Main Course
8665 recipes found

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.

Ethel M. King's Glazed Ham

Chorizo Sloppy Joes With Kale and Provolone
Matthew Hyland, a chef and an owner of the Emily and Emmy Squared restaurants in New York and Nashville, is known for making exemplary pizza and hamburgers. But his sandwich game is strong as well. This one recalls the flavors that he first experienced as a college student in Bristol, R.I., which has supported a sizable Portuguese community since at least the late 19th century. It is a sloppy Joe of sorts, built on a base of crumbled Mexican-style chorizo, which Hyland uses in place of chourico, a Portuguese sausage also spiced with paprika and garlic. He uses chorizo because he can’t regularly find chourico in his neighborhood stores. I can, sometimes. Other times, not, and I can’t find Mexican chorizo either. Then I use Guatemalan chorizo instead. It’s a great sandwich whichever member of the chorizo family you use. Do not stint on the olives, banana peppers or celery seeds. The celery seeds especially, a nod to one of the toppings scattered on a Rhode Island “New York System” hot dog, are a perfect touch.

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.

Ale-Braised Collards With Ham
This recipe came to The Times from Hayden Hall, the chef and an owner of Oxbow Restaurant in Clarksdale, Miss. Red pepper flakes and apple cider vinegar give the greens a sharp edge, and ham hock gives them even more succulence.

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.

Bay Leaf Chicken With Orange Parsley Salad
In this quick-cooking dinner, boneless chicken thighs are marinated with bay leaves, mustard seeds, orange zest and Worcestershire sauce, and roasted at high heat until golden-edged and juicy. Then, just before serving, it all gets topped with an herb salad flecked with sweet oranges. It’s light, fresh and very savory. You can substitute boneless chicken breasts instead, just halve them crosswise before marinating, and start checking them after 12 minutes of roasting.

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.)

Red Wine Pinto Beans With Smoky Bacon
Beans can be made ahead and get better after sitting a few days. The red wine, cooked down to syrup, adds intensity, complexity and that certain company-worthy fanciness to the whole thing. Whether you’re vegetarian, meat eater, soup slurper, wine lover or none of the above, the only thing you need to enjoy this dish is a fondness for beans. That part is nonnegotiable.

Baked Codfish With Spinach and Cheese Sauce

Smoky Brisket

Baked Ham

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.)

Carne Guisada con Papas
Adapted from Adán Medrano, a Houston-based chef and writer, this steak-and-potato guisada, or stew, uses technique and time to draw out flavor from just a handful of ingredients. Beef and potatoes are centuries-old pantry essentials in South Texas, and this dish is served in homes and family-run restaurants all over the region. While many restaurants tend to cook the steak in large pieces, cutting the meat into small cubes allows the beef to soak up more flavor. The key is the Texas Mexican spice blend — black peppercorns, cumin and garlic — plus a little fresh Serrano. Serve with tortillas and an optional garnish of cilantro and chile.

Mexican-Style Marinated Steaks

Savory Roasted Pumpkin Pie

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.

Omelet Mousseline
This omelet is fluffier and lighter than the classic. It uses Auguste Escoffier’s technique: whipping the egg whites and then gently folding in the yolks. A small amount of heavy cream enriches the omelet, making it a good candidate for a final sprinkle of powdered sugar – or a jam filling. Served sweet or savory, it’s an ethereal dish that truly melts in the mouth. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master.

Braised Beets With Ham and Beer

Sicilian Involtini With Ham and Cheese
In Sicily, where I learned to make these savory bundles, cooks make them at home, or buy them in butcher shops, ready for the oven. Fillings vary, but this one with prosciutto cotto and cheese is a favorite. The rolls are threaded on skewers with bay leaves and bread slices, showered with bread crumbs and olive oil, then baked.