Weeknight Kitchen with Melissa Clark takes on one of the biggest dilemmas of busy people: what are we going to eat? In each episode, you’ll join Melissa in her own home kitchen, working through one of her favorite recipes and offering helpful advice for both beginners and seasoned cooks. It’s a practical guide for weeknight eating, from the makers of The Splendid Table.
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Garlic confit is nothing more than the peeled cloves slow cooked in a bath of seasoned oil. This strips the raw cloves of their acidity, removes their sharp heat, and concentrates their sweetness.
Use this rub whenever you want to add a little kick to something. It works great on vegetables and meat alike.
Buy fresh organic cherry tomatoes if possible and feel free to use the golden or orange varieties; they taste slightly different (sweeter, less acidic) and add color and excitement. Stay away from the pear or grape versions. These are meant to show off their unusual shapes and are best enjoyed raw.
Greeks use this condiment, known as tzatziki, on just about everything. It's one seriously flavorful and healthy sauce.
Smoky and spicy chipotle peppers plus Cucumber Yogurt Dip make for an entirely different condiment, one that you can use on almost anything that calls for mayonnaise or ketchup.
Roast four salmon fillets and saute some spinach, it's as simple-and almost as quick-as that. The salmon on its bed of spinach is also beautiful when served family style on a large platter.
There are hot sauces, and then there’s harissa. With roots in Morocco and Tunisia, brick-red harissa is aromatic and complex, with rich layers of flavor from chiles (which can be dried, fresh, or a combination), garlic, olive oil, coriander, cumin, and caraway. You can make harissa at home but prepared versions are available in cans, tubes, and jars in the international aisle of well-stocked markets and in Middle Eastern specialty stores. Brands of store-bought harissa vary in spiciness—start with 1 Tbsp and add more if you want a punchier dressing. Bright lemon and earthy tahini are natural matches for harissa.
This hearty salad demonstrates a fondness for mixing roasted and fresh ingredients. Roasted carrots contribute a concentrated earthy sweetness, Broccolini provides green, mineral notes, and the romaine delivers refreshing, watery crunch.
Years ago, my friends and I visited a regional business called Let’s Dish, where we would pay to prepare individually portioned freezer meals. They would set out recipes and raw ingredients, and we’d prep and label enough meals to last for weeks. It was a great concept, and it opened my eyes to how easy it was to cook meals from scratch. After we paid for the service a few times, I began to do the same in my home. Storing individual portions of uncooked mushrooms and buttery rolls in the freezer makes for a delicious, time-saving meal later. The mushrooms can be marinated up to 48 hours in advance.
It can be hard to resist a recipe that includes the phrase “lime-scented sour cream” so why even try. Cauliflower is simmered until tender, pureed until smooth, enriched with a scoop of that lime-scented sour cream and then served with crumbles of crisp chorizo and another dollop of that cream.