Sara's Weeknight Meals

Sara tours Latin America in the kitchen when she collaborates with two amazing cooks.Chef Letitia Moreinos Schwartz shows Sara some of the unique flavors of her native Brazil and shops for ingredients at a specialty market. Back in the kitchen, they put a Brazilian twist on Salt Cod, or bacalhau. Later, a superfan joins Sara to make an essential dish of her native Puerto Rico – Arroz con Gandules.

It’s a stuffed pasta showdown as Sara travels to an ancient Tuscan villa to learn the secrets of homemade ravioli from a real Italian chef, involving asparagus, goat cheese and a whole lot of chianti. Back home in her American kitchen, Sara shows us a hack to make a homemade ravioli stuffed with spicy greens. Which is best? Only the cook knows.

Come summer there is nothing so tasty as grilled meat or fish nestled in a buttery bun. Sara’s got three great choices - a shrimp roll, a succulent turkey burger with spinach, and pork sliders filled with chopped veggies for flavor, crunch and moisture. Meat on a bun, and bring on the sun.

On a cold night there is nothing more satisfying than a warm and hearty casserole, including Sara's individual baked penne with prosciutto and gooey fontina. Another slam dunk – a filling chicken cassoulet. Sara’s buddy Ming Tsai has his own version of that French classic, this one with duck spiked with ginger and orange. Finally, Sara answers a viewer’s question about dried beans on Ask Sara.

No need to sweat when company comes if you follow Sara’s simple recipes, which includes a Japanese Beef Fondue where guests cook their own meats and veggies in a flavorful broth. Sara shows a viewer an easy hack to flatten chicken breasts on Ask Sara. For dessert, a make ahead Skillet Apple Pie, spiked with cranberries, topped with crumbled shortbread crust and drizzled with caramel.

Pork aficionados rejoice! Wok guru Grace Young joins us with a Chinese Barbecued Pork , and if there’s any leftover you’ll want to try it in her Yangchow Fried Rice! Later Sara’s got another tasty grilled pork dish served with a surprising melon and cucumber salsa. And on Ask Sara, the definitive guide to thickeners as Sara answers a viewer’s question about what to use and when to use it.

Vegetarian food will have even more converts with the recipes in this episode. Vegan cook Adam Sobel makes Korean Barbecue Tacos with a satisfying kick of heat, and Sara’s got a new quick way to cook spaghetti squash served with a creamy goat cheese sauce. Later, a viewer’s question about vanilla beans is answered on Ask Sara. Lasly, a dried fruit pot stickers dessert.

Sara shares three simple and tasty five ingredient meal recipes from both land and sea. First, Sara recalls her years working with Julia Child with a simple Fish Meuniere. Later Sara’s brother joins her for a manly steak slathered in a flavored butter and a summer favorite, peas and Salmon with a crisypy skin. On Ask Sara – a viewer learns a foolproof way to poach eggs.

Snack your way through dinner with these delicious small bites from all over the world. Sara learns two quick tapas in Catalonia, Spain – Spanish omelet and simple Bread with Tomatoes. She tastes local cheese in the Turkish bazaar and has Mushroom String Cheese Dip slathered on bread. After answering a viewer question about spices, Sara makes a decadent Alsatian Onion Pie.

The unique food of New Orleans is on the menu with two spectacular preparations. Sara’s contribution is a Blackened fish with Creole spice and zucchini. Then, a history of how African American foods have permeated our culture and our cooking. Finally, New Orleans chef Airis Johnson makes a Jambalaya Sara says is the best she’s ever tasted. Laissez les bon temps rouler!