I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but here in the New York area, itap hot as blazes. We’ve had a couple of heat waves this summer, and we’re in the middle of another as I type this, my hair blown back by the hard-working air-conditioning window unit two feet from my sweaty, perimenopausal face.
I know a lot of people favor no-cook assembly-type meals and salads in weather like this, but my family and I prefer a warm meal inside regardless of the temperature outside, so I often find myself throwing things into a slow cooker in the summer months.
If you’ve cooked a crockpot recipe from New York Times Cooking, itap probably been a dish from Sarah DiGregorio. She has developed a lot of wonderful recipes for us. Her Tajín chicken with peppers starts with boneless chicken thighs and canned pinto beans, and is generously spiked with Tajín, the chile-lime salt thatap often sprinkled on fresh watermelon or mango. Itap one of those magic “set it and forget it” recipes that basically makes itself.
So try out that recipe, as well as four others that have absolutely nothing to do with slow cookers, and stay cool, friends.
1. Slow Cooker Tajín Chicken and Peppers
This easy braise is generously spiked with Tajín, the chile-lime salt that is often sprinkled on fresh fruit but can also be used as a punchy, one-stop seasoning for grilled chicken and salads. You can eat the stew in bowls, with tortilla chips on the side, or on top of rice, or use a slotted spoon to tuck it into tortillas for tacos, burritos or enchiladas. Mild or hot cans of roasted, chopped green chiles are usually stocked near the canned chipotles and pickled jalapeños, and are a versatile pantry item to have on hand.
By Sarah DiGregorio
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: About 4 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed
- 3 (4-ounce) cans hot or mild chopped green chiles (not drained)
- 1 bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch wide strips
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons Tajín seasoning, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Crumbled queso fresco, for serving
- Rice, tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
Preparation:
1. Combine the chicken, beans, green chiles, bell pepper, garlic, Tajín, oil, onion powder and cumin in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook on low until the chicken is tender and the pepper is soft, 4 hours.
2. Break the chicken into large chunks using two forks. Serve topped with queso fresco and more Tajin to taste.
2. Double Smash Burgers
Smashburgers get their name from just that: smashing the meat onto a griddle using a metal spatula or burger press, resulting in a thin burger with seriously charred edges. Use ground beef that has a 20% fat content, roll the meat into balls, then chill for at least 30 minutes before cooking to keep the fat solid. The result? Juicy burgers with brown, crisp edges. Unlike a typical burger that you might throw on the grill, thinner smashburgers cook best on a griddle or cast-iron skillet. Smear some mayonnaise on the insides of the buns before toasting them; the fat leftover from the mayo should be just enough to slick up the griddle to cook the burgers, but you can use a touch of oil in between batches as needed. Top your burger how you like: Finely shredded lettuce, homemade pickles and thinly sliced red onion are enough to make this fast food staple feel fancy. A simple combination of mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish and vinegar creates the perfect sauce, but fry sauce would also hit the spot.
By Farideh Sadeghin
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 4 hamburger buns
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
- Salt and pepper
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- Pickle slices, shredded iceberg lettuce and thinly sliced red onion, for serving
Preparation:
1. Cut eight (5-inch) square pieces of parchment paper and set aside.
2. Divide the ground beef into 8 equal balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (preferably for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight).
3. In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup mayonnaise with the ketchup, relish, mustard and vinegar. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.
4. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise onto the insides of each of the buns and toast the insides of the buns until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
5. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add 2 of the balls of meat and place a square of parchment over each ball. Using a burger press or large metal spatula, smash the burgers directly onto the skillet until about 1/4-inch thick. Remove and discard the pieces of parchment and season the burgers with salt and pepper.
6. Cook the burgers, without pressing or fussing with them, until a nice crust has formed, about 2 minutes, then flip and season with more salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to the top of each burger and cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes more. Stack the burgers on top of one another and place inside a bun. Add the reserved sauce to the inside of the bun and top the burger with pickles, lettuce and red onion. Top with the top of the bun. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form 4 burgers.
3. Yucatán Shrimp
This is a dinner to evoke deep summer, when the heat lies heavy even at dusk and humidity wraps you like a blanket: shrimp tossed in garlic butter made fiery with Indonesian sambal and jalapeño, cut by lime, fragrant with cilantro. It is a kind of scampi for the sun-kissed and sun-desirous alike, a vacation on a plate. Add a mojito and a couple of beers. The recipe comes out of southwest Florida, from Doc Ford’s Sanibel Rum Bar and Grille, a restaurant that takes its name from the protagonist of Randy Wayne White’s mystery novels. It sits off the road that runs slow and sultry along Sanibel Island toward Captiva, past the placid, russet waters of Tarpon Bay. The air smells of salt and mangrove there, of tropical rot and fresh-cut grass. He graciously sent along a recipe, which we adapted for use at home, in 2010.
Recipe from Greg Nelson
Adapted by Sam Sifton
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- Juice of two large limes
- 1 tablespoon Indonesian sambal (preferably sambal oelek, by Huy Fong, though sriracha will work as well)
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound large, fresh, shell-on shrimp
- 1 teaspoon jalapeño, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Preparation:
1. In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
2. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to saucepan. When it melts, stir in the lime juice, chili sauce, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and allow the sauce to rest.
3. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes or until they are just firm and pink. Do not overcook. Drain into a colander and shake over the sink to remove excess moisture.
4. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp and chili sauce. Add jalapeño, if desired, sprinkle with cilantro and toss again.
4. Cabbage Caesar Salad
Substituting juicy, crunchy shredded cabbage for the usual romaine adds texture and sweetness to Caesar salad. You can even make it a few hours in advance (store it in the fridge until serving). The cabbage does get a bit softer as it sits, but a rest lets the flavors meld. Tearing the bread into croutons gives more texture to the dish because of the ragged edges, which turn nice and crisp in the oven. For a vegetarian version, substitute capers for anchovies and use vegan Worcestershire sauce or coconut amino acids.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 small baguette or chunk of sourdough bread (about 8 ounces), preferably day-old, torn or cut into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided, more for garnish
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
- 4 anchovy fillets (or 1 teaspoon drained capers)
- 1 fat garlic clove, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 8 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix (24 ounces)
Preparation:
1. Make the croutons: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed sheet pan, toss bread pieces with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons cheese to coat evenly. Spread in an even layer, sprinkle lightly with salt and bake until crunchy and evenly browned, 10 to 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Taste a crouton and add more salt if needed. Use a spatula to scrape up any crunchy cheese stuck to the pan and stir into the warm croutons. Let croutons cool on the baking pan.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a blender or using an immersion blender, combine the lemon juice, anchovies, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch each salt and pepper, and pulse a few times to break up the anchovies.
3. Add the mayonnaise and the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil, and blend until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper as needed.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, croutons, remaining 5 tablespoons cheese and enough of the dressing to coat the cabbage. Toss well, adding more dressing as needed. Top with more cheese and pepper, and serve.
5. Chicken Lo Mein
Chinese lo mein (“stirred noodles”) is beloved for its fun combination of egg noodles, veggies and protein tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Making this popular takeout dish at home is a fantastic way to use up leftovers, as this dish is completely customizable depending on whatap available in the fridge. (No napa cabbage? Use green or purple!) Here, skinless boneless chicken thighs are thinly sliced for quick-cooking meat that remains juicy and tender. The rich sauce comes together in a flash and can easily be doubled for another stir-fry later on in the week. Go light on seasoning the veggies, since the sauce does bring a good amount of salt to the final dish.
By Kay Chun
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: About 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces fresh (refrigerated) or frozen lo mein noodles
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for drizzling noodles
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced (about 1/4-inch thick) into bite-size pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/2 small head napa cabbage, cored and shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas
- 1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
Preparation:
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well. If noodles are sticky, drizzle them with a little neutral oil and toss to prevent sticking.
2. While the water comes to a boil, prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk to combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, wine, sesame oil and sugar.
3. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium-high. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is just cooked through, 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the skillet, plus the cabbage, carrots and snow peas; lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds.
5. Add chicken, bean sprouts, cooked noodles and sauce, and cook, tossing with tongs, until mixture is well combined and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add scallions and toss to combine.
6. Serve warm and top with more scallions.
This article originally appeared in .
