Good morning! Today we have for you:
Stay In for Fast, Fancy Shrimp
I feel as though I should go out tonight: There’s no early alarm set for tomorrow, no meeting I need to be clearheaded to attend. Friday is the obvious choice for checking out some new buzzy restaurant. But staying home and cooking something restauranty is arguably better. No frantic tapping for reservations, or shouting to be heard in echoey dining rooms. I’m not going to pretend I have the energy to pull off a starred chef’s dish, though, or that I’ve shopped for anything. I just know that this stunning meal from Sue Li takes only half an hour and I already have its five ingredients. You may, too. (Dried dill works well if there isn’t a fresh bunch in the fridge, and shrimp is a must in my freezer.) Wading in a caper-and garlic-infused pool of lemon and olive oil, shrimp soak up the seasonings after being sautéed. This method of marinating protein after cooking it doesn’t require planning ahead — and it encourages lingering over the meal. Here, the shrimp’s briny, citrusy flavor only intensifies over time. With a simple salad and craggy bread for dragging through the sauce, this meal feels like a neighborhood bistro special. Enjoy it with a glass of bubbly and it’s a wine bar plate. Eat it in your sweats and … aren’t you glad you’re home? Featured Recipe Sautéed Shrimp With Lemon Caper DressingWith the ease of this dinner, you can turn to weekend projects. If you’re celebrating Diwali, you’ll love the fudgy chew of this almond-topped badam burfi and this coconut kalakand. I’m excited to wrap these potato-pea samosas, which are wonderful with mint chutney. If you’re tailgating, you’ll want these sweet chili baby back ribs, smoked orange chicken and pimento cheese dip. Bake these wings ahead, then grill them before kickoff. I love the buttery tang of their poussin sauce, a Kenyan garlic-chile butter usually applied to flash-fried rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have a smoker but like smoked salmon, you’ll want to start my cured fish recipe for a bagel brunch next weekend. For the rest of this weekend, here are some warming dishes for brisk days. Roasted chicken with caramelized cabbage: With grocery prices still high and creeping higher, it’s hard to host a dinner party that’s as affordable as it is special. This dish from Eric Kim hits both marks. A whole (still inexpensive!) head of cabbage caramelizes in the oven, soaking up richness from a whole chicken (less expensive than parts!) as it browns. Huevos enfrijolados (eggs in spicy black beans): Among home cooks, this classic usually starts with leftover beans. Rick Martínez gives us a shortcut to the complexity of slow-cooked frijoles by mashing canned black beans into garlic and chipotles in adobo. I add more broth to that base and let it simmer while brunch guests arrive, then crack in the eggs right before serving. Beans suck up liquid, thickening as they sit, so they can take more broth if they’re going to hang out for a bit. West Lake beef soup: Named for a lake near Hongzhou, a city in the south of China, this soup is topped with lily pads of cilantro leaves and run through with the chopped herbs. I grew up with steaming bowls of this egg drop-style soup, comforted by the silkiness of the egg white ribbons and soft tofu between bites of shiitake mushrooms and marinated beef. If you’ve never tried this pot of protein, it’s a bit hard to imagine, but know that it’s worth tasting. More delicate than a stew but heartier than a brothy soup, it feels both light and deeply satisfying. Cranberry pecan cookie bars: I used to rustle through fallen maple leaves on my walk home when I lived on the East Coast and covet my neighbors’ fireplaces, the wood smoke curling out the chimneys. The toasty brown butter and pecans in these tender, chewy bars smell just as welcoming and are far more attainable than a working fireplace. If your cranberries are dried out and hard, plump them up by soaking them in hot water or, for even more autumnal warmth, bourbon. It’s a good thing I’m staying home for dinner tonight because the third season of “The Diplomat” came out yesterday. Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford are always brilliant together. But I will head out for the biennial exhibition of working Los Angeles artists at the Hammer Museum and listen to Little Simz on the drive over and for every meal at home. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
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