By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times
The condiments in my refrigerator have reached critical mass, threatening to overtake everything else I’ve got stored in there. If you can’t easily find a spot for the milk because you’re accommodating multiple open jars of various jams, mustards, hot sauces and chile oils, you may have an issue to resolve.
I grappled with this the other night while I rooted around in my fridge for Dijon mustard. Itap a staple I always have because I use it in my house salad dressing (roughly equal parts lemon juice and olive oil — go a little heavier on the oil — plus a dollop of Dijon, shaken up together in a jar).
But dressing or no, Dijon would have earned its spot anyway. Itap a power ingredient, umami-rich, imbuing every dish it touches with a sharp, savory punch. In the chicken recipe below, Yasmin Fahr adds Dijon to the pan with garlic, oregano and white wine — the base of an irresistible sauce.
Do not stop there: Use it in Dijonnaise grilled chicken breasts, salmon glazed with brown sugar and mustard, honey mustard dressing and, of course, deviled eggs. Dijon is sharpest and best from a freshly opened jar, so much so that your eyes may even tear up when you bring it to your nose and inhale its scent (a good sign).
1. Dijon Chicken With Tomatoes and Scallions
A one-pot dish that guards all the delicious flavors it creates as it cooks — the crispy browned bits of seared chicken, simmering soft scallions and burst tomatoes — and transforms them into a sauce with the addition of white wine and mustard. The tomatoes pop and deflate as they soften, adding their juices to the liquid, which helps gently braise the chicken. Tip in pickled jalapeños and a bit of brine to add punch. Serve this with crusty bread or spoon it onto rice or polenta. A green salad or steamed broccoli complete the meal.
By Yasmin Fahr
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
- Salt and fresh black pepper
- 4 scallions, light green and white parts thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1/4 packed cup cilantro, parsley or basil leaves and tender stems, gently torn or chopped
Preparation
1. Heat the oil in a wide pot or deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the chicken in an even layer and season the top with salt and pepper. Cook, undisturbed, until the chicken is browned and easily releases from the pan, 7 to 9 minutes.
2. Flip the chicken and add the scallions to the empty spaces in the pot. Season lightly with salt. Let cook until the scallions soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, mustard and white wine, turning the chicken pieces over and back again to stir everything together, about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and gently pressing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes burst and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes more. Add a few tablespoons of water if it looks dry at any point.
4. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.
2. Lemony Pasta With Chickpeas and Parsley
You can used either canned or home-cooked chickpeas in this take on the classic Italian dish pasta con ceci, which is an excellent, nutritious, quick-cooking dinner. But even more appealing is the way the soft earthiness of the chickpeas plays off the al dente pasta, coating it like a rich sauce but without a lot of fat. The whole dish is zipped up with some lemon, garlic and red pepper flakes.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 2 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Kosher salt, as needed
- 8 ounces regular or whole-wheat fusilli or other short, sturdy pasta
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, home-cooked or canned
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 cups chickpea cooking liquid (from a homemade pot; do not use the liquid from the can), vegetable stock or water
- 3 cups fresh parsley leaves (from 1 large bunch)
- 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- Ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add fusilli and cook until it is just shy of al dente. (It should be slightly underdone to your taste because you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce.) Drain well.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the chickpea sauce: Place chickpeas in a large bowl and use a potato masher or a fork to lightly mash them; they should be about half-crushed.
3. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and fry until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in onions, rosemary, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Then stir in chickpeas and the cooking liquid, stock or water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in pasta and parsley, and cook until the pasta has finished cooking and is coated in the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Quickly toss in cheese, butter, lemon zest, black pepper to taste and salt if needed. Drizzle with olive oil and shower with additional cheese before serving.
3. Fish and Lentils With Sauce Rof
In sauce rof, a fragrant, emerald green condiment from Senegal, garlic, parsley, scallions and chile are crushed together and used to season seafood or meat, adding nuance and complexity. For this recipe, fresh herbs chopped into confettilike bits are loosened with a glug of oil and fresh lemon zest ensures the sauce maintains a vibrant and spicy tickle. While the sauce rof marinates fish, it also seasons the broth for cooking the lentils. After the fillets gently poach in the same pan, a handful of greens and a final addition of fresh sauce rof turn the meal into sublime bliss.
By Yewande Komolafe
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup French green or black lentils, rinsed
- 6 1/2 cups water, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 Scotch bonnet chiles, jalapeños or serrano chiles (seeded for milder heat)
- 1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and halved, divided
- 1/2 cup safflower, grapeseed or canola oil, divided
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 4 (4- to 6-ounce) white fish fillets, such as tilapia, cod, snapper or striped bass
- 5 ounces baby spinach (see Tips below)
Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, combine the lentils with 4 cups water and soak while preparing the sauce and marinating the fish. Soaking the lentils helps speed up cooking later.
2. Make the sauce rof by pulsing the garlic, chiles, scallions and parsley in a food processor until evenly chopped, scraping the bowl as needed. (Or, finely chop the ingredients by hand.) The mix should resemble confetti. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the lemon zest and the juice of half the lemon, 1/4 cup oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer 1/2 cup sauce to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges for serving.
3. Pat the fish dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Add the fillets to the large bowl and turn to coat with sauce. Cover and refrigerate to marinate while the lentils cook.
4. Drain the lentils and add to a large, deep skillet with a lid. Add 2 1/2 cups water, the remaining 1/4 cup oil and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 7 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup of the reserved sauce into the lentils. Stir and continue to cook until the lentils are completely soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Nestle the fish fillets into the lentils, skin or smooth side down, adding any leftover marinade from the bowl. Cook uncovered until the fish is opaque just around the edges, about 4 minutes. Scatter the spinach on top, season with salt, cover and cook until the greens are wilted and the fish is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and push the spinach off the fish to check for doneness: The fillets should flake easily when poked with a fork.
7. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup sauce and serve immediately with the reserved lemon wedges for squeezing.
Tips
You can also use 4 to 5 ounces of coarsely chopped mature spinach or mustard or dandelion greens.
Prep Ahead
You can soak the lentils and marinate the fish for up to 12 hours ahead of cooking. Proceed as above for the fish. The lentils will be al dente after step 4, so you can skip the additional 15 minutes of simmering and simply stir in the sauce and continue cooking until they’re completely soft, 5 to 7 minutes more.
4. Quick Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Savory and a little sweet, this light dinner tastes like spring but can be made any time of year — and any night of the week if you keep a stash of shrimp in your freezer. By quickly thawing them under running water, then dry-brining them with salt for a minute, you end up with juicier, snappier shrimp that taste incredibly fresh. Asparagus spears also cook fast until they’re as crisp-tender as the shrimp. By slicing them at a sharp angle, you reduce any stringiness in the stalks. For a spicy stir-fry, use the chile and keep the seeds in. For a little less heat, remove the seeds after slicing. Stirring a final pat of butter into the sauce, which is sweetened with onion and salty with soy, binds together all of the ingredients with a touch of richness. Serve over rice to sop up that sauce or over tender, leafy greens for a warm salad.
By Genevieve Ko
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled and deveined frozen shrimp (16-to-20-count; see Tip below)
- Salt
- Canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 small red hot chile, thinly sliced (seeds removed for a milder heat)
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut at a sharp angle into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
Preparation
1. Rinse the shrimp in a colander under running cold water until no longer rock hard, 3 to 4 minutes. Very generously sprinkle with salt and toss in the colander. Let stand for 1 minute, then rinse well. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom, then add the onion, garlic and chile. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring, until the onion starts to turn translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until curled more tightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the asparagus, soy sauce and sugar, and cook, stirring, until the asparagus are just tender, 1 to 3 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Serve immediately.
Tip
If using shell-on shrimp, start with 1 1/4 pounds. If you can’t find a 16-to-20-count package of shrimp, go with smaller ones, such as a 21-to-30-count. (Shrimp are labeled by number of shrimp per pound, such as 16-20 or 21-30.) If using smaller shrimp, reduce the cooking time slightly.
5. Tofu Schnitzel With Buttermilk Slaw
To properly call this crispy tofu dish “schnitzel,” there needs to be some tenderizing of the tofu. But seeing as tofu is tofu, there’s no need to pull out a mallet here. Instead, use a gentle rolling technique to flatten the tofu and create some nice cracks. While flattening makes the tofu a bit more delicate to handle, it gives it craggily fried edges and a plush and flavorful center as the brine seeps into all the crevices. The buttermilk slaw is the cool counterpart to freshly fried cutlets, and while itap tempting to throw any vegetables in here, I vote for you to stick with the blend of cabbage and fennel. Both have the right amount of sweetness to stand up to the creamy, salty dressing.
By Justine Doiron
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the slaw:
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion whites, scallion greens sliced and reserved for garnish if desired
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 pound Savoy or green cabbage (about half a small head)
- 1/2 pound fennel bulb (1 medium bulb)
For the tofu:
- 1 (12-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
- 1/2 cup dill pickle brine, plus 2 to 3 pickles for serving
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon spicy mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Canola, vegetable or avocado oil, for frying
Preparation
1. Prep the slaw: In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, buttermilk, dill, scallion whites, vinegar, sugar and salt. Taste and season with black pepper. Use a mandoline to thinly slice the cabbage and fennel directly into the bowl of dressing (or slice the vegetables using a sharp knife on a cutting board). Don’t toss it just yet; set aside.
2. Make the tofu: Drain the block of tofu and gently press out any excess water with a paper towel. Using a knife, split the tofu through the center to create two large rectangles about 1/2-inch thick (the exact thickness will vary depending on your tofu brand).
3. Gently wrap each tofu piece in paper towels. Use a rolling pin to softly roll out the tofu, aiming to only press it until it is an inch longer and slightly cracked along the center. Keep wrapped while you prepare the dredging stations.
4. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the pickle brine, buttermilk and mustard until smooth. Add the flour and salt to a plate or another shallow bowl. Add the breadcrumbs to a small resealable bag and use the rolling pin to gently crush them into a finer powder. Add those to a separate plate.
5. Working with one piece at a time and using a spatula to help, gently ease the tofu from the paper towels into the brine. The piece may break down the middle into two pieces, which is completely fine. Quickly dip the tofu, then move it to the flour, gently flip it in the flour to fully coat it and then dip it once more in the brine. Move it to the panko breadcrumbs and get the cutlet nicely coated. Set aside and repeat this with the other piece of tofu.
6. In a large pan, add oil to a 1/2-inch depth. Heat over medium until the oil is between 325 and 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, add a small piece of breading or tofu that has broken off as a test piece. If it gently sizzles right away, your oil is ready. Fry the tofu pieces for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown, using tongs to flip and gently move them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
7. Now, toss the slaw. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and vinegar if you like.
8. To serve, pile the creamy slaw on a plate and top with the schnitzel. Slice the pickles crosswise at a sharp angle and place 2 to 3 slices on the side of each bowl. If desired, garnish with sliced scallion greens. Eat as soon as you can to get those perfectly crispy bites of tofu.
This article originally appeared in .
