Kitchen magic for big weeknight flavorSome ingredient combinations are positively alchemical, imbuing dishes with a sublime character inexplicably greater than the sum of their parts. Garlic, red chile flakes and lemon is one such mixture; honey, soy sauce and ginger is another. You can add almost any protein or vegetable to these and be guaranteed a dinner worth its weight in gold. Kay Chun's gingery honey-and-soy-glazed chicken thighs work that wizardry. Everyday chicken thighs are utterly transformed, first by being tossed with a sweet and tangy glaze and then by being roasted until they caramelize and singe at the edges, becoming irresistibly sticky and golden. Kay suggests serving them wrapped in lettuce leaves for a cool, crisp contrast to all the rich juices. And if you have any left over, chop the meat up and add it to salads, fried rice or a pot of vegetable soup. Featured Recipe Honey-and-Soy-Glazed Chicken ThighsFor an exuberant vegetable-based soup that needs no meat, there's Hetty Lui McKinnon's deeply spiced curry udon. Filled with springy noodles, soft potatoes, carrots and as much baby spinach as you can cram in the pot, it's got a silky curry-scented broth that's so good you'll want to drink it straight from the bowl, or at least spoon up every drop. Her recipe calls for making a simple curry roux from scratch, but substitute Japanese curry bricks if you have them to save a step. Easter is this Sunday, and Clare de Boer has a delightful springtime menu for us, perfect for the season whether you celebrate or not. She starts us off with a minty pea frittata, which uses new-to-me techniques. She mixes the eggs with heavy cream and Parmesan and then bakes it in a cake pan, low and slow, until the center goes from "swampy to jiggly." To get the most custardy texture, Clare implores us to be brave and err on the side of underbaking; the residual heat from the pan will finish the job. There are more peas, sugar snaps this time, in the salad that she pairs with the frittata. She adds bacon to that salad bowl, too, adding smoky heft and a salty bite. If meat isn't on your menu, leave the bacon out and replace the missing bacon fat with a little extra olive oil. For a sophisticated dessert to round out whatever chocolate-jelly-bean-marshmallow haul the Easter Bunny brought, you can bake Clare's chewy lemon cookies scented with rosemary. Wonderful on their own, or maybe with a glass of vin santo, they'll make a chewy, piney-scented counterpoint to all those neon Peeps. Naturally, you'll want to subscribe to get all these recipes and so many more. If you need any technical help, the brilliant people at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there for you. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com.
For this week's one-pot wonder, Ali Slagle's crisp gnocchi with sausage and peas leans into some of those same ebullient flavors of spring, proving that easy one-pot cooking isn't just for winter. It can be prepared perennially — without any chopping or waiting for water to boil — and it all comes together, almost alchemistically.
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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Kitchen magic for big weeknight flavor
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