April 2016 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 3

Thank you for checking out my latest post!  After a week hiatus due to some crazy work travel, I am happy to be back at home cooking again!  This week I wanted to share some recipes that are easier to prepare in advance, or cook quickly.  The spicy pork dish is great for anyone trying to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes, and both the steak and lamb need to marinate so you can prep them in the morning for dinner that night.  

As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and if you find my blog useful please share it with your friends.  

Spicy Pork With Asparagus And Chile

RECIPES

Chicken Skewers With Tarragon-Pistachio Pesto, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2011, page 38

Steakhouse Salad With Red Chile Dressing And Peanuts, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2015, page 115

Tarragon Roasted Halibut With Hazelnut Brown Butter, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2013, page 92

Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2011, page 61 

Lamb Chops With Lemon, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2011, page 74

Veal Meatballs with Mustard Greens, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2014, page 104

GROCERY LIST

Produce

2 lemons

2 red bell peppers

1 red jalapeño

1 bunch of parsley

2 bunches of tarragon

1 bunch of mint

1 bunch of oregano

1/2 pound sugar snap peas

12 ounces asparagus

1 head of butter lettuce

1/2 pound mustard greens

2 Persoan cucumbers

2 ounces radishes

1 bunch of scallions

1 ginger root

2 lemons

1 large red onion

1 large white onion

3 large shallots

1 head of garlic

Fresh lemon juice

Dairy and Frozen

Unsalted butter

Heavy cream

Eggs

Meat and Seafood 

1 pound chicken tenders

1.5 pound flank steak

12 ounces ground pork

24 lamb rib chops

1 pound ground veal

1 3-3.5 pound skinless halibut fillet

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Unseasoned rice vinegar

Asian sesame oil

Oyster sauce

Soy sauce

Ground fennel seeds

Ground coriander

Chipotle or other smoked chile powder

Mustard powder

Crushed red pepper

Cornstarch

Sugar

Honey

Bread crumbs

Chicken stock

1/2 cup whole hazelnuts

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Unsalted natural pistachios

Raw peanuts

Mirin

Gochujang paste

Gochugaru powder

Shaoxing Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry

April 2016 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 2

Hi y’all!  I am happy to report I am on my second FULL week of being at home!  I am in the middle of a lull between work trips, and am happy to make dinner again on an almost nightly basis.  In addition to weeknight dinners I have enjoyed baking, and making craft cocktails.  Alas, domestic bliss will be short lived as I am off on another 3 day work trip next week.  

This week I included an unusual recipe for spiced duck.  Let me know if you are curious about how it turns out on Friday night! (I found a whole duck in the freezer section of Costco.  Who knew?!?)  Also, for those of you interested in spring food, there are two dishes that feature savory rhubarb.  

As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and if you find my blog useful please share it with your friends.  

RECIPES

Grilled Hanger Steak with Spring Vegetables and Hazelnuts, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2016, page121

Spicy Chicken Thighs With Rhubarb-Cucumber Salsa, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2012, page 36

Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Ginger Vinaigrette, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2015, page 64

Spice-Roasted Duck, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2014, page113 

Blistered Diced Radishes with Parsley, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2014, page 30

Roast Pork Tenderloin With Carrot Romesco, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2014, page 40

GROCERY LIST

Produce

1 bunch of Broccolini 

1.5 pound small carrots

2 cups spicy greens (watercress or baby mustard)

1 pound radishes

1 habanero, Scotch bonnet, or Thai chile, with seeds, stemmed

1 head of garlic

1 bunch of scallions

3 rhubarb stalks

1 bag fresh English peas

1/2 pound asparagus

4 ounces watercress

1 English hothouse cucumber

1 bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of thyme

1 bunch of sage

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley

3 medium shallots

2 lemons

1 large ginger root

1 small onion

Fresh lime juice

Dairy and Frozen

Unsalted butter

Meat and Seafood 

6 large skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

Two 3/4 to 1-pound hanger steaks

Two 1-inch-thick yellowfin tuna steaks

1 large pork tenderloin (About 1.5 pounds)

One 5.5 pound Pekin (Long Island) duck

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Salt

Kosher salt

Sea salt

Black Pepper

Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

Smoked sweet paprika

Coriander seeds

Fennel seeds

Caraway seeds

Toasted white sesame seeds

Soy sauce (regular and low-sodium)

Red wine vinegar

Honey

Hazelnuts

Pine nuts

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Sake

Mirin
Sweet pimentón de la Vera

April 2016 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 1

The calendar may say April, but it feels like early March in the DC area.  I planted some beets, broccoli, carrots and radishes in my new backyard, and I am now second guessing if that was a good idea with the possibility of snow this weekend... Yikes!  

I love the collard green salad recipe included in the list for this week.  Last year I think I cheated and made it twice!  The seed brittle is delicious, and easy to clean up if you use a silpat mat on your cookie sheet. 

As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and if you find my blog useful please share it with your friends.  

Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumber (and Roasted Golden Cauliflower)

RECIPES

Pork Tenderloin with Sage, Garlic and Honey, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2015, page114

Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumber, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2015, page 108

Scallops with Charred Scallions and Marcona Romesco, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2016, page 92

Pepper-Crusted Skirt Steak with Charred Leeks, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2016, page 60 

Chicken Saltimbocca with Asparagus, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2014, page 72

Blackened Carrots, Source: Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2016, page 62

Collard Greens Salad with Ginger and Spicy Seed Brittle, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2015, page 53

GROCERY LIST

Produce

4 medium leeks

1 large red bell pepper

1 pound thick asparagus

2 bunches of sage

1 bunch of thyme

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch oregano

1 bunch Parsley

1 bunch of mint

1 hothouse cucumber

24 scallions

1 head of garlic

1.5 pounds carrots

2 ounces pea tendrils or shoots

1 onion

1 lemon

1 ginger root

1 bunch collard greens

Fresh lemon juice

Dairy and Frozen

Unsalted butter

Plain sheep’s-milk or cow’s whole-milk yogurt

Meat and Seafood 

Eight 3-ounce chicken cutlets

8 slices of prosciutto

2 pounds skirt steak

1.5 pound pork tenderloin

12 large sea scallops

1.25 sounds ground lamb

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Canola oil

Salt

Kosher salt

Black Pepper

Coriander seeds

Cumin seeds

Black peppercorns

Sweet smoked paprika

Fennel seeds

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Bay leaves

Nutmeg

Dried oregano

Cayenne pepper

Garlic powder

Crushed red pepper

All-purpose flour

Dark brown sugar

Chicken stock

Dijon mustard

Balsamic vinegar

Sherry vinegar

Red wine vinegar

Apple cider vinegar

Dry white wine

Honey

Raw sunflower seeds

Raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Raw sesame seeds

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Vin Santo

White peppercorns 

Marcona almonds

3 pasilla chiles

Toasted sesame oil