Hello! Today we have for you:
Easy burritos, because November is hard
Hello, fellow home cooks! Hope your November is off to a nice start. There’s a concept in cycling called the “false flat” — a stretch of road that appears to be level, but is in fact a steady and persistent incline. You start the false flat feeling pretty good, it’s not so bad, nothing you can’t handle. But then, a couple of clicks in, you feel a little winded. Your legs are tired, and your pace is slowing. You need a break and everything is annoying. If you celebrate Thanksgiving — especially if you’re in charge of the big dinner — November can feel like one long false flat. The key to conquering it is proper energy management and shifting gears when necessary. A little bit of planning ahead makes a lot of difference, which is why today I’m sharing with you Ali Slagle’s recipe for easy burritos. Make these Los Angeles-style burritos — congrats, Dodgers — for dinner tonight, skipping the seasoned ground beef to make them vegetarian, or swapping the beef for chicken or turkey. (As ever, the reader comments on this five-star recipe are full of excellent tips and suggestions.) But do make extras, so that you can stash them, foil-wrapped, into the freezer. That way, when November’s uphill climb starts to feel really sluggish, you can shift to an easier gear, pull these out and reheat them in the microwave, oven or air fryer. That last one comes suggested by fellow readers. A little help from friends always makes inclines much easier. Featured Recipe Easy BurritosTurkey Day Tracker
At the risk of giving you too many homework assignments, I’m also going to encourage you to make Samin Nosrat’s chicken stock. For all of your Thanksgiving needs, yes, but for any of the soups and stews and grains and beans you’d like to make between now and the end of January. (This stock will keep in the freezer for up to three months.) Feel free to use the carcass and bones from your roast chicken here, but, as Samin notes, at least half of the bones should be raw. I like to pick up bags of gelatin-rich chicken feet from my local Asian supermarket, which, for those who appreciate the macabre, is a nice way to extend spooky season. That’s enough meal prepping for now. Time to click around and daydream about our ideal feast, assembling all-stars from our very best Thanksgiving recipes:
And before you go“Proper energy management” and “shifting gears,” also means, I think, giving yourself some sweetness when you need it most. A (heaping) spoonful of Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding always does the trick, boosting both my energy and mood. Click here or on the image below to watch Carolina Gelen assemble this beloved treat:
One last note — in Monday’s newsletter, the link for “baked taco ziti” at the top of the newsletter mistakenly pointed to Melissa Clark’s chickpea stew with orzo and mustard greens. It should have linked to her baked skillet pasta with Cheddar and spiced onions. Apologies for the error! Thanks for reading! 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.
|