A rich braise from a cheap cut

Boneless beef chuck becomes rich and meltingly tender in Vallery Lomas's bourbon braised beef.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 17, 2024 Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. A rich braise from a cheap cut By Sam Sifton Good morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all those who celebrate. I like corned beef and cabbage myself for the holiday — Irish American food to ship up to Boston with, soda bread on the side. But I get it if that's not in the cards, either for reasons of memory (the dank, humid scent of boiling cabbage at Mom's) or situation (not Irish, no interest in the meal). For you, then, this incredible bourbon-braised beef (above) that Vallery Lomas developed for us. The whiskey adds a fantastic complexity to a cheap cut of boneless beef chuck burbled with maple syrup, caramelized tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves and hints of both soy sauce and lemon juice. It's as Irish as Carmela Soprano, but I'd serve it to your ma tonight with no misgivings. (Save the leftover braising liquid to make French onion soup.) Featured Recipe Bourbon-Braised Beef View Recipe → Once you've got it cooking, you'll have plenty of time for mischief. Say, a French icebox cake from the inimitable Dorie Greenspan? That would make a great dessert after the stew. Which means Sunday's sorted. As for the rest of the week. … Monday You can't beat my recipe for Irish tacos if you've got leftovers, and I'd warrant that's the case if you made the bourbon braise on Sunday instead of the corned beef. Just shred the reheated meat onto warm tortillas and top with slaw. You'll see. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Melina Hammer for The New York Times Irish Tacos By Sam Sifton 30 minutes Makes 6 to 8 servings Tuesday Eric Kim excels at weeknight pastas with big, big flavor and shows it plain with his fiery, awesome ricotta pasta alla vodka. The cool cheese against the hot penne is a revelation. "Wow," one subscriber wrote. "That was so good." Yes, indeed. James Ransom for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Ricotta Pasta Alla Vodka By Eric Kim 45 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Wednesday Weeknight meals don't get much better than Yewande Komolafe's baked tofu with peanut sauce and coconut-lime rice, a restaurant-style dinner that comes together in under an hour. The vibe is West African ease. David Malosh for The New York Times Baked Tofu With Peanut Sauce and Coconut-Lime Rice By Yewande Komolafe 25 minutes Makes 4 servings Thursday A perfectly composed wedge salad is a marvelous thing. St. Anselm in Brooklyn prepares a superior version. But sometimes the ratio of toppings to lettuce doesn't work out, and you're left with undressed greens. Ali Slagle's ace new recipe for a chopped wedge salad avoids that problem, whacking everything together in a bowl so that every bite is fully dressed for dinner. Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Chopped Wedge Salad By Ali Slagle 25 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings (about 10 cups) Friday And then you can head into the weekend with another new recipe from Ali: a mortadella carbonara. It's silkiness squared. Could you add a handful of chopped pistachios for texture at the end? You could! I will. Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Mortadella Carbonara By Ali Slagle 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings There are many thousands more recipes waiting for you on New York Times Cooking. Yes, you need a subscription to read them. Fact: Subscriptions support our work and allow it to continue. Please, if you haven't taken one out yet, would you consider doing so today? Thank you. Please write for help if you find yourself in a technological rip current. We're at cookingcare@nytimes.com and someone will get back to you, I promise. Or you can write to me to say hello, lodge a complaint or say something nice. I'm at foodeditor@nytimes.com. I can't respond to every letter (there's a lot of mail!), but I do read every one I get. Now, it's a far cry from anything to do with making roux or shelling hull peas, but if Dwight Garner's rave review of Percival Everett's new novel, "James" — a retelling of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" from the point of view of the enslaved Jim — doesn't make you run to the bookseller or the library, I'd be very surprised. That's what it did for me. Big crab alert. Extinct. But really, really big. If you haven't seen the Amazon Prime reboot of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," I'd urge you not to binge, but to stretch your viewing out over at least a few days, ideally a week. It plays better that way. Finally, here's a new track from Hannah Frances, "Keeper of the Shepherd." Listen to that while you're cooking, and I'll be back next week. Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. 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