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Inspiration for wholesome weeknight & weekend cooking.

Posts tagged ‘make ahead’

Stir-Fried Brown Rice with Seaweed & Black Sesame

This rice is so delicious — one taste and you won’t believe you made it!  Nothing hard about this — it just requires you to make the rice the day/night before.  Great served with fish, chicken or steak with an Asian flavor profile.  I have served this with Miso-Glazed Black Cod.

Stir-Fried Brown Rice with Seaweed & Black Sesame

Recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook “It’s All Good”

Stir-Fried Brown Rice with Nori + Black Sesame

“This simple dish isn’t just a great way to dress up leftover rice, it actually depends on leftover rice, since leftover rice is drier than freshly cooked rice and the kernels get browned and crispy when you stir-fry them with this lovely combination of flavors.”

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups day-old Perfectly Cooked Brown Rice

Coarse sea salt

2 sheets toasted nori seaweed

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce or Tamari

1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over high heat.  Add the rice, along with a big pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until warmed through and just barely beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes. Using scissors, shred the nori finely and add it along with the remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine and serve immediately.

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Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio & Sage

This is such an amazing salad!!  My friend Nicole does catering and cooking classes in San Francisco (Savory Pear) and she came up with this brilliant creation.  She says it gets even better the next day, so a great “make ahead” dish.  To save time, I often buy the container of butternut squash that has already been cut up (but use immediately – it doesn’t last that long!)

Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio & Sage

Recipe from blog Savory Pear in the November 2012 Newsletter.

Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio & Sage

Ingredients:

1 medium sugar pie pumpkin, butternut squash, delicata squash, or kabocha

1 cup olive oil, divided

1 cup semi pearled farro

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 medium head of radicchio, cut into 1/4 inch ribbons

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 bunch sage

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Peel, seed, and cut the squash or pumpkin into 1/3 inch cubes.  Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper.  Spread into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserts easily and the squash or pumpkin is nicely browned.  Let cool.

Place the farro in a large pot of lightly salted water.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the grains are tender, 15-20 minutes.

While the farro is cooking, combine the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some fresh ground pepper in a small bowl and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil.  Drain the farro and add to a medium or large bowl.  Toss in the vinaigrette (you might not need to use it all) and add radicchio, tossing well and allowing it to wilt slightly.

Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees.  Add 5-6 sage leaves at a time and fry until crispy, 20-30 seconds.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining sage.

Just before serving, toss in the roasted pumpkin, crumbled fried sage, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

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Herbed Israeli Couscous

I love this simple and versatile side dish.  The texture of Israeli couscous is fun and the fresh herbs make it beautiful and tasty.  I’m not a big fan of tarragon, so I substitute with sage (since I grow it).  If your couscous is at all sticky (mine was), just add another drizzle of olive oil and work through it w/ a spoon, breaking up any clumps.  This can be served warm or at room temperature.

Herbed Israeli Couscous

Recipe from The Culinary Institute of America’s Gourmet Meals in Minutes.

Herbed Israeli Couscous

Total Time: 25 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups israeli couscous
  • 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Heat the olive oil in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the couscous and sauté, stirring constantly, until well coated and aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  3. Add the herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
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Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love this very simple recipe for spaghetti and meatballs.  Next time, I would make twice the amount of sauce.  I don’t think I would ever tire of this ultimate comfort food.

Spaghetti and meatballs

Recipe from The Saucy Apron.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

“There’s something oddly therapeutic about making meatballs. Which means when Monday rudely crashes the party on my weekend I sometimes find myself elbow deep in meatball therapy.  The result, a spicy, saucy, juicy, meaty, cheesy dish thats a few hundred bucks cheaper than a therapist.”

Start with the love-made sauce:
Two cans of tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
A good sprinkle of red pepper flakes
A bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Puree tomato in blender.  Cook onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add tomato, pepper and bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.

Now the Meatballs:
1 pound of beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Using your hands mix beef, bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, garlic, egg, salt and pepper. Roll into large ping pong balls.  Now fry the meatballs until brown then simmer in the sauce until the inside is no longer pink.  About 30 more minutes. Stir a few times while cooking.

Serve over spaghetti with a big glass of red.

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Orecchiette with Veal, Capers & White Wine

I know this dish might sound a little strange, but we LOVE it.  It has the most delicious taste and it’s not hard to make.  I could eat this once every two weeks!  Two quick notes: 1) I add a bit more capers than the recipe calls for below and 2) If I ever have leftover white wine that would go to waste, I freeze it in little baggies for cooking.  This way, if a recipe calls for just 1/2 cup of white wine, I don’t need to open a new bottle just for this (although, that would be a good excuse!)  Hope you like this dish as much as we do!

Orecchiette with Veal, Capers and White Wine

Recipe from Food and Wine (contributed by Grace Parisi).

Orecchiette with Veal, Capers and White Wine

TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN
SERVINGS: 4
“The sauce fits the pasta,” said judge Marc Vetri in praise of this tender veal ragù flavored with white wine, capers, thyme and rosemary, then tossed with the little ear-shaped orecchiette. “The meat, the capers—they hang on to the pasta when you lift up your fork.”
  1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the veal, season with salt and pepper and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veal is no longer pink and any liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
  2. Add the white wine to the skillet and boil over high heat until nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, thyme, rosemary and capers and simmer over moderate heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta well and add it to the skillet along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chopped parsley and butter. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowls and serve right away.
MAKE AHEAD The veal sauce can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Rewarm the veal sauce before serving.
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Lemon Lentil Soup

My friend Leanne introduced me to her favorite lentil soup from this Canadian cookbook.  I’ve tweaked it and it has become one of our family’s favorites.  The bright lemony taste balances well with the earthy, starchy taste of the lentils.  I could eat this once a week!  Sometimes I make twice the recipe and freeze the extra in gallon ziplock freezer bags.

Lemon Lentil Soup

Recipe adapted from Canadian cookbook Company’s Coming (May 16, 2008).

Lemon Lentil Soup

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped carrots

2 ½ teaspoons oregano

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

12 cups chicken stock

3 cups dried red split lentils

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in Le Creuset on medium-high. Add onion and carrots. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until onion starts to brown.

Add oregano, garlic, rosemary, salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often.

Add chicken stock and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are very soft.

Discard bay leaves. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top individual bowls of soup with fresh parsley, if desired.

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