SARA KATE GILLINGHAM-RYAN’S “Good Food to Share,” invites us into a place where lucky guests get to start meals with finger food like green beans in garlickly toasted-almond and parsley pesto, broccoli spears roasted in olive oil and red pepper flakes, maple-glazed sweet potato wedges, or the most heavenly looking deviled eggs. It’s also a place where the host gets to have a good time. I’d be happy at such a party—and plan to cook from The Kitchn [dot] com founder’s latest cookbook even when I’m a party of one. Want to win a copy and feast along on Sara Kate’s beautiful, seasonal food that matches any occasion?
Sometimes entertaining–or even cooking a family meal–stresses the “ta-da” over the togetherness at the expense of the cook’s mental health. Sara Kate, whom I have never seen without her brilliant smile on full display, says that’s just not the point.
“When I first started to work on this book, knowing it was in the entertaining category, I thought long and hard about what entertaining meant,” Sara Kate wrote recently on her blog. “In my mind, entertaining as a word applied to my work is a bit of a silly notion; because this thing we do with food feels so much more deep than other forms of entertainment in our culture. The act of cooking is really about feeding the bellies and souls of the people we love, and I take it very seriously.”
“Good Food to Share: Recipes for Entertaining With Family and Friends” will nourish on every level through all the courses from drinks to dessert (even salad dressings!). And not one photo or recipe made me feel pressured (just hungry).
With a bounty of herbs and green beans at the moment, I selected two twists on pestos that sounded timely to showcase below. I can’t wait for fall crops to mature to try a Roasted Squash Salad With Dates and Spicy Pecans, or Winter Greens With Roasted Pears and Pecorino, among many other temptations—no matter if any “company” is coming for dinner at all.
Haricots Verts With Almond Pesto
(Sara Kate is serving this in top photo)
Serves 6-8
- Sea salt
- ½ lb. haricots verts or slender green beans, trimmed
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop in the beans all at once and cook for 3 minutes. Drain immediately and plunge the beans into ice water. Set aside.
In a food processor of blender, combine the garlic, parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt and process until the parsley is finely chopped. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until a smooth puree forms. Add the almonds and pulse until finely chopped and the pesto is a uniform coarse puree.
Drain the beans and pat dry. Put them in a large bowl, add the pesto, and toss to coat evenly. Arrange on a serving platter or in a bowl and serve at room temperature.
Spaghetti With 5-Herb Pesto
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 Tbsp. lightly packed fresh tarragon leaves
- 2 Tbsp. lightly packed fresh sage leaves
- ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. spaghetti
- ½ cup lightly packed celery leaves
Bring a large pot three-fourths full of lightly salted water to a boil.
Finely chop the basil, tarragon, parsley and sage and place in a bowl. Sprinkle in the lemon juice and stir to coat the herbs.
Combine the garlic, Parmesan and pine nuts in a blender or food processor. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until the mixture is creamy and blended. Pour the oil mixture into the bowl with the herbs and stir to combine.
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with the pesto, a pinch or two of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Top with the celery leaves and serve right away.
More From Sara Kate
- Why wait? Buy the book now
- Visit The Kitchn, where Sara Kate is founding editor
Giveaway: How to Enter to Win 1 of 2 Copies
IBOUGHT TWO COPIES OF “Good Food to Share: Recipes for Entertaining With Family and Friends” to share with you. All you have to do to enter the random drawing is tell us a go-to dish that you like to share with others, one that you’re really comfortable making.
I love to do starter platters of homemade roasted pepper slices on bits of oiled toast sprinkled with Parmesan, or pizzas slathered with basil pesto and red sauce and cheese (pizza-making is included in “Good Food to Share,” by the way).
Just want to enter and skip the confessions? Simply type “Count me in” or some such in the comments, and I will.
Two winners will be chosen at random after entries close at midnight Tuesday, August 23, using the tool at random [dot] org. Good luck to all!
All photos by Ray Kachatorian, from “Good Food to Share;” recipes also from “Good Food to Share,” by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, copyright Weldon Owen, Inc. and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
I have a beautiful veggie, herb and flower garden that I we enjoy and share our bounty with friends and family. I love to cook, and have become quite the collector of cook books. Always looking for new fresh ways to make the most of our produce, and the creamed cucumbers, cooked and sliced beets and so on gets old. I am so looking for new healthy ways to use my fresh bounty.
My old tried and true fresh salsa is 5 to 6 ripe tomatoes. (Heirloom with different colors and textures are my personall favorites for flavor and color.)
A handful of fresh cilantro chopped
one onion chopped fine
One green pepper and a banana pepper… chopped fine
The juice of one Lime and a tablespoon of Olive Oil…
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh basil chopped fine…and There it is…
Serve fresh on toasted french bread or chips…
My family loves it…
Please count me in! I grew a few more tomato plants this year because I love anything made with them!
Count me in please and thank you!
I love to bake bread and to share what I bake. In the summer, add heirloom tomatos and good mayo. Count me in, please.
I have been making fresh salsa with all the tomatoes peppers and herbs from my garden! I dice yellow and red tomatoes,chile and jalepeno pepper,onion,garlic,pineapple,pineapple sage and basil toss in bowl,addd fresh lemon juice,dash of red wine vinager,salt , pepper and hot sauce to taste.Mash with potatoe masher and enjoy with chips. also great on grilled chicken!
A go-to staple in my house is roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes….courtesy Ina Garten. :)
My go to recipe that I always make for guests is Chicken Tikka Masala with seasonal roasted vegetables. I usually make a double batch so we can all have it for lunch the next day. Oh yes, please count me in!!
A favorite of mine is a mix of diced seasonal fruits, a bit of sugar if needed, and a little Marsala if I have it or lemon juice.
Go- to dish! Slices of french bread, toasted with garlic herb butter, slathered in Miracle Whip, with thick cuts of salt and peppered ripe juicy heirloom tomatoes in between. YUM.
I make a BBQ pork in the crock pot. I BBQ to sear and get a little black, pork butt. THrow it in the crock pot with some BBQ sauce and a litte water. Cook 8 hours or so and done. Pull out meat-fork and add more sauce if you like. It is great for sandwiches or over rice. It makes so much I always share with the neighbors!
Pasta Puttanesca! Tomatoes, calamatta olives, capers, garlic, and then more garlic! Over campanelle pasta… heaven. I make sure I always have the fixin’s for Pasta Puttanesca in my pantry. Toss a salad, a baguette… Soul`satisfying dinner!
Please count me in! and thank you marcella
I fry up a pan of red bell peppers and sweet onion in olive oil with garlic and then puree it, dump in a can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes, season to taste (fresh ground pepper, little bit of salt, maybe a little honey at the end to cut acid), but be sure to add fresh basil and then just a touch of cream. Serve over al dente pasta with Romano cheese! Salad too! Simple and amazing. My son says I should bottle this and sell! If he only knew! :)
Fresh tomatoes from the garden especially yellow pears tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper with a slice of rustic wheat bread dipped in.
I enjoy making simple uncomplicated dishes mainly grown from our garden for example, organic eggplants, lots of fresh tomatoes, maybe some sweet potatoes, pasta sauce and bake it with mozzarella cheese, it’s quick and simple for friends and family. Count me in please, thank you!
My go to dish came from my wonderful sister in law…asparagus rollups. Spread a little bit of horserasish sauce over thinly sliced roast beef from the deli. Roll them around blanched asparagus spears. I serve it in a white rectangular platter garnished with some cherry tomoatoes so it looks as good as it tastes!
Definately count me in! Thanks.
I love to serve a good roasted red pepper hummus on cucumber slices with a little piece of red pepper on top. So pretty and so good. Please count me in.
Another no fail treat is a quick beer bread with a fresh dill dip. Yummy!!
Green beans (cook in boiling water x 3 min then plunge into ice water, pat dry). Add cherry tomatoes (halved, we grow sungolds). Sprinkle with feta and drizzle with balsamic dressing (1 T mustard, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 1/4 C olive oil, salt, pepper). I could eat this every day.
I like to make Artichoke Dip – 1 cup of mayo, 1 jar of marinated artichokes, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 1 small can of diced jalapenos. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through and serve with french baguette slices. I always take it to pot lucks and always come home with an empty dish!
I had just ordered two new cookbooks from Amazon (always tempting me) one from an italian village where everyone lives long healthy lives and Food from Spain which also interests me. I’m always inspired by your recomendations and would love to win Sarah’s book but will add it to my wish list anyway. I’ve been eating healthier this summer and really want to make an effort to do more entertaining at home and get more daring and creative with my own cooking. Thank you Margaret! Daisy Marshall.
One of our standard meals here is steak (especially filet) with sweet potatoes or oven roasted potatoes, fresh salad and another veggie side. We love to grill. But if it’s yucky out, I often do something like my homemade lasagna with a cucumber salad.
Thanks for the giveaway opp :)
GIVEAWAY ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED. Thank you all for the great ideas, and simply for saying hello.
I’ll draw two random winners and email them directly to alert them to collect their prizes.
I just made my families favorite chix pot pie and choc chip cookies for the Hurricane. It does not hurt to have a little fun during the storm. I am always looking for new ways to use my herbs and garden produce. This cookbook looks great, count me in :)
count me in…..love pasta with home made tomato sauce
I love to make a spinach (or other greens – depending on what’s ready to pick!) cream soup and serve it with garlicky croutons…yum! Count me in!
Count me in:)
all sounds yummy..please count me in.
honey balsamic chicken with 3 kinds of fresh herbs, every color peppers, mushrooms, onion and tomatoes.
count me in please!!