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Weeknight Fix
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Skip takeout and cook healthy meals at home with these five easy ideas
The leftovers from the weekend are gone, and you can’t face another rotisserie chicken. Here are options—some elegant, some homey, some light, some very simple—for meals that you can turn out quickly any night of the week. But be good to yourself first. Put out a bowl of olives or nuts so you can nibble while you cook.
Chicken Saltimbocca
Chicken Saltimbocca
Makes 4 Servings
This is a surprisingly elegant dish for a weeknight. The juicy chicken thighs combined with sage and prosciutto and served with a quick Marsala sauce really do “jump in the mouth,” which is what saltimbocca means. Serve with rice or spaghetti with butter and a green such as spinach or Swiss chard.
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1¾ pounds) coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 to 16 sage leaves
8 thin slices prosciutto
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup dry Marsala
½ cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1. Trim any visible fat from the chicken thighs and place them skin side down on a piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of plastic and pound to a thickness of ¼ inch.
2. Season the thighs with salt and pepper and top each with a sage leaf (use 2 if they’re small). Cover with a slice of prosciutto— wrap any overhang around the thigh—and press to adhere.
3. Dredge the thighs with flour and pat off the excess.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat. When it shimmers, add half the thighs, prosciutto side down. Sauté until the prosciutto is crisp, about 2½ minutes. Turn and sauté until the other side is lightly golden and the thighs feel firm when you prod them with your finger, about 1½ minutes. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining oil and thighs.
5. Pour any oil out of the skillet and pour in the Marsala. Boil for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol. Add the stock and boil until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. It might look like the sauce has split. Don’t worry; it will come right in the end. Turn off the heat, add the butter, and tilt and swirl the pan until you have an emulsified sauce.
6. Divide the thighs among 4 plates. Serve sauce on the side.
Cook’s Notes:
• To make this dish with chicken breasts, you’ll need 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless breasts. Pound the breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Season with salt and pepper and top with 2 sage leaves (4 if they’re small) and 2 slices of prosciutto—wrap any overhang around the breast. Press to adhere. Continue with the recipe above, starting with step 3.
• While cooking spaghetti (8 ounces as a side for 4) melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 cup of the pasta water. When spaghetti is about 1 minute shy of al dente, use tongs to transfer it to the skillet. Cook, tossing with tongs and adding a bit more pasta water if needed until the pasta is al dente and the butter sauce is creamy.
Porcupine Meatballs
Porcupine Meatballs
Makes 4 servings
These are fun: Meatballs with rice mixed in so the kernels stick out like porcupine spines. Cooked in a tomato sauce, it’s very retro. Braised in beef stock and showered with herbs, it’s fresh and bright. And fast. Serve in a bowl over noodles or with multigrain bread to sop up the sauce. Add some spinach or peas and your tongue will smile.
½ cup long-grain white rice
1½ cups boiling water
1 medium red onion, minced
1 large garlic clove, grated on a rasp or minced
½ cup chopped flatleaf parsley
1 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1 large egg c
oarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1½ pounds ground beef
3 cups beef stock
¼ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
¼ cup chopped dill
1. Put the rice in a small saucepan. Pour in boiling water and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, ½ cup of the cilantro, the egg, and salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Crumble in the beef and mix with your hands until everything holds together.
3. Make 20 golf ball-sized meatballs (about ¼ cup each) and put them in a 12-inch skillet. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook until the rice is tender and the meat cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a large serving bowl.
5. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the stock back to a boil.
6. Mix the cornstarch and water together to make a smooth slurry. Stirring, add the slurry to the stock and bring it back to a boil.
7. Pour sauce over the meatballs, garnish with the remaining ½ cup cilantro and the dill, and serve.
Cook’s Note:
For quick and easy peas, put 2 cups frozen petite peas (they’re the sweetest) into a colander and run under hot water 1 to 2 minutes to thaw. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 to 2 chopped scallions and cook 1 minute. Add peas and cook until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Bingo!
Rice Noodles and Shrimp with Scallion, Ginger and Peanut Sauce
Rice Noodles and Shrimp with Scallion, Ginger and Peanut Sauce
Makes 4 servings
Sharp with the flavors of scallion and ginger, and with a little crunch from the peanuts, this is an ideal sauce for noodles. You don’t have to stick to rice noodles. Use udon or fresh Chinese noodles or ramen if you can find them. Serve with sautéed baby bok choy or a cucumber salad.
For the Shrimp
1 pound extra-large (16-20 per pound) shrimp, peeled
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp
coarse kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) or ½ teaspoon cayenne
For the Sauce
1 (5- to 6-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
1 bunch scallions, cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
¾ cup peanut oil
1 pound wide rice noodles (bahn pho)
1. Halve the shrimp, starting at the back, so you’re left with 2 thin crescents. If the shrimp have a vein, remove it. Put the shrimp into a bowl.
2. Add the oil, garlic, salt to taste, and the shichimi or cayenne. Mix well and leave on the counter while you make the sauce and noodles.
3. Make the sauce: Put the ginger into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.
4. Put the peanuts into the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the bowl.
5. Put the scallions into the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Be careful not to make a wet paste. Add to the bowl. Add the salt and stir it all up.
6. Pour the oil into a small saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat to 325ºF. Pour it into the bowl. It will sizzle and bubble up so be careful. Give the sauce a stir.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles, stir and bring back to a boil. Turn the heat off and let the noodles sit, stirring once or twice, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Drain the noodles and put them in a big bowl. Add the sauce and toss well.
9. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot—a few drops of water will skitter over the surface—add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook until the shrimp tighten and the bottoms turn pink. Turn and cook until the other side turns pink. The whole process should take 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Divide the noodles among 4 plates, top with shrimp and serve.
Cook’s Note:
There’s no end to what you can add to noodles with this sauce. Think slivers of leftover steak or roast beef. Shredded poached or rotisserie chicken. Sprouts. Seeded cucumber sliced into matchsticks. Very finely sliced red or yellow or orange bell pepper. Look in your fridge and experiment.
A Very Green Frittata
A Very Green Frittata
Makes 4 servings
You’ll find dishes like this in northern Italy, a kind of omelet with lots of greens and herbs. It’s a great light dinner. Serve it hot, warm or at room temperature. Play with the greens and herbs. Purslane is a tasty option, but so are beet greens, mustard greens or Swiss chard as long as they’re all tiny and tender. Replace the dill with tarragon if you’d like. Or chervil. Or bronze fennel. Just keep the total amount of greens and herbs to 3¼ cups. I serve this with a simple green salad and a baguette with butter. If you have a garlic bread recipe in your back pocket, go for it.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chopped scallions (1 bunch) or chives
1 cup chopped flatleaf parsley
1 cup chopped arugula (or ½ cup chopped arugula and ½ cup chopped pea shoots)
¼ cup chopped dill
9 large eggs coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup ricotta
1. Set an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler.
2. Spread the butter all over a 12-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet.
3. Toss the scallions, parsley, arugula and dill together. Spread out in the skillet.
4. Crack the eggs into a medium or large bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk well. You don’t want any visible white.
5. Pour the eggs over the greens and herbs. Press down with a silicone spatula to ensure all the greens are covered with egg.
6. Turn the heat on to medium. Cook for 7 minutes. The eggs will just be starting to set on the bottom. Push in gently with a spatula at the edge and you’ll see. Dot the frittata with ricotta. I put 1-tablespoon blobs around the edge. Cover and cook for 7 minutes. The top will be barely set and the center will be runny.
7. Put the skillet under the broiler and broil until the frittata is lightly browned, about 1 minute.
8. Slide the frittata onto a board. Cut it in quarters and serve.
Cook’s Note:
You don’t need a recipe for a simple green salad. Put 4 big handfuls of greens into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Maybe use some crumbled dried oregano. If you want onion or shallot, add it, but keep the slices thin. Add a little vinegar and toss. Drizzle in olive oil and toss again. Just keep in mind that you’ll want 2 to 3 parts oil to vinegar. Taste and adjust the oil and vinegar if desired.
Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets
Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets
Makes 4 servings
What we have here are tender and very crunchy pork cutlets served with a tangy Japanese-style barbecue sauce. They’re traditionally made with pork loin, but I think that can be a bit tough, so I go for pork tenderloin. The crunchiness comes from the panko breading. If you want to skip the dressing for the cabbage, salt it before you put it on the plate and add some lemon wedges. Rice is the starch of choice.
For the Cabbage
4 cups very thinly sliced Savoy or Napa cabbage
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
juice of half a lemon
For the Tonkatsu Sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1½ teaspoons sugar (Turbinado or granulated)
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
For the Pork
1 (1- to 1¼-pound) pork tenderloin
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
sunflower, safflower seed or canola oil, for frying
1. For the cabbage: Refrigerate the shredded cabbage. You want it cold.
2. Whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup and lemon juice together in a small bowl and refrigerate. No need to cover.
3. Make the Tonkatsu Sauce: Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
4. Prepare the pork: Remove the silverskin and any fat from the tenderloin. Cut it on a sharp diagonal into 8 pieces.
5. Put the pork between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to a thickness of 1/3 inch. Remove the top piece of plastic and season the pork with salt and pepper. Pat the seasoning into the meat.
6. Set up a dredging station: a plate with the flour, a shallow bowl with the eggs, and a plate with the panko. Put a rack onto a rimmed baking sheet.
7. Dredge the pork in the flour, patting off any excess. Dip it in the eggs, coating both sides. Lift up, let the excess drip off, and coat with panko, pressing down to make sure the panko adheres. Set the cutlets on the rack.
8. Heat ¼ inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is ready for frying (a ring of bubbles will immediately appear around the handle of a wooden spoon pressed into the center of the skillet), add as many cutlets as will fit without crowding. Fry, moving the cutlets around for even browning, until golden, 90 seconds. Turn and fry—again moving the cutlets around in the skillet—until golden and crisp, another 90 seconds. Return them to the rack.
9. To serve, divide the cabbage among 4 plates and top with a dollop of the mayonnaise sauce. Cut the cutlets into 1-inch slices and divide among the plates. Drizzle the pork with the Tonkatsu Sauce (use it all).
Cook’s Note:
Another option for serving is to get two slices of some good white bread, like a Pullman loaf, and make a sandwich. Spread one piece with the mayonnaise sauce (or just plain mayo) and the other with Tonkatsu Sauce. Add two pork cutlets and a pile of shredded Savoy cabbage. Season with salt. Trim the crusts if you want to be fancy. Serve with kimchi or a pickle of some kind.
By Roy Finamore
Photography Terry Brennan
Food Styling Lara Miklasevics
