Good morning! Today we have for you:
Our best weeknight dinners, because wow it’s October already
Let’s recap. When we last left off, Sam Sifton had climbed off his fishing boat, put on hard shoes and headed to his new gig as the author of the Very Serious Morning newsletter. I was tapped as the Sunday stand-in. But it’s a cliffhanger! Can a gal who usually reports the news handle a Cooking newsletter? Will disgruntled Cooking subscribers turn to making reservations instead of supper? Stay tuned. My ace in the hole is the Weeknight 100. It’s essentially like a little cookbook within Cooking. (Not for nothing, but we do have an actual Easy Weeknight Dinners cookbook.) Our fearless leader, Emily Weinstein, handpicked each recipe. This matters not only because she is my boss and I am trying to look good, but also because she is a master at balancing family, career and her unwavering love of food.
Here are some highlights from her list I’m using this week: On Sunday, most of us have time to improvise a little in the kitchen, and I often start the week committed to eating well. (Read to the end to see how quickly I deteriorate.) Ali Slagle’s one-pot beans, greens and grains recipe hits both notes. You can mix rice and quinoa, or even sub in a cup of some other grain you might have in the pantry. Same thing with the greens. No kale? Use some collards or spinach. For those who like to accessorize with an egg or some hot sauce, this is your dish. Featured Recipe One-Pot Beans, Greens and GrainsMondayLet’s call it Miso Monday, because the paste is just so versatile. In this case, it’s the magic trick in miso-butter chicken with grapefruit. The draw here is a juicy, savory dressing that coats a salad made with greens and acid-sweet citrus chunks all topped with crisply roasted chicken.
TuesdayLet’s keep our salad-and-protein theme going. Jerrelle Guy uses fish sauce and store-bought mayonnaise as a base for a Caesar-adjacent dressing that you use to both moisten a broiled salmon fillet and dress romaine lettuce and red onion. It’s conveniently called Parmesan-crusted salmon Caesar salad. That’s Tuesday.
WednesdayRolling up on Wednesday with my news sisterfire Priya Krishna, who shared her recipe for everyday dal. She points out rightly that there are countless ways to make it. Hers is a brilliant five-ingredient, 10-minute recipe that offers a surprising amount of depth. It’s worth it to source some asafetida, a transformative spice that will make you swear there is some garlic or onion in the pot.
ThursdayI have something crazy for Thursday: mushroom smash burgers. Ali Slagle has solved for mushiness with a technique that uses a heavy skillet to smash the mushroom caps as they cook in cast iron, leaving you with portobello umami patties so thin you’ll want to use two for each bun.
FridayRemember how we started the week all virtuous with our beans and greens and grains? Well, Friday brings a new calculus and along with it a big ol’ chocolate chip-tahini skillet cookie you mix in the very pan it bakes in. The result is a gooey center and crispy top, which is basically how I’m feeling these days.
Now it’s a long way from buttering up the boss or terrible referees, but I asked Sam if he wanted to give those of you who already miss him a little update: “I miss you too! It’s been a lot of long days of learning new things and meeting new people and missing dinner. I’m still reading, though (lately, “The Butcher’s Boy,” by Thomas Perry), thinking about the past — and cooking a lot.” You can find so many more recipes at New York Times Cooking. If you want help with your account, I’m the last person you should ask. The fine people at cookingcare@nytimes.com would be a much better option. Me? I’m at severson@nytimes.com. See you next Sunday. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
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