Return to: Recipe List

In This Issue

A delicious twist on basic spaghetti: Baking it with spinach, sausage and cheese melds the flavors deliciously and creates a one-dish meal that’s almost as good as lasagna—without all the work. Use a smaller or larger amount of meat, as desired, or omit completely for a vegetarian version.

Serves: 4

Stir Fry Know-How

Know the 5 keys to making a crisp, flavorful stir fry? See the Cooking Library for video and written instructions.

Vegetarian Option

For the pork or chicken, substitute a 14-16 oz. tub firm or extra-firm tofu, cut in ¾” cubes. Cut and press at the beginning of recipe and it will be well-drained by the time it is called for. For the sauce, substitute vegetable broth for beef.

Ingredient Notes

1. Sherry Although grocery stores sell “Cooking Sherry,” its salty, artificial taste is a poor substitute for real sherry wine. With a per-ounce cost that is virtually the same, you might as well stop by the liquor store and get the real thing.

Liquor stores stock a variety of sherries, from very dry to sweet. I use Taylor’s Sherry. Specifically designated for cooking, it is neither dry nor super sweet like a liqueur, but somewhere in the middle. It’s also good enough to sip as you make dinner!

With its high alcohol content, sherry can be kept for several days (no need to refrigerate), although after a few days, the remainder will begin the slow process of turning into vinegar. It will still be usable, but its taste will begin to diminish, so try to use within a month or two.

2. Stir-Frying Oil See the library entry on stir-frying.

Yellow Squash and Green Pepper Stir Fry

with Ginger Sherry Sauce

With only three, easy-to-cut vegetables, pre-sliced meat and a simple sauce, this is a quick stir fry. See the Notes for a vegetarian version, and be sure to cook rice in advance.
Ingredients	Instructions
1-2 tsp. grated ginger (fresh or bottled), to taste 3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate 3 Tbsp. soy sauce 1 Tbsp. cornstarch ¼ tsp. chili flakes (or more to taste) ½ to 1 cup sherry wine, to taste ½ cup beef broth ¾ lb. pork (or chicken) stir fry strips or boneless chops, cut ¼” thick and roughly 1-2” long	Prepare Sauce Combine all ingredients except pork in a small glass or metal bowl. Whisk with a fork to combine thoroughly. Add pork and stir to coat completely. Set aside.
1 Tbsp. canola or other high-heat stir-frying oil 1 lrg. onion, cut in slices ½” wide and 2” long 1 lrg. green bell pepper, cut in slices ½” wide and 2” long 2 lrg. yellow summer squash (about 1 ½ lbs.) cut in 1/2” square matchsticks, about 2” long (about 3 cups)	Cut and Stir Fry Vegetables Prepare vegetables then stir fry in canola oil, in the order given, until almost crisp-tender. Cook Pork Add reserved pork and sauce to vegetables and cook and stir just long enough to thicken sauce and cook pork to desired doneness, adding up to ½ cup more broth if sauce gets too thick. Remove pan from heat immediately to prevent overcooking.
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil ½ cup chopped peanuts (optional garnish) 2 cups cooked brown basmati rice	Finish Sauce, Garnish and Serve To finish sauce, stir sesame oil into stir fry. Garnish with peanuts, if desired. Serve immediately over rice with additional soy sauce.