Ingredients

• 1 pound halibut fillet, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small rosemary sprig
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)
• Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

Preparation

Season halibut all over with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. In a medium-size skillet just large enough to hold fish cubes in a single layer, heat oil over low heat. Add fish, rosemary sprig and dried mint, and let cook slowly until fish begins to turn opaque, about 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook until garlic is fragrant and fish is just cooked through, another 3 minutes or so (heat should be low enough so as not to brown the garlic or fish but high enough to gently cook everything; the cooking time will vary widely with your stove).

Taste and add more salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice if desired. Stir in the fresh mint and serve, using a slotted spoon if you want to leave the poaching oil in pan; it is delicious over couscous or potatoes.

Melissa Clark, New York Times

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, halved
• 10 garlic cloves
• 2 slices crusty bread
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, with skin
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts or pine nuts
• 1 pimento or roasted red pepper
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds prawns, shelled, tails removed, heads on

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Arrange the tomatoes, garlic, bread, and nuts on a baking sheet; roast for 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor and pulse to roughly break up. Add the pimentos, vinegar, oil, and paprika. Pulse again until well combined, add salt. This sauce is best if allowed to rest so the flavors can meld (may be made a day in advance).

Heat oil to almost smoking in a large skillet or roasting pan. Toss the prawns in half the romesco sauce to coat, and pan sear the shrimp quickly in the oil just until barely opaque. Then roast for 10 to 12 minutes in a 450 degree F oven. Serve the remaining sauce on the side for dipping.

Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 2 pounds eggplant, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• Sea salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 pound penne or other short pasta
• 2 cups basic tomato sauce (from Mario’s cookbook)
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup grated caciocavallo or pecorino
• 4 sprigs fresh basil, roughly torn

Preparation

Stack eggplant slices in a colander, each piece sprinkled with sea salt. Weigh the slices with a large, full can of tomatoes or other weight and set aside in the kitchen sink so that juices run free. After 1 hour, rinse and pat dry.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat and saute eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides, working in batches if necessary and removing cooked eggplant to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Cook the penne in the boiling water until not quite done; about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with 3/4 cup of tomato sauce.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease a glass or ceramic oven dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the bottom of the dish with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce. Top with half the bread crumbs, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add half the cooked pasta, then half of the eggplant slices, arranged in a layer. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce over, and top with half the grated cheese and torn basil leaves. Repeat the process with remaining tomato sauce, bread crumbs, pasta, eggplant, cheese, and basil.

Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and bake in oven for 1 hour. Let rest 30 minutes before serving.

Mario Batali

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 chicken, cut into serving pieces and skinned
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade, for garnish
• 1 cup black Nyons or kalamata olives, for garnish

Preparation

Combine the 3/4 cup flour and the salt in a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag, several pieces at a time, and shake to coat completely.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned on both sides. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain, then arrange in the slow cooker.

Set the sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the onion and the 2 tablespoons flour. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until some of the tomato liquid evaporates.

Pour the onion mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 8 hours, until the chicken is tender. At 3 to 4 hours, the chicken will still be firm and hold its shape. At 6 to 8 hours, the meat will be falling off the bone.

Divide the chicken among dinner plates and garnish with the parsley, basil, and olives. Serve immediately.

Lynn Alley, Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 8- to 12-pound turkey
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed, more to taste
• 1 branch fresh tarragon or thyme separated into sprigs, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or tarragon
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put turkey on a stable cutting board breast side down and cut out backbone. Turn turkey over, and press on it to flatten. Put it, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Wings should partly cover breasts, and legs should protrude a bit.

Tuck garlic and tarragon under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. Turkey should be browning. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices, and return to oven. Reduce heat to 400 degrees (if turkey browns too quickly, reduce temperature to 350 degrees).

Begin to check turkey’s temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if bird is on the small side). It is done when thigh meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer. Check it in a couple of places. [An 18-lb. turkey cooked in a total of about two hours.]

Let turkey rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with garlic cloves and pan juices.

Mark Bittman, New York Times

Ingredients

• 6 cups leftover turkey, chopped
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 large onions, quartered and finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sweet curry
• 3-4 pieces leftover fruit (pears, peaches, plums)
• 1 1/2-2 cups water
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 cup yogurt, drained
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preparation

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium. Add onions and cook until lightly brown, stirring frequently. Add the sweet curry powder, stir and cook another 5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, cut up fruit. Use whatever fruit has gotten a bit soft in the fridge, peel or not as desired. Add the water, vinegar and fruit to the pan, stir and get everything simmering, then add the turkey, Make sure the mixture never boils, so the turkey stays tender. Cook everything for as long as possible, 30 minutes minimum. Make rice or pasta while the curry is cooking. Drain the yogurt but placing it in a very fine strainer or a cheese cloth-lined regular strainer over a small bowl while curry is cooking. At the end of the cooking time, add the fresh cilantro leaves and cook for one final minute. Turn the heat off and stir in the yogurt. Serve.

Penzys

Ingredients

• ½ c butter (1 stick)
• ½ c flour
• 8 c milk
• 2 small packages American cheese, torn into pieces
• saltines

Preparation

Melt the butter, add flour and cook for a few minutes until light brown. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously to avoid the formation of lumps. Bring to a boil. Add the cheese in increments, allowing one addition to melt before adding the next. Cook until all cheese has melted and the cheese sauce is smooth. Place saltines on a plate and ladle cheese sauce over them. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Chicken, cut into strips
• 1 lb. Green beans, ends snapped off and in bite size pieces
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1 large can or 2 small cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can French’s fried onions

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°. Mix together the green beans, mushrooms, soup, and half the fried onions. Arrange the chicken on the bottom of a casserole dish. Pour the green bean mixture over the chicken. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until the soup is bubbling. Sprinkle the rest of the fired onions on top of the casserole and cook for another 5 minutes, until the onions brown.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, peeled
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 pounds pork leg or shoulder, at room temperature
• About 1/4 cup fennel spice rub

Preparation

Thinly slice the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 minute. Add the sage and cook until the onions cease throwing off water, about 3 minutes. Add the water, cover, and cook until the onions are very tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and saute until the onions are very soft and the pan is dry again, about 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Peel back the pork skin and spread the onions directly on the fat layer. Fold the skin back over the onions and tie closed with kitchen string. Season well all over with the fennel spice.

Arrange the meat on a rack in a roasting pan (or using the Cocorico, see below) and cook until the meat is very tender, 6 to 8 hours. It is ready when it pulls away easily if picked at with a pair of tongs. It is often easiest to cook the meat overnight, or put it in the oven in the morning and let it cook all day. It does not need to be attended.

Michael Chiarello, Napa Style

Ingredients

• 2 lb ground lamb
• 1 finely chopped medium onion
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp ground rosemary
• 1 tbsp ground fenugreek
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Preparation

Mix together as for meatloaf. Place in loaf pan and bake at 325 for 1 to 11/2 hours. Drain off fat and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.