
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Ease dough into skillet (dough will extend partially up sides). Cook until golden on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn dough over. Top with remaining ingredients. Transfer skillet to oven; bake until cheese melts and toppings are hot, about 10 minutes. Cut into quarters and serve.
Serve with: Sourdough toast and a mixed green salad. Dessert: Oversize brownies.
Makes 4 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 1yukon gold potato, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 1/2tablespoons olive oil
- 1large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1large onion, coarsely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3tablespoons chopped fresh oregano8large eggs
- 1teaspoon salt
- 3/4teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS Cook potato in saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pepper and onion; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add potato, garlic, and oregano; sauté 1 minute.
Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Pour over vegetables in skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet, and cook until eggs are set around edges, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.
Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Place skillet in broiler 4 to 5 inches from heat source and cook until cheese is melted and just browned, about 2 minutes. Let frittata stand 1 minute. Cut into 8 wedges.
Raw sugar melts easily and makes a nice crunchy topping on the custards.
Makes 6.
INGREDIENTS
- compote
- 2cups apple juice
- 3/4cup diced dried calimyrna figs (about 5 ounces)
- 3/4cup diced dried pitted prunes (about 5 ounces)
- 1/2teaspoon (packed) grated orange peelcustards
- 2 1/3cups whipping cream
- 1/3cup half and half
- 1/2teaspoon ground white pepper
- 15-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 8large egg yolks
- 1/2cup sugar9teaspoons raw sugar crystals
DIRECTIONS For compote:
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until figs and prunes are soft, about 10 minutes. Cool compote slightly. Transfer to small bowl. (Compote can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
For custards:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine cream, half and half, and pepper in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring cream mixture to simmer over medium heat. Cover; set aside 10 minutes to steep. Discard vanilla bean. Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in warm cream mixture.
Divide custard among ramekins. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake custards until set in center, about 35 minutes. Remove custards from water; refrigerate uncovered until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons raw sugar crystals over top of each custard. Place custards on small baking sheet and broil until sugar melts and browns, rotating sheet for even browning, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate custards uncovered until topping hardens, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
Serve custards with compote.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2lb small (1 1/2-inch) red potatoes
- 1/2fennel bulb (sometimes
called anise)
- 3tablespoons white-wine vinegar
- 1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1large red bell pepper, cut into1/2-inch pieces
DIRECTIONS Simmer potatoes in salted cold water to cover by 1 inch in a saucepan until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drainand rinse under cold water. Whencool enough to handle, cut eachpotato into eighths.
While potatoes are cooking, trim fennel stalks flush with bulb, discarding stalks, and chop enough fronds to measure 2 tablespoons.Core bulb and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
Whisk together vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add warm potatoes, fennel bulb and fronds, and bell pepper, then toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 4 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4teaspoon dried crushed redpepper
- 12ounces cooked large shrimp
- 4plum tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
- 115-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), drained8ounces medium shell pasta
- 8ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths
- 6tablespoons chopped fresh basil
DIRECTIONS Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and red pepper and stir 1 minute. Add shrimp and tomatoes; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add cannellini and stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender. Add green beans; cook until beans and pasta are just tender, about 3 minutes longer. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta and beans to pot. Stir in shrimp mixture, 4 tablespoons basil and enough pasta cooking liquid to moisten pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining basil.
Makes about 42.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 1/2cups all purpose flour
- 1tablespoon baking powder
- 1tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2cups sugar
- 1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2tablespoons grand marnier
- 1 1/2tablespoons grated lemon peel
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4large eggspowdered sugar
DIRECTIONS Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in Grand Marnier, lemon peel and vanilla. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in dry ingredients. Cover and chill just untilslightly firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle powdered sugar on work surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half on sugar to 11-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake until firm to touch, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Transfer logs to work surface. Discard parchment paper. Using serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake until dry, about 20 minutes. Cool on racks. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight.)
This light starter reinvents the classic side dish of lima beans and corn.
Makes 10 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- croutons
- 1/4cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 3cups 1/2-inch cubes crustless sourdough bread (about 8 ounces)
- 1teaspoon coarsely cracked black peppersoup
- 2tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
- 2cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 medium)
- 1/4cup minced shallots
- 3garlic cloves, chopped
- 6tablespoons finely chopped fresh italian parsley
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 8cups low-salt chicken broth
- 1 1/2cups frozen baby lima beans (about 8 ounces)
- 114 3/4-ounce can creamed corn
- 1 1/2cups frozen white corn kernels (about 8 ounces)
DIRECTIONS For croutons:
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and pepper and stir to coat. Sauté until croutons are golden and crisp on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely; store airtight at room temperature.)
For soup:
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, shallots, and garlic; sauté until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons parsley, thyme, and oregano; sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper. Add broth and lima beans and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lima beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Add creamed corn and corn kernels and heat through. Remove soup from heat; season to taste with salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with some croutons and some of remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve, passing remaining croutons separately.
Market tip: Italian parsley, sometimes labeled flat-leaf parsley, has a stronger aroma and flavor than the regular curly-leaf variety.
