Brian Nelson - Food And Recipe

September 26, 2022

I Used a Desk Organizer to Arrange My Friend’s Chaotic Kitchen Drawers

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I’m no professional organizer, but working as an editor at a handful of way of life publications, I’ve picked up a couple of tricks of the trade by watching and talking to the experts. So when Jenny, just one of my mates who I have known for a number of years, talked about her cluttered kitchen drawers, I sprang into action (and did what buddies do!) and aided her out.

In truth, just one drawer, she stated, was committed to keep a disorganized pile of takeout chopsticks, straws, and plastic utensils. The other drawer was brimming with a mishmash of kitchen applications, these types of as a few of hand juicers, zesters, a can opener, peelers, tongs, and bottle openers. It seemed whatever you could consider of was hiding in this drawer! What Jenny desired was dividers to corral her rising stash of kitchen devices.

After describing the issue, I advised Jenny an organizing technique may well significantly whip her kitchen area drawer chaos into form, so I picked up two handy organizers from The Household Edit line to see if they could assistance.

The cult-favourite model, which has its individual show on Netflix, recently unveiled a new, cost-effective line at Walmart, and the name-model products and solutions are claimed to be a portion of the cost in contrast to other shops. I made the decision to give them a consider.

To develop a custom made process, I settled on two specific organizers: Home Edit’s simple utensil set (which has six individual compartments), and a adorable 6-piece organizer with several containers personalized to healthy a desk drawer. Sure, it wasn’t exactly for kitchen use, but I saw potential. “Every solution has a location,” the manufacturer confident me appropriate on the label.

See, even though the desk bins are made to dwelling colourful pens and binder clips, I figured they were being just the appropriate size and width to mix and match to build a flexible drawer procedure for Jenny’s kitchen area resources.

Of class, the to start with thing my close friend and I did was thoroughly clean out the two aspect-by-facet drawers. That meant not only emptying it, but also wiping out the crumbs and dusty corners and seams.

It was a difficult endeavor, but Jenny went by and also tried to make a decision which items to keep and which things to aspect with. More than the many years, it was clear she’s amassed quite a collection of equipment and many duplicates. In her pile, we even discovered some merchandise she experienced by no means opened! Alongside one another, we begun categorizing her instruments to acquire a psychological inventory of what she had.

Our system was to generate division and purchase by working with the organizing methods concerning the two drawers, eliminating the takeout drawer fully and rather employing the area to allow her resources to breathe. Once she noticed the program appear alongside one another, Jenny also grabbed resources from other kitchen area drawers so all the things was all jointly in one area.

At the time we did that, we experienced a clear area to figure out the configuration of the drawer organizers. It took a little bit of taking part in close to, but by mixing and matching, we ended up capable to occur up with a excellent alternative that in good shape her drawer exactly, leaving just a modest margin alongside the facet for her long meat tongs and a pair of knives.

For the second drawer, we yet again configured the bins to match the place and made use of the remaining items to personalize cubbies for just about every of her equipment. Like a jigsaw puzzle, we nested her products together and arranged like merchandise with like so that Jenny experienced a far better system to obtain points when she needed it. Now, for case in point, there are apparent boundaries with a separate place for her measuring spoons and a area dedicated solely to her juicers.

Making the division was critical. With out owning to rummage by means of the drawer, Jenny is now able to speedily come across what she needs. In addition, the boundaries also assistance to make it much easier for her to place things absent — because every little thing has a dwelling!

Of training course, I checked again in with Jenny weeks afterwards when it was all finished. And guess what? She tells me it is been a lot easier to maintain the drawers for the reason that instruments simply cannot shift all-around. “It’s much easier to find things,” she defined, incorporating that now she can visibly see all of her tools. Best aspect? It even now looks very good, even right after weeks have long gone by.

The wonderful matter was that everything suit specifically as if it had been customized for her drawers. It is getting the freedom to mix and match that allowed us to put all the things in its position. It just goes to display that you do not require to truly feel constrained to applying only “kitchen”-specified items to arrange your room — even office environment materials or Diy cardboard containers will do!

Do you have a superior kitchen area drawer system established up? Convey to us your thoughts and products tips in the reviews below.

September 26, 2022

Try these healthy food and drink alternatives for good gut health

If you are someone who faces digestion issues, know that it could generally be simply because of the food items decisions you make. In purchase to preserve gut health, a person wants to consider some balanced solutions, which incorporates being aware of what to select more than a different.

Nutritionist Bhakti Kapoor spelled out in one particular of her modern Instagram posts that though certain food and drink choices are a lot more well-liked, they do not definitely do substantially for digestive health, and just one need to consciously swap them for a thing that is more healthy in mother nature.

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She mentioned some illustrations, starting with the to start with digestive swap concerning ice drinking water and hot lemon/ginger tea. The pro described in the accompanying caption that one of the most important factors to stay clear of drinking chilly drinking water is for the reason that it has a adverse effect on digestion.

“Cold drinks, such as chilled water, constrict blood vessels and impair digestion. When you drink chilly water, the organic system of absorbing vitamins in the course of digestion is hampered,” Kapoor wrote. She even further defined that the mixture of lemon, ginger, and water in lemon-ginger tea may well support with indigestion. “Lemon and ginger equally incorporate plant chemicals that may well aid relieve minimal stomach aches brought on by indigestion.”

The following swap that she talked about was concerning chilly-pressed oil and inflammatory (refined) oil. In accordance to the specialist, 1 will have to opt for chilly-pressed oils since they are wealthy in “important fatty acids, anti-oxidants, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin C, and other effective fats”, and due to the fact they “retain the potency of their components and hold them in their normal form”.

Following, alternatively of pasta/refined grains, pick vegetable noodles. “Veggie noodles are a fantastic gluten-free selection for cutting down carbs discovered in pasta, but they also give a much more finish established of nutrients, these as vitamin A (excellent for eyesight and the immune and inflammatory systems), C (an antioxidant that is very good for pores and skin and bones), E (good for heart wellbeing), K (great for blood and bone wellness), and fibre (great for digestion and cardiovascular health),” Kapoort wrote.

Pasta noodles, she defined, incorporate none of these vitamins and minerals. “Zucchini, carrot, sweet potato, turnip, broccoli, parsnip and squash are some illustrations of vegetable noodles.”

Which is healthier, juices or smoothies? In accordance to the nutritionist, smoothies have some more vitamins considering that the vitamin-wealthy fibrous pulp is not eradicated. “Smoothies can be an superb supply of important vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals as a snack or as an addition to a food, especially if a variety of fruits and greens are utilised,” she said.

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September 26, 2022

Steamed bream, herby pasta: Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for 30-minute meals | Food

For some, a 30-minute meal is a super-quick fix. For others, it’s a longer than they usually spend making dinner. For me, however, whether it’s midweek or when we have friends over at the weekend, it’s pretty much where I’m at. On the one hand, 30 minutes is no time at all – it’s an episode of something quick on TV, a podcast listen or a catch-up with a buddy on the phone – but it’s also enough time to make something special. And, if I’m feeling really organised, I’ll call a friend or listen to a podcast while I’m cooking, so I’m smashing it, or at least feel as if I am, before supper’s even served.

Steamed bream, red bulgur and spicy pine nuts (pictured top)

A well-stocked pantry will mean you’ll have to buy only minimal ingredients for this. That said, if you don’t have what’s listed below, you can sub them with alternatives: almonds or walnuts, say, instead of the pine nuts, cherry tomatoes instead of baby plums, and so on.

Prep 5 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (180g)
150g baby plum tomatoes
Fine sea salt
¼ tsp chipotle flakes
250g coarse bulgur wheat
250ml light coconut milk
½ vegetable stock cube, crumbled (or 1½ tsp bouillon powder)
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 sustainably sourced sea bream fillets, skinned
3 tbsp (10g) picked coriander leaves, roughly chopped

For the quick-pickled shallots
1 large banana shallot, peeled and cut into thin rounds (50g)
2 tsp lime juice
⅛ tsp caster sugar

For the spicy pine nuts
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp chipotle flakes

Put a large, nonstick frying pan for which you have a lid on a medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion, tomatoes and a half-teaspoon of salt, and fry, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until the onions turn translucent and the tomatoes start to break down.

Stir in the chipotle, fry for two minutes, then add the bulgur and toast for two minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, then stir in the stock cube, tomato paste and 200ml water, turn down the heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a small frying pan on a medium-high heat, add all the spicy pine nut ingredients and fry gently, stirring often, for four to six minutes, until the garlic turns golden. Tip into a small, heatproof bowl and set aside to cool slightly (make the nuts well in advance, if you like).

Sprinkle an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in total over the flesh side of the fish fillets. Take the lid off the bulgur pot, give it a good stir, then lay the fillets skinned side up on top. Cover again, leave to cook for five minutes, then take off the heat and leave to rest, still covered, for two minutes. Finish with a heavy grind of pepper.

While the fish is cooking, mix all the quick pickle ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for five minutes.

Scatter the shallots on top of the fish, spoon over the pine nuts and their oil, sprinkle with the coriander and serve.

Olive salsa verde and golden raisin pasta

Yotam Ottolenghi’s salsa verde golden raisin and olive pasta. — Yotam Ottolenghi’s olive salsa verde and golden raisin pasta.

Inspired by Sicilian pastas, which contrast the sweet and the savoury, this is quick, easy and very versatile. A fridge and cupboard raid will make for countless variations – the addition of some tinned fish would be very welcome, for example.

Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4

360g trofie, or any other short, dry pasta such as penne
⅛ tsp saffron
3 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the almond pangrattato
30g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
4 tsp olive oil
45g panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Fine sea salt and black pepper

For the salsa verde
20g mint leaves
20g parsley leaves
20g basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp capers
80g pitted green olives, roughly torn into quarters
1 tbsp good white-wine vinegar
75ml olive oil

For the pangrattato, put a large frying pan on a medium-high heat, add the almonds and a teaspoon of olive oil, and toast, stirring frequently, for three minutes, until golden brown. Add the breadcrumbs, the remaining tablespoon of oil and a good grind of pepper, and toast, stirring constantly, for four minutes more, until a deep, golden colour. Tip into a medium bowl, stir in the lemon zest and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

For the salsa verde, put all the herbs on a board and chop finely. Add the garlic and capers, and repeat until very finely chopped. Scrape into a large bowl, add the olives, vinegar, oil, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and mix well.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and saffron, and cook for six minutes (or four minutes less than the packet instructions say for al dente). Drop in the raisins, cook for two minutes more, until plump, then drain and reserve 50ml of the cooking water.

Return the pasta to the dry pan, put it on a low heat and stir in the salsa, reserved pasta water and lemon juice. Divide between four shallow bowls and serve scattered with the pangrattato.

Brothy beans with roast mushrooms and chive salsa

Yotam Ottolenghi’s brothy beans with roasted mushrooms and chive salsa. — Yotam Ottolenghi’s brothy beans with roast mushrooms and chive salsa.

This is a great weekday lunch or dinner. If you like, swap the butter beans for any tinned beans you have to hand. Serve as it is, or with plenty of crusty bread or fluffy rice.

Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 6

10g dried porcini
500g mixed mushrooms, cut in half – I used king oyster, oyster, chestnut and shiitake
150g shallots, peeled and cut in half (150g)
5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper

For the beans
2 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained (470-480g net)
1½ tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp wholegrain mustard

For the salsa
40g chives, roughly chopped
25g parsley, hard stems discarded, soft stems and leaves roughly chopped
1½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
90ml olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice

Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the porcini in a heatproof jug, cover with 300ml just-boiled water and leave to soak for five minutes.

Meanwhile, put the fresh mushrooms, shallots and thyme on a large oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, add three tablespoons of olive oil, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and toss to coat. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway, until golden and slightly charred.

While the mushrooms are roasting, get on with the beans. Put a small saute pan on a medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic and saute for a minute, until fragrant. Carefully spoon in the soaked porcini, taking care not to add any sediment at the bottom of the jug, and cook, stirring occasionally, for two minutes. Using a fine sieve, strain in the porcini liquid and leave to cook for another seven minutes. Stir in the butter beans and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, cook for another three minutes, then take off the heat and stir in a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice and the mustard.

To make the salsa, put the chives, parsley, cumin seeds, garlic and olive oil in the small bowl of a food processor, blitz until almost smooth, then scrape into a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and set aside.

To assemble the dish, spoon the beans on to a large platter with a lip. Scatter a third of the salsa on top, swirling it in slightly, then arrange the roast mushroom and shallot mixture on top. Spoon over another third of the salsa and serve with the remaining salsa on the side.

September 25, 2022

Cocoa, pecans and cinnamon: These Creole praline cookies are packed with dessert-worthy flavors

These cookies day back to when I was an undergrad in higher education performing portion-time as a runner in a substantial legislation firm. If you might be unfamiliar, a runner does some workplace tasks like copying and filing, but functions generally as a courier, hand-providing files to other legislation offices, to the courthouse or to clientele. I had only been at the work for a brief time when the senior partners of the agency resolved to employ the service of a chef. They considered it would behoove them to have an in-house solution for lunch meetings with shoppers and attendees rather than motor out to the commonly loud, generally crowded, downtown local dining establishments.

The woman they employed was a self-explained Cajun named Brenda, who experienced just moved to city from Chalmette, Louisiana, about twenty miles east of New Orleans. She experienced a incredibly pronounced New Orleans accent and she mentioned was termed “Yat,” explaining that the title arrived from the phrase, “Exactly where are you at?” which received abbreviated to “The place y’at?” Her th appears were much more like d sounds, pronouncing the word “all those” like “doze,” and if a phrase finished in –er, like “quantity,” she explained, “num-bah.” Plump, crimson-haired and sassy, she and I quickly strike it off and at her ask for, I became her sous-chef of kinds.

When prepping meals, tasting and chatting, she taught me how to make a lot of of her dishes and I learned many of her Yat-isms in the process

As a very busy, very bad college or university university student, I loved getting with her in her slower-paced yet really economical kitchen area. When prepping foods, tasting and chatting, she taught me how to make quite a few of her dishes and I discovered numerous of her Yat-isms in the course of action. For example, when she despatched me for groceries, she’d say I necessary to make groceries. When I returned with the groceries, I was to save them, that means to place them absent. When she couldn’t think of the name of a thing, she’d say, “Give me dat quelque selected,” (pronounced kek-shawz, French for “a thing”). It was an education in extra ways than one particular.

We talked about the historical past of New Orleans — about how distinct it was from other southern towns, about its French and Spanish heritage, and how Creole and Cajun are extremely distinctive and various, referring to fully various men and women coming into Louisiana/New Orleans at wholly various periods. Mainly because of her tales, I grew to become even extra intrigued in Louisiana heritage, knowledge it to be carefully aligned with the background of my personal home town of Cell, Alabama, since it as well experienced after been component of Nouvelle France once upon a time.

The 1st French settlement in The usa was in 1682 with New Orleans itself getting proven before long right after in 1718. The funds of this huge, new French Colony, identified as Nouvelle France, was in Quebec and bundled the land from Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains and from the Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

“Creole” was the title presented to those people born in the French colony relatively than in Europe. Though persons of any race can and have recognized as Louisiana Creoles, quite a few were multiracial thanks to the confluence of Native People, Africans and European immigrants concentrated in the point out. The resulting Creole delicacies came from these immigrants bringing their have variations of cooking although incorporating the ingredients of the colony.

“Cajuns” and Cajun food items arrived well just after Britain received the French and Indian War in 1763. In point, it wasn’t till the 1850s that they came as Acadian refugees from the west. Their delicacies was uniquely their possess as nicely, a mix of Acadian “state foodstuff” with that of the present persons there, predominantly Native People (largely Choctaw), Africans and Creoles.

If you have by no means read about it, this time in American background is interesting. New cultures and cuisines have been born, particularly in fast paced port cities like New York Town, Cell and New Orleans the place Spanish, French and other Europeans ended up generating their way amid people now there. New Orleans — like Cellular, Biloxi, Baton Rouge and other southern metropolitan areas that began as portion of Nouvelle France — produced pretty in a different way from the relaxation of the Anglo-Saxon towns and states comprising the American South.

Brenda also fed me lunch most times mainly because, you know, an individual had to make certain anything tasted very good just before we served our afternoon friends, and I acquired to acquire dwelling the day’s leftovers. It would have been a true reward for everyone, but as a battling university student, I was added grateful. She was a 2nd mom to me and I totally adored her.

She produced these Praline Cookies most every single 7 days mainly because 1 of the senior companions, whose sweet tooth in no way appeared to be sated, could not get plenty of of them. He favored them to all her other delightful cookies, pastries and confections with his afternoon cup of Earl Grey. I suppose there is a thing received as a result of repetition as I began to crank out batch just after batch of these every 7 days. I have been earning them ever considering the fact that, and that was pretty much 35 many years in the past!

I suppose there is something received through repetition as I started to crank out batch following batch of these each and every week. I have been making them ever because, and that was practically 35 several years ago!

The title, Praline Cookie, is a little bit misleading as they taste very little like a praline. They glance like a praline because of their coloration, the seen chopped pecans, and the way they spread out when they bake, but which is rather substantially exactly where the similarity finishes. And if you make them gluten-absolutely free, then there is no similarity at all. Not only will they not spread into a skinny, praline-like condition, but they will not have a praline-like coloration possibly. They will, nevertheless, nonetheless flavor astounding (but you could want to rename them if you go gluten-cost-free).

These cookies have also been mistaken for chocolate chip cookies at very first glance, and though not my preferred, chocolate chip may well be this country’s most beloved cookie. I can explain to you from expertise that when a chocolate chip cookie lover thinks a take care of is in arm’s attain, disappointment abounds when the get isn’t going to fulfill the expectation. That said, no a person is ever upset with this cookie. I think that is pretty the compliment as I was satisfied with sheer rudeness at the time when someone mistook my oatmeal-raisin cookies for chocolate chip.

It is tricky to describe the flavor of these Praline Cookies. When you search at the components, you may well consider you can consider the taste of the last product or service, but you will be shocked. The cocoa adds depth but is undetectable as far as offering any real chocolate taste. The cinnamon will come via, but is very gentle. The raisins are a bit mysterious. They mix into the all round flavor and supply sweetness substantially like molasses in a gingersnap. I know a good deal of people who will not care for raisins and nevertheless appreciate these cookies.

Whilst producing about these cookies, I am reminded of my hustle when I was in higher education. I was functioning component-time, likely to university whole-time, concerned in community theater and/or instructing dance classes most evenings. I unquestionably wouldn’t be capable to maintain up with my young self currently. I really feel a little bit like a very pleased parent when I glimpse back again on that time and of all I achieved again then.

These cookies have been with me by so a great deal of my daily life, and I have under no circumstances fatigued of them. I have shared them so often and with so many. I am so pleased to share them with you now.

Elements

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 cups pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, soda, cocoa, cinnamon and salt.
Cream butter and sugar with a mixer, then add eggs one at the time.
Add flour mixture to butter, sugar, and egg combination, combining well.
Include raisins and pecans and stir in uniformly.
Pinch off ample dough to form little balls about 1 1/2″ in diameter. Spot on ungreased cookie sheet and evenly pat down the prime of every, so they aren’t rounded at the leading or bottom.
Bake only right up until golden. Take out cookies from the cookie sheet on to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they interesting.

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September 25, 2022

Mark Bittman has 3 tips for the kitchen : NPR

Mark Bittman’s spinach carbonara is a vegetarian twist on a classic Italian dish. He says spinach adds “a variety of different nutrients and just mixes things up a bit.”

Jim Henkens

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Jim Henkens

Mark Bittman’s spinach carbonara is a vegetarian twist on a classic Italian dish. He says spinach adds “a variety of different nutrients and just mixes things up a bit.”

Jim Henkens

Fast cooking isn’t about skill. It’s about strategy.

That’s according to six-time James Beard Award-winning food writer Mark Bittman. So when he sat down to revise How to Cook Everything Fast, he had an eye toward teaching technique, not just showcasing recipes.

“There are patterns [in cooking] that after you do many times, you begin to recognize and you do automatically. But beginning cooks don’t see those patterns, and they don’t have them laid out for them,” Bittman tells NPR.

And he’s indeed cooked — and written about cooking — many times. He’s the author of numerous cookbooks, and spent decades writing about food for the New York Times.

This is part of All Things Considered‘s “In A Pinch” series, where cookbook authors discuss meals that can be prepared with a handful of ingredients and a little bit of time.

“The attempt in Fast is to say: Here’s how you really need to learn how to cook, here’s how to organize ingredients. Here’s how to use the right technique.”

Bittman breaks down three strategies for faster cooking. His responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Three Ways Cooking Has Changed Over The Last 300 Years

1. Prepare as you cook

There’s a lot of downtime in cooking. It takes time for the heat that you’re using to be applied to the food that you’re using it on. And you can use that time to do other things that make the whole procedure go more quickly.

2. Keep a well-stocked pantry

There are challenges around cooking besides the cooking itself. And one of them is shopping. To the extent that you can keep a good pantry, you can cook a lot of recipes without shopping. And that’s a real advantage.

3. Always cook more than you need — think leftovers

The History Of Our Love-Hate-Love Relationship With Leftovers

If you’re cooking beans for a dish, then cook a lot of them and either refrigerate or freeze what’s left. Same with whole grains.

Whenever you can, it almost always pays to cook more, even if it’s just cooking more of the given dish. That’s the kind of thing that veteran cooks know and learn.

Below are three recipes from Bittman’s revised edition of How to Cook Everything Fast that you can try at home when you’re in a pinch. They have been excerpted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Spinach Carbonara

With the richness of eggs and Parmesan and the fresh bite of lightly cooked spinach, this recipe offers a hearty meatless alternative to more traditional pasta carbonara. You can replace the spinach with escarole, kale, mustard greens, chard or broccoli rabe. Just cut the ones with large leaves and stems crosswise into ribbons and cook a little longer if necessary.

SERVES 4

Salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound spinach

2 cloves garlic

1 pound any long pasta

3 eggs

4 ounces Parmesan cheese (1 cup grated)

Pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

2. Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over low heat.

3. Trim off any thick stems from the spinach.

4. Raise the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Cook the spinach, adding a handful at a time and stirring between batches, until the leaves are just wilted, about 5 minutes.

5. Peel and chop 2 cloves garlic, adding them to the skillet as soon as you can (they’ll cook with the spinach).

6. When the spinach is tender, turn off the heat.

7. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. Start tasting after 5 minutes.

8. Crack the eggs into a bowl.

9. Grate 1 cup Parmesan cheese and add to the bowl; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper. Whisk with a fork to combine.

10. When the pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it, reserving about 1 cup cooking water. Add the pasta to the spinach and pour in the egg mixture. Toss, adding a splash of cooking water if you want to make it saucier. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Stir-Fried Chicken and Chard

Mark Bittman’s stir-fried chicken and chard. The celebrated food writer says stir-fries are an ideal fast meal because they employ a key strategy for quick cooking — maximizing downtime.

Jim Henkens

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Jim Henkens

Mark Bittman’s stir-fried chicken and chard. The celebrated food writer says stir-fries are an ideal fast meal because they employ a key strategy for quick cooking — maximizing downtime.

Jim Henkens

It might not be the most common green used in stir-fries, but kale takes well to high heat and has a ton of flavor. The leaves soften quickly and acquire wonderful singed brown spots (especially in a cast-iron or carbon steel skillet), while the little bits of the stems form a crunchy counterpoint. Try serving this with soba noodles for something different.

SERVES 4

4 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil

6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds)

Salt and pepper

1 inch fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic

4 scallions

1 bunch chard (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste

Sesame oil for serving

Directions

1. Put 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Also, slice the chicken into ½-inch strips or chop into bite-sized pieces.

2. Add the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, undisturbed, until it sizzles and releases easily from the pan, about 3 minutes. After that, stir occasionally, until it loses its pink color and browns in places, another 5 to 10 minutes. Also:

Peel 1 inch ginger and 2 cloves garlic; chop them together.
Trim and chop the scallions, keeping the white and light green parts separate from the dark green tops.
Rinse and trim the chard, keeping everything but the toughest stem ends. Cut the leaves across the stem into ribbons as wide or thin as you like.

3. When the chicken is done, add the ginger, garlic, and white and light green parts of the scallions. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl.

4. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet and turn the heat to high. Add the chard, a handful at a time if necessary to fit it in, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the leaves soften and begin to brown slightly, 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Return the chicken mixture to the skillet; add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and ½ cup water and stir until most of the liquid evaporates before turning off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the scallion greens and serve, passing sesame oil at the table.

Skillet Apple Crisp

Mark Bittman’s skillet apple crisp recipe can be used with any fruit and doesn’t require an oven.

Jim Henkens

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Jim Henkens

Mark Bittman’s skillet apple crisp recipe can be used with any fruit and doesn’t require an oven.

Jim Henkens

When you deconstruct the fruit and topping components of a crisp, you get a beloved dessert in a fraction of the time. And you don’t even have to turn on the oven. The variations provide two of many alternatives and a whole different topping that works on any fruit. Use whatever is in season: peaches, plums, pears, berries—even bananas, mangoes, or pineapple. Cooking time is variable, just a few extra minutes one way or the other; you check for tenderness frequently.

SERVES 4 TO 6

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

2 pounds apples

½ cup walnuts or pecans

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt

Directions

1. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Also, core and chop the apples, leaving the skin on.

2. Add the apples to the butter and cook, stirring frequently and adding water 1 tablespoon at a time if the pan starts to look dry, until the apples are tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Put 7 tablespoons butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Also, chop ½ cup nuts.

4. When the butter is melted, add the nuts, ½ cup rolled oats, ¼ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt; toss to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the topping is golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

5. When the fruit is soft, divide it among serving bowls. Scatter the topping over the fruit and serve.

September 25, 2022

Jewish holiday recipes for everyone to try

Buzz60’s Elizabeth Keatinge tells us what not to cook in your Instant Pot.

Stacker compiled a list of 15 global Jewish holiday recipes and their histories from Allrecipes.com, news reports, Jewish historical sites, and Jewish recipe developers.