Why are they genius? Well, they're delicious. There is always a fight over them, and never one left behind. It's four ingredients (not counting the chutney) and -- like some of the most genius recipes we've seen --
When I think of inexpensive meals I almost always turn to hearty soups - a little meat and a lot of veggies go a long way. When the kids were living at home a pot of soup was usually always on the stove to accommodate their crazy schedules ( and ours!).
Dried apricots are poached in a spiced vinegar, stuffed with pistachios and mozzarella, and then wrapped in bacon for a simple, unforgettable party snack. The smoky-salty bacon plays perfectly with the pickled apricots, and the pistachios and mozzarella lend a nice textural contrast. All components can be prepped in advance, and assembly is fun and easy.
There is something magical about a patty melt. Buttery, golden bread. Ooey, gooey cheese. Unctuous, jammy caramelized onions. And a thin, succulent, smash-burger-style beef patty. Each bite is crunchy, melty, and juicy all at once. (Is your mouth watering? Mine is.) This recipe combines the beauty of a patty melt with the deliciousness of a lamb kofte wrap. Ground lamb is combined with toasted, ground fennel seeds, fresh herbs, and serrano chile, then formed into patties and griddled until the Maillard reaction kicks in. If you wanted to go the extra mile and grill the patties on an actual grill, that would really take these babies over the top. Instead of caramelized onions, these sandwiches are layered with quick-pickled cauliflower flavored with turmeric, lending an earthy, almost-citrusy flavor. The acidity of the pickles works wonders, cutting through the gaminess of the lamb and providing a foil for the rich cheese.
I lived in Southern California for two years, where it was almost always grilling season. We mostly like to keep it simple on the fire—tasty cuts, well seasoned, with a good char. But sometimes a little something extra, like the easy marinade and sauce in this recipe, really elevated our summer dinners to something special.
I got the idea for this recipe from one of my favorite fall drinks: snappy ginger apple cider with caramel. My pork loin is stuffed with a gingery apple filling and topped with a sweet and delicious soy caramel glaze.
Sometimes called lamb and root vegetable soup, "cawl Cymreig" as it’s known in Welsh, is the traditional dish served on St. David’s Day, March 1, a holiday celebrating the patron saint of the tiny country. The day is celebrated with parades, special programs, and placing a daffodil and a leek (the national flower and vegetable, respectively) in your cap. St. Patrick’s Day (and its ubiquitous corned beef and cabbage) usually get major food-attention in March, but it is high time for St. David—and cawl—to be in the spotlight. There are probably as many variations of this dish as there are cooks who make it: Some families will use a small rutabaga, turnip, or shredded green cabbage instead of parsnips. It typically involves celeriac, which is at the end of the season now; celery, though not the same vegetable, but slightly similar in flavor, often is substituted. If your grocery store or butcher doesn’t have boneless lamb shoulder or stew meat (or if you don’t like lamb!) substitute with 3 to 4 pounds boneless beef flank steak.
I've combined two of my favorite dishes into this Andouille and Dijon Polenta. I've borrowed the andouille sausage from dirty (or Cajun) rice, a go-to comfort food of mine, while also borrowing a dijon lemon cream sauce that I like to use in scallop risotto.
This pairs splendidly with naan, of course, but on a hot summer day, also with most salads (think slaws, a watermelon salad with fistfuls of crumbled feta and mint), even cornbread. Serve with lemonade, a tall glass of lager, or a dry Riesling
I created the recipe myself, it is available on my site: http://www.alaalison.com.
I was inspired by the combination of pork belly/watermelon in a salad at Memphis Taproom, a Philly restaurant I love, and ran with the idea.
This is a shining example of what I like to call “dinner pie”—an all-in-one dish that you can serve for supper (always alongside a big green salad). Another thing about dinner pie is that it can often be made ahead; the filling cooks slowly and the flavors intensify as they sit overnight. You can even make a double batch of the braise to serve with rice one night, then bake the leftovers into the dinner pie. If I say dinner pie enough, will it catch on? Stay tuned. Adapted from The Book on Pie.
Lumpia is a Filipino egg roll, usually made with ground pork, soy sauce, minced garlic, onion, and fried in oil. My mom would always make these for any party my family ever had, and she would also bring it to other parties when people had us over as well. It was always a hit, and everyone gobbled them up as soon as they hit the table.
The combination of lamb and feta is a common one for good reason: The saltiness of the cheese and the earthiness of the meat are natural partners. A great sandwich needs freshness and crunch, so these get topped with a quick fennel slaw and a pile of deliciously crispy shallots (make extra and use them on salads!). To hold everything together, I used the classic, soft Potato Buns from Arnold®, Brownberry®, and Oroweat®.
Are you always on the lookout for quick and easy weeknight dinners that you feel good about feeding yourself and your family? So am I. I’m wishing I’d come up with this sooner: It’s crazy simple and really good.
Apples and pork are a classic flavor combo, so I decided to incorporate some diced apple into breakfast sausage. I had Jonagolds on hand but another sweet to slightly tart apple would make a fine substitute.
Samsa is a very popular Uzbekistani street food that takes on many different forms and shapes, but in general, it's a combination of very crispy, flaky dough with meat fillings that are baked in a tandoor oven. The dough utilizes a lamination technique that is simple yet extremely effective, yielding a crust that is buttery and layered, yet sturdy and crispy. It is a perfect, well-designed cocoon for its uniquely textured and supremely juicy meat filing flavored with solid lamb fat. This is a recipe that is going to take practice to perfect but is so well worth the effort! I like to mix 2 parts sriracha and 1 part tabasco as the dipping sauce. Leftovers can be brought back to flakiness by reheating for 10 to 15 minutes in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
This fragrant rice makes for a satisfying and easy weeknight meal. As long as you have your mise en place before you start, the end is as comforting as a good risotto, though without all the stirring. As strange as it might sound,
