Weeknight
3493 recipes found
Lentil and Escarole Soup
The combination of legumes and bitter greens like escarole is common in southern Italy. Escarole is a bitter lettuce that looks a little bit like frisée but with wider, tougher leaves. It’s high in vitamin A and a good source of iron and potassium. This recipe is adapted from one in “Cucina Rustica,” by Evan Kleiman and Viana La Place. If you can't find escarole, you can substitute any hearty green.
Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli With Salsa Verde
This recipe came to The Times in 2004, when Julia Moskin wrote a story about the developing culinary culture in McCarthy and Kennicott, two tiny villages in the hinterlands of Alaska. ("Out here, you have a choice," said Mark Vail, a former Air Force cook who lives in McCarthy year-round. "You can live on ramen noodles and baked beans, or you can learn to cook.") Kirsten Richardson, a resident of Kennicott and a cook at the McCarthy Lodge, a local restaurant, developed this brightly-flavored riff on the weeknight vegetable. Just roast the broccoli and cauliflower, toss with a shallot-anchovy vinaigrette and toasted almonds then sprinkle with chopped parsley. It makes a satisfying mostly-meatless main or a delicious accompaniment to roast chicken.
No-Frills Risotto
Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Omelet)
Tamagoyaki, a Japanese staple, is made by carefully rolling several thin layers of cooked egg into a rectangular omelet, which creates a soft and delicate texture. Traditionally, it’s made in a special tamagoyaki pan, but this version also works with an 8-inch nonstick skillet. There are sweet and savory variations, and this recipe falls somewhere in between the two: The soy sauce, mirin and dashi pack it with umami, while the sugar adds a subtle sweetness. The technique can be challenging at first, but do your best to keep each layer consistent in color and each fold parallel to the last. Don’t worry about little tears; they’ll be covered up with the next layer.
Kimchi Jjigae With Ribs
The world of bubbling jjigaes, or stews, is vast and varied. The most beloved might be kimchi jjigae, a pot of extra-fermented kimchi boiled in its own juices until mellowed and yielding. Pork belly, Spam and tofu are common protein additions, as are tuna and mackerel pike. In this version, baby back ribs lend both flavor and body to the broth and are fun to eat with your hands. In case your kimchi is less than ripe (it should taste sharp and funky), a couple of seasonings help fortify this jjigae’s flavor: Fish sauce adds savory depth, and maesil cheong (green plum syrup) lends rounded sweetness. And though watercress is not a traditional ingredient in kimchi jjigae, it is a favorite addition to this family recipe.
String Beans Vinaigrette
Hazelnut Biscotti
Rabbit In Wine Sauce
Twice-Cooked Pork Tenderloin
Here's a surprising and flavorful way to prepare tenderloin, one of the leanest and most economical cuts of pork. Brown the whole tenderloin. Let it rest for a few minutes, so the meat firms up a bit. Then slice the tenderloin into medallions, about an inch thick. Brown the slices on both sides and top with a quick French-style sauce made of heavy cream and Dijon mustard, lemon juice or Calvados.
Quick-Pickled Vegetable Salad
The best salads don’t have to be laborious. This one benefits from pickled red onions, which take only minutes to make and can perk up salads, seared meats and vegetables, pasta and even grilled cheese. Make a double batch, and you’ll brighten future meals in a flash. And, for excellent flavor in every bite, season the ingredients before combining, bearing in mind that celery, carrots and firmer vegetables need far more salt and pepper than delicate salad greens.
Winter Tomato Soup With Bulgur
Inspired by a recipe in Diane Kochilas’s wonderful new book “The Country Cooking of Greece,” this thick, satisfying soup is based on a summer soup made with fresh tomatoes. It looked so comforting that I decided to use canned tomatoes and make a winter version. The onion not only contributes flavor but also texture to this thick potage.
Green Beans With Mustard Oil And Black Mustard Seeds
Grilled Shrimp Salad With Melon and Feta
A colorful mix of juicy fresh melon, salty feta and grilled shrimp, this easy-to-make salad is perfect for a quick and light summer dinner. A little minced chile adds heat, balancing the sweetness of the melon and shrimp, while the toasted whole coriander seeds lend a nice crunch. You can use any one type or a combination of melon here, and the riper the better. Serve this with something to catch all the tangy sauce — bread, rice or even a spoon.
Hibiscus Quesadillas (Quesadilla con Flor de Jamaica)
Dried hibiscus is cheap and plentiful, usually available in specialty grocery stores or international supermarket bulk bins. It has a place in kitchens around the world, in drinks and syrups and remedies and stews. The calyxes of the flower — the part we actually eat — also happen to have a high pectin content, making them ideal for jelly making. Lately, the ingredient has been marketed as a kind of health food, or meat substitute, but the ingredient has deep, ancient roots and stands on its own. Adriana Almazán Lahl, who owns a catering business in San Francisco, rehydrates the flowers and sautés them with onion and chiles, then folds the spicy mixture into flour tortillas with a little cheese. The result is a quick, delicious meal, and an excellent way to use up the entire flower. Be sure to rinse the hibiscus well before you get started; grit hides in its folds.
Chicken Thighs With Cumin, Cayenne and Citrus
Chicken thighs have a huge advantage over lean breasts. The skin browns nicely and the meat stays juicy even when thoroughly cooked, which makes them ideal for grilling or broiling. The dark, rich meat also responds brilliantly to the strong equatorial flavors often associated with grilling. The Mexican-inspired treatment here, a quick liquid rub for the thighs, packs plenty of punch, even if you use just a little cayenne. What makes it evoke Mexico is the combination of two characteristic spices, cumin and oregano, with a mixture of orange and lime juices to simulate the sour orange that is used in the Yucatán but is rarely seen in this country.
Grilled Soy-Basted Chicken Thighs With Spicy Cashews
Here's a hack I performed on a recipe for an appetizer portion of skewered chunked chicken thighs that the great live-fire cooks and cookbook writers Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby wrote many years ago, and that I have slowly altered into a main-course grilled dinner. The skinless chicken browns nicely over a medium flame, and the sugary soy basting sauce lacquers it beautifully in the final few minutes of cooking. It's terrific with rice, or as a topping for a salad of sturdy greens. You may wish to double the recipe for Sriracha-roasted cashews. Those are addictive, and for them you will find many delicious uses.
Jane And Michael Stern's Mashed Potatoes
Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea and Coconut Curry
While this curry from Meera Sodha’s cookbook “Made in India” is rooted in tradition and complexly flavored, it’s also easy enough for a weeknight. She transforms cauliflower from a humble vegetable to a rich centerpiece with the addition of cashews, coconut, fresh ginger and a flurry of spices you’re likely to have in your pantry. Serve with rice for an exceptionally good vegan supper.
Crispy Cilantro-Chile Shrimp
These zesty, pan-fried shrimp are inspired by the cuisine of Maharashtra, the state on the west coast of India that includes Mumbai. Maharashtrian cooking often features lots of seafood and bright, fresh flavors, like the wallop of cilantro that flavors this dish. (Puréeing cilantro, as in this recipe, changes the enzyme that makes it taste soapy to some people, and reveals a deeply savory, almost mellow side to the herb.) A coating of farina, of which Cream of Wheat cereal is made, gives a dramatically craggy, crunchy texture; rava or semolina flour also work well. Be sure to pat the farina onto the shrimp before frying to help the coating adhere. Serve the shrimp with flatbreads, like chapatis.
Smoke-Roasted Chicken Thighs With Paprika
These chicken thighs are roasted in the heat of a covered grill, smoke commingling with the tint and flavor of paprika to create, thanks to caramelized honey, a sort of crust that makes it very difficult to stop eating. You start by making a paste of sweet and hot paprikas, honey, lemon juice, garlic and butter. Rub that all over the meat, then cook the chicken on a charcoal grill over indirect heat until done. If using a gas grill, make sure one side of the grill is unheated, and either swap out the paprika for the smoked version known as pimenton de la vera or wrap two small mounds of moistened wood chips in heavy aluminum foil and pierce the tops of the packets with the tines of a fork. Place those on the hotter side of the grill before roasting the chicken.
Spice-Rubbed Beer-Can Chicken with Potatoes and Sweet Peppers
Tuna or Salmon Burgers
These high-protein burgers are a great way to edge away from beef and still feel like you’re eating a burger. If you sear them quickly they’ll be nice and moist.
Grilled Chicken With Tomatoes and Corn
While you could rest grilled chicken on a cutting board to ensure the juices don’t run out of the meat when it’s sliced, a more delicious option is to place the chicken on a pile of tomatoes, corn and red onion. The seasoned drippings act as a no-effort warm dressing, bolstering the flavor of the vegetables and softening their raw edges. Before grilling, the chicken is rubbed with chili powder, the spice mix that typically includes dried oregano, garlic, onion, cumin and ground chiles, for complex flavor with minimal effort. Fresh oregano, while optional, emphasizes the herbs in the chili powder. Use this technique of resting grilled proteins on fresh produce for many summer dinners: pork chops on peaches, steak on chopped scallions and ginger, sausages on radicchio and halloumi on citrus.
