A soothing (and speedy) chicken and vegetable donabe

Easy, mellow, comforting and quick: A perfect Monday night recipe.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 7, 2024 Kay Chun's chicken and vegetable donabe. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Let's do a donabe By Melissa Clark As peak one-pot season draws near once again, it's the perfect time to celebrate not only those cozy, soul-warming dishes, but the vessels that contain them: the sturdy cast-iron Dutch oven, the gleaming stainless-steel soup pot and the earthy donabe, a traditional Japanese clay pot, to name a few. All can be used to bubble up a plethora of savory meals. What's more, these champions of coziness are often interchangeable. So feel free to pull out your Dutch oven or soup pot to cook Kay Chun's chicken and vegetable donabe. This soothing mix of napa cabbage, daikon, mushrooms and boneless chicken is mild on its own, then gets a zippy boost from a drizzle of ponzu and an optional spike of yuzu kosho. Kay uses chicken thighs for their deep flavor, but feel free to substitute boneless, skinless breasts. Just watch them closely so they don't overcook. Featured Recipe Chicken and Vegetable Donabe View Recipe → Of course, you could also use your soup pot to make, you know, soup. As a red lentil superfan, I've got my eye on Ifrah F. Ahmed's new recipe for maraq misir, a fragrant Somali soup buzzing with xawaash and a mix of cumin, cinnamon, clove and other warm spices that give big autumnal vibes, and right on time. You know what else feels autumnal? Pasta in a heady cream sauce, tinted bronze with fried onions, chopped roasted chicken skin and a dollop of Dijon mustard. Christian Reynoso's rotisserie chicken and greens pasta happens to be exactly that, with a handful of baby kale or spinach thrown in for color and a dose of other healthful vegetables, along with garlic and lemon juice for their inimitable sparkle. Early autumn is also party time at the farmers' market. The last of summer's eggplants, peppers and zucchini are still looking bright and fresh, when who should arrive but fall's new apples, broccoli and cabbage. Pack your tote with the glories of two seasons and let's go! Use the cabbage to make Ali Slagle's miso-mustard salmon, in which the chopped green brassica is charred in a skillet and then topped with the seasoned fish fillets before roasting. More of the miso-mustard mixture is dabbed on top as a thick and savory sauce. Then let that eggplant live its best life in Sue Li's vegan zha jiang mian, a quintessential Chinese pantry noodle dish. Classic recipes call for pork belly, but by substituting sautéed eggplant and crumbled tofu, the dish gains a silky sweetness to contrast with the springy udon noodles and salty, fermented soybean paste. Mung beans and sliced cucumbers are the usual accompaniments, but other crunchy vegetables like romaine lettuce, shredded carrots or even some of the cabbage left over from Ali's mustard-miso salmon would work beautifully, too. While we're overbuying at the farmers' market, let's not forget to pick up some new-crop apples, which are at their crisp and tangy zenith right now. Naturally you could bake them into a pie, but Genevieve Ko's apple pie bars have all of the syrupy, buttery sumptuousness while requiring about half the work. Go ahead and serve them à la mode, letting the ice cream melt into a custardy sauce that soaks into the cookie-like crust. To get these and thousands of other well-tested recipes, you'll need — want — to subscribe. (And if you already do, we thank you). If you slam into any technical issues, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. That's all for now. I'll see you on Wednesday. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Maraq Misir (Red Lentil Soup) By Ifrah F. Ahmed 55 minutes Makes 4 servings (about 6 cups) Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Rotisserie Chicken and Greens Pasta By Christian Reynoso 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Miso-Mustard Salmon By Ali Slagle 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Vegan Zha Jiang Mian By Sue Li 45 minutes Makes 4 servings Linda Xiao for The New York Times Apple Pie Bars By Genevieve Ko 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling Makes 2 dozen bars 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. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018