The Flavors of Bon Appetit 2000 - Rilegato

Bon Appétit is America's most famous food and entertaining magazine, with a circulation of more than one million.

Chicken Breasts with Black Bean-Mango Salsa
2 cups ½-inch pieces peeled pitted mangoes
1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, drained, rinsed
¾ cup fresh white corn kernels
¾ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili oil*
1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon ground coriander
8 5-ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts, excess fat trimmed
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Place first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Toss to combine. Season salsa with salt and pepper. Cover; let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 250°F. Mix cornmeal and coriander in shallow bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Generously spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Place skillet over medium-high heat. Coat 1 side of each chicken breast with cornmeal mixture. Place 4 chicken breasts, cornmeal side down, in skillet; cook until golden on bottom, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Turn chicken over. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to baking sheet. Keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet, then spray with more nonstick spray. Repeat with remaining 4 chicken breasts.

Cut chicken breasts diagonally into ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer to plates. Spoon salsa atop chicken and serve.

*Chili oil is available at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.
8 servings
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Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans
1¼ pounds lamb shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
Garlic powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup ½-inch pieces peeled carrots
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
½ cup canned chicken broth
½ cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 10-ounce package ready-to-use spinach leaves
Lemon wedges
Sprinkle lamb with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Add onion and carrots and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomato sauce and lemon juice; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring, 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon.
4 servings
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Pear and Maple Crumble
topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup walnuts
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
pears
3 ½ pounds firm but ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored,
cut into ½-inch pieces
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
Sour cream
for topping: Combine all ingredients in processor. Process until nuts are coarsely chopped. Cover; chill until firm, 1 hour.
for pears: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Toss all ingredients except sour cream in large bowl to blend. Let pear mixture stand 15 minutes.
Transfer pear mixture to 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle topping over pears. Bake until juices bubble thickly, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream.
6 to 8 servings