Week of May 17th

Chicken Caprese

Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 ounces tomatoes (cocktail), cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pesto, store-bought or homemade, for serving

Directions:
Pat chicken dry. Cut a lengthwise pocket into the thick side of each breast without cutting all the way through to the other side. Season breasts inside and out using 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Stuff each breast with a quarter of the mozzarella, 2 to 3 tomato slices (depending on size) and 4 to 5 basil leaves. Enclose the filling as much as possible by pulling the chicken over the filling. (The chicken can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated up to 24 hours.)
Heat olive oil in a large 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic, stirring, until golden, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out garlic and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
Increase heat to medium-high and sauté chicken until golden on the bottom, about 6 minutes. If the breasts darken too quickly, lower heat. Flip and cook for 5 minutes, then cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through and filling is hot.
Using a spatula, carefully transfer chicken to a platter or four plates. Pour pan juices over the chicken. Garnish with pesto, reserved garlic and remaining basil leaves.

Reality check: you haven't been able to buy a 6oz chicken breast since 1975. Because of excessive screen time (and some ungodly amount of hormones and genetic micromanaging) today's alpha breasts usually weigh in at 10-12 oz each, and sometimes are close to a full pound. So if you're making 4 normal human sized servings you have a bit of conundrum. 4 breasts can top 3lbs of chicken, 3 breasts is weird division. What I typically do is look for two ginormous breasts (we're still talking chicken. Eyes up here.) and cut them in two with the thinner tail end slightly larger. You'll also have two tenderloins left over (the strip of meat attached to the underside of the breasts) which I cut off and just throw in the pan a long with the stuffed breasts and kinda work them into the dinner with a little pesto. These smaller breast pieces are little harder to stuff but work fine. You won't need all of the tomato and cheese called for, though.

OK. Moving along. You can sauté these as described, but it's going to take some finesse to work these stuffed breasts in the pan without making a burnt cheesy mess. Another method is to fire up the oven to 425ish, sear/brown both sides of the breasts in an oven safe skillet (cast iron works fine) on the stovetop and then pop them in the oven until cooked. I'd say around 20 minutes- have your thermopen handy.

I also prepare and salt these bad boys in the morning and let them rest in the fridge. The long salt time helps make the breast taste better, and frees up the dinner prep time to focus on other things- like the pesto, which is kind of the headliner here. See recipe below.

Basil Pesto

Cook Time: 30 minutes | Servings: Yield about 1 cup sauce

Ingredients:
¼ cup (30 grams) pine nuts
1 medium clove garlic, peeled
2 cups (70 grams) tightly packed basil leaves, preferably Genovese
⅔ cup (60 grams) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
⅓ cup (30 grams) finely grated pecorino, preferably pecorino sardo
Sea salt
⅓ cup (73 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 pound trofie or spaghetti

Directions:
Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
Use a mortar and pestle to pound and grind the pine nuts to a fine paste (no distinct pieces should be visible). Add the garlic, and pound until smooth and integrated.
If the basil leaves are very large, run a knife through them once or twice to cut them down in size. Add basil to pine nuts along with a pinch of salt, which will help break down the leaves. Continue pounding and grinding until the basil breaks down completely (if your mortar is small, pound the basil in batches), about 7 minutes. Once the nuts and basil combine into a thick green paste, stir in Parmesan, pecorino and oil. Taste, and adjust salt as needed.
Generously season water with salt. Cook pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving a cup of cooking water. (Tip: Heat your serving bowl by using it as a lid for pasta pot)
Place cooked pasta in the serving bowl, and stir in pesto. Add splashes of cooking water and olive oil as needed to loosen the sauce and ensure the pasta is evenly coated. Garnish with Parmesan, and serve immediately.

This is a fancy pesto recipe from NYT, that assumes you watched Salt Acid Fat Heat on Netflix and now you want to make pesto with a mortar and pestle like an 80 year old nonnina from southern Italy (the Salt episode, if you're wondering. Its actually amazing.). You can also do this in a food processor like a boss from the US of A. And for things like the above chicken recipe, the Kraft parm you have in the fridge works fine. I do like using a scale here, though.

Goat Cheese Rigatoni with Leeks, Walnuts, and Rosemary

Cook Time: 30 minutes | Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta
1 pound leeks, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound rigatoni
4 ounces (1 cup) goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup chopped walnuts, 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon table salt and cook, stirring often, until walnuts and butter are browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet. Add 1 pound leeks, white and light-green parts only, sliced thin and washed thoroughly; 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
When water comes to boil, add 1 pound rigatoni and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
Add leek mixture, 1 cup crumbled goat cheese, ½ cup heavy cream, and ½ cup reserved cooking water to pasta and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until goat cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Adjust consistency with remaining cooking water as needed. Serve, topping individual portions with walnut mixture.

1 lb of leeks here is a lot. You could ease up here a bit and it will be fine. I slice the leeks and garlic (careful!) on the venerable Benriner. In any event, the star of this show is the buttery rosemary walnuts.

Easy Burritos

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6 burritos

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, or chipotle or ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (15-ounce) can black or pinto beans
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice, or apple cider vinegar
Hot sauce, for drizzling (optional)
6 burrito-size (about 10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, press the beef into an even layer to fill the skillet. Sprinkle with the onion. Cook over medium-high, undisturbed, until the meat is deeply browned underneath, 6 to 8 minutes.
Sprinkle with the cumin, smoked paprika and oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Break up the beef into small pieces, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the spices are fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add the beans, including the liquid, and the tomato and simmer, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture starts to sizzle, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the tortillas on a clean work surface. Sprinkle half the cheese across the center of the tortillas, left to right, leaving a 1-inch border. Top each with 2/3 cup of the beef-bean mixture, followed by the remaining cheese. Drizzle on hot sauce, if using.
Fold the tortilla’s short sides over the filling, then fold the bottom of the tortilla snugly over the filling. Tightly roll away from you until the burrito is sealed. Repeat with the other tortillas.
When ready to eat, in a nonstick skillet over medium, place the burritos seam side down. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden all over, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

The spice mix here is very, very tame. Like barely enough. Most of the salt ("flavor") is coming from the liquid in the can of beans. Which is fine if you like your burritos Ohio-style. You could also drain and rinse the beans and use your normal taco seasoning method. Just make sure you put in a 1/4 cup or so of water (or broth if you have something open) to keep things from burning. There are couple of opportunities here to make this into a salt bomb, so just watch it.

Also- 1 lb of beef, I large tomato, 1 can of beans and 8oz of cheese will make 6 burritos, and half a pan of unused filling. Optionally, you can just make ten or eleven 10" burritos.

Easy Turkey Meatloaf

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 20 min | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min | Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 large egg
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean)
1 medium apple, cored and grated (6 ounces)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
3/4 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar (cider, distilled, or white or red wine)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
Prepare the meatloaf: In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add ground turkey, apple, onion, panko, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, if using. Using hands, combine until everything is well mixed. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and form into a football-shaped loaf, about 9-by-5 inches.
Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire and pepper until well combined. Pour evenly over the top of the meatloaf, allowing the sauce to drip down the sides.
Bake meatloaf until the temperature in the center registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

1.5 lbs of turkey. It's almost like the Amherst grads at NYT cooking don't have access to a normal grocery store in Williamsburg. Sigh.

Anyway. If you use 1 cup of onions here, you are officially in the I f***ing love onions club. You could 1/4 this and it would be fine by me. And if you're not a fan of chunks of onions in things, you can grate and drain the onion.

I prepare this in the morning (sauce on side!) and have Mrs Treats put it in the oven before she walks the dog before dinner. I also match this with polenta.

Salmon with Lemon-Herb Marinade

Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 3-pound salmon fillet, in one piece
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
Sprigs of rosemary, for garnish

Directions:
Wipe salmon fillet dry with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients (except lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs) in small bowl and mix well. Pour mixture over salmon, making sure it is coated on both sides. Marinate for at least an hour before cooking.
Preheat broiler or grill. Cook salmon, turning once — five to six minutes each side for medium rare.
Place salmon on serving platter and garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of rosemary.

This is my all-time favorite grilled salmon recipe. It also works in the oven. Bake at 425ish for 7-8 minutes with the fish about 6" from top of oven, and then broil until done. Marinating it for at least an hour (or all day) is key.

3lbs of salmon is enough for like 5 or 6 people. 2ish pounds is fine for 4. I find filets over 2 lbs kind of unwieldy on the grill (they are prone to blow apart) and will get two smaller fillets instead.

I often serve this with those box mixes of couscous you can get in the same aisle as the minute rice.