Hello! Mia here, filling in for Emily today. Always a pleasure.
I often feel shy and awkward at parties, so I’m grateful that my job makes such an easy conversation starter. Tell people you work at New York Times Cooking and they’ll immediately ask you for recipe recommendations, cooking tips and what Melissa Clark is like in person. (In that order: Start with our Weeknight 100; a bench scraper will be your best friend; an angel among us.)
They’ll also volunteer their favorite NYT Cooking recipe, which always brings me joy. I had someone corner me at a party to tell me how much he adores Hetty Lui McKinnon’s sheet-pan pierogies with brussels sprouts and kimchi. I’m pretty sure he used the words “brilliant” and “life-changing,” or at least those were the sentiments conveyed by his wide eyes and upheld hands.
So today’s weeknight quintet is a gathering of recipes that have been enthusiastically recommended to me by other NYT Cooking cookers, with two that I always trot out for that “Any favorites?” question. Enjoy!
I’m also making:
Peach pound cake (twice!); coconut chicken curry; Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce.
1. Sheet-Pan Pierogies With Brussels Sprouts and Kimchi
I made this Hetty hit for the first time shortly after it was so exuberantly recommended to me, and then made it again several times. Everything clicks in this dish: the plump, cheesy (or potatoey) dumplings; the earthy-sweet sprouts; the caramelized kimchi; the sharp sour cream. This recipe is the reason I now keep a package of pierogies in my freezer at all times.
2. Creamy Coconut Lime Rice With Peanuts
Shortly after this Christian Reynoso recipe was published, I received a text from a friend (who happens to be a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet) raving about how good it is. A couple of days later, she sent another text to say she made it again. Note: You do not need to be a ballerina enjoy this dish, but if you have any athletes in the house, especially any that are vegetarian-curious, this is a tangy, crunchy, satisfying way to fuel them up.
3. Kale Sauce Pasta
Whenever he visits me, my brother requests “that pasta with the green sauce.” This is that pasta with the green sauce, a recipe by Joshua McFadden adapted by Tejal Rao. The green part comes from a pound of blanched kale blended with sizzled garlic; I’ve used regular green kale instead of lacinato nearly every time (because that’s what my corner store carries) and it always turns out wonderfully.
4. Skillet Hot Honey Chicken With Hearty Greens
Are you tired of hot honey yet? Good, me neither. I love this simple, 30-minute Ali Slagle supper and recommend it to anyone who needs a go-to chicken dish with the vegetable element built in. Make it as spicy — or not spicy — as you like by scaling the chile up or down, and play with your greens. I crave the slightly bitter edge escarole provides, but you might prefer chard, mustard greens or kale. This is one of those dinners that, with a glass of wine, feels almost too nice for a weeknight.
5. Sheet-Pan Bibimbap
And let’s end where we started, on a sheet-pan stunner. Longtime readers know and love this Eric Kim classic, and it’s a perfect “Welcome to NYT Cooking” recipe: versatile, clever, delicious, easy. This is the recipe I suggest to anyone who needs a good clean-out-the-fridge option. I can’t think of a better way to use up one sweet potato, an onion, some kale (or broccoli or green beans or brussels sprouts) and leftover rice. (I’ve tried it with all of those vegetables, by the way. All great.)
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