Lunch
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Sosis Bandari (Spicy Sausages and Onion)
Sosis bandari means “port sausage” and refers to the ports in the south of Iran, home of this delicious street food. The classic preparation combines fragrant sausages and onion cooked in a rich tomato sauce with a couple of key spices, including some type of heat. You can use any dried or fresh chile that you have on hand. This recipe calls for beef hot dogs, or franks, which are a suitable substitute for the fragrant sosis, the sausages traditionally used in this sandwich. Other versions, like this one, include creamy potatoes and green bell pepper to add bulk and to flavor the spicy and savory sausages. Serve sosis bandari as a sandwich filling on a French bun or similar type of sandwich bread, or eat it straight from the pan with bread on the side for scooping. Either way, you’ll want plenty of napkins and something cold to wash it all down.
Pesto-Filled Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs may be old fashioned, but I will always have a weakness for them. I’m always experimenting with fillings for these perfect little protein packages. Pesto, mixed with half of the hard-cooked yolks, is pungent and rich. I particularly like the basil-mint version. Serve these as an hors d’oeuvre or as part of a light lunch.
Dried Porcini Consommé
A refreshing and light soup that can be an appetizer or full first course. I could drink this refreshing consommé for lunch every day. It makes a very light and satisfying appetizer soup or first course.
Turmeric Rice With Tomatoes
There are a few foolproof ways of cooking perfect, fluffy long-grain rice, and this is one of them. The pot is covered with a lid and a tea towel for a short time, then set aside to let the rice finish cooking in the steam that has built up. The finished dish is deliciously rich and lemony and would go perfectly with some grilled fish or chicken. The bright yellow of the turmeric and the red pop of the cherry tomatoes mean that it’s also a treat for the eyes.
Poached Eggs in Red Wine (Oeufs en Meurette)
Oeufs en meurette is a classic French dish of poached eggs covered in a rich red wine sauce filled with lardons, mushrooms and onion. When the writer Michael Harlan Turkell was working on his book “Acid Trip: Travels in the World of Vinegar,” he picked up a tip from the French chef Bertrand Auboyneau of Bistrot Paul Bert in Paris. A generous amount of red wine vinegar, added to the sauce, lightens and brightens the dish, all the while emphasizing the flavors of red wine. Use the best-tasting vinegar you can get your hands on, since there's enough of it here to really redirect the taste of the sauce. To turn the recipe into a full, hearty meal, just poach two eggs for each person, instead of one, and add a side of simply dressed salad greens.
Croque-Monsieur With Swiss Cheese
Endive Leaves With Crab Rillettes
Canned lump crabmeat is transformed in these light, slightly spicy rillettes. I have been pleased with the canned lump crabmeat I have been finding lately at Trader Joe’s. It is fresh and perfect for both crab cakes and for these light, slightly spicy rillettes, which I serve on endive leaves. You can also stuff cherry tomatoes with the rillettes, or mini bell peppers, or just serve them on croutons or crackers. You have a choice here of using a combination of Greek yogurt and crème fraîche, or all Greek yogurt. In the spirit of rillettes, which would be much fattier than these if they were more authentic, I vote for the yogurt/crème fraîche combo, but if you want to keep calories down use all yogurt.
Home-Cured Pork Tenderloin ‘Ham’
Turkey Cubano
Two heated baking pans topped by a cast-iron skillet stand in for a sandwich press in this easy Cubano recipe. It also substitutes sliced turkey for the usual roast pork, but retains the melted cheese, sliced ham and slivers of pickle that makes the traditional sandwich so incredibly compelling. Deli ham is the go-to choice here, but prosciutto gives a deeper, saltier flavor; use whichever you like.
Classic Meat Tortellini With Tomato Sauce
According to local legend in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, the birthplace of tortellini, the pasta's navel shape was inspired by the indescribable beauty of Venus's belly button. Keep that in mind as your roll, stuff and fold these little dumplings, whose recipe is adapted from the "true and authentic" version codified by the Confraternita del Tortellino and notarized by the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. While tortellini are traditionally served as a middle course in a light meat brodo, they'll make a fine main course when tossed with a simple tomato sauce and topped off with a light grating of Parmesan. This version yields enough for leftover pasta and sauce. Freeze them both separately when you're done for a comforting meal in the days and weeks to come. hen you're done for a comforting meal in the days and weeks to come. (And check out Cooking's How to Make Pasta guide for more tips and video.)
Jo Rooney's Buttermilk Biscuits
Biscuits are easy to make, as long as you follow two basic rules: don't overwork the dough, and have the oven quite hot. This recipe comes from an early mentor of mine, Mrs. Jo Rooney, a wonderful home cook I met years ago in Bakersfield, Calif. Rather than double the recipe, she always said it was better to make another batch while the first one was baking. Also, that way there's a constant flow of hot biscuits.
Ground Beef Chili With Chocolate and Peanut Butter
Making use of a well-stocked pantry, this weeknight chili takes inspiration from the flavor profile of mole negro, an Oaxacan sauce made with chiles and chocolate that traditionally takes a full day to make, but results in a pot full of depth and nuance in less than an hour. It relies upon ground beef or turkey, and uses canned chiles in adobo, paprika and ancho chili powder for heat, plus a mix of warm spices, chocolate in two forms, and a little bit of peanut butter to round it out. In essence, this recipe is another variation of the combination of sweet and heat.
Whole-Wheat Fettuccine With Spicy Broccoli Rabe
Nutty, chewy whole-wheat noodles have the character to stand up the bitterness of this spicy, braised broccoli rabe. This dish will come together in short order, once you have your fresh whole grain pasta ready. Top it off with a generous showering of ricotta salata to balance the bold flavors with a little creaminess. This recipe makes more than you need, so freeze the rest and cook as normal for a hearty, satisfying meal in the days and weeks to come. (And check out Cooking's How to Make Pasta guide for more tips and video.)
Creamed Rice With English Peas and Country Ham
Steven Satterfield, the chef at Miller Union in Atlanta, published a version of this recipe for a kind of Lowcountry risotto in his cookbook, "Root to Leaf." He uses Carolina Gold rice, a heritage long-grain variety, but any good long-grain rice will do. Likewise, feel free to substitute other hams for the country ham called for in the recipe. But use the very best peas you can find or, failing that, asparagus tips or tiny radishes. Not rich enough for you? Add a poached egg.
Savory Roasted Pumpkin Pie
Braised Beets With Ham and Beer
Jalapeño Jangjorim With Jammy Eggs
Jangjorim is a Korean dish of soy sauce-braised meat, often studded with pulled eye of round (sometimes sold as “jangjorim meat” at Korean grocery stores), hard-boiled eggs and wrinkly kkwarigochu (shishito peppers), which are mild enough to eat whole. This version, inspired by my mother’s recipe, uses eggs that are just boiled enough that they’ll peel easily and the yolks will remain fudgy. In place of the shishitos are fat, juicy jalapeños, adding a welcome freshness and fruity heat. And the beef is brisket, shredded into long, pleasurably chewy strands, which soak up the umami-rich soy sauce brine. As a banchan, this dish is an ideal accompaniment to a bowl of fresh white rice. Any leftover sauce you might have is a large part of the joy of making jangjorim: It tastes fabulous when soaked into rice with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, or as a sweet, saline base for soba noodles.
Uncooked Tomato and Mint Sauce with Poached Eggs
This dish turns summer tomatoes into a salsa cruda that can also work well with most any kind of fish. My friend and colleague Clifford A. Wright serves this delicious salsa cruda with grilled salmon. It’s also wonderful with most other fish, grilled, oven-roasted or pan-cooked, and it makes a terrific sauce for foods like cooked grains, the vegetarian burgers I published a few weeks ago or simply cooked green vegetables. One of my favorite uses is in a Mediterranean huevos rancheros: poach an egg, set it on a lightly charred corn tortilla, sprinkle the egg with a little salt and pepper if desired and spoon on the sauce.
Smoked Sardines Rillettes
Canned smoked sardines are easy to come by, and if you eat fish (especially if you are trying to find ways to eat more fatty fish because of their high omega-3 values), they should be a staple in your pantry. Look for Pacific sardines, which are a Best Choice on the Monterey Aquarium Seafood Watch list. (Atlantic and Mediterranean are poor choices.) Like the other rillettes posted on this week’s Recipes for Health, you can use these as a spread for bread or crackers, or as a filling for peppers or endive leaves or cherry tomatoes. The rillettes also go well with lentils, like the smoked trout rillettes featured earlier this week. The crème fraîche is optional but recommended (you could substitute olive oil or yogurt); I like the way it loosens and enriches the mixture.
Ravioli Verdi With Butter, Parmesan and Pepper
For these stunning green-on-green ravioli, stuff a verdant, spinach-packed dough (a modification covered in this basic fresh pasta recipe) with a sweet chard and onion filling. Shaping the ravioli will take some time, so solicit help from friends and family and form an assembly line to speed up the process. Then, set the table and make sure everyone is ready to eat before you drop the pasta in the pot and start the sauce. Toss the just-cooked ravioli with the creamy butter sauce and serve piping hot so everyone can enjoy the pasta at its peak. This recipe also makes more than you might need, so freeze the leftovers before dressing them in the sauce for a mighty meal in the days and weeks to come. (And check out Cooking's How to Make Pasta guide for more tips and video.)
Lime Soup (Sopa De Lima)
Mission Burrito
To find the best burritos in San Francisco, you have to go to the Mission District, a historic Latin American neighborhood known for its vibrant culture and food. There are many places there to get a good burrito, but La Taqueria, which won a James Beard Award in 2017, is a favorite. Miguel Jara, who emigrated to the United States from Mexico, opened the restaurant in 1973 because he missed the cuisine of his home country. Mission burritos are known for their giant size (about eight inches long), and are packed with a hearty serving of meat, beans, salsa verde, pico de gallo, cheese, avocado and sour cream. Most Mission burritos include rice as well, but Mr. Jara believes it takes away from the flavors of the meat. No garnish is necessary, but the aluminum foil wrapper is required: No real Mission burrito is served without it.
Crab Croque-Madame
Every Francophile has eaten a croque-monsieur, which is essentially a hot ham and cheese sandwich, the top spread with a layer of béchamel sauce and grated cheese, then grilled until golden and bubbly. You can get one in any café, where it is eaten from a little plate, either at a small table or standing at the bar, using a knife and fork. A croque-madame is exactly the same, with a fried egg on top. Why is it madame when it has an egg? No one knows. I decided to make a version with crab meat, which I thought would be novel, until I discovered it had already been invented, many times over. It seems there already exists the crab toastie, an American open-face snack made with English muffins. And crab toasties are well known in the British Isles as well. I pushed mine in a slightly creole direction, adding cayenne, tarragon and chives.
The Real Burger
Here's one way to know you're using great meat in your burger: Grind it yourself, using chuck roast or well-marbled sirloin steaks. “Grinding” may sound ominous, conjuring visions of a big old hand-cranked piece of steel clamped to the kitchen counter, but in fact it’s not that difficult if you use a food processor, which gets the job done in a couple of minutes or less. The flavor difference between this burger and one made with pre-packaged supermarket ground beef is astonishing, and might change your burger-cooking forever.