Among the 30 thingsTaylor Swiftlearned before she turned 30 is a how to make a few reliable dinner party dishes.
In an essay forEllemagazine’s April cover story, Swift, 29, shares 30 lessons ahead of her birthday on Dec. 13 and touches on everything from learning tolove her body,her infamous feud withKim KardashianWest overKanye West’s “Famous” lyrics, and her skills in the kitchen.
“I’ve always cooked a LOT, but I found three recipes I know I’ll be making at dinner parties for life:Ina Garten’s Real Meatballs and Spaghetti(I just use packaged bread crumbs and only ground beef for meat),Nigella Lawson’s Mughlai Chicken, andJamie Oliver’s Chicken Fajitas with Molé Sauce,” she says in lesson number 10.
Ben Hassett
The fact that Swift singled out these three chefs’ recipes makes perfect sense. Garten and Swift arelongtime friends. They once teamed up in thekitchen forFood Network Magazine, and Garten has said she oftenlistens to Swift’s musicwhile cooking at home. The singer and Oliver, author of his latest cookbook5 Ingredients, go back to 2014 when theyparodied her hit “Shake It Off”for the Stand Up to Cancer charity.
Lawson and Swift have yet to collaborate but Swift is clearly a fan of the British chef because she boasted about how she also “learned how to immediately calculate Celsius to Fahrenheit in my head”—something that would come in handy when making dozens of Lawson’s recipes.
Garten and Oliver shared Swift’s go-to recipes with PEOPLE below, and Lawson’s is availableon her website.
Maura McEvoy
Ina Garten’s Real Meatballs and Spaghetti
FOR THE MEATBALLS½ lb. ground veal½ lb. ground pork1 lb. ground beef1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)¼ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese2 tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper¼ tsp. ground nutmeg1 extra-large egg, beatenVegetable oilOlive oil
FOR THE SAUCE1 Tbsp. good olive oil1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)1 ½ tsp. minced garlic½ cup good red wine, such as Chianti1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley1 ½ tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
FOR SERVING1 ½ lb. spaghetti, cooked according to package directionsFreshly grated Parmesan
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and ¾ cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of ¼-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.Serves: 6
Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Fajitas with Mole Sauce
Olive oil½ tsp. sweet smoked paprika½ tsp. mild chilli powder½ tsp. ground cumin1 lime1 large red onion1 yellow pepper1 red pepper4 x 120 g skinless free-range chicken breasts4 wholemeal flour tortillas4 sprigs of fresh coriander4 Tbsp. natural yoghurt
CHEAT’S MOLE SAUCE2 medium ripe tomatoes2 Tbsp. chipotle paste½ tsp. ground cinnamon1 tsp. ground cumin1 pinch of mild chilli powder15 g quality dark chocolate (70%)
Place 1 tablespoon of oil into a bowl with the spices and half the lime juice.
Peel and finely slice the onion, then trim and deseed the peppers. Slice the peppers and the chicken breasts into 1cm strips.
Add the onion, pepper and chicken to the bowl of spices with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Leave to marinate while you make the mole sauce.
Remove from the heat and finely grate in the chocolate, stir until melted, then set aside for later. Wrap the tortillas in tin foil and put to one side.
6.Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and veg and fry for 6 minutes, or until cooked through, turning halfway. You may need to do this in batches.
Meanwhile, pop the parcel of tortillas into a low oven for 5 minutes to warm through. Cut the remaining lime half into wedges, pick and finely chop the coriander leaves, and put the yoghurt into a little bowl.
Remove the tortillas from the oven, and build the fajitas: take a wrap, spoon over some mole sauce and top with chicken and veg. Spoon over some yoghurt, scatter over a few coriander leaves and squeeze over a little lime juice. Nice served with a dollop of fresh guacamole.Serves: 4
source: people.com
