YURA'S MEALS-TO-GO

SOME HIGHLIGHTS from this week’s Meals-to-Go:  

Is it still a secret ingredient when we announce it with pride? A splash of tarragon vinegar is the finishing touch to Maple Dijon Glaze just before it leaves the pan. It’s a welcome herbal infusion, whether it be glazing this Seared Salmon, or complementing its plate-mates, French Green Beans with Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms and Sage-Brown Butter Butternut Squash.

Our Coq au Vin is the delicious product of a simple culinary equation: chicken browned in fat plus caramelized aromatics, braised in a “drinkable red” and good gelatinous stock. It’s “seasoned” just as the old bistros would, with brandy, fresh thyme, and a hit of smoky slab bacon. We’re serving it Tuesday, with aromatic rice pilaf.

Over the years, we got a lot of you hooked on our Leek and Wild Mushroom Strata when you served it for brunch on Christmas or New Year’s Day. This charming casserole consists of country bread soaked in a silky egg custard, layered with a savory filling of Gruyere, herbs, and sautéed leeks and portobellos. Add a tender salad with a bracing vinaigrette and you’ve got yourself a homey but elegant cold-weather supper.

We think of Thanksgiving not just as turkey day, but as ushering in an entire turkey season. That means mid-week dinners such as Gobbler Pie will be popping up on the menu throughout winter. A poultry spin on classic shepherd’s pie, it features a rich ground turkey filling that satisfies like a stew, and showcases a voluptuous mashed potato-rutabaga crust.

If the words, Farmhouse Meatballs haven’t hooked you already, perhaps Smothered in Red Wine Gravy will seal the deal. Add Chive Mashed Potatoes and you’ve got a simple meal that spells home cooking at its most irresistible. Meatballs are made of beef, lamb, and pork. Served with Honey-Thyme Glazed Carrots.