Category: Season 3

Cook along with actress, TV personality and Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship host, Valerie Bertinelli, as she walks you through a crispy, easy, and DELICIOUS chicken thigh dish.

If you’re cooking along with us at home, find the ingredient and preparation list below or listen and enjoy for your next meal inspiration. 

COOK’S NOTE: Position an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F before the cookalong begins.

Makes 4 servings

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into an oven safe sauté pan and heat to medium high. Season the skin side of thighs with salt and pepper. Place skin side down in hot oil and season the other side with salt and pepper. Sauté until the skin is crispy. Turn chicken over and place the pan in the oven to finish cooking, about 15 -20 minutes depending on size of thighs or internal temperature is 165 degrees.

While the chicken thighs bake, prepare the tequila lime sauce. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the red onion, jalapeno and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the cumin and coriander and cook until the spices are toasted and fragrant, an additional 1 minute. Add the tequila, lime juice, and agave (margarita!) and the chopped chipotle, stir and bring to a boil.

Continue to boil until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 – 7 minutes. Melt in the butter and cook the sauce 1 minute more. Remove from the heat. When the thighs are cooked through, remove the sauté pan and turn the oven to the broiler setting. Pour the sauce over the thighs, and put them back under the broiler to crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with the cilantro and serve immediately.

Chef and star of the hit Food Network show, “Worst Cooks in America,” Anne Burrell, walks you through her recipe for polpettini. That’s Italian for yummy little meatballs.

If you’re cooking along with us at home, find the ingredient and preparation list below or listen and enjoy for your next meal inspiration. 

Makes 4 servings

INSTRUCTIONS

Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt, and cook until very soft and very aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic the last minute or two of cooking. Remove from the heat and cool. 

Transfer the onions to a large bowl and add the beef, veal, pork, rosemary, Parmigiano, ¼ cup water, bread crumbs and eggs; season generously with salt. Use your hands to combine everything well – its squishy and fun! The mixture should be pretty loosey-goosey, so add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if necessary. 

Before cooking all the polpettini, make a 1- to 1-inch tester patty. In a small sauté pan, heat a bit of oil and cook the patty, when it’s cooked enough, taste it to make sure it’s delicious – if it’s not, re-season. When the tester tastes fabulous, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.

Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring it to a high heat. Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, cook the polpettini until brown on all sides, then add ½ cup of the chicken stock and cook until the stock has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the polpettini and reserve in a warm spot. Repeat this process until all the polpettini are cooked. Have a ball!!

Restaurateur, cookbook author and Food Network “Chopped” Judge, Chef Scott Conant, takes you through a delicious risotto recipe with spring onions asparagus and egg right from his home kitchen.

If you’re cooking along with us at home, find the ingredient and preparation list below or listen and enjoy for your next meal inspiration. 

Makes 4-6 servings

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the vegetable stock in a pot. 

In a 4-quart pot, heat about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-heat and add the shallot, garlic, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. (Take the pan off the heat if the garlic starts to brown.) 

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is very tender (about 5 minutes).  Add the rice to the pot, stirring for 1 minute to toast it lightly. Increase the heat to medium and add the wine and cook until most of the wine is evaporated.

Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated.  

Add another 1 cup of stock and increase the heat so that there is a fair amount of bubble on the surface and cook until the liquid is once again absorbed (this agitation helps release the starch as the rice cooks). 

Add another 1 cup or so of stock and continue to cook, stirring, until liquid is absorbed into the rice, adding more stock as needed and stirring. To see if it’s time to add more liquid, drag the spoon through the rice; if the liquid doesn’t immediately fill in the space, it’s time to add more. 

While you are doing the addition and cooking of stock, you can sweat the asparagus and the spring onions along with a little salt and the olive oil in a medium sauté pan, and sweat the vegetables just until they are tender on medium heat, and set aside. 

With the third addition of broth, add the thyme. Continue to cook, adding broth as necessary, until the risotto looks creamy but the rice is still al dente, about 18 minutes.  

Take the risotto off the heat. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, the cheese and the asparagus mixture and stir well.  At this point, you can add the optional egg yolks off the heat and stir them in until well combined. 

Serve immediately. 

Prepare an at home fiesta with one of our favorite celebrity couples, David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris, as they combine their culinary expertise with their love for entertaining. This episode was recorded in their home kitchen as they cook one of their favorite meals – “nacho burritos,” guacamole and margaritas!

COOK’S NOTE: David shares how to toast spices and grind them, but if you don’t have whole spices or the equipment to do so, you may use ground spices.

Makes 6 burritos. Makes guacamole for 4-6. Makes 2 margaritas.

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Burritos:

Preheat oven to 375. On a large baking sheet spread cumin and coriander and cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Pull out and grind with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. 

Over medium heat, add canola oil to a large skillet. When oil is shimmering, add onion, a pinch of salt, and a splash of water. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Next add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. In small batches, add meat to the pan, breaking as it cooks. While the meat is browning, drain grease in a jar. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper to the meat. Drain more grease if needed, and add in chipotle and fire-roasted tomatoes. Cook until incorporated, about 6-7 minutes.  

Turn oven to broil and on the same baking sheet you toasted the spices on, add ½ bag of chips followed by the meat and cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, about 2-3 mins. Remove nachos from the oven.

With a spatula, cut the nachos into 6 squares. Heat each tortilla on a lit burner or flat top so it’s malleable. Remove tortilla from the heat and build your burrito. On one side of the tortilla, add a tablespoon of sour cream, then layer nachos, lettuce, tomato, and a dash of hot sauce. Flip in 2 sides of the tortilla, and roll to make a burrito. Cut in half and enjoy.  

For the Guacamole:

In a medium bowl, use your hands to mash the avocados with the lemon juice, garlic, red onion, cilantro, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. (Or have your kids mash up the avocado with their hands first. Kids love getting their hands dirty.) Wash your hands, then use a spoon or spatula to stir in the jalapeño, half the tomatoes, and hot sauce to taste. Taste the guacamole and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the guacamole to a serving bowl and garnish with the rest of the tomatoes and the whole cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Transfer any leftover guacamole to an airtight container and nestle an avocado pit into the guacamole to prevent browning. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole and seal the container. Store in the refrigerator and eat within 1 day.

For the Margaritas:

Fill a cocktail shaker to the top with ice, then add the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake like crazy, then strain into two rocks glasses filled with fresh ice.

Dip a lime wedge halfway into salt, then make a shallow cut in the wedge and perch it on the rim of the glass. Repeat with another lime wedge for the second glass. Serve immediately.

Chef Rocco DiSpirito is in a rush to get this four ingredient spaghetti carbonara (AKA bacon, egg and cheese pasta) on your table in no more than fifteen minutes! This is one of the fastest CookTracks meals yet!

If you’re cooking along with us at home, find the ingredient and preparation list below or listen and enjoy for your next meal inspiration. 

COOK’S NOTE: Have your pot of water on the stove and set to boil before the start of the episode.

Makes 2 servings

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil pasta in 3 quarts of lightly salted water. 

Sauté guanciale until translucent and tender. 

Place egg yolks and pecorino in a large bowl. Mix them together with a fork or whisk. 

When pasta is 90% cooked, using tongs remove from water (allow water to adhere) and add to egg & cheese mixture. Toss until sauce is creamy, add guanciale and fat, and season with black pepper. 

Serve in two bowls with more pecorino and fresh black pepper.