SARA'S WEEKNIGHT MEALS Season 12
#1201 - ESSENTIAL PASTAS OF ROME
Sara kicks off a visit to Rome with a street food tour led by American Ex Pat Katie Parla. They sample only in Rome treats like simple but delicious Mortadella sandwiches, Maritozzi pastries oozing with whipped cream, and Suppli, Roman deep fried rice balls. Then, they perform a Roman hat trick – three pastas starting with the same delicious base: Gricia made with guanciale transforms into Amatriciana by adding tomatoes or Carbonara by adding eggs. All are perfect, super easy weeknight meals. In her own kitchen, Sara makes her own delicious pasta – baked penne with prosciutto and Fontina cheese. Mangia!
SHORT DESCRIPTION: A street food tour of Rome ends with three simple pastas cooked from the same base. Then Sara’s cooks Baked Penne with Prosciutto and Fontina.
Recipes: Spaghetti alla Gricia; Bombolotti all’Amatriciana; Rigatoni alla Carbonara, Baked Penne with Prosciutto and Fontina.
#1202 - VEGETARIANO ITALIANO
Saras guest Cristina Bowerman broke through the boys club to become the only Michelin starred female chef in Rome. The two of them go on a delicious journey through Cristina’s Trastevere neighborhood to pick up ingredients for Cristina’s meatless Celeriac and Orange pizza topped with tea and herb oil. It’s easy, it’s smoky delicious and its like no pizza you’ve ever had before. In her own kitchen Sara continues the vegetarian Italian theme with a Spaghetti Squash pasta with walnuts and a creamy goat cheese sauce. Plus, an American in Rome living the dream as a food photographer.
SHORT VERSION: A food shopping tour of Rome’s hip Trastevere neighborhood ends in a delicious vegetarian pizza like no other. Later – Sara’s no meat Spaghetti Squash pasta with goat cheese sauce. Plus – An American food photographer in Rome.
Recipes: Celeriac and Orange pizza; Spaghetti Squash with Goat Cheese
#1203 - PIZZA AND LEMONS: NAPLES TO SORRENTO
Naples and Sorrento, are neighboring Italian seaside towns with wildly different food traditions. In Naples, Sara’s on the hunt for the perfect pizza in the place where it all started. First, she unlocks the secret recipe for the best Neapolitan pizza at the famous Gino Sorbillos. Fried meat filled pizza may be even better than that, or is the best one a unique star shaped pizza with a cheese stuffed crust? Just across the bay in Sorrento it’s all lemons, all the time as Sara visits a proud family of lemon growers. They make a citrus flecked cheese and Grandma’s Lemon Pasta in a lemon grove overlooking the Mediterranean.
SHORT VERSION: Sara’s on the pizza trail in Naples, Italy, where pizza was born. Across the bay in Sorrento she makes cheese and a lemony pasta at a beautiful lemon grove overlooking the Mediterranean.
Recipes: Gino Sorbillo’s Neapolitan Pizza; Sorrento’s Caciotta cheese; Homemade Lemon Pasta.
#1204 - BOUNTY OF PARMA
Parma, Italy is a small town with a huge culinary footprint, home to Parmesan cheese, Prosciutto di Parma and some of the best tomatoes in Italy. All three go into a dish Sara cooks with a local chef right on the farm where the food is grown. You won’t find a quicker weeknight meal than his fancy sounding Tagliatelle con Crema di Parmigiana Passata. Sara’s Parsley and Asparagus salad makes it a meal. Later, Sara cooks with Italian American chef Joey Campanaro. His Dijon Scallion Lamb Chops with Parmesan, Watercress and Pickled Onion is easy enough for a weeknight, fancy enough for a dinner party.
SHORT VERSION: Sara goes to the source – Parma, Italy for parmesan cheese, prosciutto di parma and local tomatoes. All go into a simple creamy pasta from a local chef with Sara’s Parsley salad on the side. Later – easy Dijon Lamb Chops from chef Joey Campanaro.
Recipes: Tagliatelle con Crema di Parmigiana Passata; Parsley and Asparagus Salad; Dijon Scallion Lamb Chops with Parmesan, Watercress and Pickled Onion.
#1205 - CHEESE PLEASE
How do you make any dish even more delicious? Some would argue, just add cheese. To prove the point Sara’s got two recipes elevated by our favorite milk product– a French Onion Soup Burger topped with melty, gooey cheese and an equally gooey Alsatian Onion Pie with caramelized onions and melted Gruyere that puts it over the top. Later, we visit a dairy farm where the cows are treated like queens and then on ‘Ask Sara’, a homemade ricotta that’s so easy you’ll never get it in the store again.
SHORT VERSION: Two recipes elevated by gooey, melty cheese: French Onion Soup Burger and an Alsatian Onion Pie. Later – homemade ricotta and a luxury dairy farm.
Recipes: French Onion Soup Burger; Homemade Ricotta; Alsatian Onion Pie
#1206 - WEEKNIGHT TWO FOR ONE
Easy weeknight cooking takes a strategy, and Sara has one of the best: cooking a dish one night; then repurposing it into an entirely different meal for another night. Food entrepreneur Maya Kaimal joins Sara to make a comforting Turkey Keema with sweet potatoes and ground meat. On another night, that morphs into Indian stuffed peppers. Then Sara Sautee’s Duck Breasts for a quick meal. She uses those same Duck Breasts in a mouthwatering Peking Duck Wrap. Plus, Sara demystifies spices on ‘Ask Sara.’
SHORT VERSION: Two meals morph into four for easy weeknight cooking. Indian Turkey Keema is repurposed into cheesy Stuffed Peppers; Sautéed Duck becomes Peking Duck Wraps for another night.
Recipes: Turkey Keema with Sweet Potatoes; Indian Stuffed Peppers; Sauteed Duck Breasts; Peking Duck Wraps.
#1207 – FESTIVE FEASTS
Holidays and special occasions call for showstopping main courses that take a little extra time. Vegetarians, this one’s for you – Sara’s elegant Butternut Squash and Date Crostata sits comfortably next to the holiday turkey as a main dish. Or you can wow them with Sara’s crispy Roast Duck with Duck Fat Popovers. And if you’re missing family this holiday, catch our piece about a woman who is saving the recipes of Italian grandmothers she calls ‘Pasta Grannies’.
SHORT VERSION: Holiday showstoppers for everyone. Vegetarians get an elegant main dish - Butternut Squash and Date Crostata. A spectacular Roast Duck has the perfect side – Duck Fat Popovers. Plus, ‘Pasta Grannies’.
Recipes: Butternut Squash and Date Crostata; Roast Duck; Duck Fat Popovers
#1208 - FISH WHISPERERS
Cooking fish can be tricky but not with these easy, foolproof fish recipes. First, Sara is joined by food journalist and influencer Anna Gass (who also happened to be her former intern) to make Pesce all’Acqua Pazza- a simple fish poached in a cherry tomato sauce that prevents overcooking. Then Sara goes to tiny, romantic Key West to cook with renowned seafood chef Norman Van Aken. He makes a local Bahamian Soup with fresh caught snapper and a “Cut Up” Salad, a potluck of fruit, plucked from the dinner guests trees.
SHORT VERSION: Easy, foolproof fish recipes. First Pesce all’Acqua Pazza, fish quickly poached in cherry tomato sauce. In Key West,. Florida –Bahamian Soup made with fresh caught snapper.
Recipes: Pesce all’Acqua Pazza; Bahamian Soup; Cut Up Fruit Salad.
#1209 - SKETCHES OF SPAIN
In Spain, paella is so popular there are competitions between towns for the best recipe. It is especially so in Valencia, where Sara cooks with local chef Franck Garanger. At the local market, he finds his secret ingredients for a showstopping paella, cooked outdoors, on the open fire, overlooking the sea. If we didn’t have you at Paella, just wait for the dinner where it’s eaten right out of the pan with special rules for pilfering your dinner partners portion. Then, Sara sautés fish topped with a colorful Gazpacho Vinaigrette.
Short Description: In Valencia, Spain, a showstopping Paella made over an open flame. Then Sauteed Fish topped with a colorful Gazpacho Vinaigrette.
Recipes: Valencia Paella; Sauteed Fish with Gazpacho Vinaigrette.
#1210 - SOUTHERN SECRETS
Sara travels south to Arkansas to discover how local farmers turn their land into sanctuaries for migrating birds in the off season. Later, one of the farmers shows her his family’s favorite deep fried Rice balls and Catfish. In Sara’s kitchen, her old friend Airis Johnson digs down to her Louisiana Creole roots to show how quick Jambalaya can be. It’s the hands down best recipe for this New Orleans favorite!
Short Description: Sara goes to Arkansas to make Catfish and Rice balls with a local farmer. Then, the hands down best Jambalaya ever from a New Orleans native.
Recipes: Catfish and Rice Balls; Jambalaya