Tag: western

Sumac chicken with apricots and olives

In honor of Passover, we tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021962-roast-chicken-with-apricots-and-olives?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c Our modifications: first, we combined all ingredients (including the white wine) in the marinade. Instead of Calvestrano olives (which we find bland), we used 1 cup Queen Spanish pimiento-stuffed olives, cut crosswise in half, plus 2 Tbsp olive brine. We marinated the chicken pieces for 8…… Continue reading Sumac chicken with apricots and olives

Baked orzo with roasted vegetables and spinach

We love orzo with tomato sauce, and we took inspiration from this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020823-cheesy-baked-orzo-with-marinara?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c Our modifications: first, we added a lot of roasted vegetables. We cut 3/4 of a medium cauliflower (saving the remaining 1/4 for another recipe), 1 large red bell pepper, and 2 large shallots into bite-sized pieces, tossed them with 1.5 Tbsp…… Continue reading Baked orzo with roasted vegetables and spinach

Lemony white bean soup with minced turkey and greens

We tried this Melissa Clark recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021776-lemony-white-bean-soup-with-turkey-and-greens?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c This soup contains simple ingredients, but yields surprisingly complex, layered flavors. We followed the recipe closely. Our modifications: first, the greens, we used 1/2 a bunch of curly kale from Whole Foods. We included the stems, chopped them, and sauteed them with the onion and carrot. Second, we…… Continue reading Lemony white bean soup with minced turkey and greens

Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens

On this chilly day, we craved a healthy, warming soup. We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015767-chickpea-stew-with-orzo-and-mustard-greens?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. It was very tasty and satisfying. Our modifications: first, for the aromatics, we used 1 small fennel bulb, 1 stalk celery, 1 large leek (white part only and in lieu of onion), and two medium carrots. Second, along with the…… Continue reading Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens

Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce

We made these Italian-style turkey meatballs from NYT Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018723-turkey-meatballs-in-tomato-sauce?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Our modifications: first, we doubled the recipe. In the doubled recipe, we also reduced the salt in the meatball mixture to 2 tsp (from 1 Tbsp). Second, to manage sodium in the marinara sauce, we combined 32 oz (4 cups) Rao’s marinara sauce with 16…… Continue reading Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce

Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti

My husband had a craving for stuffed shells, and we settled on spinach and ricotta manicotti. We tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-ricotta-cannelloni/. Our modifications: first, we used 1 lb uncooked manicotti shells, which were the right amount for the spinach ricotta filling. The stuffed shells also fit in a 13 x 9” baking dish. Second, instead…… Continue reading Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti

Simple (3-ingredient) mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I always imagined it was too complicated to make at home, but we decided to try this recipe from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt: https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe. It ingeniously calls for 6 oz each uncooked elbow macaroni, evaporated milk, and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. Our modifications: first, we doubled…… Continue reading Simple (3-ingredient) mac and cheese

Simple chicken rice soup with homemade broth

After having the most delicious chicken rice soup at Nick’s Sandwich Shop (Saddle Brook, NJ), we searched online for a recipe that had similar characteristics. Nick’s scratch version featured a clear broth with a golden yellow hue, dotted with diced carrots and lightly poached, diced chicken breast. The soup was flavorful yet uncluttered, and the…… Continue reading Simple chicken rice soup with homemade broth

Molasses cake with fresh ginger

For the past few days, I have dreamt of a molasses cake that I used to buy in the early aughts at Marvelous Market, a now-defunct local chain that served delicious baked goods. They sold their molasses cake in square-shaped slabs, similar to the freshly baked cornbread at Whole Foods. The cake had notes of…… Continue reading Molasses cake with fresh ginger