Simple recipes for cooking novices or for hosts who prefer conversation to cooking…
Love inviting your friends and family over for dinner but hate spending the better half of your evening cooking while your guests socialize without you? Have trouble serving cocktails and surveying the stovetop at the same time? A simple solution to this entertaining dilemma lies right before your very eyes: your oven! With a little advance preparation, you can pop these dishes into the oven and enjoy cocktails with your guests instead of fretting over cooking. Intoxicating aromas from your kitchen will alert when your meal is ready.
Here are some simple oven-cooked recipes that let you entertain and cook at the same time.
- The Layman’s Coq au Vin
- Baked Winter Fish
- Stuffed Vegetables with Tomato Coulis
The Layman’s Coq au Vin
chicken legs and thighs (2 pieces per person)
russet potatoes, cubed (1-2 per person, depending on size)
2 carrots, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
1 bottle red wine
olive oil
Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence (rosemary, marjoram, thyme, savory, sage, oregano, and basil)
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken and vegetables in large roasting pan and cover with olive oil. Generously sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper on top. Pour the bottle of wine over contents.
Place roasting pan in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
Check to see if the dish is fully cooked by inserting a knife into the chicken and potatoes. If the chicken is no longer pink and the potato cuts easily, your meal is ready. If more cooking is required, add another generous dose of wine to the pan and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Serve immediately and don’t forget to generously douse your guests’ servings with the delicious wine sauce that has formed in the pan.
Baked Winter Fish
white fish filets (you can use Tilapia, Bass, Sole, etc., 1 per person)
leeks, coarsely chopped (1 per person)
onions, coarsely chopped (1 per person)
1 bottle white wine
olive oil
salt & pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place fish in a roasting pan and cover generously with olive oil. Add leeks and onions and another splash of olive oil to the entire contents of the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove pan and carefully add wine. Place the pan back in the oven and continue to cook for 10–15 minutes.
Serve immediately. Hint: this dish is delicious with rice! Don’t forget to generously douse your guests’ servings with the delicious wine sauce that has formed in the pan.
Stuffed Vegetables with Tomato Coulis (serves two)
2 red pepper, large
2 round zucchini, large
12 oz. seasoned ground lamb or beef (ground meat already mixed with finely chopped parsley, onions, garlic, etc. cuts down on preparation time. If none is available, add your own flat leaf parsley, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.)
tomato paste, small can
diced tomatoes, one can
garlic, 2 cloves, crushed
salt and pepper
red wine, 2 T.
pinch of sugar
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Carefully hollow out the peppers and zucchinis by cutting off their tops and removing their insides. Remove the interiors of the peppers and zucchini; be careful to remove all of the seeds. Save the tops to the side.
Stuff the peppers and zucchinis with the seasoned ground lamb or beef. Replace the vegetable tops on the stuffed vegetables.
Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil.
Place the stuffed peppers and zucchinis in the pan and cook at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.
While vegetables are cooking prepare the coulis. Pour tomato paste and diced tomatoes into saucepan. Add garlic and pinch of sugar (this kills the acidity of the tomato sauce). Add red wine and salt & pepper to taste. Heat over low flame until near boiling. Remove from the stove and set aside for reheating just before the meal.
Serve vegetables topped with tomato coulis. (Coulis can be prepared before your guests arrive and reheated in the microwave).
The Cheese Course: a stylish dinner finale
Creative Napkin Folding: the lily
Here are some simple oven-cooked recipes that let you entertain and cook at the same time.
- The Layman’s Coq au Vin
- Baked Winter Fish
- Stuffed Vegetables with Tomato Coulis
The Layman’s Coq au Vin
chicken legs and thighs (2 pieces per person)
russet potatoes, cubed (1-2 per person, depending on size)
2 carrots, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
1 bottle red wine
olive oil
Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence (rosemary, marjoram, thyme, savory, sage, oregano, and basil)
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken and vegetables in large roasting pan and cover with olive oil. Generously sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper on top. Pour the bottle of wine over contents.
Place roasting pan in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
Check to see if the dish is fully cooked by inserting a knife into the chicken and potatoes. If the chicken is no longer pink and the potato cuts easily, your meal is ready. If more cooking is required, add another generous dose of wine to the pan and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Serve immediately and don’t forget to generously douse your guests’ servings with the delicious wine sauce that has formed in the pan.
Baked Winter Fish
white fish filets (you can use Tilapia, Bass, Sole, etc., 1 per person)
leeks, coarsely chopped (1 per person)
onions, coarsely chopped (1 per person)
1 bottle white wine
olive oil
salt & pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place fish in a roasting pan and cover generously with olive oil. Add leeks and onions and another splash of olive oil to the entire contents of the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove pan and carefully add wine. Place the pan back in the oven and continue to cook for 10–15 minutes.
Serve immediately. Hint: this dish is delicious with rice! Don’t forget to generously douse your guests’ servings with the delicious wine sauce that has formed in the pan.
Stuffed Vegetables with Tomato Coulis (serves two)
2 red pepper, large
2 round zucchini, large
12 oz. seasoned ground lamb or beef (ground meat already mixed with finely chopped parsley, onions, garlic, etc. cuts down on preparation time. If none is available, add your own flat leaf parsley, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.)
tomato paste, small can
diced tomatoes, one can
garlic, 2 cloves, crushed
salt and pepper
red wine, 2 T.
pinch of sugar
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Carefully hollow out the peppers and zucchinis by cutting off their tops and removing their insides. Remove the interiors of the peppers and zucchini; be careful to remove all of the seeds. Save the tops to the side.
Stuff the peppers and zucchinis with the seasoned ground lamb or beef. Replace the vegetable tops on the stuffed vegetables.
Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil.
Place the stuffed peppers and zucchinis in the pan and cook at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.
While vegetables are cooking prepare the coulis. Pour tomato paste and diced tomatoes into saucepan. Add garlic and pinch of sugar (this kills the acidity of the tomato sauce). Add red wine and salt & pepper to taste. Heat over low flame until near boiling. Remove from the stove and set aside for reheating just before the meal.
Serve vegetables topped with tomato coulis. (Coulis can be prepared before your guests arrive and reheated in the microwave).
The Cheese Course: a stylish dinner finale
Creative Napkin Folding: the lily
posted by Essentials for Entertaining at 3:52 PM
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