Filé powder, made from dried and ground sassafras leaves that flavor and thicken traditional gumbos, can be found in a well-stocked grocery—but is not essential, but if you do use it stir it in at the end of cooking. More importantly is getting the roux, the cooked mixture of butter and flour that thickens the stew, very deeply browned so that it gives a good gumbo a rounded deep flavor.
There are lots of choices for sturdy nutritious whole grains that make nice main dish salads, but rustic farro is a fun option. It holds up well after cooking, rivaling pasta, rice, or barley as a great go-to ingredient for quick or do-ahead dishes.
As more summer produce appears in the market or your garden, you can make this main dish salad with just about anything. Roast or grill quartered beets, halved Roma tomatoes, sliced eggplant, sweet bell peppers or long slices of zucchini.
This updated version of “hunter’s chicken” is made with a lighter hand and bolder flavors. Serve over hot cooked farro or Israeli couscous.
This 5-ingredient recipe was created by Jennifer D. and was selected as the winning recipe in the Just Bare® Just 5 Cooking Challenge in 2011.
This recipe is a “have it all” taste experience. Vietnamese cuisine is known for encompassing contrasting flavors of savory-sweet-tart-salty-umami, with a final burst of freshness in the generous topping of herb leaves.
Experiment with different varieties of eggplant if you see them at the grocery or farmer’s market—don’t let the unique shapes and colors stop you, as any type is delicious. This rich stew is lovely spooned over soft corn polenta, or even over toasted baguette slices.
Feel free to toss in some chopped fall butternut squash or parsnips instead of carrots for this delicious autumn harvest soup.
Ratatouille is a classic French melding of harvest vegetables, starring creamy eggplant, sweet bell peppers, small zucchini, and sweetly-ripe tomatoes. The recipe varies, from a stovetop stew to a grilled platter of tender and slightly charred veggies. Mediterranean herbs—oregano, thyme, rosemary, and lavender—often scent this blend of sun-kissed vegetables. Add some rich chicken thighs, brushed with an olive vinaigrette, to round out a perfect patio meal.
Traditional harissa is an incendiary red spice paste that’s stirred into couscous dishes. This green version is not quite as hot and adds a lovely herbal note to this flavorful one dish meal. Serve the chicken stew over the couscous in shallow bowls, garnishing with a spoonful of the green sauce and some sweet red grape halves, golden raisins, or toasted slivered almonds.