Good morning! Today we have for you:
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A lemony pasta to cure your chickpea anxiety
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A one-pot za’atar chicken and rice stunner
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And, a grown-up take on silky tomato soup
We did it, we made it through the anxious first week of September, and that first flush of back-to-work and back-to-school is behind us. Now we click into an autumnal rhythm — faster paced, sure, but also full of possibility and excitement as we shake off late summer’s sweet torpor.
This time of year is perfect for getting back in the groove of cooking, which may have skipped a few beats in the heat of August. A great place to start is this lemony pasta with chickpeas and parsley. An earthy, bright take on the classic Italian pasta con ceci, it’s a perfect use for those canned chickpeas in your pantry. Simmered in olive oil with garlic, onions and rosemary, and tossed with your favorite short pasta shape (whole wheat rigatoni is nice), the chickpeas offer a soft and earthy foundation for the bright counterpoint of lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Serve it with the simplest of tomato salads, and ease on into fall.
Featured Recipe
Lemony Pasta With Chickpeas and Parsley
More food for thought:
One-pot za’atar chicken and rice: Za’atar-spiced chicken thighs achieve a beautiful crispness in Andy Baraghani’s lively new recipe, as sweet golden onions and fragrant basmati rice cook underneath to soak up the savory drippings. A dollop of yogurt supplies a cool, creamy contrast.
Smoky tomato soup: Back-to-school makes me think of bowls of tomato soup with gooey grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. Alexa Weibel’s spicier, more adult version of the soup adds the complex flavors of ancho chile and smoked paprika, while retaining its inherent sweet and velvety allure. You can adjust the heat by either puréeing the ancho chile into the soup, or removing it first. The grilled cheese sandwiches on the side, however, are nonnegotiable.
Baked fish with slow-cooked peppers: David Tanis gives you something special to do with the array of sweet peppers at the market right now. For the prettiest dish, choose a multi-colored mix of bell peppers, Jimmy Nardellos and Italian frying peppers. Then stew them slowly with olive oil and onions, letting them practically dissolve into a sauce. A meaty variety of fish — striped bass, swordfish or halibut — pairs well here, offering a delightfully dense bite next to those vivid, silky peppers.
Vietnamese-inspired cabbage salad with tofu: This bright, crunchy slaw gets its punch from chile, lime and fish sauce, while crispy squares of fried tofu turn it from side dish into proper dinner. Served over brown rice, it walks the line between filling and light — exactly what you want when the weather’s still warm but you’re craving something substantial.
Gulab jamun: Naz Deravian brings this jewel of South Asian desserts into the home kitchen. The golden, fried orbs, perfumed with rose water and cardamom, do take time and patience to make. But Naz will hold your hand the whole way through, and the payoff is priceless: tender, syrup-soaked sweets that make any occasion special, whether you have something to celebrate or you’re just treating yourself to a stunning dessert.
That’s all for now. For technical help, reach out to [email protected], and I’m at [email protected] if you want to say hi.
I’ll see you on Wednesday.
Melissa Clark has been writing her column, A Good Appetite, for The Times’s Food section since 2007. She creates recipes for New York Times Cooking, makes videos and reports on food trends. She is the author of 45 cookbooks, and counting.
The post It’s the perfect time to get back into the cooking groove appeared first on New York Times.
