Easter, Passover, spring break: We are in a holiday sprint and state of mind over here at New York Times Cooking.
I’m not cooking or baking for either holiday this year. But you still need to have dinner. This week’s newsletter delivers the slurp of a new noodle soup, the pucker of piccata and the crisp crust of a skillet pie made with frozen phyllo dough. Scroll on for those recipes and two others for the days ahead.
1. Spicy Pork Noodle Soup
Noodles and broth are an ever-compelling combination. This particular union nestles thin ramen or soba into a spicy, porky broth, darkened and deepened with turmeric and cumin. The dish capitalizes on spring’s best scallions and sweet snow peas, but succeeds in any season. Come summer, tomatoes or corn could take the place of the snow peas, slipping into the hot broth just before serving. In the cooler months, thinly sliced, frost-bitten winter greens or cabbage are both solid choices.
By Ashley Lonsdale
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces thin dry noodles (such as ramen or soba)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 bird’s-eye chile (optional), sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 6 ounces snow peas, thinly sliced on the diagonal (see tip for other seasonal options)
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Preparation:
1. Prepare the noodles: Boil the noodles in a pot or saucepan according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water to halt the cooking.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the pork and spread it into an even layer, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well browned underneath. Season the pork with salt and pepper while it browns. Break up the pork into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, chile (if using), turmeric and cumin, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Just before serving, slide the snow peas into the hot broth.
5. Divide the noodles among bowls and ladle the soup over top. Garnish with scallions.
TIP: This evergreen soup was created with springtime snow peas in mind, but is great for any season (or craving!): A mix of fresh corn kernels and chopped tomatoes would be delicious in the summer, as would thinly sliced winter greens like kale during the winter.
2. Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is an Italian-American staple beloved for its piquant flavors cradled in a silky, butter-rich pan sauce. It also doesn’t hurt that it cooks up very quickly. This version is mostly traditional except that it uses lemon two ways, calling for lemon slices to be caramelized (to soften their tang) and for a hit of fresh juice at the end (to brighten the whole dish). This ensures a sauce thatap neither too rich, nor too puckery. Serve with a starch — pasta, polenta, rice or white beans — for sopping up the sauce, and a green vegetable, such as a kale salad, broccoli or green beans.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved horizontally (see tip)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- All-purpose flour, for dredging
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 shallot, peeled and sliced lengthwise
- 1 lemon, halved (half thinly sliced and seeds removed; half juiced, about 2 tablespoons)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 4 teaspoons drained capers
- Coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
1. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess.
2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove the chicken, place on a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces, adding more olive oil if needed.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, add the shallot and lemon slices to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, capers and lemon juice, to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with parsley if desired.
TIP: Freezing the chicken breasts for 15 minutes will make slicing them through the middle easier.
3. Roasted Cabbage Salad With Spicy Lime Dressing
This winter cabbage salad takes a cue from a classic Vietnamese cabbage and chicken salad and has plenty of kick from lime juice, serrano chiles and fish sauce. Tempeh and peanuts are roasted with the cabbage for varied texture and a hit of protein. Add more vegetables if you like: try halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber or charred green beans. The fish sauce and lime juice are your flavor makers, so don’t be afraid to add more of either to suit your taste. The cabbage salad keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and is great at room temperature, perfect for a quick lunch.
By Kristina Felix
Yield: 4 servings, plus leftovers
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 small green cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1 bunch scallions
- 2 serrano chiles
- 2 garlic cloves
- 6 tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste (from 3 limes)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 2 medium carrots
- One (8-ounce) package soy tempeh
- 3/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- Freshly cooked long-grain white rice, such as jasmine, for serving
- 1 bunch cilantro or mint leaves (or a combination)
Preparation:
1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. If you have a convection function, turn it on.
2. While your oven heats, quarter the cabbage through the core, cut away and discard the core, then slice the cabbage into shreds. Place on a sheet pan and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt. Squeeze the salt into the cabbage and arrange in one layer. Allow the cabbage to sit while you prep the remaining ingredients.
3. Trim the scallions, then cut off the scallion whites and cut them in half lengthwise. Place on top of the cabbage. Chop the scallion greens and place them in a large bowl.
4. Cut the stems of the chiles off and discard, then quarter them lengthwise. If desired, remove the seeds, then dice the serranos and place them in the bowl with the scallion greens. Mince the garlic cloves, then toss them into the bowl. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Grate the carrots into the bowl, mix and allow to sit while the cabbage roasts.
5. Transfer the sheet pan with the cabbage to the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and crumble the tempeh on top, then add the peanuts and oil and, using tongs, toss to combine. Return to the oven and roast, tossing once halfway through, until edges of cabbage and scallions are browned and peanuts and tempeh are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. To serve, transfer the contents of the sheet pan to the bowl with the dressing, and toss to coat. Taste for fish sauce and lime juice. Scoop a generous amount of rice into bowls and top with a very generous serving of salad. Top with cilantro or mint leaves. The salad keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and is great at room temperature.
4. Roasted Salmon Glazed With Brown Sugar and Mustard
This is what we call around here a no-recipe recipe, the sort of meal you can cook once off a card and you’ll know it by heart: salmon glazed with brown sugar and mustard. The preparation could not be simpler. Heat your oven to 400. Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to the degree of spicy-sweetness that pleases you. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets. Place them skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet, slather the tops with the mustard and brown sugar glaze and slide them into the top half of your oven. They ought to be done in 12 minutes or so, and they pair beautifully with simple braised greens.
By Sam Sifton
Yield: Number of servings vary
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- Salmon fillets, preferably wild or farmed organically
- Dijon mustard
- Brown sugar
- Salt and black pepper
Preparation:
1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to the degree of spicy-sweetness that pleases you. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets.
3. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet. Slather the tops of the fillets with the mustard and brown sugar glaze and slide them into the top half of your oven. Roast for about 12 minutes, then serve.
5. Chickpea, Spinach and Feta Pie
Bringing together inspiration from two great Greek pies, spanakopita (spinach and feta) and prasopita (leek), this one-skillet dish also incorporates chickpeas for extra heartiness. Don’t let looks deceive you, as this elegant pie couldn’t be easier to make. There’s no need to stress about torn or dry phyllo sheets here; in fact, the pastry is deliberately broken and scrunched up into jagged, clumpy pieces that are then simply plopped on top of the pie. When baked, the craggy pastry becomes extra shattery and crisp — and visually arresting. (This forgiving recipe also welcomes any leftover pastry that may seem dry or past its prime.) A pie for all occasions, itap easy enough for weeknight cooking but also special enough for entertaining.
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 large leeks (about 1 pound), roots and wilted tops trimmed, stalks halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
- 7 ounces crumbled feta
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (3 to 4 tablespoons), plus 1 more lemon for serving
- 1 cup chopped dill
- 8 to 10 phyllo pastry sheets (about 10 ounces), thawed
- Toasted white sesame or nigella seeds (optional), for topping
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare the leeks: Place the sliced leeks into a colander and rinse them well, rubbing to loosen any dirt. Rinse again and drain well. (There is no need to dry them, as the residual water is useful in cooking the leeks.)
3. Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the leeks (the skillet will look overfilled, but it cooks down a lot). Season generously with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, adding in more as it wilts, and toss until the leaves have all softened. Turn off the heat and add the chickpeas, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice and dill. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Place the phyllo sheets into a large bowl and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Scrunch and massage the oil into the sheets; the sheets will crumble, break up and clump up and that is fine. Scrunch the pastry, and transfer in clumps, arranging them on top of the leeks and spinach, until completely covered. Drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and scatter over the sesame or nigella seeds, if using.
6. Bake until the top is golden and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and crispy. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon on the side.
This article originally appeared in .
