This flexible side dish has a secret identity, as many superheroes do – in addition to being part of the Super Sides dream team, Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake also saves the day as a Meatless Main Course. But wait, there’s more. When the situation calls for protein, you can tuck a few chicken thighs or breasts into the mushroom mix to make a One-Pot Wonder.

If that ain’t super, then I don’t know what is.

The Occasion: There are few occasions where a cheesy pasta dish isn’t welcome. This recipe requires you to potschke with the sauce (pronounced potch-key, it means doing hands-on busywork) so a busy weeknight might not be best. Friday night supper with the family? Saturday night dinner party with your BFFs? The deliciousness of the dish is your reward for just a little potschke-ing.

The Verdict: I predict this will become a fan favorite at your house too. It’s so rich and creamy even though there’s not a drop of milk or cream in it. Two kinds of cheese though, and that’ll do the trick. This makes a very special side dish and, with a green salad served alongside, it could easily serve as a meatless meal too. Without much trouble at all you could add large chunks of cooked chicken or turkey to this dish making a satisfying casserole. Any which way, you’ll find this magical mushroom dish to be right on, groovy, and far out!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake
Recipe source: Smitten Kitchen
 
Note: This recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 smaller portions. I doubled the batch so there would be plenty of leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ pound (8 ounces) pasta of your choice, such as a ziti or twisty shape
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• ¾ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup dry marsala wine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups stock or broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom)
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces Mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

​A tip: If you use a large Dutch oven or similar covered heavy oven-safe pan, the entire dish can be made using just one pot.

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes before perfect doneness. Drain and set aside.
• Heat oven: To 400 degrees.
• Make the sauce: Reheat your empty pasta pot over high heat. Add oil and once it is hot, add mushrooms and cook until they’ve begun to brown and glisten, but have not yet released their liquid.
• Reduce heat to medium-high, add onions, salt and pepper and sauté together until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated.
• Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until it has almost or fully evaporated (depending on your preference).
• Add butter, stir until melted.
• Add flour, and stir until all has been dampened and absorbed.
• Add stock, a very small splash at a time, stirring the whole time with a spoon. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/flour/mushroom mixture, scraping from the bottom of the pan and all around, before adding the next splash. Repeat until all stock has been added.
• Let mixture simmer together for 2 minutes, stirring frequently; the sauce will thicken. Remove pan from heat.
• Assemble and bake dish: If you’re cooking in an oven-safe dish, add cooked pasta and stir until combined. (If you’re not cooking in an oven-safe dish, transfer this mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.)
• Stir in half the parmesan, all of the mozzarella and two tablespoons of the parsley until evenly mixed.
• Sprinkle the top with remaining parmesan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until edges of pasta are golden brown and irresistible.
• Sprinkle with reserved parsley and serve hot. Reheat as needed.

Were you one of those smart people who bought an extra bag of cranberries around Thanksgiving time to tuck away in the freezer? Good thinking.

​Now you’re ready and able to prepare a batch of cranberry simple syrup and mix up a round of super-tasty cocktails for your guests and yourself. Be prepared for the double-wallop of ginger liqueur and ginger beer. Yowza – and I mean that in the best possible way!

The Gingered Cranberry Cocktail
Recipe source: Ilise Goldberg

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ ounces Bourbon
• 1 ½ ounces Cranberry Simple Syrup
• ½ ounce Ginger Liqueur such as Domaine de Canton
• ½ ounce lime juice
• 2-3 ounces Ginger Beer (alcoholic or non- your choice)
• Candied Ginger (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

• In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients except ginger beer. Shake well. Strain into a high ball glass over fresh ice cubes.
• Pour 2-3 ounces of ginger beer on top and mix gently with a spoon. Garnish with candied ginger.
• For a different taste treat try the above drink with gin instead of bourbon.

 
Cranberry Simple Syrup:

• 1 pound cranberries
• 2 Cups of Water
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• Combine the water and sugar in a pan over high heat until the sugar dissolves.  Add the cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
• Once the fruit is nice and tender use a potato masher and mash the fruit to release as much juice as possible. 
• Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes and then strain the syrup into a container.
• Store it for up to two weeks in the refrigerator or if making far in advance the simple syrup freezes well in ice cube trays. 

The Occasion: This meal is made for weekends, assuming you’ve got a chunk of time you can dedicate to culinary endeavors. There’s nothing difficult here, and you’re not actively cooking the whole time, but from start to finish this recipe will take at least 3 hours.

It’s worth the investment.

Even though this is a rustic dish, not fancy at all, I think it would be just as popular at a dinner party as it will be on your family’s kitchen table.  

Why This Works: Once again we turned to the America’s Test Kitchen recipe. Their thorough testing process inspires confidence when I’m trying something new. Plus their technique for French Onion Soup was magnifique! 

The Verdict: Basically this is just pasta with meat sauce. But holy cow! By elevating the quality of each element just a few notches, the whole dish becomes bigger and better than the sum of its parts. So good. Don’t be stingy with the grated cheese right before serving! Spring for the good stuff if you can. 

​Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Pasta and Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce with Short Ribs
Recipe source: America’s Test Kitchen
 
NOTE FROM THE TEST KITCHEN: This sauce can be made with either beef or pork ribs. Depending on their size, you will need 4 or 5 ribs. To prevent the sauce from becoming greasy, trim all external fat from the ribs and drain off most of the fat from the skillet after browning. This thick, rich, robust sauce is best with tubular pasta, such as rigatoni, ziti, or penne. Pass grated Pecorino (especially nice with pork) or Parmesan cheese at the table. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds beef short ribs, or pork spareribs or country-style ribs, trimmed of fat
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, minced
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, juice reserved, tomatoes chopped fine
• 1 pound tubular pasta such as ziti or rigatoni
• Grated cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, or parmesan

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oil in 12-inch, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season ribs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides, turning occasionally with tongs, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer ribs to plate; pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet.
• Add onion and sauté until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until wine reduces to a glaze, about 2 minutes.
• Return ribs and accumulated juices to skillet; add tomatoes and reserved juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, turning ribs several times, until meat is very tender and falling off the bones, 1 1/2 hours (for pork spareribs or country-style ribs) to 2 hours (for beef short ribs).
• When the ribs are nearly done, heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Then add the pasta and cook until al dente following the timing guidelines on the box. Drain the pasta and set aside.
• Transfer ribs to clean plate. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred with fingers, discarding fat and bones. Return shredded meat to sauce in skillet. Bring sauce to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• To serve, toss sauce with drained pasta. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, or parmesan cheese on top of each serving. 

We’ve shared a bunch of soup recipes lately, most of them in the Healthy Eating category. Well, today’s soup will buck the trend a little. It’s not bad for you, but more of an occasional indulgence vs a weekly tradition. This one is all about the cheese. Sure, it’s meatless and veggie-laden but let’s be honest – French Onion Soup is really about that ooey-gooey layer of melted magnificence on top. Live it up, culinarily speaking! Embrace the decadence for this one meal. You can go back to a greens-and-beans diet tomorrow. This will be worth it.

The Occasion: This is special occasion food: Romantic dinner – Birthday treat – Anniversary meal – you get the idea. We served this to an intimate group on Christmas Eve. And Valentine’s Day is coming up, just sayin’.

The soup so rich that, to me, all it needs alongside is a simple salad and a nice glass of red wine. But it’s also a fantastic starter (use a smaller portion) to a more lavish meal. 

Why This Recipe Works: America’s Test Kitchen, one of my fave cooking shows and cookbook publishers, does extensive research to determine the optimal way to make their recipes, always showing how they arrived at their conclusions. Love that! The most interesting difference I found using the ATK version this time: roast the onions in the oven for nearly 3 hours and THEN continue cooking on the stovetop to complete the caramelization process. 

The Verdict: I’ll happily share the verdict with you once I disentangle myself from the long string of cheese between bowl and mouth. I said ooey-gooey cheese and I meant it! The recipe calls for 8 ounces of grated Gruyere, but I recommend you consider that a minimum. What’s a couple extra ounces between friends? Don’t go crazy, but use a generous hand.

Keep a close eye on the final step: broiling the cheese topping. It can change in an instant as I know all too well; I let a couple bowls in my test batch get a little overly-toasted. Still tasty but not so photogenic.
​
As I noted, this is a special occasion recipe. So bookmark it, print it, save it to your virtual recipe box, whatever it takes to be ready when the perfect occasion comes along when a little delicious decadence is on the menu.

Best French Onion Soup
Recipe source: DrGaellon on Food.com sharing America’s Test Kitchen recipe
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
• 6 large yellow onions, halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 4 pounds)
• table salt
• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
• 1⁄2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups beef broth
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
• 1 bay leaf
• ground black pepper
• 1 small baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 8 ounces shredded  Gruyere cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Generously spray inside of heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).
• Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
• Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly.
• Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.) Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.
• Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.
• While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Officially this dish is named Pasta e Fagioli – pasta with beans – but Pasta Fazool is a lot more fun to say. I grew up in New Jersey – home to a vibrant Italian-American community – and that’s how we learned to say it. Eating this delicious rib-sticking soup takes no ‘learning’ at all – believe me, one bite and the pure enjoyment will come naturally.

​The Occasion: Hearty weekend supper. Be sure to make enough for leftovers! Bean soup tastes great on Day One and even better the next day.

Why This Works: The secret ingredient is cheese rind. Yes, the stuff you usually throw away. Stop that! Save the rinds in your fridge and toss one or two into a slow-simmering batch of bean soup or minestrone. Fish it out right before serving and prepare to savor new depths of flavor in your bowl.

Fun Fact: There are many variations on this classic Italian peasant dish. Some are thicker/thinner, with/without meat, beans varying by region and season, herbs available, etcetera. So take that as license to make adaptations to the recipe based on your preferences and the contents of your pantry. 

The Verdict: The perfect rustic soup for cold weather days, this recipe is on regular rotation at our house. It’s not fancy and doesn’t need to be. It’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s happiness in a bowl.
​
Be sure to put the final touches on each soup bowl Italian-style: Drizzle a thin stream of good olive oil in the shape of a C over top of the soup. Then sprinkle on a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese.  (Upgrade to Parmigiano-Reggiano if you can – it really does make a difference.) 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli)
Recipe source: Dean & DeLuca, with minor adaptations noted
Serves 8 as a main course

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped coarsely
• 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ pound dried Soldier beans or cannellini beans

Note: If using canned beans instead, you’ll need 3 cups drained and rinsed.  

• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 28-ounce can tomatoes, drained

Note: Use the drained juice to replace part of the water and/or broth listed above

• 1-2 rinds Parmigiano-Reggiano or other type of hard cheese
• 4 ounces very small cut tubular pasta, such as ditali
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• For Garnish: Extra-virgin olive oil, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and chopped fresh basil

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Although the original recipe does not call for it, I like to sort, rinse, and soak the dried beans for at least a few hours and overnight if possible prior to cooking the soup. Be sure to drain and rinse the beans after the soak and before cooking.
• Place the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add the celery, onion, and cook until they're soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
• Add the beans, dried herbs*, broth, water, tomatoes, and cheese rind.

*Note: You may either scatter the dried herbs freely in the soup (as shown in the photos above), or wrap them up in a small muslin or cheesecloth pouch if you would prefer to infuse the flavor of the herbs but not the leafiness. Another option is to use whole fresh herbs tied together (bouquet garni) and dropped into the pot for flavoring.

• Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are soft, about 1 to 2 hours (maybe even more depending on the age of your beans).
• When beans are soft, remove cheese rind from the pot. Also remove the cheesecloth pouch of herbs or bouquet garni if you used them.
• Scoop out about a cup of beans and set aside.
• Using an immersion blender inside the pot, blend the soup until it reaches the consistency you like. Add the whole beans back into the soup pot.

Note: The original recipe does not call for the blender, preferring to leave everything chunky. So that's another option.

• Wait a minute to let the soup return to medium heat and add the pasta. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until pasta is done. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve in wide bowls, garnishing each serving with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about a tablespoon of cheese, and about a teaspoon of fresh basil.

The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus occasionally a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

Why, yes! This IS the second capers-forward fish recipe I’ve posted in as many weeks. I would try to dial it back if capers didn’t taste so darn delicious when combined with butter and lemon. But they do, so I won’t.

The Occasion: Friday night fish dinner. Healthy eats without the sacrifice.

Why This Works: Have you noticed that so many recipes for fish look similar? Lemon, check. Wine, uh huh. Butter, check. Parsley, yup. And if you’re lucky – capers, checkity check check! The reason is … it’s hard to beat perfection. Good fish doesn’t need a lot of dressing up. Simple is best.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: Fast. Easy. Delicious. Feel free to use this treatment with any white fish fillets. Adjust the cooking time based on thickness of the fillets. The standard is 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Pan-Seared Meagre with Lemon-Caper Sauce
Recipe source: Hooked on Fish

INGREDIENTS:

​For the fish:

• 2 6-ounce meagre fillets
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Canola oil for the pan

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 425˚ F.
• Lightly score the skin of the fish. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or so (depending on size) parallel cuts on a diagonal, about ¼” deep.
• Heat canola oil in an oven-proof skillet.
• Drizzle both sides of fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Sauté fish, skin side down, on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes (for until fish easily releases from the pan.
• Turn over and put the pan in the oven for about 6 minutes (depending on thickness of fish). 
• Once fish is done, transfer fillets to a plate and cover with foil.
• Pour off the remaining olive oil, then add butter to pan and stir periodically until butter just begins to brown. Add capers and lemon juice to heat through.
• Spoon sauce over the fish, top with parsley. Add a squeeze or two of lemon to taste.

The Occasion: Warm-you-up lunch on a cold day

Why This Works: Nostalgia + Quick and easy + Healthy (legumes = good for you) I remember my mom cooking soup for lunch or dinner on snowy days – nothing ever tasted so good! We didn’t care one bit if it came from a can … but nowadays I’m here to tell you, it’s worth the (tiny amount of) effort for homemade.  

The Verdict: Yum yum, keep it coming. I’d gladly eat this every day. Adding chopped ham to split pea soup is traditional but at our house we like to use smoked turkey instead. This soup will be delicious as a vegetarian delight too – eliminate the meat, use veggie broth, and amp up the seasonings. But for me, it’s all about the tasty turkey bites. So come on in, have a seat, warm up, and enjoy a big bowl of soup!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Creamy Split Pea Soup
Recipe source: Ann Johnson
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 16 ounces dried green split peas, rinsed and picked through to remove debris
• 64 ounces chicken or vegetable stock (or you can substitute water)
• 1 smoked turkey leg or wing

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven heat oil over medium high heat.
• Add onions and carrots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt; sauté for 2 minutes.
• Stir in peas and stock and smoked turkey leg or wing.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for approximately 45 minutes or until the peas are quite tender.
• Turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaf and turkey leg/wing.
• Use an immersion blender in the pan until the soup is smooth.
• If desired, cut some meat from the turkey leg and add it back into the soup.
• Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed. 

Like many of you, I am committed to eating more healthfully in 2017 but have to confess – I’m already bored with steamed vegetables as the go-to dinnertime side dish. Well, buckle your seatbelt as this tasty veggie side dish dons the superhero cape to become a … Super Side!

The Occasion: Weeknight dinner, in search of a fast, easy and delicious side dish to complement a good-for-you-but-not-necessarily-inspired main course.

Why This Recipe Works: Cauliflower – like most vegetables – becomes transformed when roasted. It loses bitterness (and that funky odor) and gains a lovely sweet caramelization. If we stopped right there you would have a fantastic side dish. But adding the pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and crumbled queso fresco (dry Mexican cheese) creates a surprising and delightful go-with that can really stand on its own. 

The Verdict: I hate to repeat myself but here goes – Fast. Easy. Delicious. This is the Super Side we want, need, and deserve. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds and Queso Fresco
Recipe source: Robin Bashinsky for Cooking Light
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups small cauliflower florets (1 medium-large head of cauliflower)
• 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese)

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat broiler to high.
• Combine cauliflower florets, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, pepper, salt, and chopped garlic in a large bowl.
• Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet.
• Broil 8-10 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring once after 4 minutes. Top with crumbled queso fresco.

The Occasion: No special occasion required. This is not a fancy dish by any means, but it’s warm, hearty, easy, and satisfying. Perfect for wintertime, weeknight, family meals. I made a big pan-full on Sunday night and we enjoyed leftovers for several days.

Why This Works: Adaptability. Do you prefer to use red bell peppers instead of green? Okay. Ground turkey instead of beef? Fine. Brown rice or white? Whichever you have on hand. Veggies, sauce, cheese? Whatever you like. As the platitude says: It’s all good. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: I love this so much, probably because it reminds me of childhood meals. It’s a basic no-frills meal that makes me very, very happy. I hope you like it too. 

Stuffed Green Peppers
Recipe source: Ann Johnson
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium green bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (optional)
• 1 package ground beef or ground turkey (anywhere from 12-16 oz)
• 1 large onion, cut into small dice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen vegetables, whatever kind you like – I used frozen corn and peas, plus fresh tomatoes cut into small dice
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon mustard (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups tomato sauce, homemade or store-bought, separated
• 1 cup shredded cheese, whatever kind you like – I used sharp cheddar, but mozzarella, Monterey jack, or a blend would be good too

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray or use a paper towel to give it a quick wipe with canola oil. Set it aside.
• Slice the peppers in half vertically. Remove the seeds and membranes.
• Place about an inch of water in a large covered pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pepper halves, cover the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 5 minutes. The goal is to steam the peppers until tender but not mushy. Check their progress part-way through and shorten the cook time as necessary. Remove peppers from the pan and set them aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. If you are using a low-fat protein such as turkey or low-fat beef add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. (If you are using ground beef with a higher fat content you can skip the oil.) Reduce the heat to medium, add the ground meat and cook until done (no pink showing). Remove the ground meat from the pan and drain it on paper towels.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the meat drippings. Heat the drippings over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir, approximately 30 seconds.
• Add the other vegetables, mix and cook together until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl mix together the ground beef/turkey, cooked rice, cooked vegetables, and optional flavorings if using (mustard, Worcestershire sauce). Add ½ cup tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Place the peppers into the prepared pan and spoon the beef mixture into the peppers. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the peppers.
• Cook uncovered in the oven until the cheese is melted and beef mixture is warmed through, approximately 15-20 minutes.
• Serve peppers with a little extra tomato sauce if desired.

 

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Here we are – heading into the first weekend of the New Year. Don’t know ‘bout you, but I’ve got more than a little steam that needs to be burned off so let’s get right to our first Afternoon Dance Break of 2017.

Shake it, don’t break it with funk favorites from Alissia + Deep Street Soul featuring Tia Hunter. Click on their names to learn more. 

Fish for Dinner is a recurring feature chronicling my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding any fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before slowly adding the real deal into my diet (but usually at a restaurant). The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA with boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll share what we made and how we liked it.

As part of my healthy eating/wellness plan for 2017 I have renewed my commitment to cooking fish dinners at home. I fell off the wagon during the holiday season but now it’s time to get back on track. This recipe from The Foodie Patootie for Sautéed Cobia with Tomatoes and Capers packs a flavorful punch which is good motivation to keep going.

So what’s a cobia? Well, it’s a firm-fleshed, large-flaked, mild-flavored fish sometimes known as lemonfish but that almost doesn’t matter – you can use this recipe for most any kind of flaky white fish fillets. In fact many fish treatments are interchangeable, so if you find a recipe that you enjoy go ahead and make it again with another similar swimmer. It’s hard to go wrong.

The Occasion: Quick and easy weeknight dinner – just about 30 minutes including tomato-chopping 

Why This Works: The capers provide a tart briny flavor that is nicely offset by the tomatoes, butter, and wine. (If you’re serving children, don’t worry, the alcohol will burn off leaving just the flavor of the wine.) Plus you’ve probably got all the ingredients in your fridge/pantry – no last minute trips to the grocery!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: Flavorful, fast and easy – what’s not to like! Use this treatment with firm white fish fillets such as California white sea bass, lake trout, or Pacific sablefish if you can’t find cobia. 

Sautéed Cobia with Tomatoes and Capers
Recipe source: The Foodie Patootie
Yield: 2
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cobia fillets – or other firm, flaky white fish
• Salt and pepper
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup red grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup yellow grape tomatoes, quartered
• 4 tablespoons capers
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• Juice of 1 large lemon

DIRECTIONS:

• Season both sides of the cobia fillets with salt, pepper, and oregano to create a nice coating on each side.
• Heat olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add fish fillets. Once cobia has formed a nice crust, about 3 minutes, flip and cook for an additional minute, or until other side of the fillets have formed a crust and the fish is opaque throughout. Remove fish from pan and set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes and capers. Sauté together for a few minutes, or until tomatoes just start to break down. Add wine and continue to cook and stir occasionally until wine has reduced by half.
• Remove from heat and add butter, swirling to allow butter to melt. Carefully pour mixture over cobia fillets.
• Sprinkle parsley over top and finish with the squeeze of lemon.

Did you make a resolution to eat better/more healthfully in the New Year? Me too! (Probably also millions others – I think that diet and exercise top most everyone’s list of good intentions.) This recipe will help.

The Occasion: We made this for our holiday open house, and now it has earned a permanent place in my repertoire. This is a great meatless/vegan meal (but not gluten free, there’s flour in the roux) that puts the South in your mouth. Great flavors, a nice kick of heat, and you won’t even miss the meat.

Fun Fact: Do you know the difference between Cajun and Creole cooking? There are many historical and cultural factors, but one easy tell is – tomatoes. This dish has ‘em which makes it a Creole style gumbo.

Why This Works: Many Southern foods feature meat, seafood, and the “trinity” of aromatic veggies – bell peppers, celery, and onions. If we’re going to eliminate the meat, we’d better be ready to amp up the umami in other ways. (Umami refers to the savory, ‘meaty’ taste present in some foods.) In this case it means developing a deep, dark roux (pronounced roo) as the foundation and adding beans, mushrooms, liquid smoke, and vegan worcestershire sauce to the other more traditional ingredients. 

Did you say ‘roux who’? A roux is a blend of fat and flour cooked carefully (and stirred constantly) until it reaches a deep caramelized color. This will be the basis for your dish or sauce.

​A roux may be used in many different cuisines but it is essential to Creole/Cajun cooking. In this case the recipe calls for the roux to reach the color of a tarnished old penny. You will be stirring for a looong time – at least 45 minutes. It’s worth it.

The Verdict: Eating your veggies just got a whole lot more delicious. It’s not fast though, you can’t just whip it up quickly for supper after a long day at work. This is perfect for weekend cookery – make a double batch of gumbo and savor the results for meals all week long. It also freezes well. This is a big winner – highly recommended!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Vegetable Gumbo
Recipe source: Spicy Southern Kitchen
Serves: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1½ cups chopped onion
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Creole mustard – Note: If you can’t find it use a hearty brown mustard
• 1½ teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 quart vegetable stock or broth
• 4 cups sliced okra – Note: I used frozen okra and sliced it (carefully) before it thawed
• 1 (16-ounce) can red beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1½ cups diced zucchini (1 medium)
• 1½ cups diced green pepper (1 large)
• 1½ cups diced red bell pepper (1 large)
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
• ½ cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:

• Place vegetable oil and flour in a Dutch Oven with a heavy bottom. Turn the heat on medium and whisk continuously until mixture becomes fragrant. This should take about 5 minutes.
• Turn heat to low or medium-low depending on the size and heat your burner gives off. Continue to whisk continuously (it's alright to stop for a few seconds here and there, but not for any length of time) until roux becomes a dark caramel color, like the color of an old penny. This could take anywhere between 20 and 50 minutes. Be patient.
• Remove Dutch oven from heat.
• In a food processor, process tomato, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, vinegar, hot sauce, soy sauce, thyme, red pepper flakes, paprika, nutmeg, and oregano until mixture is smooth.
• Place Dutch oven with roux over medium-high heat and add tomato/onion puree. Stir to mix together. Continue to cook until most of liquid has evaporated.
• Add vegetable stock and stir. Bring to a simmer.
• Add beans, mushrooms, zucchini, green and red pepper, and celery and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve with rice and green onions.