Main Course
8665 recipes found
Pizza con tutti (Pizza with everything)
Smoked Ham Hock Cassoulet
Sausages With Tomato and Spinach Sauce
Polenta and Sausages for a Crowd (Polenta Alla Spianatora)
Picture a golden circle of polenta, spread on a large board or platter, and topped with a rich tomato-y sausage-laden ragù. It’s a traditional, somewhat theatrical way to eat polenta in Northern Italy, and it makes quite an impression when it’s brought to the table. Known as polenta sul tavola or polenta alla spianatora, it is usually served with forks but no plates, with guests gathered around the table for a very casual family-style meal. You can make it when there’s nothing in the house to eat except cornmeal and canned tomatoes, plus an onion or two.
Modern Timpano
A timpano is a highly festive, drum-shaped, baked pasta torte filled with all kinds of delectable goodies — meatballs, cheeses, sausages or ragù, hard-boiled eggs and penne, all coated in a rich Sunday-gravy-type tomato sauce. This updated version is more streamlined, nixing the eggs and meatballs in flavor of roasted squash and sautéed garlicky broccoli rabe, and using purchased fresh pasta sheets instead of homemade. It’s lighter, a little easier and a lot more colorful, without sacrificing the cheesy, meaty essence of the dish. Making a timpano is undeniably a project, but you can do much of the work a few days ahead, including making the sauce and cooking the vegetables, which can be made up to 2 days ahead. Then set aside half an hour before baking to layer everything in the mold. Serve this at a dinner party when you’re looking to impress.
Choucroute Garnie With Pheasant
Mofongo Stuffing
Mofongo, which in its most traditional form is a fried-and-mashed fusion of plantains, pork rinds, garlic and peppers, is essential Puerto Rican food. For this recipe we went to the chef Jose Enrique and asked for a mofongo for the Thanksgiving table, standing at the ready to soak up gravy and meet your turkey on the tip of a fork.
Shrimp With Hot Fennel Sausage and Polenta
Shrimp with hominy grits is a favorite in the American South. Polenta stands in for this spicy Italianate version, fortified with hot fennel sausage and tomatoes. For the best-tasting results, be sure to cook the polenta slowly for at least 45 minutes, and try to get freshly made sausages from an Italian deli or butcher shop.
Potato-Cheese Pierogies With Bacon
With pliant skins surrounding a rich mash of potatoes and cheese, Julia Hlinka’s pierogies are the epitome of satisfying northern Slovakian farm food. Instead of the traditional sheep's cheese, she uses American cheese — a reminder of her move to the United States in the 60s — which melts into the potatoes. She tops the pierogies with bacon as a treat. Alternatively, you can also serve them dressed with a little melted butter and chopped chives.
West Indian Pepper Pot Soup
Turkey Tikka Masala
This twist on the Punjabi-style curry gives a new life to leftover turkey. The turkey is marinated overnight in yogurt, turmeric, garam masala and garlic paste, imparting deep flavors and moisture. Tomatoes and cream add warmth, while serrano peppers give the tikka masala its kick. Serve it alongside steamed basmati rice for a deeply satisfying meal.
Pasta With Sausage, Caramelized Cabbage and Goat Cheese
Pasta with cabbage is a common combination across much of Central and Eastern Europe. In this quick weeknight meal, an entire head of cabbage is cooked in the fat left behind by sweet Italian sausage. Goat cheese adds tang and helps create a cream sauce that ties everything together. Feel free to use this recipe as a guideline to come up with your own variation: Try it with your favorite shape of pasta, swap out the thyme for dill, parsley or another herb, or substitute the goat cheese for Parmesan.
Fettuccine With Sausage and Fried Sage
Sage is not just for stuffing, or so Moira Hodgson argued in a 1997 article that extolled the many virtues of the leafy herb. Frying sage leaves in olive oil or butter, as is done in Italy, tones down their strong earthy flavor, leaving behind just a hint. In this recipe, once the leaves are crisped and set aside, a pound of hot Italian sausage and a bit of garlic are browned in the fragrant oil. A cup of cream is added to the pan to deglaze. Finally, the cream, sausage and a generous grating of Parmesan are tossed with a pile of fettuccine and topped with a scattering of delicate sage leaves. It's an elegant, satisfying 30 minute meal.
Carbonnade à la Flamande
Cassoulet With Lots of Vegetables
Cassoulet is one of the best of the myriad of traditional European dishes that combine beans and meat to produce wonderful rich, robust stews. This recipe maintains that spirit, but is much faster, easier, less expensive, and more contemporary, emphasizing the beans and vegetables over meat. (That probably makes it more, not less, traditional, since meat was always hard to come by before the mid-20th century.)
Cheese Enchiladas With Chili Gravy
Here is a recipe adapted from one that the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur Robb Walsh serves at his El Real Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston. You can find similar ones served all over South Texas, often served with rice and refried beans. I think it’s an excellent side dish for a cookout of grilled chicken or pork, but you could also slide a few fried eggs over the top and call it breakfast, or don't and use vegetable stock or water, and call it a vegetarian supper. Make sure to leave some bare tortilla peeking out on each side of the gravy and cheese so it grows crackly and awesome.
Romano Tamani's Beans And Sausage
Chicken With Scotch-Bonnet Peppers and Pomegranate-Molasses Jerk Sauce
Fried Potatoes, Beef And Peppers
Pork With Peppers and Chickpeas
Smoky and Spicy Roasted Salmon
Inspired by the smoke, spice and sweetness that characterize classic dry barbecue rubs, this super easy salmon recipe skips the grill, making for easy cleanup and a dinner that’s doable any night of the week. While a fragrant rub like this one might overpower a milder fish, salmon stands up to strong flavors beautifully. This dish works well with summer picnic sides like coleslaw and potato salad, but it is equally good with roasted potatoes and a simple green salad. The rub is only mildly spicy as written, so add a pinch of cayenne if you’d like a little more kick.
Hot Chicken With Vinegar
Cassoulet Toulousain
Bollito Misto (Italian Boiled Meats With Red and Green Sauces)
Bollito misto is the Italian version of a boiled dinner, somewhat similar to the French pot au feu, but more complex. (A New England boiled dinner pales in comparison.) The dish can be quite an extravagant affair, with many cuts of veal, beef, tongue, sausages and a fat capon. This is a simpler version, though it is still a project and easier to complete if the work is spread over two or three days. But it is a worthy adventure. Serve the broth as a traditional first-course soup garnished with tortellini or other small stuffed pasta shapes, or plain, in little cups, for sipping. Two bright sauces — one green, one red — round out the dish as condiments.