Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home: 52 Quick Meals to Cook for Family and Friends: A Cookbook - Hardcover

Stewart, Martha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0307396452 ISBN 13: 9780307396457

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2009

Synopsis

Two hundred recipes perfect for dinner when you have a little time—but not all day—to cook. For meals that are meant for sharing with friends and family but created with busy cooks in mind, Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home is a new classic that cooks of all levels will depend on. Whether you're making a Sunday supper or hosting a casual get-together, Martha Stewart has put together 52 diverse menus that make the most of each season's flavors—and the various ways we like to cook as the weather changes.

The menus—featuring starters, main courses, side dishes, and desserts—are cleverly designed with a simple preparation schedule that enables you to plan and cook dinner so that it is on the table in about an hour. Using easy-to-find ingredients from the grocery store or farmers' market (and Martha's helpful tips and shortcut techniques), each meal is fresh and inspiring without demanding too much effort. Examples include:  
•  Watercress-Cauliflower Soup, Roasted Pork with Sage and Garlic, Braised Fennel and White Beans, Pears with Candied Walnuts and Gorgonzola  
•  Asparagus-Parmesan Tart, Shrimp in Saffron Broth, Couscous with Golden Raisins, Apricot-Almond Ice Cream Sandwiches
•  Roast Chicken Breasts in Creamy Tarragon Sauce, Warm Lentils with Spinach, Caramelized Endive, Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce  
•  Avocado and Lemon on Toasted Rustic Bread, Seared Tuna in Tomato-Basil Sauce, Green Beans with Lemon Butter, Peaches in Honey Syrup

Martha has put so much thought into Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home that cooking for family and friends will be something you look forward to doing again and again.

About this title

About the Author

MARTHA STEWART is the author of dozens of best-selling books on cooking, entertaining, homekeeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning daily syndicated television program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; produces Martha Stewart Living Radio; and provides a wealth of ideas and information on www.marthastewart.com.

Reviews

Created with busy cooks in mind, culinary guru Stewart's newest collection offers complete menus that take advantage of seasonal produce. Showcasing 13 menus for each season, Stewart groups recipes into meals, with each including a starter, main course, side dish and dessert. Especially helpful are the preparation schedules that head each menu and provide a to-do list for the entire meal, not just one dish. Sample menus include spring's salad with fresh mozzarella; turkey and pancetta meatballs; pasta with mint pesto and fava beans; and coffee ice cream affogato. As a summer dish, one can create a menu of salmon with creamy leeks, dilled rice salad, sugar snap peas with toasted almonds, and raspberry-mint gelatin cups. For a fall meal, there's warm Swiss chard and bacon dip, braised chicken Marsala, sage polenta, and sautéed pears in honey syrup. Throughout, Stewart provides helpful hints on a variety of topics such as how to make espresso, roast vegetables and make caramel. She also includes a helpful Basics section that covers how-to instructions for stocks, bread crumbs, toasting nuts and more. Gorgeous full-color photos (225 of them) add to the book's appeal. (Oct.)
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Braised Chicken Marsala

Serves 4

4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds)

4 chicken drumsticks (about 1 pound)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 red onions, peeled and quartered through the stem

2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 sprigs thyme

3/4 cup Marsala (sweet Italian fortified wine)

1 1/4 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium store-bought



Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan over medium-high. Working in batches, brown chicken on both sides, turning once, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter; tent loosely with parchment paper, then foil, to keep warm. After all chicken is browned, pour off excess fat.



Add onions, tomatoes, and thyme to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Pour in Marsala; cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan and pour in stock; bring to a simmer. Transfer to oven; cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 35 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, and cover to keep warm.



Skim off excess fat from liquid in pan; simmer liquid over medium-high until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. To serve, divide polenta among shallow bowls and arrange

chicken on top; spoon pan sauce over each.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0307396452
• ISBN 13: 9780307396457
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272