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
• 4 cups basic tomato sauce (from Mario’s cookbook)
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 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 1 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 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce over, and top with half the grated cheese and torn basil leaves. Repeat the process with remaining tomato sauce (a few tbsp.), bread crumbs, pasta, eggplant, basil, and tomato sauce (the rest).

Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and bake in oven, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover, top with the rest of the cheese, and bake for 15 minutes more.

Mario Batali, heavily edited

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.

Ingredients

Raspberry sauce:

• 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh raspberries (about 3 1/2 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 3 to 6 teaspoons water (optional)

Chicken:

• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts (about 4 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided
• 1/3 cup honey mustard
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, butterflied
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 4 cups baby salad greens
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Preparation

For raspberry sauce: Puree raspberries, white wine vinegar, and sugar in blender until smooth. With blender running, gradually add safflower oil. Add water by teaspoonfuls as needed to thin to desired consistency. Season raspberry sauce to taste with salt and pepper. [JP: This sauce would also work well as a raspberry vinaigrette.]

For chicken: Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix hazelnuts, panko, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in shallow bowl.

Mix honey mustard, mint leaves, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, remaining 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Add chicken; coat, leaving to marinate for a bit.

Dip chicken pieces, 1 at a time, into crumb-nut mixture, coating both sides and pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken pieces to baking sheet.

Divide equal amounts of butter and peanut oil between 2 large nonstick skillets (try to use a minimal amount of oil for your skillets); heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 chicken pieces to each skillet; reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is light brown, about 4 minutes per side. Place chicken on rimmed baking sheet; transfer to oven. Roast chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Divide salad greens among 4 plates; top with chicken. Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve raspberry sauce alongside.

Bon Appetit, July 2008

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 cup frozen, thawed cooked baby shrimp, well drained (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons sliced pitted green olives
• 4 large grape tomatoes, sliced
• 1 scallion, trimmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Bring 1/2 cup water to boiling in a small pot. Stir in bulgur. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and bulgur is chewy, not hard. Spoon into a large salad bowl and set aside to cool. Add shrimp, olives, tomatoes, scallion and parsley to bulgur. Stir well. Combine vinegar, oil and cumin in a small cup. Pour over salad. Toss gently but well. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

Chicago Tribune