YURA’S MEALS-TO-GO

Here are some highlights from this week’s Meals-to-Go:

It’s an eggplant Parmesan! No—It’s lasagna! Hey, calm down, folks. New Roasted-Eggplant Casserole is an eggplant Parmesan and a lasagna! Thin, supple “sheets” of oven-roasted eggplant stand in for pasta in this whimsical spin on your two favorite classics. Lasagna’s must-have ricotta filling has been fortified with sautéed spinach and punchy chevre. Bright and meat-free marinara lightens the saucing, and the eggplant hasn’t been egg-dipped, breaded or fried. But oh, all that Parmigiano Reggiano, and melted mozzarella. You’ll never have to fight over these two dinners again.

Cracked fennel seed, minced rosemary, and microplaned orange peel jacket fresh salmon, kept refrigerated overnight. What immerges helps the warm, sunny flavor spring forth, of Seared Salmon Provencal. Caramelized-Garlic Aioli, a riff on a traditional emulsion, is left a little looser than usual to make it a sauce. (Now that we think of it, Lemony French Beans would be great with some aioli too.) To remind us it’s autumn, there’s Mashed Butternut with Brown Butter and Sage. 

We’ve woven braised beef into post-holiday “clean eating” in a warm, gingery dinner with a light serene vibe. Japanese Style Beef with Winter Squash and Soba Noodles sets morsels of beef in a rich broth of dashi, sake, and soy. Bright lemon peel and peppercorns are added to season, and sweet mirin sets the stage for colorful, bite-sized butternut squash. A twirl of buckwheat soba, with its earthy nutty notes, gets swirled into the braising liquid once you reheat.

Foaming butter gets an infusion of garlic, curry powder and ginger, then we brush it all over sea bass. A sprinkle of lemon zest, cilantro, and a blast in a 500° oven, and presto: Roasted Australian Sea Bass in Lemon-Curry Butter. Great with a bounty of vegetables—a Broccoli, Shiitake and Red Pepper Sauté and served with no ordinary starch side dish, rather Jasmine Rice Scented with Lemongrass.