It's Good Though…

Yield: 6 Servings

Locke-Ober

November 1991
Locke-Ober (ca.1875-2012), a Boston landmark was the third-oldest restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts. It was once headed by Lydia Shire. It was known for many dishes like this clam chowder.

Note: This is a THIN chowder. You can thicken it if you want, but without thickening it’s about milk consistency. Wonderful flavor, but thin.

• 1TBS butter
• 1large russet potato, peeled, cut into ½ -inch cubes
• 1medium onion, chopped
• 1cup (about) bottled clam juice
• 2cups chopped fresh clams or
• 46½-oz cans chopped clams, drained, liquid reserved
• 1cup whipping cream
• 3TBS chopped fresh dill or chives

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.

Add potato and onion. Cook until onion is tender, about 6 minutes.

Add enough bottled clam juice to reserved clam liquid to measure 2 cups. Add to saucepan. Cover and cook until potato is tender, about 12 minutes.

Thicken: Purée up to 1­ cup of the cooked potato in the pan with a stick blender or with just enough liquid to cover in a food processor or blender  and add it back to the soup.

Add clams, cream and dill. Bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 6 Servings

Browne Trading Company, Portland, ME / Bon Appétit

Summer evenings in Maine can be chilly, especially early and late in the season. When it’s sweater weather, it’s time for this creamy fish chowder recipe.

• 4oz slab bacon, sliced bacon, or salt pork, chopped
• 2TBS unsalted butter
• 1large onion, finely chopped
• 4celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 2large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled, cut into ½” pieces
• 1cup clam juice or fish broth
• 1TBS fresh thyme leaves
• 1½lb skinless cod, haddock, or pollock fillets, cut into 2″ pieces
• 4cups half-and-half

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat, stirring often, until brown but not crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels.

Add butter, onion, and celery to drippings in pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and celery are soft, 5–8 minutes.

Add potatoes, clam juice, thyme, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10–15 minutes.

Season fish with salt and pepper and place on top of potatoes. Cover pot and cook (liquid should be barely simmering at this point) until fish is opaque throughout, 5–7 minutes (thicker pieces will take longer to cook). Add half-and-half and return to a simmer (at this point, fish will break into smaller pieces); season with salt and pepper just before serving.

DO AHEAD: Chowder can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Yield: 4 Servings

WaPo

This is a delicious braised chicken thigh dish. Make sure to check the liquid level when the lid is removed because this becomes your sauce.

The recipe suggests removing the skin from the thighs, but it might be better with then left on. As long as the sauce doesn’t go more than half way up the chicken it should be crispy for service.

• 2½ to 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3TBS Dijon mustard, plus more as needed
• 1cup seasoned Italian-style bread crumbs or plain mixed with 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2TBS olive oil, plus more as needed
• 2cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ¾cup dry white wine, or as needed depending on the size of the pan
• 8oz cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced

Cooking/Prep Time: 90 minutes

Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Generously coat both sides of the thighs with mustard and then dip in the bread crumbs (a large, shallow plate or pie dish is great for this), one at a time, turning the meat over to ensure it’s evenly covered. Transfer the breaded chicken to a baking sheet or large platter and let it rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the coating to set.

Brown Chicken:

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 2 TBS of the oil until shimmering. Add the breaded chicken skinned side down, all at once or in batches of two depending on the size of your pan. Cook until the breading is dark golden-brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Resist the urge to move the chicken too soon to ensure the breading stays put. Flip the pieces over, ideally with a fork, as tongs can dislodge more of the breading. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes, adding more oil as necessary to keep the pan from drying out and the chicken from burning or sticking. Don’t worry if a little of the breading comes off — you can press it back on or leave to help thicken and flavor the braising liquid. Transfer the chicken back to the baking sheet or platter.

If the pan is looking dry, add another glug of oil. Stir in the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add a splash of the wine and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms, season with a generous pinch of salt and stir. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just to jump-start the cooking process. Nestle the chicken pieces, skinned side up, on top of the mushrooms and pour in the rest of the wine around the chicken. The amount you’ll need will vary based on the width of your pan, but make sure it’s enough to cover the mushrooms and just reach the bottom of the chicken.

Bake:

Cover the pan with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes and then remove the lid. Check liquid level. If pan is too dry, add some stock or water.

Cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, away from a bone, reads 165°F. Dark meat is very forgiving, and will be fine up to as high as 195°F, so don’t fret if you overshoot it a bit. Serve the chicken warm, with the mushrooms and plenty of juices for dipping.

Yield: 4 Servings

Adapted from Cook’s Country

Woah, this is good! The caper tomato sauce stands out. Dredging the steaks in flour promotes faster browning and gives the sauce a textured surface to cling to.

Note: Using a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead of fresh tomato changes the overall flavor some, but makes an equally great dish.

Steaks:

• 46-oz beef cubed steaks
• salt and pepper
• ½cup all-purpose flour
• ¼cup vegetable oil
• 3TBS unsalted butter

Sauce:

• 2ripe large tomatoes (8 oz each), cored and cut into ½-inch pieces or one 10-14-oz can fire roasted tomatoes 
• ¼cup capers, drained, plus 2 TBS caper brine
• 4garlic cloves, sliced thin
• ½tsp dried oregano
• 2TBS fresh parsley, minced

Mise en place:

Core, seed, chop tomatoes and place in a small bowl.

Mince parsley and place in a tiny dish (called a pinch bowl). Top with 1 TBS butter.

Drain capers and reserve 2 TBS brine. Place the capers in a pinch bowl.

Thinly slice garlic. Add to the pinch bowl with the capers and add the dried oregano.

Place flour in shallow dish.

Steaks:

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Dredge steaks in flour, shaking off excess. Set aside.

Heat 2 TBS oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Add 2 steaks to skillet and cook until well browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on second side, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer steaks to platter and tent with foil.

Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat with remaining 2 TBS oil and 2 steaks.

Sauce:

Melt 2 TBS butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add capers, garlic, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in tomatoes (or fire roasted tomatoes) and caper brine and cook until tomatoes are softened and heated through, about 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits.

Remove from heat, stir in parsley and remaining 1 TBS butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over steaks. Serve.

Side dish suggestions:

Vegetables	Starches
Green Beans	Noodles
Asparagus	Parsley Potatoes
Broccoli	Baked Potato
Sugar Snap Peas	Rice

Yield: 4 Servings

Kay Chun / NY Times

This one-pan chicken dinner requires only five ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Meaty chicken thighs roast on top of scallions and potatoes until the chicken is golden and juicy and the scallions are tender and sweet. Despite the short ingredient list, this dish delivers deep flavor and varying textures: The potatoes on the bottom soak up the tasty pan juices while the ones on top turn crispy. Any extra pan drippings get mixed with capers and lemon juice for a quick, tangy sauce. You could also use some of the sauce to dress a simple side salad.

• 12scallions, trimmed (about 1 lb)
• 5TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1lb Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 large), sliced ⅛-inch-thick (about 4 cups)
• 8large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lb)
• 2TBS drained capers
• 1TBS fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Prepare Veg: Place scallions in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, season potatoes with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Spread half of potatoes in a single layer over scallions.

Season Chicken: with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place on top of the potatoes. Arrange remaining potatoes around chicken.

Bake: Roast until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender and golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer chicken, potatoes and scallions to serving plates. Scrape remaining pan juices and drippings into a small bowl, stir in capers and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken and serve with lemon wedges, if using.

Yield: 4 Servings

RecipeCritic

Sheet Pan Crispy Cheddar Pork Chops are an easy to make dinner using one sheet pan. Crispy and cheesy coated pork chops cook to tender perfection with roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts. This is one unforgettable meal!

• 4bone-in thick cut pork chops can also your boneless
• salt and pepper
• 2eggs
• ¼cup milk
• 2cups panko
• 2cups cheddar cheese shredded
• 1TBS Italian Seasoning
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1lb Brussels Sprouts cut in half
• 1lb baby potatoes I used both red and gold potatoes, quartered
• salt and pepper
• 2TBS olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside

In a shallow dish, whisk together egg and milk. In another shallow dish add panko, cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

Salt and pepper the pork chops and dredge them in the egg mixture and then coat them in the panko mixture. Lay them on your sheet pan.

In a large bowl add the Brussels sprouts and potatoes. Salt and pepper and toss with the olive oil. Lay them next to the pork on the sheet pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the pork over and continue baking for 12-15 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.

Yield: 8 Bagels

Stella Parks / Serious Eats

Untested, but happening soon.
For the Yukone:

• 6oz cold water (¾ cup)
• 3½oz bread flour (about ¾ cup, spooned)

For the Dough:

• 12½oz bread flour (about 2 ¾ cups, spooned)
• ½oz sugar (1 TBS)
• 2½tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, (9g); for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
• 1tsp instant dry yeast, such as SAF (not RapidRise or active dry)
• 3½oz water (½ cup minus 1 TBS)

To Boil:

• 1oz barley malt syrup (4 tsp) or 2 TBS honey
  

For the Yukone: In a 10-inch skillet, whisk water and flour over medium heat until thick, like mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes. Scrape onto a plate, spread into a 1-inch layer, cover and cool until to about 75°F, around 30 minutes.

For the Dough: Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Once combined, add cooled yukone and water. Process until dough is silky smooth, and a small piece can be stretched into a sheet without tearing, about 90 seconds. The exact timing will vary with the power and capacity of a given machine. For smaller machines, the reduced capacity and power will necessitate dividing dough in half to process in stages.

To Shape: Turn dough onto a clean, non-floured surface, and divide into 8 roughly equal portions (3 ounces each) and cover with plastic. Cup a portion of dough beneath your palm and work in quick, circular motions to form a tight ball, with only a tiny seam along the bottom. If the seam is large or irregular, continue rounding until the bottom is nearly smooth. Keep the shaped dough covered in plastic and let rest 15 minutes.

To form the bagels, poke a hole into the center of each portion with a damp fingertip, then gently stretch into a 3 1/4-inch ring, wetting your hands in cold water as needed to prevent sticking. Arrange on a well-greased, parchment-lined half sheet pan, cover with plastic, and refrigerate 24 to 36 hours, depending on your schedule.

To Boil: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425°F. Fill a stainless-steel pot with about 3 inches of water, stir in barley malt syrup or honey, and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet or cutting board with a thick layer of paper towels. Working two or three at a time, boil the bagels about 30 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels for two or three seconds, then transfer to a parchment-lined half sheet pan (if left on the paper towels too long, the bagels will stick; if this happens, quickly dip the bagel back into the hot water, and the wet paper towel will peel right off).

To Finish: Bake the bagels until blistered and golden brown all over, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes. To serve, split horizontally with a serrated knife. Uncut, bagels can be stored up to 48 hours in a paper bag (or loosely wrapped in parchment), then sliced and briefly toasted to serve.

Notes

Bagels that are both chewy and flavorful do best with bread flour made from hard red wheat; for this recipe, my favorite is King Arthur. Other brands may include a portion of hard white wheat, a mellow variety that can leave bagels tasting flat.

Yield: 4 Servings

/ Simply Recipes

Sheet Pan test run.
For the homemade ranch mix:

• 2TBS dried parsley
• 1TBS dried chives
• 1TBS dried dill
• 1TBS granulated onion
• 1TBS granulated garlic
• 1TBS kosher salt
• 1tsp black pepper

For the sheet pan pork chops:

• 4pork chops (boneless or bone-in, 1 ½ to 2 lb total)
• 1cup buttermilk
• 4TBS ranch seasoning mix, divided
• 8oz cremini mushrooms, halved
• 4medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1lb new potatoes, halved
• 2TBS olive oil

Make the ranch mix: Stir together dried seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. The recipe won’t use the entire mix, so store leftover seasoning mix in an airtight container in the pantry for up to three months.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Prepare the pork chops: Stir 3 tablespoons of ranch seasoning mix with one cup of buttermilk. Add pork chops and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes, but you could do it a day in advance as well.

Roast the veggies: Add vegetables to a medium bowl. Drizzle them with olive oil and toss with 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning mix. Spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Add the pork chops: Remove sheet pan and stir veggies. Remove pork chops from the marinade and pat them dry. Then nestle pork chops into the veggies on the sheet pan. Try to make sure everything is in a single layer, but it’s okay if the veggies stack a bit.

Sprinkle the sheet pan with a little extra ranch seasoning mix, about 1 teaspoon.

Bake the pork chops: Bake pork chops with the veggies for 10 minutes, and then turn them and add another teaspoon of seasoning to the pork chops. Bake them for another 10 minutes and then check them with a meat thermometer. They should reach 145°F in the thickest part; keep in mind they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.

Serve: Let the sheet pan rest for five minutes before serving, then divide vegetables and pork chops between plates.

Leftovers: will store great in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. For best results, reheat in a 350°F oven until warm. You can also microwave in 30-second bursts.

Yield: 4 Servings

Scott Nowell

This is a simple roasted salmon. The photo above is from my granddaughter Lola, age 12, who cooked and served the salmon with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, white rice, and steamed green beans 😊

• 1-1½lb salmon
• salt & pepper
• 2TBS butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Cut salmon crosswise in 4 pieces.

Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray or oil lightly.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon pieces, skin side down, on the foil lined baking sheet.

Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 14 to 18 minutes for medium-well, cooked through fish.

Remove from oven and top each with a piece of butter.
Serve with:

Vegetable	Starch
Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower	Rice
Green Beans	Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Zucchini	Risotto with Mushrooms
Broccoli	Couscous