In case you missed it, my colleagues Allison Jiang and Sharon Attia have written a wonderful piece describing how our readers save money when grocery shopping and cooking at home. The very first tip — “Cook a pantry meal before you go shopping” — really stuck with me. It’s simple and very obvious-feeling, but just like in romantic comedies, sometimes what you’re looking for (dinner) has been right in front of you (in the pantry) this whole time.
Ali Slagle’s chile-crisp chickpea rice bowls are exactly the sort of “you were there all along” meals I like to pull together. Chile crisp does a lot of heavy lifting here — the spicy oil is used to crisp the chickpeas, and those crispy bits contribute their characteristic crunch. That fridge standby celery adds its refreshing crunch, and if you don’t have cilantro, you could swap in basil or scallions (which I’ve done). The reviews are in: “As a broke and hungry grad student, I’ve made this dozens of times,” writes Emily Gibson, a reader. “We love a cheap, easy and delicious weeknight recipe!”
Featured Recipe
Chile-Crisp Chickpea Rice Bowls
Today’s specials
Tinolang manok (chicken tinola): “You could call tinola a chicken soup, but that is just a literal description for a dish that, in the Philippines, is more like a form of medicine,” Ligaya Mishan writes in the intro for this recipe she adapted from Jill Damatac. It’s a soothing, satisfying dish with real depth thanks to ginger, fish sauce, peppery moringa leaves and a generous dose of black peppercorns.
Sizzled scallion rice with sardines: A woman can’t live on tuna alone, which is why I’m working more sardines into my quick-dinner rotation. This dish from Ashley Lonsdale is a fried rice that took a Caribbean vacation, punched up as it is with small hot chiles, thyme and white vinegar.
Blueberry, almond and lemon cake: There’s a lot to love about this Yotam Ottolenghi classic, namely the blueberry, almond and lemon parts.
And before you go
The New York Times has not one, but two new chief restaurant critics! Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan will expand restaurant coverage nationally for The Times and, in their work as critics, will no longer be anonymous. Exciting, right? Here’s how all of that will work.
Thanks for reading!
The post This Dinner Has Been Right in Front of You All This Time appeared first on New York Times.
