Perfect

One-Dish
Dinners
All You Need for
Easy Get-Togethers

Pam Anderson
Photogr aphs by Judd Pilossof

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Boston New York 2010
Introduction
The seed for this book was planted a number of years ago, when I was teaching a cooking class in
California. A woman raised her hand and confessed, “I can make one dish just fine, but when I
have to orchestrate the rest of the meal so it all comes out at just the right time, I get flustered.”
Since then I’ve given a lot of thought to her admission. It is stressful to pull off a multi-
course, multidish meal. But, with perhaps the exception of the occasional holiday extrava-
ganza, things really don’t need to be that complicated. A memorable dinner can be as simple
as bringing one beautifully complete dish to the table.
This book features dozens of such dinners that will wow family and guests, calm the cook,
and, at the end of the night, impress the dishwasher. Regardless of the season, the amount of
time you have to prepare the meal, or the number of guests you’ve invited, it’s easy to find a
recipe here that’s perfect for the occasion.
I have to confess to a fondness for stews, which is why I include such a wide selection—
for any time of the year. Many of the stews in this book, like Jerk Chicken Chili and Braised
Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes, Aromatic Vegetables, and White Beans, are classic fall or winter
evening fare, but there are plenty of stews for other seasons as well. Coq au Vin Blanc with
Spring Vegetables and Salsa Verde Chicken with Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings are ideal for
spring, while Spicy Coconut Shrimp Stew with Tomatoes and Cilantro and Carnita-Style Beef
with Roasted Peppers and Onions (for a rockin’ taco party) are both great for summer.
The possibilities go far beyond stews. Jazz up your next dinner with a decidedly un-
American casserole. Doable, Delicious Paella is one of my favorites, as is One-Pot Penne with
Turkey-Feta Meatballs—the pasta cooks right in the sauce. Or make lasagna and take your
choice of three flavors, all beginning with the same basic step, or choose from three types of
enchiladas (Spicy Chicken, Beef and Bean, or Creamy Seafood).
For the holidays, if you dread keeping roast turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes hot
during the soup course, you might want to relax and join in the festivities by serving one dish

I n t r o d u c t i o n    xi
such as Festive Roast Chicken or Blue Cheese–Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Port Sauce and
Mushroom-Spinach Barley.
When it’s warm outside, the grill becomes the source of some of my most convivial meals.
I set out a platter of the grilled version of a classic niçoise salad, enlivened with lemony vinai-
grette, or an Antipasto Platter with sausage, shrimp, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes drizzled
with a feta vinaigrette.
You can make one of the spectacular one-dishes in the book and be done, but you’ll also
find splendidly simple appetizers and desserts that are specially designed for each meal. Before
Chicken Potpie with Green Apples and Cheddar Biscuits, you might want to put out a bowl
of smoked almonds, but spend just a few minutes more in the kitchen, and you can serve
Perfect Spinach-Artichoke Dip. And for when you have even less time, I’ve given you almost
instant alternatives for each meal, which rely on store-bought foods but taste spectacularly
homemade. For example, you can end the meal with a buttery Giant Linzer Cookie filled with
raspberry jam—or make it with store-bought refrigerated dough, if you’re running short on
time. You can follow the menus just as is or mix and match them for hundreds of different
dinner options.
Whether it’s a Super Bowl bash, a surprise birthday, a book club supper, a gourmet gather-
ing, a housewarming party (and, for me, a constant stream of events at the church rectory), or
just a Saturday afternoon when you feel like making something special for the family, Perfect
One-Dish Dinners offers just the right recipes.
Leftovers? No problem—put them to good use for quick weeknight dinners (it’s what I call
money in the bank). With every dish, you’ll find storage and reheating instructions.
So why stress out planning and overseeing a complicated dinner?
Perfect One-Dish Dinners offers a wonderfully freeing alternative. You get to host your dinner—
and enjoy it too.

xii  i n t r o d u c t i o n
contents
Introduction....xi

Stews for All Seasons....1

Worldly Casseroles....115

Roasting Pan Complete....173

Big Summer Salads

and Grilled Platters....217

Index....258
Frogmore
Stew
For a big summer party, it doesn’t get much simpler than
a one-pot Tidewater seafood and sausage boil. The whole
process—from making the quick spicy broth to adding sau-
sages and potatoes, followed shortly by corn and, finally,
shrimp—takes only 40 minutes.

Appetizer
BLT Rolls
Instant Alternative: Summer Tomato Sandwiches

dessert
Peach Cobbler
Instant Alternative: Sugared Peaches with Caramelized Pecan Ice Cream
Frogmore Stew
Serves 8

Arrange this stew on a large platter (or in individual soup plates), garnish with lemon wedges, and
give each person a small dish of melted butter for dipping the shrimp and potatoes and spreading
on the corn.
The broth can be made several hours ahead, but the stew is simple enough to make, start to
finish, right before serving. Warmed on the stovetop or in the microwave, this stew makes a great
second meal.

2 medium onions, quartered from stem to root

4 large garlic cloves, smashed

½ cup seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

Salt

1 lemon, halved, plus 2 more cut into wedges

2 pounds small red potatoes

2 pounds kielbasa, cut into 16 pieces

8 ears corn, husked and halved crosswise

2 pounds (21–25 count) unpeeled shrimp, preferably wild

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, melted

Bring 3 quarts water, onions, garlic, seafood seasoning, salt to taste, and halved lemon (squeeze
its juice into the water before tossing in the juiced rinds) to a boil over medium-high heat in a
large heavy roasting pan set over two burners.
Add potatoes and sausage and return to a boil. Cover with foil (or partially cover if using
a pot), reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Add corn,
increase heat to medium-high, and cook, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Top
stew with shrimp; cover and steam for 3 minutes. Turn off heat; gently stir shrimp into hot
broth, and let stand, covered, until they are just cooked, about 2 minutes longer. Serve with
melted butter and lemon wedges.

drink
A chilled light red, such as a Sangiovese or dry rosé

4  p e r f e c t o n e - d i s h d i n n e r s
 Appetizer
BLT Rolls
Makes 2 dozen

The better the tomato, the better the BLT, so try to find good vine-ripened ones. If you don’t want to fry
bacon, the store-bought cooked variety is perfectly fine tucked inside these little buns. Although the sand-
wiches can be assembled quickly, the juicy tomatoes dampen the bread, so make them within a half hour
or so of serving.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 small vine-ripe tomatoes, rounded
ends removed, tomatoes cut into 4
slices
½ cup mayonnaise
1 package (24) small party rolls,
halved crosswise
4 cups prewashed mixed baby greens
12 slices bacon, cooked and quartered
crosswise (see headnote)

Salt and pepper tomato slices. Assemble sand-

wiches: Spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on cut
side of each roll top. Place a few salad greens
and 2 pieces of bacon on each roll bottom. Add
2 tomato slices to each roll bottom. Cap with top
and serve.

Instant Alternative: Omit the

bacon and salad greens from BLT
Rolls for simple, straightforward
Summer Tomato Sandwiches.

S t e w s f o r A ll S e a s o n s    5
 dessert
Peach Cobbler
Serves 8 to 10

This hybrid part cake, part cobbler dessert doesn’t get much simpler. You can make it earlier in the day and
reheat it in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes. But for the ultimate experience, bake it while you eat dinner
and serve it warm, fresh from the oven.

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1½ cups bleached all-purpose flour
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups whole milk
1 teaspoon almond extract, divided
2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (about 4 cups)
1 quart premium vanilla ice cream (optional)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in a 13-by-9-inch baking
pan; set in oven to melt.
Meanwhile, whisk flour, 1½ cups sugar, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Whisk in milk and
½ teaspoon almond extract until smooth. Toss peaches with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining
½ teaspoon almond extract. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven. Pour batter into pan and ar-
range fruit over batter. Bake until batter turns golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with
ice cream, if desired.

Instant Alternative : If there isn’t time to bake, serve Sugared Peaches

with Caramelized Pecan Ice Cream with cookies of your choice, if you like. For
8 people, toss 2 pounds peeled, pitted, and sliced peaches (about 4 cups) with
½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon almond extract; let stand for 30 minutes. Fold a
scant cup glazed pecans (from a 5-ounce package, generally sold in supermar-
kets with other nuts) into 1 quart softened (15 to 30 seconds on high power in
microwave) premium vanilla ice cream.
Just before serving, spoon peaches into eight goblets. Top each with a por-
tion of ice cream. Garnish with remaining glazed pecans.

6  p e r f e c t o n e - d i s h d i n n e r s