Even the most basic of dishes, such as rice or couscous, can be tricky to scale down for two with just the right ratio of liquid to rice or grain. We did the testing so you don’t have to and compiled some of our favorite veggie, salad, and grain sides that will go with almost any main dish to help round out your meal.
serves 2
You will need a small saucepan (1 to 2 quarts) with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. A nonstick saucepan will help prevent the rice from sticking.
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
¾ cup long-grain white, basmati, or jasmine rice, rinsed
1¼ cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
1. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in rice and cook until edges of grains begin to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 18 to 22 minutes.
2. Remove saucepan from heat. Remove lid, place folded clean dish towel over saucepan, and replace lid. Let rice sit for 10 minutes, then gently fluff with fork. Serve.
serves 2
Long-grain white rice can be substituted here. You will need a small saucepan (1 to 2 quarts) with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. A nonstick saucepan will help prevent the rice from sticking. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil, then measure out the desired amount.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
¾ cup basmati rice, rinsed
1¼ cups boiling water
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until edges of grains begin to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water, salt, and pepper and bring back to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Remove saucepan from heat. Remove lid, place folded clean dish towel over saucepan, and replace lid. Let rice sit for 10 minutes, then gently fluff with fork. Serve.
serves 2
The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes early. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil, then measure out the desired amount.
1¼ cups boiling water
¾ cup long-grain, medium-grain, or short-grain brown rice, rinsed
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine boiling water, rice, oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt in 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan. Cover pan tightly with double layer of aluminum foil. Bake until rice is tender and no water remains, 45 to 55 minutes.
2. Remove pan from oven and fluff rice with fork, scraping up any rice that has stuck to bottom. Cover pan with clean dish towel, then re-cover loosely with foil. Let rice sit for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
serves 2
The risotto will stiffen as it sits; loosen with hot broth or water.
2½ cups water
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
¾ cup Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
1. Bring water and broth to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until grains are translucent around edges, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir in 2 cups reserved warm broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
4. Stir in ½ cup reserved warm broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times until rice is al dente (you may have broth left over). Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
serves 2
Be sure to use traditional dried polenta here, not instant polenta or precooked; dried polenta looks like coarse-ground cornmeal and can be found alongside cornmeal or pasta in the supermarket. It is important to cook the polenta over very low heat.
1⅔ cups water
Salt and pepper
Pinch baking soda
⅓ cup polenta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving
1. Bring water to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt and baking soda. Slowly add polenta in steady stream, stirring constantly with wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and cover.
2. After 5 minutes, whisk polenta to smooth out any lumps that may have formed, making sure to scrape down sides and bottom of saucepan. Cover and continue to cook, without stirring, until grains of cornmeal are tender but slightly al dente, 8 to 10 minutes longer. (Polenta should be loose and barely hold its shape; it will continue to thicken as it cools.)
3. Off heat, stir in butter and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.
couscous with tomato, scallion, and lemon
serves 2
Do not use Israeli couscous in this recipe; its larger size requires a different cooking method. Whole-wheat couscous can be substituted for regular couscous.
⅓ cup couscous
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup water
¼ cup chicken broth
1 plum tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped fine
½ scallion, sliced thin
Salt and pepper
1. Toast couscous in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often, until some grains begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer couscous to medium bowl.
2. Heat 1½ teaspoons oil in now-empty saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, lemon zest, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water and broth and bring to boil.
3. Pour boiling liquid over couscous in bowl, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit until couscous is tender, about 12 minutes. Uncover and fluff couscous with fork. Stir in remaining 1½ teaspoons oil, lemon juice, tomato, and scallion. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
serves 2
Placing a kitchen towel under the lid absorbs the steam, keeping the grains from getting soggy. If you buy unwashed quinoa (or if you are unsure whether it’s washed), rinse it before cooking to remove its bitter protective coating (called saponin).
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
¾ cup quinoa
1¼ cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add quinoa and cook, stirring often, until quinoa is lightly toasted and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and thyme and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is translucent and tender, 16 to 18 minutes.
3. Remove saucepan from heat. Remove lid, place folded clean kitchen towel over saucepan, and replace lid. Let quinoa sit for 10 minutes, then gently fluff with fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
serves 2
You can substitute whole milk for the half-and-half here, but the potatoes will taste a bit leaner. Make sure to cook the potatoes thoroughly; they are done if they break apart when a knife is inserted and gently wiggled.
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
Salt and pepper
⅓ cup half-and-half, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1. Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in medium saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer and cook, stirring once or twice, until potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and return to saucepan set on still-hot burner. Using potato masher, mash potatoes until a few small lumps remain. Gently mix half-and-half and melted butter together in small bowl until combined. Add half-and-half mixture to potatoes and, using rubber spatula, fold gently to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
serves 2
1 pound red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ¾-inch wedges
1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss potatoes with oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and arrange cut side down in single layer on prepared sheet. Cover sheet tightly with foil and roast potatoes for 20 minutes.
2. Carefully remove top piece of foil and continue to roast, uncovered, until bottoms of potatoes are golden and crusty, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and, using spatula, flip potatoes. Return sheet to oven and continue to roast potatoes until crusty and golden on second side, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
variation
roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary
Sprinkle potatoes with 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary during final 5 minutes of roasting in step 2. Toss roasted potatoes with 1 minced garlic clove before serving.
serves 2
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into ¾-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Toss potatoes with oil until evenly coated, then season with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared sheet and cover tightly with foil. Adjust oven rack to middle position and place potatoes in cold oven. Turn oven to 425 degrees and roast potatoes for 20 minutes.
2. Carefully remove top piece of foil and continue to roast, uncovered, until bottom edges of potatoes are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and, using spatula, carefully flip potatoes. Return sheet to oven and continue to roast until bottom edges of potatoes are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
serves 2
If you don’t have a salad spinner, use a colander to drain the cabbage and press out the residual liquid with a rubber spatula.
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Pinch celery seeds
Salt and pepper
½ small head green cabbage, halved, cored, and shredded (4 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for seasoning
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1. Combine vinegar, oil, celery seeds, and pinch pepper in medium bowl. Place bowl in freezer until vinegar mixture is well chilled, at least 10 or up to 20 minutes.
2. While vinegar mixture chills, toss cabbage with sugar and ½ teaspoon salt in separate bowl. Cover and microwave until cabbage is partially wilted and reduced in volume by one-third, 45 to 90 seconds, stirring cabbage halfway through microwaving.
3. Transfer cabbage to salad spinner and spin until excess water is removed, 10 to 20 seconds. Add cabbage, carrot, and parsley to chilled vinegar and toss to combine. Season with extra vinegar, extra sugar, and salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours. Toss to redistribute dressing and serve.
serves 2
Look for Brussels sprouts that are about 1½ inches long; quarter sprouts longer than 2½ inches. Be careful not to cut off too much of the stem end when trimming the sprouts, or the leaves will fall away from the core.
8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
4 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss Brussels sprouts with water, oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper and arrange cut side down in 12-inch ovensafe skillet.
2. Cover and roast sprouts for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to roast until sprouts are well browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
serves 2
1 pound broccoli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Lemon wedges
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, place sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stalks and remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into ½-inch-thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3 to 4 inches in diameter, or into 6 wedges if 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Toss broccoli pieces with oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Carefully arrange broccoli flat side down in single layer on hot sheet and roast until stem pieces are well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
variation
roasted broccoli with olives, garlic, oregano, and lemon
While broccoli roasts, cook 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat until garlic begins to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1 tablespoon chopped pitted kalamata olives, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon minced fresh oregano. Toss roasted broccoli with olive mixture before serving.
serves 2
You will need an 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish for this recipe.
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 ounces cauliflower florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon water
½ (5.2-ounce) package Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine panko and oil in 8-inch nonstick skillet. Toast panko over medium-high heat, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, microwave cauliflower and water together in covered bowl until tender, about 3 minutes; drain cauliflower.
3. Wipe bowl dry with paper towels. Microwave Boursin, cream, salt, and pepper in cleaned bowl until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Whisk Boursin mixture until smooth, then add drained cauliflower and toss to coat.
4. Transfer cauliflower mixture to 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish and sprinkle with toasted panko. Bake until hot and lightly bubbling around edges, about 7 minutes. Transfer gratin to wire rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
serves 2
Salads are an integral part of the dinner table, so it’s helpful to know how to put together a basic, no-fuss bowl of greens. With so few components, it is important to use high-quality ingredients.
½ garlic clove, peeled
4 ounces (4 cups) lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces if necessary
Extra-virgin olive oil
Vinegar
Salt and pepper
Rub inside of salad bowl with garlic. Add lettuce. Holding thumb over mouth of olive oil bottle to control flow, slowly drizzle lettuce with small amount of oil. Toss greens very gently. Continue to drizzle with oil and toss gently until greens are lightly coated and just glistening. Sprinkle with small amounts of vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste, and toss gently to coat. Serve.
makes ¼ cup
This recipe yields enough to dress 8 to 10 cups of greens, so you’ll have extra that you can store, which will save you time prepping your salad another day.
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons minced shallot
½ teaspoon mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Whisk vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper together in bowl until smooth. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil until emulsified. (Vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)
Brining chicken and pork involves soaking the raw meat in a saltwater solution before cooking. The brining solution flows into the meat, distributing moisture as well as seasoning the meat and protecting it from drying out. Brined meat retains more of its moisture as it cooks, resulting in juicier, more flavorful meat. We prefer to use table salt for brining since it dissolves quickly in water. Note that if you are buying pork that is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), it does not require brining
| cut | water | table salt | time |
| poultry | |||
| 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts | 3 cups | 1½ tablespoons | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 2 bone-in chicken breasts | 1 quart | ¼ cup | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 1½ pounds bone-in chicken pieces | 1 quart | ¼ cup | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 1 whole chicken | 2 quarts | ½ cup | 1 hour |
| 2 Cornish game hens | 2 quarts | ½ cup | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| pork | |||
| 12 ounces boneless country-style ribs | 3 cups | 1½ tablespoons | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 2 boneless pork chops | 3 cups | 1½ tablespoons | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 2 bone-in blade-cut pork chops | 3 cups | 1½ tablespoons | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 2 bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops | 3 cups | 1½ tablespoons | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 1 (12-ounce) pork tenderloin | 1½ quarts | 3 tablespoons | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
Some say cooking is a science and an art. We would say that geography has a hand in it, too. Flours and sugars manufactured in the United Kingdom and elsewhere will feel and taste different from those manufactured in the United States. So we cannot promise that the pie crust you bake in Canada or England will taste the same as a pie crust baked in the States, but we can offer guidelines for converting weights and measures. We also recommend that you rely on your instincts when making our recipes. Refer to the visual cues provided. If the pie dough hasn’t “come together,” as described, you may need to add more water—even if the recipe doesn’t tell you to. You be the judge.
The recipes in this book were developed using standard U.S. measures following U.S. government guidelines. The charts below offer equivalents for U.S. and metric measures. All conversions are approximate and have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number. For example:
1 teaspoon = 4.9292 milliliters, rounded up to 5 milliliters
1 ounce = 28.3495 grams, rounded down to 28 grams
| u.s. | metric |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 milliliters |
| 2 teaspoons | 10 milliliters |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 milliliters |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 milliliters |
| 1⁄4 cup | 59 milliliters |
| 1⁄3 cup | 79 milliliters |
| 1⁄2 cup | 118 milliliters |
| 3⁄4 cup | 177 milliliters |
| 1 cup | 237 milliliters |
| 11⁄4 cups | 296 milliliters |
| 11⁄2 cups | 355 milliliters |
| 2 cups (1 pint) | 473 milliliters |
| 21⁄2 cups | 591 milliliters |
| 3 cups | 710 milliliters |
| 4 cups (1 quart) | 0.946 liter |
| 1.06 quarts | 1 liter |
| 4 quarts (1 gallon) | 3.8 liters |
| ounces | grams |
| 1⁄2 | 14 |
| 3⁄4 | 21 |
| 1 | 28 |
| 11⁄2 | 43 |
| 2 | 57 |
| 21⁄2 | 71 |
| 3 | 85 |
| 31⁄2 | 99 |
| 4 | 113 |
| 41⁄2 | 128 |
| 5 | 142 |
| 6 | 170 |
| 7 | 198 |
| 8 | 227 |
| 9 | 255 |
| 10 | 283 |
| 12 | 340 |
| 16 (1 pound) | 454 |
Baking is an exacting science. Because measuring by weight is far more accurate than measuring by volume, and thus more likely to produce reliable results, in our recipes we provide ounce measures in addition to cup measures for many ingredients. Refer to the chart below to convert these measures into grams.
| ingredient | ounces | grams |
| flour | ||
| 1 cup all-purpose flour* | 5 | 142 |
| 1 cup cake flour | 4 | 113 |
| 1 cup whole-wheat flour | 51⁄2 | 156 |
| sugar | ||
| 1 cup granulated (white) sugar | 7 | 198 |
| 1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark) | 7 | 198 |
| 1 cup confectioners’ sugar | 4 | 113 |
| cocoa powder | ||
| 1 cup cocoa powder | 3 | 85 |
| butter† | ||
| 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick, or 1⁄4 cup) | 2 | 57 |
| 8 tablespoons (1 stick, or 1⁄2 cup) | 4 | 113 |
| 16 tablespoons (2 sticks, or 1 cup) | 8 | 227 |
* U.S. all-purpose flour, the most frequently used flour in this book, does not contain leaveners, as some European flours do. These leavened flours are called self-rising or self-raising. If you are using self-rising flour, take this into consideration before adding leavening to a recipe.
† In the United States, butter is sold both salted and unsalted. We generally recommend unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter, take this into consideration before adding salt to a recipe.
| fahrenheit | celsius | gas mark |
| 225 | 105 | 1⁄4 |
| 250 | 120 | 1⁄2 |
| 275 | 135 | 1 |
| 300 | 150 | 2 |
| 325 | 165 | 3 |
| 350 | 180 | 4 |
| 375 | 190 | 5 |
| 400 | 200 | 6 |
| 425 | 220 | 7 |
| 450 | 230 | 8 |
| 475 | 245 | 9 |
We include doneness temperatures in many of the recipes in this book. We recommend an instant-read thermometer for the job. Refer to the table at left to convert Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius. Or, for temperatures not represented in the chart, use this simple formula:
Subtract 32 degrees from the Fahrenheit reading, then divide the result by 1.8 to find the Celsius reading. For example: “Roast chicken until thighs register 175 degrees.”
To convert
175˚F – 32 = 143˚
143˚ ÷ 1.8 = 79.44˚C, rounded down to 79˚C
