This was really yummy. I made it a long time ago, but am just now getting around to posting it. Would be sophisticated enough for a “company” meal, but isn’t difficult to make.
Recipe here.
Category: Entrees
Middle Eastern-Style Flank Steak and Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts, Gorgonzola, and Brown-Butter Pecans
This dinner tasted a lot better than my stinky photo makes it look. I overcooked the steak a little bit and I undercooked the brussels sprouts a little bit, but both dishes tasted WONDERFUL. The pasta was very rich and cheesy and creamy and the steak had just enough spice on it. Girl, of course, only ate the pasta, and the meat was a tiny bit too spicy for Boy, but he still ate it enthusiastically. The leftovers would be great tucked into a pita with some tzatziki and lettuce.
I highly recommend d’Arenberg Stump Jump Shiraz with this. There’s a straight shiraz and there’s a shiraz-mourvedre-grenache blend. They’re both good, but the straight shiraz is better and the 2008 is better than the 2007, but even the 2007 blend is still pretty good.
These recipes are, again, from Fine Cooking’s website, but I’m including the links…just in case.
Orecchiette recipe here.
Flank steak recipe here.
Curried Chickpea and Summer Vegetable Stew with Quick Tandoori Chicken Thighs
Absolutely wonderful. We all loved this. Girl had her stew, obviously, sans chicken.
Flavorful and spicy, but not too hot. Savory and tangy. The chicken was moist and meaty. Not too difficult or time-consuming.
Fine Cooking’s website is subscription-only, but I’ve included the recipe links, anyway, because sometimes they will let you look at certain recipes for free or they’ll let you look at two or three before they shut you out and ask you to sign up for a membership. Good luck; I hope you can see them! In general, I don’t like paying extra for the website membership if I already subscribe to the magazine, but for Fine Cooking, it’s worth it.
Broccoli Quiche with Gruyere and Cheddar
Yum. I overcooked the quiche a tiny bit and got the egg a bit overbrowned, but this was still quite tasty. A hit with all 4 of us. Recipe (by the wonderful Kerry Saretsky) here.
Creme Fraiche Roasted Salmon
Avgolemono Chicken Soup with Rice, topped with sauteed spinach
This recipe is pretty good, but doesn’t really have enough “oomph,” for my taste, for it to be something that I would make again on a regular basis. It is, however, the PERFECT thing to make for a family member that has been sick or is recovering from a cold, flu, etc. I know that’s not terribly exciting, but it is good to have a few recipes like that in your arsenal. You could spice it up and make it more palatable for someone who isn’t infirm, but that kind of goes against the nature of it, I think. It’s a simple, good, tasty chicken and rice soup. It would be great for small children on a cold day. Not fancy, just basic.
Fusilli with Spicy Chicken Sausage, Tomato and Ricotta Cheese
Yum. Savory and very kid-friendly. Recipe here.
Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs with Rice and Roasted Broccoli
Monday we celebrated our wedding anniversary here at FYK. I asked Hubby if he had any special dinner requests and he asked for some kind of chicken thighs (his favorite,) so I decided to make this upscaled version of chicken, broccoli and rice. Vegetarian Girl skipped the chicken and added some edamame for protein.
Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs, from Sheila Lukins’ (RIP, such a talented lady) final cookbook, Ten. Recipe here. I made rice to accompany, because I used the last of our rice noodles to make spring rolls recently and keep forgetting to buy more. The marinade/sauce in this recipe tastes EXACTLY like the sauce used in P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken (my favorite thing there,) so it would be easy to adapt this recipe if you’re trying to recreate that (just stir-fry bite-sized chicken breast chunks until crispy, reduce the sauce a little to thicken it and then add some thick strips of orange peel.)
Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Red Pepper. Easy and surprisingly tasty and sweet. Recipe here.
Pecan-Crusted Tilapia
This recipe from Southern Living is a winner. Yum!
Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding
This hearty vegetarian main dish from November 2009 Bon Appetit magazine was filling and delicious. Vegetarian Girl ate it as a main dish and the rest of us had it as a side to some chicken. Very good, but the recipe (really being intended for a large, holiday gathering) makes a HUGE pan of the bread pudding, so if you’re only serving 4 to 6 people, I would STRONGLY suggest halving the recipe, lest you be condemned to eat the leftovers for 3 days.