Week of June 7th

Grilled Za’atar Chicken with Garlic Yogurt and Cilantro

Cook Time: 30 minutes | Servings: Yield 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed, or minced
2 lemons, zested
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 ½ tablespoons za’atar, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, plus more sprigs for garnish
1 ¾ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Directions:
In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za’atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, light the grill to medium or heat your broiler with the rack 3 inches from the heat source. Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, and grill or broil on one side until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill or broil for another 5 to 8 minutes, until just cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use).
To serve, place chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.

Last week I promised finding the grilled chicken recipe that will use up some of the Za'tar you may have bought last week, and lo and behold, NYT reposted it over the weekend. So here it is. Feel free to swap breasts in part or in total for the thighs. Thighs are probably tastier right off the grill, but I find thighs to be a tad gristly in leftovers.

Chicken-Zucchini Meatballs with Feta

Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: Yield 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 large shallot, halved
½ cup panko
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, basil, parsley or dill, plus more for serving
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
4 ounces feta

Directions:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut 2 of the zucchini into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a plate, season with salt, and set aside.
Working over a large bowl, using the large holes of a box grater, grate the remaining zucchini. Grate 1 shallot half into the bowl as well. Add the panko, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and use your hands to toss until combined. Add the chicken and herbs and toss gently until combined.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. With wet hands, form the chicken mixture into 16 meatballs (around 2 to 3 tablespoons each) and place them on one side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat the sliced zucchini dry, then lightly coat with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with pepper.
Coarsely chop the remaining shallot half and transfer to a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, season with salt, and stir to combine.
Add the sliced zucchini to the other half of the baking sheet, moving the meatballs over, if necessary. Bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the zucchini is golden on the underside, another 15 to 20 minutes. For more browned meatballs, broil for a few minutes, if desired.
Meanwhile, crumble the feta into the shallot mixture. Add the 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes. Stir, breaking up the feta a bit, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Eat the meatballs and zucchini with a drizzle of the feta sauce and more fresh herbs.

A nice use of the zucchinis that are now becoming ubiquitous. One of the three zukes here gets grated into the meatballs- that can be one small zucchini or half of a regular sized one, unless you are in the "I F***ing love zucchini" club in which case go all in.

Furthermore, the meatballs and zucchini slices both need about 30 minutes in the oven to do their thing. Just put everything on the sheet pan all at once and relax. Turn everything after 15 minutes.

I serve this with brown rice, or get some store-bought pitas and toast them in the oven with the main course for the last 5 minutes

Chorizo and Avocado Tostadas

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 medium ripe avocados
1 small serrano chile, seeded (or not if you like heat)
2 large limes, divided
¾ cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large ripe but firm tomato, halved and thinly sliced
½ small white onion, very thinly sliced into half-moons
½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ pounds Mexican fresh chorizo or fresh hot Italian sausage
6 (6-inch) corn tostadas
2 cups thinly sliced romaine or iceberg lettuce
Crumbled queso fresco, for serving

Directions:
Scoop out the avocados into a blender or food processor and add the serrano, the juice of 1 lime and ¾ cup water. Process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a medium bowl. Taste and season with salt.
Combine tomato, onion, parsley and mint in a medium bowl. Zest the remaining lime into the salad, then squeeze its juice over it. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large (12-inch) stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up with a wooden spatula and stirring often, until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
To serve, top tostadas with a thick layer of guacamole salsa, lettuce, 2 spoonfuls of crumbled chorizo or sausage, some tomato-and-onion salad and a sprinkle of queso fresco. Serve with the remaining guacamole salsa on the side for dipping or drizzling.

A large tomato and half of a normal onion produces A LOT of tomato/onion salsa that is a fine topping here, but not really all that suitable for chips or other salsa-ey endeavors. So I go with like half or 1/4 onion and a smallish tomato.

Slow-Cooker Curried Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut and Kale

Cook Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
1 medium yellow or red onion, chopped
5 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons coconut oil, preferably unrefined virgin
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 (4-ounce) jar red curry paste (1/2 cup)
1 (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup smooth peanut butter
Juice of 1 lime, plus more to taste
5 ounces/1 medium bunch baby kale or spinach, stemmed and chopped
Roasted, salted peanuts, for topping

Directions:
Combine the sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, oil, sugar, turmeric and salt in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Add more than half of the jar of curry paste (about 1/3 cup) and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine all the ingredients and cook on low until the potatoes are quite tender, about 8 hours.
Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, remaining curry paste and 2 1/2 cups water to the slow cooker. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is uniformly creamy. Add the lime juice and the kale, and stir to combine. Cook on low until the greens are wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in more warm water if you would like a looser texture. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if necessary. Serve in bowls with peanuts on top.

I seem to recall that I may have posted this before? Who knows. Just download it and if nothing else, this is a great pot-luck dinner recipe to have in your library.

This is also a great use of your immersion blender. Remember if you fill a regular blender with really hot liquid and let er rip, the steam will immediately release and you will blow hot soup all over the kitchen and whatever part of you is facing the blender opening. So go easy if you go this route- a little at a time with a folded towel over the lid.

Take note of the baby kale and or spinach here. Those two will wilt quickly in the soup to the consistency you want. If you go Full Kale here, it's too hearty to cook down that quickly and will produce a bit of a gag fest.

Finally, since this in the slow cooker, you may have a hot minute to make some flatbreads to go with this. I would suggest the african-inspired Muufo.

Miso-Chile Asparagus with Tofu

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients:
1 (14- to 16-ounce) block firm tofu, well drained
1 pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), trimmed
3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil (such as grapeseed or peanut oil)
Salt
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons white or light miso
1 tablespoon sake (or use white wine or vermouth)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions:
Heat the broiler and place an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil if you like (for easier clean-up). Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes, then dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to absorb as much moisture as possible.
Put asparagus and tofu on the prepared pan and toss gently with 2 tablespoons oil. Spread everything out in one layer and season lightly with salt.
Slide pan under the broiler and broil until speckled lightly with brown, 3 to 6 minutes. Flip tofu and asparagus, then continue to broil until asparagus is tender and tofu is deeply browned in spots, 3 to 7 minutes longer, depending on the size of the asparagus and power of your broiler.
While the asparagus broils, make the miso-chile sauce. Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat until it thins out, about 30 seconds. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes to the pan; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Whisk in miso, sake, vinegar, mirin and sesame oil.
Remove pan from oven, slather miso mixture over the asparagus and tofu, and return to broiler for another 30 seconds to 2 minutes, until the miso mixture bubbles and glazes everything (watch carefully so nothing burns). Transfer asparagus and tofu to a serving platter and garnish with more red-pepper flakes, if you like, and sliced scallions. Serve hot or warm.

Not really the most exciting recipe on earth, but it works as a factor of its time/flavor/nutrition ratio. In other words, it's super quick, not too bad and there are worse things you can eat. I make this with brown rice.