Long ingredients lists, lengthy preparation, and a foreign cooking process often make stir-fries seem impossible for weeknight cooking. For that very reason, cookbook author Pam Anderson set out to demystify stir-fry.
minced garlic
Ina Garten’s Red Wine–Braised Short Ribs
This may be my favorite recipe ever. In the winter when it’s really cold, a hearty stew of beef short ribs simmered with a whole bottle of red wine, a bottle of Guinness, and lots of vegetables, is about the most comforting dinner you can possibly imagine.
Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash Gratin
I cook the squash with garlic and a little nutmeg, then put it in a gratin dish with a topping of crunchy bread crumbs and Gruyère cheese. This is serious comfort food on a cold winter night.
Grilled Vegetable Salad with Brown Butter Vinaigrette
Grilling vegetables and dressing them with a rich dressing is a revelation. Use as many colors and varieties of vegetables as possible.
Faith’s Hearty Curried Lentil Vegetable Soup
This is one of Faith’s favorite go-to soup-as-a-meal recipes. She prefers red lentils, simply because she finds them beautiful, but you could use brown lentils if that’s what you have or what you like. As a last step, she uses an immersion blender to thicken the soup, but you don’t have to if you like the texture of the plump cooked lentils as they are.
Miso and Lime Dressing
This recipe adds a tangy citrus jolt to the mild, sweet, and salty flavor miso provides. Try it first with a mild soybean miso and then experiment with other types of miso if you like; I keep an arsenal close by at all times.