Good morning. I lastly had my Christmas dinner final week, deep within the Maine woods, along with household for the primary time in months. It was a grocery store feast: Eric Kim’s recipe for root beer ham, alongside sautéed inexperienced beans and a few scalloped potatoes made on the fly — thin-sliced baking potatoes layered with dots of butter and sprinkles of salt and black pepper, then topped with a mix of Cheddar and Swiss, and a wholesome cup of half-and-half, baked till bubbly and noticed with brown.
It was pretty consuming and a reminder that we don’t must restrict these sorts of celebratory meals to holidays alone. You can completely have roast turkey tonight for dinner, with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and hashed brussels sprouts. You can scale down a prime rib and eat it with baked potatoes and a giant salad. On the very least and perhaps most flavorful, you could possibly assemble this baked mushroom Wellington (above), simply because it’s deep winter and also you wish to convey pleasure to these with whom you eat. Chocolate chip cookies for dessert, please!
The remainder of the week needn’t be so concerned.
Monday
As an illustration, check out this creamy cauliflower soup with rosemary olive oil. It’s a breeze to make, significantly in case you occur to have an immersion blender. The leftover rosemary olive oil is a superb condiment to have readily available for a party-board lunch of cheese and bread later within the week.
Tuesday
I like a one-pot meal for weeknight dinners, and this chicken and vegetable donabe doesn’t disappoint, particularly with the addition of a splash of yuzu kosho-spiked ponzu on the finish. The Lakers play the Nets in Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m. Jap time, and in case you’ve subscribed to NBA.com, you may watch with a bowl of dinner in your lap.
Wednesday
How about pork chops with mustard and jam for a midweek meal? There are solely two components within the sauce — mustard and fruit preserves — they usually present a superb cowl for the chops. For which, a brand new approach: Sear the meat exhausting on one facet however not likely on the opposite, to maintain the middle juicy. I like that.
Thursday
I like the warming Korean stew referred to as kimchi soondubu jjigae, and particularly this vegetarian model that has button mushrooms standing in for pork. Their meaty texture alongside the silken tofu is aces excessive. The handicapper in me predicts this dish a go-to for the remainder of the season at the least.
Friday
After which you may run out the week with this Peruvian arroz con pollo verde, which requires an incredible cilantro purée to cook dinner with the rice and rooster. To go together with it, you’ll make this salsa criolla, a condiment that you could be end up utilizing liberally within the days to return. In Peru, it’s made with contemporary aji amarillo chiles, which might be exhausting to search out in america. However a mix of orange bell pepper and serrano chile affords the same taste and warmth. Get pleasure from!
