Characteristic: one-dish meal

  --Inspired by Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi   This an ideal cook-with-what you have template. Saute onions, garlic and maybe some carrots and celery; add whatever vegetable you have--in this case chard, stems and all, and add broth, lots of fresh herbs, some cheese and rice-shaped orzo pasta and bake it all until cooked and set.   ... Read more »

The technique/recipe is inspired by a dish called Dressy Pasta Risotto from Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful book Around My French Table. My addition of cauliflower and liberal grating of fresh nutmeg and the omission of much of the butter and all of the mascarpone started me on a path of other versions.   I used tubetti pasta (small, very short tubes) though they can be hard to find. They are sometimes called salad macaroni and you can also use small elbow macaroni. It is critical to us a small shape though not quite as small as orzo.   Serve this dish with a green salad for a simple dinner.  ... Read more »

If you have a chance to wash and cook the spinach ahead of time, then this dinner or lunch comes together very quickly. Spinach cooks down a lot and you'll want a good amount, 1 3/4 lb if possible but you can also add other leafy greens if you don't have enough spinach. Turnip or beet greens, mustard greens and chard would all be good substations for some, or even all, of the spinach. [caption id="attachment_5253" align="alignleft" width="640"] We often eat eggs for dinner so this kind of meal is not relegated to weekend brunch in our household.[/caption]... Read more »

  This is a sort of super simplified cassoulet-like dish but really so much simpler that I'm not sure the reference is legitimate. I was in a hurry the night I made this and decided against sautéing the onion and garlic separately and just added it raw to the beans and herbs. It turned out mellow and rich and sweet so you can save yourself that step. So if your beans are already cooked this takes 5 minutes to put together and another 35-45 to bake. I tend to air heavily on the bean side and light on the meat side but by all means add more sausages or other meat (leftover pork or duck of any kind would be great) if you'd like.   Variations Make a vegetarian version by omitting the meat and adding 1 teaspoon of smoked or regular paprika and top the beans with plenty of coarse bread crumbs and a drizzle of olive oil. ... Read more »

This is a childhood favorite dish that I have incorporated into my own repertoire. I still love eating this at my mother’s and since she grows all the Anaheim peppers it’s a regular dish. Make a simple cucumber salad and call it dinner. I don’t know where she originally got the idea but it’s an unusual and wonderful dish. She makes it with a whole bunch of parsley.  ... Read more »

  Versions of this dish are made all over the Caribbean though not necessarily with this many vegetables. It’s a satisfying one-dish meal and very easy to prepare and a great way to integrate fresh produce into the main dish itself. It’s a pantry dish in that basically all you need is rice, beans, onion, garlic and coconut milk. And if you have tomatoes and celery or greens of some kind, great!  ... Read more »

  --inspired by Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison   This is one of my favorite mustard greens dishes--I make it in the winter and spring when farmers' markets have large, gorgeous bunches of mustard greens. And don’t be deceived by the small amount of rice. This makes quite a good quantity. And it’s absolutely wonderful with a fried or poached egg on top the next day (or the first time around).  ... Read more »

--inspired by Food52   This is fun and delicious. It has been a favorite among CSA members for years. You can make it in the winter with canned tomatoes or in the summer/fall with fresh--either way is great. The dish takes about 7 minutes to pull together and about 45 minutes to bake. Toast a little bread and you’re set for dinner (or brunch). You can also make a quicker version on the stove top. Same process just in a large skillet and the cooking time is about half of that in the oven, see photo below.  ... Read more »

Stewed leeks make a wonderful galette topping. This is delicious at room temperature as well and if you can figure out how to transport is a great picnic/potluck dish. With a big green salad it's a perfect light supper. [caption id="attachment_18373" align="aligncenter" width="660"] For this version I halved (lengthwise) a few asparagus spears and arranged them like spokes which was pretty but the spears tend to fall off when eating. You can have all sorts of fun with variations though. . .[/caption]... Read more »

–inspired by Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan   I heavily adapted this dish from Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful book Around my French Table a few years ago with cauliflower and then I made it with Brussels sprouts and bacon and then with winter squash and sage. I remembered the technique when I had 25 minutes to get dinner on the table and happened to have fava beans, new potatoes, and basil on hand. It was fantastic.   Finally, as cookbook author Dorie Greenspan notes, “this is risotto” the way that finely sliced apples are carpaccio, which means not at all. . .” but the technique is just enough reminiscent of risotto that I appreciate the reference and continue to use it. My version might not be recognizable to Dorie but it’s a keeper in our household.  ... Read more »

I threw this dish together one night and it turned out to be a winner. You could fry or poach an egg to serve on top of this and call it dinner.   For this dish to work you need a large skillet and you need to cut the squash into really small pieces. I suggest 1-inch long little batons or some such. You want the vegetables to have enough room so they sauté/brown rather than steaming.... Read more »

This is a very quick and simple dish. It's a lighter version of this dish, that includes a bit of cream.  This one-pot dish is begging for adaptations and substitutions so use spinach or mustard greens instead of the escarole, or even radicchio. Add bacon or sausage or leftover chicken. The sweet squash is nicely balanced by greens with robust flavor like mustard greens or anything in the chicory family. Cooking times and amount of liquid needed will vary a bit based on the type of pasta you use so watch as you go and adjust as needed. This is not a dish where the pasta needs to be perfectly al dente, which I think is just fine. ... Read more »

--inspired by Jamie Oliver   This is delicious, fast (if you have cooked chickpeas on hand or if you use canned), easy and nutritious. The rosemary, garlic, celery, carrot and hot pepper combine for a surprisingly rich flavor base. The shape of the pasta is important so if you can find little tubes (tubetti or ditalini) use those. If not, small elbow macaroni can work.   ... Read more »

--inspired by 101cookbooks.com   This is a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. The sweetness of the carrots and creaminess of the beans is balanced with the fresh garlic and dill and finally the cool creaminess of Greek yogurt.   If you have cooked white beans (or canned) on hand this dish comes together in 15 minutes.... Read more »

  This is so simple and so good. I grew up eating variations of this dish in Germany. The quantities are all approximations. Use what you have, increase, decrease to suit your tastes and/or what you have on hand. The addition of caraway seeds makes it very typical but it’s lovely without  too. The sweetness of cabbage cooked this way is remarkable. Green, savoy and red cabbage are all good prepared this way. The cabbage is definitely my favorite part.... Read more »

--slightly adapted from the Wednesday Chef   This involves two steps but it’s worth every minute. It’s not much to look at but the flavor is wonderful. And it’s really almost more risotto textured than soup. If you use a good broth it’s a very flavorful dish.  Serves 4 - 6... Read more »

--adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson   This is a wonderful dish with bold flavors. When tarragon is in season it’s most wonderful with a bit of that but it’s perfect just with the parsley and capers or just parsley if you don’t have capers. If you don’t have capers but have anchovies, mash a couple up and add them to the dressing instead.  If you're short on time you can boil the potatoes and broccoli instead of roasting which is almost as spectacular. And  then you can cook the potatoes, broccoli and eggs all in one pot--for varying lengths of time though!     It’s practically a meal in one with the hard-boiled egg, potatoes, and broccoli but would be wonderful with grilled meat or fish or other veggies or some crusty bread and a simple green salad.... Read more »

--inspired by Chef Cathy Whims (Nostrana) who I believe was inspired by cookbook author Anne Bianchi   This is one of my favorite dishes and favorite uses for (basil) pesto--it's comfort food at its best with the simplest of ingredients. There's something about the toasted, garlicky bread melting into the warm beans and pesto . . . and "bastard soup" is so named because it uses black beans, which are called fascistini in Italy in honor of what some Italians call "that black shirted bastard who brought Italy to the brink of destruction during WWII." On the positive side, it is very easy to prepare. All you need are brothy black beans, stale bread, pesto and some good olive oil.    *If you have previously cooked black beans with their broth use those and cook them down a little to thicken the bean broth.  ... Read more »

I have changed this in many ways but I do need to credit Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table with the template for this recipe that I also make with cauliflower and butternut Squash. ... Read more »