Of course you can pop a fryer in the oven with a little salt and pepper. But this one, from Hammersley's bistro in Boston, is great for the weekend. Enhanced with a garlic, parsley marinade and a lemon infused au jus, it brings roast chicken to a new high. Add a baguette for dunking and you're set. Oh yeah, and don't forget the mashed potatoes, and wine.
Recipe:Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley
French Lemon Tart
The definitive winter dessert. Get juicing.
Recipe:French Lemon Tart
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Butternut Squash Filled with Spinach and Ricotta
I always have a butternut squash on the counter. I've been layering them with cheese sauce lately. But I also love this bright, nutritious recipe, particularly along side roast chicken or steak.
Recipe:Butternut Squash Filled with Spinach and Ricotta
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Orange and Black Olive Salad
Now is the time for citrus—just in time for cold and flu season. Grab a bag of vitamin C charged tangerines or oranges for this fresh side to just about any meal.
Recipe:Orange and Black Olive Salad
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Chicken-Fig Tagine
Our stylist, Teresa Blackburn insists this is still the best recipe we've ever done. I always threaten to make it, and this month, I will. With healthy figs and sweet potatoes, it's a Crock Pot miracle.
Recipe:Chicken-Fig Tagine
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Thai-Style Peanut-Cabbage Salad
Cabbage is dirt cheap and gorgeous now. Coupled with lime juice and peanuts, it's a delightful salad. Or add chicken or tofu for a main dish.
Recipe:Thai-Style Peanut-Cabbage Salad
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Wild Rice Chowder
I could live on homemade soup. This one pairs hearty in season kale,ham, wild rice and cheese in a hearty creamy base.
Recipe: Wild Rice Chowder
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Pork Chops Braised in Milk
This has been one of my go-to recipes for years. It's a classic Italian dish whereby pork chops and milk are simmered until the milk caramelizes and turns into a yummy sauce. Add cabbage the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Recipe:Pork Chops Braised in Milk
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Roasted Parsnips
Sadly, parsnips are overlooked. I like them for the sweetness they add to soups and almost any potato dish. Here they're roasted alone for a nice change from potatoes. Warning, this will be your new go-to side.
Recipe:Roasted Parsnips
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Seared Tuna with Lemony Potatoes
I usually think of tuna for the grill, but this is a great winter dish with bright flavors that are welcome amongst all the soups and roasts. Also high in omega-3's. Perfect for entertaining with a nice bottle of white.
Recipe:Seared Tuna with Lemony Potatoes
Editor's February Picks
It's February, and a warm one at that, here in Nashville. So far, no snowy days to cozy up in the kitchen with soup and molasses cookies. But alas, I've still been doing lots of cooking. Sparse monk food using root and cruciferous vegetables accented with the bright notes of citrus (also in season)marks my cooking this month. Enjoy.Oh yes, and red velvet cake for the kids on Valentines day.
Mark Boughton/ styling: Teresa Blackburn
Meatloaf with Tomato Soup
Here's a bonus...I tried, but I couldn't pick just ten!
Admittedly I love canned tomato soup—particularly when gussied up with fresh cherry tomatoes, spinach and little bits of cheese that get all melty. But I've never made meatloaf with it, until now. This recipe is the one Managing Editor, Candace Floyd grew up on. It's perfection. Forget the fancy ingredients—oats, and canned soup is all a pound of ground beef really needs. Surrounded by potatoes and carrots, a complete meal perfect for the kids.
Recipe:Meatloaf with Tomato Soup
