This recipe calls for an 8- or 9-inch ovenproof skillet; if you don’t have access to one, you can do the stovetop work in any skillet, then transfer the meat mixture to a small ovenproof baking dish or ramekin to build and bake the pie. You may substitute beef, turkey, chicken, or lamb for the sausage. If you’d rather not use wine, substitute an extra splash of stock. Eat this straight from the skillet.
Carrot Scraps Sundaes
Of course nothing compares to carrot cake. But, when you’re in search of a speedy sweet treat, these sundaes come pretty close, and if you’re already making carrots for dinner, they’ll be ready to go in no time. When it comes to carrot scraps, as long as they’re washed well, you can use peels, grated ends, or quickly chopped up bits and pieces that didn’t make your dinner spread. Don’t skip out on the flaky salt—similar to cream cheese frosting, it adds the right amount of savoriness for balance. Feel free to add your favorite sundae toppings or carrot cake mix-ins, like extra syrup, shredded coconut, and/or toasted walnuts.
Twice-Fried Potato Scraps with Smoked Fish Dip
Depending on personal preferences or methods you might be following to prepare potatoes, use either potato skins or more substantial edges. The skins will give you more delicate crisps (think classic potato chips), and the edges will act as heartier vessels for dipping and spreading (you can store the remaining potato flesh in cold water in the fridge for up to 24 hours). When there’s already a pot filled with hot frying oil, I like making and serving both—in this case, for those less interested in smoked fish, the fried potato skins are a great snack on their own, and they’ll stay crispy for a long time. The edges, on the other hand, are best served warm, so if you’re also making skins, make the edges second. While a lot of whitefish dips rely on cream cheese as a main ingredient, this one calls for creme fraiche and sour cream in order to remain on the lighter, more scoopable side. Feel free to substitute parsley with fresh dill or tarragon, or to add extra seasonings to your potatoes as you see fit.
Broccoli Scrap and Pea Soup with White Cheddar Croutons
A fellow soup-loving friend and I once discussed our favorites, and I joked that mine was “broccoli cheddar.” Now, I really mean it. This bright green soup is also one of the most efficient ways to clear out aging ingredients. Leftover stalks make for a nutty, slightly caramelized, and creamy base. And those little bits and crumbs of broccoli florets that often get left behind? Toss them in oil and salt and roast them until they’re charred for a garnish that adds texture and amplifies the flavors of the soup. If you’ve got in-season peas, wonderful, but if not, thaw frozen ones you might have forgotten about. You’ll be glad you have some stale bread on hand, too—once tossed with olive oil and salt and covered with shredded sharp white cheddar under the broiler, you’ll have everything you need for a delicious and warming meal.
Artichoke and Bean Salad
A can of beans, some jarred artichokes, good olive oil—this is assembly rather than cooking, but it transports me straight to long summer lunches in Europe, even if all the ingredients came from my pantry. Make it your own with whatever treasures you have on hand: garlic confit, cured lemons, some pickles. It’s perfect as a side dish but substantial and nutritious enough for a solo dinner eaten straight from the bowl. – Mélanie Masarin
Chocolate-Cherry Bonbons from How to Cook Everything Kids
Proof that yes, you can make candy! The only reason this recipe is marked “Intermediate” is for the food processor. Other than that, you won’t believe how easy these are.
CORRECTION NOTE: Eating raw flour is now considered a potential food safety risk. The original recipe in How to Cook Everything Kids (on page 300) has been updated to omit the uncooked flour and replace it with the same amount of extra powdered sugar. This is the revised recipe.
Maple Oatmeal Brown Butter Almond Cookies
If you can easily find Grade A Dark syrup, use that for deeper maple flavor. But Grade A Amber works just fine. Choose either light or dark brown sugar; the difference is negligible here. If you can’t be bothered to toast your oats and nuts, don’t worry, the recipe still works (your cookies will just be a little less flavorful). For a gluten-free version, you may substitute oat flour, but increase the amount to 1 1/4 cups, and be sure to rest the dough for a full 24 hours before baking.
Shoyu Chicken
Shoyu chicken is the king of the Hawai‘i potluck. As they say in fantasy football, it’s got a high floor as a dish—and I’d say a high ceiling, too. No one will ever complain if you bring even mediocre shoyu chicken to a party, but if you show up with this succulent version that makes everyone mop their plate and go back for thirds, you’re guaranteed high praise. An easy way to think of shoyu chicken is as a slowly simmered, almost poached, version of teriyaki—there are some differences, of course, but the combination of flavors is similar. And since I believe it’s easier to simmer something than grill it, this is the can’t-mess-up chicken recipe I would give first to any burgeoning home cook. You can even use a slow cooker to set it and forget it. – Sheldon Simeon
Gently Braised Spring Vegetables
This is best eaten immediately after it comes off the heat, so be sure to have your garnishes ready to go. Speaking of garnishes, let your fancy be your guide. The chives and basil called for here are delicious, but so are tarragon, thyme, sorrel, parsley, cilantro, maybe some toasted pine nuts, perhaps a crumble of goat cheese or feta. A few pitted and halved olives would be excellent too, or a spoonful of capers for a briny pop. Once you’ve got the basic technique down, improvise. If you’ve got some crusty bread around, it’s great for mopping up the juices.
Creamed Mushrooms and Spinach with Fried Artichokes
This feels like one of the smoothest transitions from winter to spring—hearty, warming, fresh, and full of greens and pleasing textures. Serve this as a side dish with something like pasta al limone, or alongside good bread and butter and a simple salad for a satisfying lunch. Use boatloads of black pepper. Snack on some of the fried artichokes—for quality control, of course—as you go.
Radish and Avocado Salad with Lime, Charnushka, and Dill
This recipe pairs perfectly with things like grilled skewers or warm pita bread with hummus. In fact, you could stuff leftover salad into a pita and add feta or your favorite protein and have a very delicious future lunch, too. A variety of thinly sliced radishes are not only wonderfully peppery but very fun to plate—be playful and create whatever shapes your heart desires. When making guacamole, my ratio of limes (for juice) to avocados has always been 1:1, which remains the same here: It’s early spring, and we need brightness. Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for balance, and don’t be shy when seasoning with salt—avocados can handle a lot of it. Note: Charnushka (onion seed) and fragrant baby dill fronds bring a lot of depth to the dish, don’t skip ‘em!
Curry-Buttered English Peas with Lemon, Mint, and Shallots
Shucking peas is a delightful Sunday morning activity, but when it makes more sense to use frozen ones, they’ll work well, too. This recipe will leave you with extra curry butter, which can be made ahead of time—use it for roasting chicken and vegetables, and when broiling fish or potatoes or making pan sauces. When garnishing, go heavy on the lemon zest and mint. Note: If you’re using frozen peas, they don’t need to be blanched, only heated through before serving. You can run them under cold water and dry them before adding them to a frying pan with the diced shallots and curry butter.
Endive Salad with Walnuts and Ubriaco Rosso
It’s fun to see people’s reactions to this dish. At first glance, it looks like just a pile of endive leaves. But I think there’s something really beautiful about it. The way to start is by eating a few of the top leaves, little endive cups holding orange juice and oil, and then begin filling the rest of them with the absurdly delicious crouton-and-cheese mixture hidden below, sort of like making your own taco. – Ignacio Mattos
“Fun-Size” Lemon Cheesecake
Plan ahead: This cheesecake needs to cool and chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
“Deviled” Jammy Eggs with Bacon, Cornichons, Crushed Potato Chips, and Chives
Seven-minute jammy eggs topped with bacon, cornichons, and crushed potato chips come together a lot faster than a potato salad and they don’t disappoint. I suggest using thick cut bacon and a simple flavor of potato chips. I’ve thought about how jalapeno kettle cooked chips could take things up a notch, and sour cream and onion would be excellent, too, but salt and pepper varieties are great and they’re probably more appealing to a wider range of guests—listen to your heart and whoever you’re feeding. Any of your favorite chopped pickles will work well, but I strongly suggest using Maille cornichons (gherkins), because I’ve come by too many too-sweet cornichons before, and these are not that. These eggs might have a game day vibe, but they’re lovely to serve for breakfasts, picnics, dinner parties, and more.
“Deviled” Jammy Eggs with Ham, Gruyere, and Hot “Dijonnaisse”
If you’re a fan of classic jambon-fromage sandwiches, these eggs are for you. They’re also reminiscent of croque monsieurs and madames, with cheesy toasted panko that adds a great crunch. What’s less French is Colman’s Hot English Mustard, which I prefer to use for this recipe (I love it for its kick), but your favorite Dijon would be a great alternative. You can also use smoked gruyere or crisp up your ham if you prefer deeper flavors, and if sprinkling each egg with a little piment d’espellete is of interest, feel free. There’s a lot of room for playing around with plating, too—have fun with it.
“Deviled” Jammy Eggs with Anchovies, Pickled Peppers, and Parsley
This recipe calls for a quick-to-assemble garlic mayo with lemon zest, and it’s delicious. I’ve also made these eggs with a dollop of creme fraiche as an alternative, and they were incredible, too. It’s important to taste whatever anchovies you’re using before plating these up to get a sense of saltiness—depending on the brand and how they’ve been preserved, some anchovies can be significantly saltier than others, and you might want to adjust your add-ons accordingly (note that white anchovies in vinegar are also a great option here). Parsley will add freshness, and a hint of heat and brightness from hot pickled peppers will bring balance and the right amount of punch to each bite.
Toasted Oat Pancakes with Brown-Sugar Apples
Grind some toasted oats to a coarse flour for a hearty—but still fluffy—pancake topped with a quick caramel fruit sauce. The ground oats will remind you of nuts. The batter comes together in a flash and you can keep it refrigerated overnight before firing up the griddle. In summer, try peaches or nectarines in place of the apples; in winter, try citrus segments. Or you can always just go with the usual butter-syrup combo with or without fruit.
Toasted Oatmeal, Sweet or Savory
Wake up your favorite breakfast porridge by using toasted oats to cook up a bowl of oatmeal. The caramel-like flavor can go savory or sweet. And since the results are a lot like rich and creamy risotto, it’s easy to turn a pot into lunch or dinner with hearty stir-ins or toppings from the list that follows.
Toasty and Oaty Homemade Cereal
Somewhere between muesli and granola lies this cold breakfast cereal made with simply toasted rolled oats. You control the texture by keeping them whole (for some chew) or bust them up a bit (for a texture like Grape Nuts, only way better). The variation describes how to turn them into overnight oats. Whichever path you take, use the list of toppings below to inspire what else might go in the bowl.
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