Italian Sausage and Grapes with Pasta

Savory, sweet, and spicy – and quick enough for weeknight dinner

Sweet grapes paired with savory sausage? Yup, it’s a classic.

This Italian dish is most often served as a simple sauté flavored with balsamic vinegar and sometimes garlic. But we like to combine it with pasta for an easy main course.

With a glass of wine, of course. Because grapes.

The Modern Cocktail

This 1904 creation features an unusual combo: Scotch and sloe gin

It’s rare to find a cocktail that uses Scotch. But one that adds sloe gin to the mix? And absinthe? Sounds bizarre, we admit. So of course we had to try it.

And are we glad we did! The flavor is outstanding – much more enticing than the sum of its parts.

Love these new-fangled modern inventions.

Roast Butterflied Chicken or Turkey

AKA spatchcocking, the fastest way to roast poultry

Looking for comfort food as fall chill arrives? Roast poultry is your pal.

Especially if you butterfly the bird first. It’s the easiest path to the perfect plate: No trussing required and the poultry cooks more quickly. It roasts more evenly too – so both white and dark meat come out properly done and juicy.

So in this season of political rivalry, here’s our platform: A chicken in every oven.

Romesco Sauce (or Dip)

A gluten-free version of the famous Catalan tomato-and-red-pepper sauce

Romesco sauce originated in the Catalan region of northeastern Spain. No two recipes seem to be quite the same, but virtually all of them include red chile pepper (both fresh and dried), tomato, garlic, and nuts.

Traditionally, this sauce is served with seafood. It’s also terrific with grilled meat and poultry, or when used as a dip with chips or crudités. Or as a sauce on vegetables.

Versatile and delicious. Two of our faves.

Mediterranean-Style Okra and Tomatoes

Adding white beans to this classic braised dish makes for a quick main course

How about a Mediterranean holiday? Virtual, of course.

This Mediterranean-Style Okra and Tomatoes dish features garlic, thyme, and fresh basil. It’s basically a quick braise. Adding white beans makes it a complete vegetarian meal, perfect for weeknight dinner.

So we can’t travel to the Mediterranean? No worries. The flavors can still travel to our kitchens.

Creamy Curried Carrot and Chickpea Soup

Tangy tingle for your tongue in this easy and satisfying starter (or main)

We love to start with soup. Sometimes we stop with it, too.

Especially when the soup is as hearty as this Creamy Curried Carrot and Chickpea Soup. It’s full of luscious cream and nourishing chickpeas. Just combine it with a salad and some bread for a quick and easy dinner.

Curry in a hurry? Just what you need to spice up your weeknight.

The Brooklyn Cocktail

Spicy rye and bitter orange usher us into autumn

We’re starting to notice the change of seasons. The sun slants lower in late afternoon, the breeze seems to be freshening.

So let’s sip something autumnal. The Brooklyn Cocktail hits just the right note of spicy and astringent (much like its New York City eponym).

Meet you across the Manhattan Bridge.