The Kitchen and I Are Not Always Friends
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The Kitchen and I Are Not Always Friends
Zero-meat, zero-fuss meals for the most manic time of the year
Wow. After cooking a…successful—I should say, I was really pleased with it!—Thanksgiving meal and consuming so much rich food, I feel sort of like I did when lockdown ended, i.e., pretty freaking uninspired by the kitchen and everything that lives in there (which is not my norm).
In these moments of cooking despair, I tend to go easy on myself (self-care, baby)—I don’t want to plan much, I don’t want anything complicated, and I want to make as few trips to the grocery store as possible.
Mark’s most recent book, the revised and updated How to Cook Everything Fast, has been a salve for many of us, so in the spirit of uncomplicated, I present you with some more goodies from that tome (all meat-free):
Hot and Sour Black Beans With Bok Choy,
Red Lentils and Fennel over Toasted Flatbread Triangles,
Hummus and Vegetable Pita Pockets,
and Spinach Carbonara.
We’ve overlapped a few ingredients like pita and spinach to make shopping easier. All recipes serve four and take around 30 minutes.
In the comments, feel free to share your go-to between-the-holidays meal.
And WHO KNOWS, maybe one or all of these recipes will help us — me? — all feel a bit more inspired again — until the next feast of epic proportions.
Hot and Sour Black Beans With Bok Choy
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups cooked or canned black beans (2 15-ounce cans)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
Pepper
3 tablespoons good quality vegetable oil
1 large head bok choy (1 1/2 pounds)
2 cloves garlic
Salt
Instructions
If you’re using canned beans, rinse and drain them. Put the beans in a medium bowl.
1. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes, and a good amount of pepper. Toss to combine.
2. Put 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Trim the bok choy and chop it crosswise into thin ribbons.
3. Add the bok choy to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic.
4.Add the garlic to the bok choy. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are completely tender but the stems still have some crunch, 3 or 4 minutes.
5. Stir in the beans and all of the marinade and cook, stirring to combine, just until the beans are warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.
Red Lentils and Fennel Over Toasted Flatbread Triangles
Ingredients
1/1/2 cups dried lentils
2 inches fresh ginger
3 or 4 cloves garlic
1 or 2 large fennel bulbs (about a pound)
1 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard seeds (or one tablespoon whole grain mustard)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 ancho or other mild dried chile or red chile flakes to taste
4 to 8 flatbreads
2 tablespoons cold butter or good-quality vegetable oil plus more for brushing
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Rinse 1 1/2 cups red lentils in a colander under cold water, picking through for anything else that looks odd.
1. Heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Put the lentils in a large pot and add water to cover by about an inch. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so it bubbles steadily. You’re going to be adding seasonings to the pot as you prepare them.
Peel 2 inches ginger and 3 or 4 cloves garlic, and chop them together. Add to the pot.
Trim and halve the fennel, reserving some of the fronds for garnish. Chop the bulb and tender stalks into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pot.
3. Add one tablespoon mustard seeds or mustard, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1 chile to the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding just enough water to keep the lentils from sticking, until they soften and fall apart, 20 minutes.
Cut the flatbreads into triangles of any size and spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush them with a little vegetable oil if you like, but that’s not necessary.
Chop or tear the reserved fennel fronds.
4. Put the baking sheet in the oven and toast the flatbread, turning once if the bread is thick until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the type. Spread them out on a serving platter or put in individual shallow bowls.
When the lentil have broken down and thickened the liquid, add some salt and pepper and stir in the 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil. Remove the chile; if you like, break the flesh and seeds apart and stir them back into the pot. (Or just leave the chile out.) Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the fennel fronds and serve over the flatbread.
Hummus and Vegetable Pita Pockets
Ingredients
Four 8-inch pitas
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
1/2 cup tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin or paprika
2 or 3 medium ripe tomatoes
1 large cucumber
4 ounces feta (1 cup crumbled)
Instructions
1. Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 4 inches from the heat.
Drizzle the pitas with olive oil and rub it all over with your fingers. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on both sides and spread the pitas out on a large-rimmed baking sheet.
Halve the lemon; squeeze the juice into a food processor or blender through a strainer or your finger to catch the seeds.
Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic.
If you’re using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain them.
2. Add the garlic and chickpeas to the machine along with 1/2 cup tahini, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon ground cumin or paprika, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let the machine run, adding water, chickpea cooking liquid, or more olive oil a tablespoon at a time until the puree is smooth but not watery. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Core the tomatoes and cut them into chunks; put them in a medium bowl.
Peel the cucumber if necessary, cut it in half lengthwise, and scoop the seeds with a spoon if you like. Chop the flesh and add it to the bowl.
3. Put the pitas on a rimmed baking sheet and grill, turning once, until browned — even slightly charred — on both sides, 2 to 5 minutes total.
Crumble 1 cup feta cheese and add to the tomatoes and cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss.
Spinach Carbonara
Ingredients
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
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2. Put 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over low heat.
3. 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.
Peel and chop 2 cloves garlic, adding them to the skillet as soon as you can (they’ll cook with the spinach).
4. When the spinach is tender, turn off the heat.
5. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. Start tasting after 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a bowl.
Grate 1 cup parmesan cheese and add to the bowl; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper. Whisk with a fork to combine.
6. 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.
— All recipes from the Completely Revised and Updated How to Cook Everything Fast
The Kitchen and I Are Not Always Friends
Looks wonderful - can't wait to try it. FYI there is a typo - "Peel and chop 2 cloves garlic, adding them to the skilled as soon as you can (they’ll cook with the spinach)." I am pretty sure you meant to say skillet but as we know, undertakers bury their mistakes and writers publish them.
Your spinach carbonara is delicious and comforting. Thanks.