Week of June 21st

Pastel De Choclo (Beef and Corn Casserole)

Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup neutral oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
2 1/4 cups/8 ounces shredded low-moisture mozzarella
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 pound lean ground beef (preferably 10 percent fat)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the corn pudding: In a blender, combine the corn, condensed milk, evaporated milk, oil, egg, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne; blend until most of the kernels are liquified. (Do not blend until the mixture is completely smooth; you are looking for some texture.) Stir in the mozzarella with a spatula.
Prepare the pino: Heat a medium, oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and ground beef, season with a large pinch of salt, and cook, occasionally stirring, until ground beef is deeply brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a sturdy wooden spoon or whisk to break up the meat as it cooks. Drain off any excess fat and return to heat.
Add the onion and cook, occasionally stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with another pinch of salt. Add the garlic, paprika and cumin, and cook, constantly stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the olives and raisins; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup of water and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a simmer and taste again. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Spread the beef mixture into an even layer and spread the corn mixture on top, spreading it out to cover the beef mixture evenly. Bake until the top is golden brown and feels firm to the touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving in shallow bowls.

This is a fun recipe that's immediately recognizable to anyone who has spent time in Chile. The condensed milk and raisins make it slightly sweet but not overly so. I make this in a dutch oven because it seems a little less messy.

Sheet-Pan Miso-Honey Chicken and Asparagus

Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons white miso
3 tablespoons mild honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely grated garlic
2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons neutral oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked rice (optional), for serving

Directions:
Make the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the miso, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, chile-garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon water. Refrigerate half the marinade for serving.
Place the chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Toss the chicken until coated and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes. (A longer marinade may dry out the chicken.)
When you are ready to cook, heat the broiler with a rack set 6 inches below it. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping off and discarding any excess. Place the chicken in a single layer on one side of the baking sheet, with the flatter side up. Place the asparagus on the other side. Drizzle the asparagus with remaining oil, then season the asparagus; toss to coat.
Broil until the chicken is cooked through with some charred spots and the asparagus is browned, about 10 minutes.
To serve, top the chicken with a drizzle of the reserved marinade and a sprinkle of scallions. Serve with rice, if desired.

A fine weeknight recipe that coordinates well with the end of peak asparagus season.

I totally marinade the chicken the morning-of with no problem. I have never seen a chicken thigh "dry out" in a marinade. I'd also flip the thighs over halfway through the broiling time to make sure they're completely cooked.

Huevos Rancheros

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes
½ medium white onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small jalapeño
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
1 ripe avocado
2 teaspoons kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
8 large eggs
8 (6-inch) warmed corn tortillas
Crumbled queso fresco, for serving

Directions:
Dice the tomatoes, finely chop the onion, stem and mince the jalapeño, chop the cilantro and halve, pit, peel and slice the avocado. Reserve the cilantro and avocado. In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, jalapeño, 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon of the garlic, and mix well. Transfer 1½ cups of the fresh salsa to a bowl and set aside.
Cook the remaining salsa over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes soften and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Transfer the ranchero sauce to a bowl and cover to keep warm (you should have about 2 cups).
In the same saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the beans (and their liquid), cumin, smoked paprika and ½ cup of the reserved fresh salsa, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and mashing with the back of a spoon or potato masher, until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste and remove from heat.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Crack in 4 of the eggs and cook undisturbed until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining oil and eggs.
Meanwhile, stir the cilantro into the remaining 1 cup reserved salsa. Divide the tortillas across 4 plates (2 per plate). Spread refried black beans on the tortillas and top each with an egg. Cover the eggs with ranchero sauce. Divide avocado on the plates and garnish with some of the fresh salsa, queso fresco and cilantro.

I put these on tostadas for a more "dinnery" feel. Also a quick tostada pro tip: they actually make really great rustic chips for salsa.

Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 lb. zucchini or summer squash (4–6 medium zucchini)
1 large shallot or ½ small onion
4 large garlic cloves
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, or other long pasta
1 lemon
½ oz. Parmesan, plus more for serving
½ cup (lightly packed) basil or mint leaves (or a combination!)
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily.
Meanwhile, place a clean kitchen towel in a large bowl (or on a large cutting board). Trim 2 lb. zucchini or summer squash (4–6), then grate on the large holes of a box grater directly into towel. Peel 1 large shallot and grate on the large holes of grater into towel. Peel 4 large garlic cloves and grate on the small holes of grater into towel.
Gather ends of towel together, then squeeze over bowl (or the sink) with all your might to extract water from the zucchini. Squeeze until it’s hard to get out any more liquid. You should have extracted about ⅔ cup zucchini liquid, just FYI; discard.
Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or very large skillet over medium-high. Add ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini mixture (unwrap the balled-up towel over the pot for easiest transfer) and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and stir to coat. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini mixture is jammy, thick, and starting to stick to bottom of pot, 15–20 minutes.
When the zucchini has been cooking 5–10 minutes, add 12 oz. spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, or other long pasta to pot of boiling water and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, juice 1 lemon into a small bowl. Grate ½ oz. Parmesan on the small holes of grater (you should have about ¼ cup; you can also use ¼ cup pre-grated Parmesan). Very coarsely tear or chop ½ cup (lightly packed) basil or mint leaves.
Scoop out 2 cups pasta cooking water and set aside. Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with zucchini—it’s okay if some water clings to it. Reduce heat to medium-low, add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid and ½ cup heavy cream, and stir to combine. Add cheese, pour another ½ cup pasta cooking liquid over top, and cook, stirring vigorously with tongs or a wooden spoon and add more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until a creamy sauce that coats pasta forms, 2–3 minutes.
Remove pasta from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and black pepper and add more lemon juice (you may want to add an additional 1 Tbsp.). Stir in most of the herbs.
Serve pasta topped with more grated Parmesan and remaining herbs.

What you're essentially making here is a zucchini/shallot/garlic sofritto. A sofritto is a cooking concept that is well worth understanding and has implications across a huge spectrum of everyday recipes. Basically it amounts to taking a pile of aromatics and over 15 minutes or so reducing them down to a flavorful jammy mass a fraction of their original volume . The key is monitoring the heat and stirring enough so you get the proper amount of browning without burning. The recipe here calls for medium high heat- but on my stove I got it perfect with medium low heat in about 17 minutes. Anyway. If you want to take a deeper dive, check out this pasta y fagioli video, and Saman Nosrat has a great aromatics chart in her wonderful book Salt Fat Acid Heat. With a little bit of experience, you'll start to recognize when a recipe is actually encouraging you to take a few extra minutes and make a proper sofritto, and doing so will take you dinner to the next level.

Adas Polo Ba Khorma (Persian Lentil Rice with Dates)

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), more as needed
2 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, mint or a combination
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving (optional)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter, plus more for serving (see Tip)
2 yellow onions, finely diced
12 fresh Medjool dates, pitted and diced

Directions:
Bring 4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the lentils, cinnamon, turmeric and 2 tablespoons salt. Stir well to combine, breaking up any clumps. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until the lentils are cooked but still have a bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside.
Using the same medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, cooked lentils, 1 teaspoon salt and enough hot water to cover the rice by 1 inch. Cook, uncovered, until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, wrap the pot lid in a clean kitchen towel, cover the pan and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork; taste and add salt if needed.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the onion-date mixture: In a skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil or clarified butter until hot but not smoking. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are dark golden and a little crispy, 9 to 14 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, once hot, add the dates and warm them through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir dates into the bowl with the onions.
To serve, spoon a layer of rice and lentils into a warmed serving bowl, then add a layer of onion-date mixture and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Keep alternating layers, ending with the onion-date mixture and a final sprinkling of herbs. Drizzle with more oil and top with a dollop of yogurt if you like.

Notes:
If you don't have clarified butter but would like a buttery flavor, you can use 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to warm the dates, and then top the dish with more melted butter. Be sure to use olive oil (or clarified butter) for the onions or they might burn.

Jahlert! I have not made this recipe yet. I was planning to make it Thursday, but I was called away to an emergency social engagement. So we're going to explore this one together. Right off the bat, my only observation is that this will make a mountain of rice and lentils. I would start by cutting it in half for a proper 4 person dinner. I also like onions, but I don't f***ing love onions, so I would use half of whatever is called for. Finally, I'm a little skeptical of the whole "wrap the lid in a towel" thing for cooking rice. That sounds a little too precious for me.