Week of July 12th

Pan-Seared Asparagus with Cashews

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds or pepitas
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or use a neutral-flavored oil)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), trimmed and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, more to taste
Chopped cilantro and sesame seeds, for serving

Directions:
In a large dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the cashews, coconut flakes and sunflower seeds, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour mixture into a bowl to cool.
Return pan to the heat, and add sesame and coconut oils and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds, then stir in asparagus. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook asparagus until crisp-tender, 3 to 7 minutes depending on how thick they are.
Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, nut mixture and red-pepper flakes. Taste and season with more salt and red pepper, if you like. Transfer asparagus mixture to a serving dish. Top with sesame seeds and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

I try to buy the smallest bag of unsweetened shredded coconut I can find in the baking aisle for this because it's something I don't use very often, and then I optimistically freeze the remainder.

I serve this with brown rice or if I'm in a rush one of those microwavable bags of grains you can get in the freezer aisle or the shelf stable ones at Trader Joes. I also throw a fried egg on top.

Spicy Polenta with White Beans and Kale

Cook Time: 40 minutes | Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
12 ounces lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus extra for serving
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup instant polenta
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in kale, beans, tomatoes and their juice, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is very tender and sauce is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook garlic, pepper flakes, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until garlic begins to turn straw-colored, about 4 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil over high heat. Whisk in polenta and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; reduce heat to medium-low; and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide polenta evenly among serving bowls and top with bean mixture and mozzarella. Drizzle with extra oil and sprinkle with extra pepper flakes. Serve.

As described, this recipe can be a salt bomb so proceed with caution. Most stocks and broths have a ton of salt already. Start with low sodium broth (normal stock usually has less sodium than low sodium broth, fyi.)

My strategy for this week was to buy a 16oz bag of pre-chopped kale, use 3/4 of it here, and the remaining 1/4 with the chicken stew below.

Spicy Paprika Chicken and Potato Stew Recipe

Total Time: 45 min | Servings: Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 cups finely diced yellow onion (from about 1 large onion)
2 tablespoons finely grated garlic (from about 6 large cloves)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon hot paprika (see Tip)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ pounds golden potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks or cubes
4 cups chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), halved crosswise
Fresh dill (optional), coarsely chopped or torn, for serving
Sour cream (optional), for serving

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot or 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium. Add the onions and garlic and season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened and shrunk down by half, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the paprika and tomato paste, making sure they coat the onions well. Add the potatoes, then stir in the chicken stock and crushed tomatoes.
Bring to a simmer, then add the chicken breast pieces, making sure they’re fully submerged. Simmer, occasionally turning and rearranging the chicken pieces so they cook evenly, until just cooked through, about 9 minutes, then transfer them to a plate to rest.
Continue simmering the vegetable mixture until the potatoes are tender, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low. Shred the chicken then stir the chicken back into the pot. Season with salt and pepper and return to a simmer. Taste and season more with salt and pepper as needed. Turn off the heat.
To serve, ladle the stew into bowls. If desired, top with the dill and a generous dollop of sour cream and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper.

Notes:
If you don’t have hot paprika, you can use sweet paprika instead and add cayenne to taste.

Poached chicken breasts like this turn out well if you can properly shred them. I use my stand mixer with the paddle attachment to do this, but I suppose you could use two forks as well. If you just cut the poached chicken into chunks here, they will be OK, but on the tough side. You could also use thighs which will shred easier and be a lot more tender.

I bought a 15oz container of ricotta for the meatball recipe below, which only requires 1/2 cup so I subbed ricotta for the sour cream, and it was a really good match. As mentioned, I also threw in the remaining kale from the polenta/bean thing above. The kale will need like 10 minutes of simmering to get to where it needs to be.

Lemony Farro Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Mint

Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 10 to 14 servings

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1 cup farro
2 bay leaves
1 pound orzo
3/4 cup diced dried apricots
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sliced almonds
2 cups baby spinach leaves (2 ounces)
1 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup torn mint leaves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large lemons
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add farro and bay leaves and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add orzo to the pot and continue to simmer until farro and pasta are cooked through but still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes longer.
While farro is cooking, prepare the dressing: Finely grate zest from the lemons, and place zest in a large bowl. Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 lemons and add to zest along with salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes, whisking to combine. Gradually whisk in oil. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice from the other lemon half, or both, if needed.
Drain farro-pasta mixture, discarding bay leaves. Add to bowl with dressing and toss well. Stir in apricots. Let farro and pasta cool, soaking up the dressing. This can be done up to 1 day in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.
In a small bowl, combine onions, celery, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and a large pinch of salt. Let sit while the pasta cools, at least 20 minutes.
Just before serving, add onion mixture and almonds to the bowl with the farro and pasta and toss well. Gently fold in spinach, goat cheese, mint and parsley. Taste and add more lemon, red-pepper flakes or salt if needed.
Drizzle with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

This recipe as described makes an asspile of pasta salad. Use the Paprika scale tool to cut this in half for more proper dinner-like portions.

I'm guessing NYT is offering this as a side dish, but I thought the farro/orzo mix made it OK. for a light summer entrée. I suppose you could chop up a rotisserie chicken and put it in here, too.

Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs

Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes or black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 1/2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), plus more for your hands
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
2 sage sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, ricotta, Parmesan, red-pepper flakes, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Using oiled hands, roll into 12 meatballs, a heaping 2 tablespoons each.

2. In a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat the oil over medium. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on two sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side, lowering the heat as necessary if the meatballs are getting too dark.

3. Add the butter, sage and garlic. As the butter melts, tilt the skillet and baste the meatballs by spooning the butter over them. Flip the meatballs every so often and continue to baste until the butter is browned and nutty and the meatballs are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Eat the meatballs with the butter spooned over top.

Notes:
You can also broil the meatballs in a greased, oven-safe skillet for 8 to 12 minutes, or roast at 425 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned on one side and nearly cooked through. Continue with step 3 on the stovetop.

I like the broil method described at the bottom. These go well with Polenta (if you haven't already made it this week) or even brown rice/farro/pearled barley. I think they're a little too rich to match with pasta.

Quick polenta recipe: Bring 1 cup whole milk and 2 cups water to high simmer/gentle boil and whisk in 1 cup Bobs polenta. drop heat to medium low and stir until the consistency of thick oatmeal. About 7-8 minutes. Mix in 1/4 cup parm cheese, 1 tbs butter.