Week of March 15th

BA’s Best Tuna Casserole with Dill and Potato Chips

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients:
½ cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
12 ounces dried curly egg noodles
Kosher salt
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped
10 ounces mushrooms (such as crimini, shiitake, and/or button mushrooms), chopped
¼ cup white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces white cheddar, grated
2 teaspoons hot sauce (preferably Tabasco)
2 6-ounce jars oil-packed tuna, drained, broken into small pieces
2 cups potato chips
1 lemon
½ cup dill, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 13x9" baking dish with 1 Tbsp. butter.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain pasta; let cool.
Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and leek; cook, stirring, until soft but not brown, 8–10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add mushrooms. Cook, tossing occasionally, until most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated, 4–6 minutes. Add wine and reduce until skillet is almost dry, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in Worcestershire and thyme.
Melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook until roux is golden and looks shiny and smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add cream, cheddar, and hot sauce; cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Gently fold mushroom mixture, cream mixture, noodles, and tuna in a large bowl; taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Transfer tuna mixture to prepared baking dish. Press chips into casserole so they stand upright. Bake casserole until bubbly around the edges and chips begin to brown, 15–20 minutes. Zest one-quarter of the lemon over casserole. Let sit 5 minutes, then top with dill and chives.

This is a very decedent tuna noodle casserole from the peeps at Bon Appetit (Or "BA" if you're in the know). I made this on Sunday cause it's over an hour to get this thing done, so outside of my normal weeknight time allotment. But it's really good and worth the time. You'll have a ton of leftovers, too.

Couple of notes: Evidently the stores where the staff at "BA" shop sell egg noodles in 12oz artisan cheese cloth sacks. It's ok to buy a civilian-sized 16oz and use the whole bag.

The same store with the 12oz egg noodles sell tuna in 6oz jars, but I just use 3 regular tuna cans of the low mercury stuff.

Tuna tip: Albacore or "white" tuna is the lighter, less fishy tasting one (with more omega 3's) and yellow fin or "light tuna" or "ahi" is the more "robust" tasting one thats kinda pink or red.

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
¼ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
(about 3 pounds)

Directions:
1 Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, mix the parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and zest. Season the mixture with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2 Divide the parsley mixture into 4 mounds. Carefully loosen the chicken skin with fingers; tuck the parsley mixture under the skin. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a 9-by-
13-inch roasting pan.
3 Bake until the skin is crispy, the chicken is cooked through, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 165°F, about 30 minutes.

If you're not cooking bone-in chicken breasts, you should be. They're much easier to cook properly than boneless breasts. We're gonna be cutting up whole chickens here sooner or later, so get ready.

If you think about it, the morning before you make this, separate (don't remove) the skin and rub salt on the breast. Put 'em back in the fridge and let them dry brine until you're ready to cook.

Tofu and Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ½ pounds sweet potato (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup vegetable stock or water
½ cup smooth peanut butter, stirred well
1 (13-ounce) can coconut milk, shaken well
1 (14- to 16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup/5 ounces frozen peas, unthawed
4 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
Salt and pepper
Cooked rice, to serve
Handful of cilantro leaves
Handful of toasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Directions:
Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot on medium-high. Add the oil and onion and cook until softened, 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and crushed red pepper, and stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the sweet potatoes and stock. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the peanut butter and coconut milk and stir until the peanut butter is melted and well combined.
Increase heat to medium-high and add the tofu, peas and soy sauce, and cook until warmed through and the sauce is thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve over rice. Top with cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts, with lime wedges on the side.

I normally don't turn around NYT recipes this quickly (they published this a couple of weeks ago) but it looked too good to pass up. I was not disappointed. I use extra firm tofu (or even firm) for this- not the "pressed" super firm.

Tomato Risotto

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

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups arborio or carnaroli rice
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
½ cup white wine
2 cups diced ripe red tomatoes
3 cups boiling water or vegetable broth
½ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan, plus more for serving
4 medium tomatoes, in different colors, sliced
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Snipped basil, for garnish

Directions:
Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the onion, and season generously with salt. Add pepper to taste, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the rice and cook the onions, stirring, until the onions are barely brown, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, garlic, white wine and diced tomatoes, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more.
Add 2 cups boiling water and adjust the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring well with a wooden spoon every minute or so.
When the liquid is absorbed, add remaining 1 cup water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, until the rice is cooked, but the grains are still firm. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding another splash of water if necessary to loosen the mixture. Turn off the heat, stir in the pecorino and 2 more tablespoons olive oil.
Transfer to a low, wide serving bowl. Surround the rice with tomato slices and season them with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and basil. Pass more grated cheese at the table.

My sub for the crappy cuban stew.

Spiced Beef Taco Bowls

Servings: 2–4 servings

Ingredients:
1 large tomato, chopped
¼ medium red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, ½ finely chopped, ½ coarsely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground beef (20% fat)
1 1-oz. packet taco seasoning mix
Cooked rice, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, shredded lettuce,and lime wedges (for serving)

Directions:
Toss 1 large tomato, chopped, ¼ medium red onion, finely chopped, ½ jalapeño, finely chopped, ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro, and 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice in a small bowl to combine; season with kosher salt. Set salsa aside.
Pulse ½ jalapeño, coarsely chopped, 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped, and 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, in a food processor until finely chopped.
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Cook 1 lb. ground beef (20% fat), stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Add onion mixture and one 1-oz. packet taco seasoning mix; cook, stirring often, until beginning to stick to pan, 6–8 minutes. Pour in ½ cup water, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pan. Cook, stirring often, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Divide spiced beef and cooked rice among bowls. Serve with sliced avocado, tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, lime wedges, and reserved salsa.

I know- barely a recipe. Relax. Put it in Paprika and pull it out when you need something quick and don't want to go full-on El Paso style tacos. I used ground buffalo for these because $12/lb felt more environmentally sensitive.