Notes about Recipes in this book

• Salmon escabeche

  • blintz on November 23, 2020

    This is a fabulous fun way to serve salmon. In the oven, it never got the grilled look of the photo, but it didn’t matter because all the (simple) elements tasted so good together. Would work for any firm fish. Definitely follow the end note and add garlic to the toasts.

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 26, 2019

    Easy to put together and it works really well. Delicious. This is one of those dishes that is more than the sum of its parts. D & I both loved it.

• Cheater hummus

  • Astrid5555 on February 21, 2022

    Great option for hummus made with canned chickpeas, of course not as good as with dried ones, but a good alternative.

• Panzanella with hearty greens, honey-roasted squash, and pear

  • Astrid5555 on October 01, 2020

    This was delicious, but a little time-consuming for a weeknight meal because of the many components involved (roasting the bread, roasting the pumpkin, making a vinaigrette, etc.). Used a small hokkaido pumpkin and Swiss chard, which I crisped up in a pan by accident and would make again, for the hearty greens.

  • meggan on October 13, 2020

    I used a random squash and that was a mistake. It tasted weird. The croutons with the dressing were good though.

• Panzanella with mozzarella, peach, and tomato

  • Astrid5555 on July 06, 2021

    This is a delicious way to use up stale sourdough bread. We really loved the peach & arugula combination together with the creamy mozzarella cheese.

• Grains with blood oranges, walnuts, and chicories

  • Astrid5555 on February 29, 2020

    What a pleasant surprise! Perfect winter salad for a dinner party, got rave reviews. Used wholewheat giant couscous for the grains and a mix of navel and blood oranges, went light on the chicory, walnuts added a nice crunch.

• Salumi or grilled sausage with summer squash, carrots, and green sauce #2

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 12, 2019

    Because I find cumin to be a bit strong usually, I reduced it in the green sauce to 1T from 2T, which I would do again in future. And for the salad used zucchini, finger lakes white wine sausage & kasekrainer. I preferred the thinner slices of veg from my peeler, than the ones produced by my mandoline. Altogether, this is a great combo and I'll definitely make it again.

• Charred market peppers with pickled feta

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 29, 2019

    Very addictive. I could make a meal out of this alone. I used mixed bell peppers & hungarian wax peppers. Note: Feta needs to marinate for at least 1 hour ahead of time. Because I'm lazy and there's already vinegar added to the peppers, next time, I may not pickle the feta; but just add to the peppers and vinegar, mint & aleppo to taste.

  • jenmacgregor18 on March 09, 2023

    I don't remember if I cooked the peppers in a skillet last time or not. But based on this experience, I would just roast/char them all under the broiler in the future on a sheet pan. It took 3 batches in the skillet to get them all done. And there was really a lot of smoke. I had the vent on full and had to prop the door open. But they do taste good.

• You pick a vegetable! (with olive oil, anchovies, and hard cheese)

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 06, 2019

    I chopped the anchovy in small pieces so I wouldn't get too big a bite. And used, celery, fennel & radicchio & grana padano. a great balanced salad. None of the flavors overwhelmed; all worked well together. The more I ate it, the more I liked it. Very good. I really like the possibilities of this with all other options too.

• Bacon-wrapped, chorizo-stuffed dates

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 13, 2022

    The bacon seemed almost superfluous other than holding the date together. It didn't really add too much to the flavor. I liked the pepper sauce, but it is good without it too. You definitely do need enough heat in the chorizo to offset the date. I liked the idea of the chorizo & date together; but I wasn't crazy about the store-bought chorizo I had. If I can find a recipe for chorizo I really like, this would be totally worth making again.

• Beet and walnut dip

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 07, 2022

    Note - Neither oranges, thyme nor rosemary are in the original recipe.

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 07, 2022

    This is a bit addictive. The more I ate it, the more I liked it. Excellent with some Trader Joe's garlic Naan crackers I happened to have on hand. I didn't have Urfa chiles, so I used Aleppo. My only change for next time would be to eliminate the smoked paprika. There was only 1/2 tsp, but I'm just not crazy about a smoky flavor.

• Season, stuff, truss, roast, and carve a chicken... then make stock

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 07, 2021

    This is the most succulent, delicious roast chicken I've ever made, especially the dark meat and pan drippings. I could never understand the fuss people made over roast chicken. This is the first time that I've found one worth making again. The fennel gratin & roast grapes are wonderful sides. Looking forward to the other variations. .. for now on to the Jonathan Waxman chicken stock.

• Jonathan Waxman's no-recipe chicken stock

  • jenmacgregor18 on May 28, 2020

    I kinda sorta followed this when recently roasting a turkey. Used Serious Eats methodology for roasting a turkey in parts (along with dry rub) - so I had the back, giblets, neck & wings available prior to cooking. Just threw them in a pot of water with carrots onions and celery and let simmer around 12 hours. So much better than simmering for a few hours, where I usually have to boost the flavor with bouillon. This made for the best flavored stock ever, which made the best turkey gravy, ever. And very hands off.

• Roasted chicken with roasted grapes and Vetri's fennel

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 07, 2021

    The chicken is fantastic. I normally don't like fruit in savory dishes, these are a really nice accompaniment. The fennel gratin is a new favorite. All delicious. And I will be eating a lot more fennel from now on.

• Roasted chicken with smashed and crisped potatoes and green sauce #1

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 22, 2023

    The chicken was amazing as usual. And the green sauce was excellent with the crispy potatoes and the chicken.

• Brined and braised pork shoulder

  • jenmacgregor18 on June 08, 2020

    The brine was simple and quick to put together. My piece of pork shoulder was smaller, so I got away with a smaller pot in the fridge for the overnight brine. Since it was during the week, I ended up cooking in a crockpot on low for about 8 1/2 hrs. It was tender; but not falling apart. This was a very easy, mostly hands-off recipe and it turned out great. D, who doesn't say much about new recipes, said it was really good. I want to try the version with kielbasa & collard greens next.

  • sosayi on February 07, 2021

    This was absolutely delicious. I also had a smaller cut (just under 3 lbs, bone-in) and it cooked in 5 hours, falling off the bone. Loads of flavor. Made the cabbage version and can’t wait to try the others (eventually).

• Pick a steak, marinate, sear, baste, and finish

  • jenmacgregor18 on January 06, 2020

    Only did a 1 lb, 1" thick steak. used oregano w/ avocado oil. The procedure is simple. I seared steak for minimum time (4 min) on each side, flipped & basted & put in 375 oven for only 4 minutes. It was over done for my taste, temping at 149. It had very little pink in middle. Maybe because I only did 1 steak? However, it was quick and smelled & tasted very good. So, next time I might just sear on one side for 4 minutes & then flip, baste & put in oven.

• Panzanella with Brussels sprouts, grilled onion, and crumbly cheese

  • Lepa on December 11, 2022

    We loved this salad. It was a bit of work preparing all the elements but the final dish was a lovely balance of flavors and textures. This was the highlight of our dinner party and all the adults couldn't stop eating it.

• Seed crackers

  • leighwhit25 on December 30, 2019

    These were so delicious and so easy. Will be made many times!

• Honey-roasted winter squash and kale pesto pizza

  • bwhip on October 29, 2019

    Excellent, unusual pizza. Great flavor mix, and the lemon-kissed arugula kept it light and fresh tasting. We make a lot of pizza at home, and wanted to try something different than our usual rotation of favorites. We’ll make this one again.

• Charred eggplant, smoked mozzarella, and hot honey pizza

  • bwhip on October 29, 2019

    Excellent, unusual pizza. The hot honey really puts it over the top. We used regular (fresh) mozzarella rather than smoked, and chose Calabrian chiles for the honey. We make a lot of pizza at home, and wanted to try something different than our usual rotation of favorites. We’ll make this one again.

• Brined and braised pork shoulder with knepfle noodles, cabbage, caraway, and apple

  • sosayi on February 18, 2021

    Absolutely delicious. The fresh apple and parsley salad is a great final touch, the cabbage has loads of flavor, and the noodles are light and delicate. All go wonderfully with the braised pork. Will repeat.

• Summer squash, fresh mozzarella, and chile oil pizza

  • sosayi on April 19, 2020

    I used summer squash in place of zucchini and left out the arugula topping (just what I had on hand). But the Garlic-Chile Oil for the topping is what really makes this, anyways. SO so good and easy. I used it on another pizza, too, and will repeat this idea in the future.

• Kitchn

  ...is all about making entertaining more accessible and “low-stress.” He achieves this with mix-and-match recipes, providing ways for readers to customize each to their liking.

  Full review