consigliato per te

  • in

    Kofta-Style Chicken Stuffed Peppers with Yogurt Mint Sauce

    These stuffed bell peppers are festive, flavorful, and good for you. The filling is a combo of chicken, garlic, onions, and bright, fresh herbs — a riff on Middle Eastern kofta. Pop them into the oven to bake, then serve with a minty yogurt sauce on the side.

    Photography Credit: Alison Bickel

    Serving any type of food in its very own edible vessel always feels a bit celebratory to me. Winter squash filled with wild rice and sausage, clams on the half shell stuffed with breadcrumbs, jacket potatoes with scallions and cheddar, and these bell peppers.
    These Kofta-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers are made with ground chicken, bulgur, heaps of herbs and spices. They have just a hint of heat, and come with a tangy yogurt sauce to spoon on the side.
    The fact that they happen to be healthy (and easy to make) is the icing on the cake.

    WHAT IS KOFTA?
    The inspiration for these peppers is kofta, spiced ground meat that shows up in the cuisines of the Middle East, Central Asia, and pockets of the Mediterranean.
    The specific ingredients and spices in kofta vary by region, but what stands out is flavor. And lots of it.
    In Afghanistan, for example, you might find kofta made with green onions, cilantro, and coriander. In Iran, you’ll find large kofta meatballs with beef, dill, and fava beans. And in Greece, ground lamb might be on the menu, with a yogurt sauce to go with it.
    Kofta comes in the form of patties, meatballs in a range of sizes, and kebabs, where the meat is formed around long skewers before being grilled.

    SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
    The flavor combination in this specific mix is a tasty one, but feel free to make some swaps if need be.
    Substitute ground lamb for all or half the amount of chicken, and you’ll get delicious results. Ditto with beef, pork, bison, or turkey.
    When it comes to yogurt, the only swap I recommend is using regular rather than Greek yogurt, if that’s what you have on hand.
    I wouldn’t use either sour cream or labneh for this recipe. Labneh is strained yogurt, and it’s too thick to make a sauce for this recipe, so I’d recommend saving your labneh for another day.
    As for the spices, tinker away.
    Bump up the chili flakes by 1/4 teaspoon or more.
    Scale the amount of garlic up or down depending on your affinity for it, though I wouldn’t leave it out altogether.
    Adjust the amount of mint or cilantro depending on your personal preference.
    HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN OR GLUTEN-FREE STUFFED PEPPERS
    To make it vegetarian: Use a vegetarian ground meat substitute, such as Beyond Meat in place of ground chicken.
    To make it gluten-free: Use about 1 1/3 cups cooked quinoa instead of the bulgur, and you’ll be good to go.

    TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING STUFFED PEPPERS
    I tested several approaches in developing this recipe and found the best results by cooking the chicken on the stove before stuffing the peppers. Then, it’s just a matter of filling raw bell peppers and getting them into the oven to cook until tender, which takes about 30 to 35 minutes.
    STUFFED PEPPERS ARE A GOOD MAKE-AHEAD RECIPE
    These bell peppers work well assembled and cooked all in one fell swoop. That said, this is a great make-ahead recipe, too:
    Prepare the chicken mixture; fill the peppers; arrange in the baking dish
    Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator up to a day ahead of time.
    Remove the plastic and transfer straight from fridge to oven, and bake as directed.

    HOW TO SERVE STUFFED PEPPERS
    There are lots of ways to enjoy these peppers. Here are some options:
    For a simple family dinner, serve as a main course with a simple green salad and a side of warm pita, lavash, or crusty bread.
    Serve them as part of a bigger buffet for larger gatherings. Think about choosing dishes with complementary flavors from the Mediterranean or Middle East, such as a tomato and feta salad, baba ganoush, little grilled lamb chops, or a generous mezze platter.
    Double the recipe and bring it to your next potluck.
    HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT STUFFED PEPPERS
    These stuffed peppers are great a day or two after they’re made. Cover any peppers you don’t eat with plastic wrap, and store them in the refrigerator.
    Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, or on high in the microwave for a minute or two.
     MORE STUFFED VEGETABLE RECIPES!

    Kofta-Style Chicken Stuffed Peppers with Yogurt Mint Sauce Recipe

    Ingredients
    1/2 cup whole-grain bulgur
    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    1 medium chopped yellow onion
    4 large cloves garlic, minced
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    1 teaspoon ground coriander
    3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1 pound ground chicken
    2 medium diced tomatoes (or one 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained well)
    1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
    1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
    6 medium red, yellow, or green bell peppers
    For the yogurt sauce:
    1 1/2 cups non- or low-fat plain Greek yogurt
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
    1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
    3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

    Method

    1 Preheat oven to 400°F.
    2 Cook the bulgur: In a medium saucepan bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil. Add the bulgur and stir. Reduce the heat to medium low so it simmers. Cover the pan and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside.
    3 Make the filling: In a large skillet set over medium-high heat add the olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
    Add the cumin, coriander, chili flakes, salt, chicken, and tomatoes. Cook just until the chicken is done, breaking it up like taco meat, about 7 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, mint, and cooked bulgur. Remove from heat.

    4 Prepare the peppers: Cut the tops off the bell peppers and pull out the seeds and membranes. Set the peppers upright in a baking pan large enough to accommodate them.
    Divide the filling among the peppers. Set the tops on the peppers. Bake until the peppers are tender and slightly shriveled, but still firm, 30 to 35 minutes.

    5 Make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, mint, and kosher salt.

    6 Serve: Serve peppers warm with yogurt sauce on the side.

    Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!

    Products We Love

    Pyrex 8-Pc. Glass Mixing Bowl Set

    $22.39 at Macy’s
    Buy

    All-Clad 2-quart Stainless Steel Saucepan

    $175.68 on Amazon
    Buy

    This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

    Katie Morford
    Katie Morford is the Nutrition Editor for Simply Recipes. She is a writer, registered dietitian, and author of three cookbooks: PREP: The Essential College Cookbook, Rise & Shine: Better Breakfasts for Busy Mornings and Best Lunch Box Ever, which was nominated for an IACP award. Her work has been featured in Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Health, Real Simple, Oprah, Parents, Self, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the New York Times, among others. Katie lives in San Francisco with her husband and three daughters.
    More from Katie LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    Honey Mustard Baked Salmon

    Dinner is 6 ingredients and 20 minutes away with this Honey Mustard Salmon. Honey mustard is an easy way to dress up salmon, and baking it in the oven means your hands are free to throw together a salad or other side dish.

    Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

    Featured in 12 Easy Recipes for New Cooks

    Take one part honey, one part Dijon mustard, mix, and now you have one of the most versatile sauces possible, for chicken, ham, corned beef, and in this case, baked honey mustard salmon. This baked salmon recipe never fails.
    It’s one of those couldn’t-be-easier, how-to-impress-without-doing-much baked salmon recipes. Takes 10 minute to prep, and 10 minutes to bake the salmon in the oven.
    VIDEO! How to Make Honey Mustard Salmon

    This video is part of our Simply Kids Cook YouTube series. Head over there to see more videos in the series.
    Tips for Baked Salmon
    First, use good quality salmon. That cheapest fillet at the fish counter that looks like it’s seen better days, has seen better days. There is nothing you can do to improve old fish. How do you tell? The best way is to smell it. If it smells strongly of fish (or something worse), don’t buy it. I’ve actually taken fish back to the market that didn’t smell right when I took it out of the package. Trust me, you don’t want to eat it.
    Second, don’t overcook the salmon! It’s so easy to do. Do not bake the salmon until it is completely flaking apart, that’s overdone. When baked salmon fillets come out of the oven they should still be just a little bit rare in the center. They’ll continue to cook in the residual heat and be perfect when you go to eat them.

    Updated August 24, 2020 : We updated this post with a new video. Enjoy!

    Honey Mustard Baked Salmon Recipe

    If you don’t have already prepared honey mustard, just combine equal amounts of honey and Dijon mustard.

    Ingredients
    1 1/2 to 2 pounds (680 to 900g) salmon fillets
    3 tablespoons honey mustard (1 1/2 tablespoons honey plus 1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard)
    3 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
    3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon)
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
    Pinch of salt

    Method

    1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
    2 Make the honey-mustard glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey mustard, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and salt.
    3 Prep the salmon: Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Brush the salmon fillets on both sides with olive oil. Place fillets skin-side down (if your fillets have skin-on) on the foil-lined pan. Use a basting brush to coat the top side of the fillets with the honey mustard mixture.

    4 Bake the salmon: Place in oven and bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes, until just barely cooked through (please don’t overcook salmon!). It’s okay if the salmon is still a little rare in the center, when you remove it from the oven, the residual heat will cook it through.

    Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!

    This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
    More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    Grilled Vegetable Pizza

    1 Heat the grill: Light a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill to 550ºF.
    2 Pre-prep the dough: Divide the dough into two (8-ounce) pieces and form each piece into a ball. If the dough is very sticky, knead in 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour. Flatten the balls with your fingertips, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
    3 Meanwhile, grill the potatoes: Spread about 11/2 tablespoons olive oil on a small baking sheet. Place the potatoes in one layer on the baking sheet, press them into the oil, and turn them over. You want both sides of the potato slices coated in oil.
    With a wadded paper towel dipped into vegetable oil, use tongs to quickly oil the grill grates.
    Place the potato rounds on the grill and close the lid, and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the undersides are golden. Turn with tongs, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Set aside and sprinkle with salt.

    4 Shape the pizza dough: With a rolling pin, roll one of the dough rounds into a 10- to 12-inch circle, oval, or rectangle. Spread a baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon of oil and transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
    Spread the top of the dough with about 1 tablespoon oil. Repeat with the second ball of dough, placing it on a second oiled baking sheet. If using a pizza peel, only oil one side of the dough.

    5 Grill the pizzas one at a time: With a wadded paper towel dipped into vegetable oil, use tongs to quickly brush the grill grates again.
    Slip your hands, palm sides facing down, under one of the pizzas. Lift the dough in one piece, supported by your knuckles, and place the end furthest from you onto the back of the grill grates. Quickly pull out your hands and release the dough.
    Close the cover and cook the pizza for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough has light brown grill marks.
    With a large spatula or tongs, flip the dough over. Grill the pizza on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it has a few browned spots.
    Transfer the pizza to the baking sheet, flipping it so the grill marks are on the bottom.

    6 Add the toppings: Top with half the potatoes, olives, feta, and zucchini ribbons. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
    Return the pizza to the grill, close the lid, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is wilted and the pizza is hot.
    Repeat with the second pizza. If your grill is large enough, feel free to grill both pizzas at the same time.

    7 Finish and serve the pizzas: Top each pizza with half the cherry tomatoes and half the herbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Cut into serving pieces with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    Barbecued Chicken on the Grill

    1 Oil and salt chicken pieces: Coat the chicken pieces with olive oil and sprinkle salt over them on all sides.
    2 Prepare grill: Prepare one side of your grill for high, direct heat. If you are using charcoal or wood, make sure there is a cool side to the grill where there are few to no coals.
    3 Sear chicken on hot side of grill, move to cool side: Lay the chicken pieces skin side down on the hottest side of the grill in order to sear the skin side well. Grill uncovered for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is (you do not want the chicken to burn).
    Once you have a good sear on one side, turn the chicken pieces over and move them to the cooler side of the grill.
    If you are using a gas grill, maintain the flame on only one side of the grill, and move the chicken pieces to the cooler side, not directly over the flame. Reduce the temp to low or medium low (between 250°F and 275°F, no more than 300°F).
    Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for 20-30 minutes.
    4 Turn over and baste with barbecue sauce: Turn the chicken pieces over and baste them with with your favorite barbecue sauce. Cover the grill again and allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes.
    Repeat, turning the chicken pieces over, basting them with sauce, covering, and cooking for another 10-30 minutes.
    NOTE that timing will depend on your grill set-up, the size of your chicken pieces, and how cold your chicken pieces are to start with! If you are grilling smaller pieces of chicken on a charcoal grill, they may be done much earlier. The goal is to maintain a low enough grill temp so that the chicken cooks “low and slow”.
    5 Finish with a sear or remove from heat when done: The chicken is done when the internal temperature of the chicken pieces are 160°F for breasts and 170°F for thighs, when tested with a meat thermometer.
    Or if you insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the thickest piece and the juices should run clear, the chicken is done.
    If the chicken isn’t done, turn the pieces over and continue to cook at a low temperature.
    If you want, you can finish with a sear on the hot side of the grill. To do this, put the pieces, skin side down, on the hot side of the grill. Allow them to sear and blacken slightly for a minute or two.
    6 Paint with more barbecue sauce to serve. LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    5 Recipes to Get Kids Cooking

    This month, welcome Sara Bir. Sara Bir is the author of two cookbooks, Tasting Ohio and the IACP award-winning The Fruit Forager’s Companion. She also moderates and replies to your comments here on Simply Recipes. Follow her @sausagetarian.
    If you have school-aged kids, this school year will break new ground. Even if they attend all five days a week in person, their usual routines will likely be vastly different.

    Unlike the abrupt intro to homeschooling parents had back in the spring, this time we have a heads-up. If your kids will be home more than they were back in the good old days, here’s a new distance learning class for them: Making Dinner!
    As a kid, I had a copy of Betty Crocker’s Cook Book for Boys and Girls, and I spent many happy hours browsing its pages for potential dinners I could make. Now, my own 10-year-old does the same thing. I let her pick out recipes and we make them together, the goal being minimal interference from me (mostly, I help her find utensils).
    This meal plan seizes that idea, creating a mini cookbook of sorts for your family. If your kids are small or wary of cooking, give them specific tasks: grating cheese, peeling carrots. If they are older or indomitable, let them run with it! This week is a DIY home ec. class for all ages, one that promises to be fun, fuss-free, and inspiring.
    One last thing: Looking for dinner ideas? You’re in the right spot! We have delicious meal plans to suit every taste and lifestyle—Healthy Eating, Family Favorites, and Vegetarian just to name a few. These one-month plans are $6.95 and, with them, you get a dessert and weekend prep recipe and a shopping list. They’re beautifully designed and perfect to print and save or simply load and cook right from your computer! LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    Easy Greek Salad

    This easy Greek Salad is made with plum tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese. Tossed with a lemon and red wine vinegar vinaigrette dressing, it’s ready for a summer picnic!

    Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

    This Greek salad is a favorite of my father’s to make during the summer.
    We usually have plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers growing in the garden, and all you have to do is toss in some red onions, olives, bell pepper, feta cheese, a few herbs, and some olive oil and vinegar and you have beautiful, cooling, fresh, Greek salad.
    All the best ingredients and flavors of Greek cuisine, all in one easy summer salad!

    What To Serve with Greek Salad
    You can serve this salad as a side for just about any of your summer favorites, like grilled chicken or grilled fish. It’s terrific with pita bread that has been brushed with olive oil and toasted or grilled.
    Make-Ahead Tips
    The dressing for this recipe can be made up to three hours ahead and kept at room temperature.
    Except for the tomatoes, all the vegetables can also be chopped a few hours ahead of time and kept refrigerated. Tomatoes are much better when fresh and un-refrigerated, so wait to add those until just before serving.
    Toss all the vegetables with the salad dressing and sprinkle with cheese when ready to serve.

    From the editors of Simply Recipes

    What’s in Greek Salad Dressing?
    The ingredients in this salad are so fresh and vibrant that they only need a simple dressing to bring them together. This one uses olive oil (here’s our favorite!), lemon juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, oregano, and dill.
    This dressing will separate so if you make it ahead just whisk it together before dressing your salad. Even better, make it in a jam jar and just give the jar a few shakes before pouring it over your salad.
    Tame Your Onions
    If you’re not a huge fan of raw onions try this tip from Elise’s mom: soak the chopped onions in a little vinegar or lemon juice while you chop the rest of the salad ingredients. This softens their flavor and makes them a little more palatable.
    TRY THESE OTHER SUMMER SIDE SALADS!

    Updated August 21, 2020 : We spiffed up this post to make it sparkle. No changes to the original recipe!

    Easy Greek Salad Recipe

    Tip from my mom: to take some of the bite away from the onions, after you chop them, soak them in a little vinegar or lemon juice.

    Ingredients
    6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
    1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
    1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
    1/2 teaspoon dried dill, or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    3 large plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
    3/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
    1/2 red onion, peeled, chopped
    1 bell pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped
    1/2 cup pitted black olives (preferably brine-cured), coarsely chopped
    A heaping half cup crumbled feta cheese

    Method

    1 Make dressing: Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano, and dill together until blended. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
    This can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Re-whisk before using.
    2 Combine salad ingredients: Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

    Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!

    Products We Love

    Pyrex 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowl Set

    $25.59 on Amazon
    Buy

    8-inch Chef’s Knife

    $18.00 on Amazon
    Buy

    This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
    More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    Precut Parchment Paper

    Kitchen ToolsOne Simply Terrific Thing

    It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference. Precut parchment paper for sheet and cake pans is a time-saving, annoyance-busting product that is worth having in the kitchen.

    Print

    Welcome to One Simply Terrific Thing, our ongoing series highlighting the small tools and kitchen goods that make life better!

    I have a confession: I get inordinately annoyed every time I have to use a roll of parchment paper.

    The problems:
    The roll never tears cleanly.
    I always over- or under-estimate the amount needed to cover a sheet pan.
    The roll wants to win at all costs. You want the paper to lie flat on the pan? Good luck with that.
    The trace-and-cut method for cake pans leaves scraps that aren’t sized for anything useful, so I have to throw them away.
    Speaking of which, it’s just a hassle to measure and cut parchment paper! And I always think I do a poor job of it, too.
    Anyone else feel this way?!
    The answer to this frustration is simple: precut parchment paper.
    You can get them sized for half sheet pans and 8″ or 9″ cake pans. For the sheet pan size, I love the precut parchment from King Arthur ($24.99 for 100 sheets). They’re more expensive than other brands on Amazon, but they’re made in the USA and each sheet can be used three or four times (great for back-to-back cookie baking sessions!).

    I’ve also tried and like these precut parchment sheets from Baker’s Signature ($13.95 for 100 sheets). They are thinner than the King Arthur parchment sheets, so better suited for single use baking, but otherwise they’re a great value.

    For cake pan parchment rounds, I’ve used both these 9-inch cake pan rounds from Zenology ($7.99 for 50 sheets) and the 9-inch cake pan rounds with tabs from Baker’s Signature ($9 for 120 sheets).

    Both pulled cleanly away from cakes when I made them, but the Zenology round fit perfectly into my 9-inch USA Pan cake pan, while the Baker’s Signature round was a tad big and didn’t sit flat in the bottom of the pan. It didn’t affect how my cake turned out, but if you’re buying pre-cut parchment, a perfect fit is part of what you’re looking for. But the pull tab is a nice feature.
    All told, I don’t see myself going back to parchment rolls anytime soon.

    This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

    Cambria Bold
    Cambria Bold is the Product and Lifestyle Director for Simply Recipes. She has almost a decade’s worth of online editorial experience and know-how, first as the Managing Editor for Apartment Therapy’s green living site Re-Nest (RIP) and later as the Design and Lifestyle Editor for The Kitchn. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and their two little girls. And, yes, this is her real name.
    More from Cambria LEGGI TUTTO

  • in

    Pimm’s Cup Cocktail

    Serve summer in a glass with a Pimm’s Cup Cocktail! Make it with Pimms No. 1, ginger beer (or sparkling lemonade), simple syrup, cucumbers, strawberries, and mint. So refreshing!

    The quintessential slow-sipping summer fruit cup, the Pimm’s Cup is an effervescent mix of fruit, liqueurs, and spices with soda like sparkling lemonade or ginger beer. It’s a thirst-quenching, cooling, life-affirming digestif.

    THE HISTORY OF THE PIMM’S CUP
    Shellfish-monger and oyster bar restaurateur (an oysterateur, if you will) James Pimm is credited with creating this most British summertime drink. Opening his oyster houses in 1840s London, they soon became famous for the “House Cup,” a gin sling built on Pimm’s own patented recipe for the gin-based, be-fruited, and spiced liqueur.
    Over time, Pimm produced cups based on brandy, rum, rye, Scotch, and even vodka—there are seemingly endless varieties of fruit cup—but it wasn’t long before the Pimm’s Cup became the quintessential blend.
    It would be another 80 odd years before the drink made its appearance in print, in Lucius Beebe’s 1946 The Stork Club Bar Book, but soon enough it was adopted by the Napoleon House in New Orleans, and it became the signature cocktail of Wimbledon, where it’s served by the pitcher.

    WHAT IS PIMM’S NO. 1?
    Pimm’s No. 1 is a refreshingly bitter aperitif with the flavor of spiced fruit. It’s still made according to Pimm’s secret original recipe, and is practically irreplaceable.
    So what’s in the No. 1? The gin-based liqueur has a deep red color and is flavored with bitter caramelized orange, herbal botanicals, and a mysterious combination of spices. Like other bottled fruit cups, it is a low-alcohol (just 25% ABV) pre-mixed punch-style liqueur to which you would add a ginger beer or lemonade.
    As a hack, a lark, or just to elevate the strength, you can make your own No. 1 cup by combining in equal parts dry gin, curaçao, and sweet vermouth, and adding a dash or two of Angostura or other aromatic bitters.
    GINGER BEER OR LEMON SODA?
    The effervescence of a soda is the backbone of the Pimm’s Cup, but how you answer this question will probably tell much about you, though you shouldn’t sweat the question:
    Lemonade will make the fruit cup a slightly more tart, but still quite refreshing, summertime cooler.
    Ginger beer—or its typically less-spiced sibling ginger ale—will complement the spicing of the fruit and give the drink a bit of a spine.
    No judgment for the lemonaders, but you have a much more interesting and lively drink with that ginger-spiced finish.

    GREAT GINGER BEERS FOR A PIMM’S CUP?
    Typically, you’ll want a ginger beer rather than a ginger ale, the former typically being drier, somewhat spicier, and less sweet, though “beer” and “ale” can vary much in meaning. If you go too sweet, as many (but not all) ginger ales are, and it will throw off the balance of the drink and squander the opportunity to stand a good taste of ginger up against the fruit.
    Here are three great ginger beers to try:
    Bundaberg, with natural cane sugar and real ginger root, is a good choice.
    As is Fever-Tree, with three types of ginger—from Cochin, the Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. These give it a warm depth over its carbonated spring water.
    Thomas Henry Ginger Ale would also do you quite well.
    MY FAVORITE PIMM’S CUP RECIPE
    This recipe elevates the cucumber by incorporating it into both the mix and the presentation, and opts for a dry ginger ale over a lemonade or bitter lemon soda. In place of the ginger ale, you can substitute champagne.

    MORE EASY-BREEZY COCKTAILS LEGGI TUTTO