O is for orzo

This orzo with tomatoes, feta, and green onions is good and simple. It won't knock you off your feet with its complexity, but it's a solid choice. The leftovers made for almost a week's worth of lunches. The slice of butter was a last-minute impulse and a good idea. (Butter makes almost everything taste better.)

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil

6 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo

Generous slice of butter
2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool. Add butter.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add pine nuts; toss. Serve at room temperature.

N is for New Orleans-style jumbalaya

Okay, okay - the "N" moniker is a bit of a stretch. But honestly, there aren't that many foods starting with N. And regardless, this one turned out very well, thank you very much - the sort of smokey, down home cookin' that my mom's family used to make when we'd go and visit New Orleans. Wait - my mom's family are Jews from Bethesda. Ah well, I still thought it was good.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1 package soyrizo
3 cups yellow onions, chopped
1 cup green and red bell peppers, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp chopped garlic
1 tblsp paprika
1 tsp cayene pepper
1 1/2 LBS boneless white and dark chicken meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 bay leaves
3 cups medium-grain brown rice
4 cups chicken stock.
1/2 pound shelled shrimp
1 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup parsley chopped
1 28 oz. can of crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes

Preparation

Place oil in a large pot over medium heat, add soyrizo for 2 - 3 minutes. Add onions, bell peppers, spices (except bay leaves). Sautee for 15 minutes, adding garlic after 10 minutes. Dust chicken with a little extra paprika, salt, and cayenne and add to pot. Brown for 8-10 minutes minutes. Add rice cook for 2-3 minutes. Add stock and crushed tomatoes, bay leaves stir and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Add shrimp during the last 5 minutes and cook until just pink. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in green onions and parsley.

M is for mushroom risotto

There are two ways to play this alphabet game. You can be a stretcher ("l is for lemon basil chicken") or a truist. Faithful to the spirit of the rules, I choose the latter route. This week, my main-letter ingredient featured very prominently in the dish. I am not a fan of mushroom risotto - this creation was an act of pure altruism - and I would trade it in for a more colorful dish anyday. I also dislike risotto's neediness. It's a high-maintenance concoction that truly challenges the compulsive multi-tasker within. And, it's not like you're standing around by the range doing anything exciting. You're stirring. Forever. But if you like making and eating risotto, this recipe works well.

L is for lemon basil chicken with garlic and spinach mashed potatoes

This recipe was a commemoration of our first "date." (And by "date," I mean "bait-and-switch-candlelit-'dinner-party'-with-no-guests-and-let's-not-talk-about-
that-pesky-boyfriend-while-we-chat-it-up-until-four-in-the-morning.")
We've all had one of those, I'm sure. But for everyone's handy reference, this kind of experience goes well with a nice roast chicken. You may not know what the hell you're getting yourself into, but at least you'll both be well fed. And it tastes even better the second time around.

Ingredients

chicken and potatoes

1 whole chicken
2 lemons, sliced thinly
1 lemon zest
1 large bunch basil
1-2 sprigs rosamery
5 creamer potatoes
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 head fresh spinach
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup milk or cream

apetizer platter

roasted, peeled red, yellow, and green peppers drizzled with olive oil
asparagus sauteed in oil and lemon juice (salt and pepper to taste)

Preparation

Separate skin on the breast of chicken from the breast so that there are large pockets -- in which to place 2/3 of the basil and sliced lemons. Place remaining basil and lemon along with rosemary in the cavity of the chicken. Roast at 375 for appropriate time based on weight. Boil potatos for 20 minutes or so as well as briefly steaming spinach until wilted. While waiting for water to boil, melt butter in pan with lemon zest, garlic, and a little olive oil. Mash potatoes and add butter, milk, and spinach.

k is for kabocha squash

i made this soup when the weather was miserable and cold, and it hit the spot. don't skip the pancetta. as a reformed vegetarian, i can't emphasize enough the difference a little pork fat makes.

ingredients

1 (4-lb) kabocha squash, halved and seeded
1 cup vegetable oil
20 whole fresh sage leaves plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/4 lb sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roast squash, cut sides down, in an oiled roasting pan in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin.

Heat vegetable oil in a deep small saucepan until it registers 365°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Fry sage leaves in 3 batches until crisp, 3 to 5 seconds. Transfer leaves with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Cook pancetta in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until browned. Transfer pancetta with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Add olive oil to pancetta fat remaining in pot, then cook onion, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic and chopped sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash, broth, and water and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.

Purée soup in batches in a blender, transferring to a bowl. (Use caution when blending hot liquids.) Return soup to pot and reheat. If necessary, thin to desired consistency with water.

Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sprinkled with pancetta and fried sage leaves.