Five dinner recipes that take a little longer, but are totally worth it

Krysten Chambrot shares dishes for a bright, bold second week of the year

If you like artichokes, this recipe, often made at Passover by Jews from Morocco, is for you (Getty/iStock)

For this week, I’ll look to a menu that takes just a tiny bit longer at the stove, with recipes that feel warming but fresh, with lots of citrus and bright, bold flavours. I’m sharing dishes in that vein this week, in hopes that you’ll have a bright, bold second week of 2022.

Roasted mushrooms in ata din din

Earthy mushrooms hold their own among a red pepper relish (Getty/iStock)

Earthy mushrooms hold their own among a piquant red pepper relish – a riot of flavours. The relish’s base is known in Yoruba as ata din din, a condiment-like sauce common throughout west Africa made from ground bell pepper, onions, chillies and sometimes tomatoes. Roast the mushrooms until lightly browned and crisp, as they absorb a lot more flavour when they’ve been slightly dehydrated. Pickled onion adds crunch and a hint of acid, and a scattering of fresh herbs gives it all a refreshing lightness, while being a pretty garnish. Serve over steamed rice and fried sweet plantains, or reserve as a vegetable filling for moin moin.

By: Yewande Komolafe

Serves: 4

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

900g mixed mushrooms, such as button, cremini, oyster, maitake and shiitake, cleaned, trimmed and torn or cut into 5cm pieces, if large

8 thyme sprigs

120ml neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola

Sea salt

1 small red onion, peeled, trimmed and halved lengthwise

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 (340g) jar roasted red peppers, drained

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 (2.5cm) piece ginger, scrubbed and cut into slices

1 red scotch bonnet or habanero chilli, cut in half lengthwise

Big handful chopped fresh mixed herbs, such as coriander, dill or parsley, or a combination

Method:

1. Heat oven to 220C.

2. Spread the mushrooms and thyme sprigs in an even layer on a baking tray and drizzle with half the oil. Season with salt and, using your hands, toss to coat. Roast, turning the pan halfway through and tossing the mushrooms, until mushrooms are golden brown and crisp along the edges, about 25 to 35 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the ata din din: as the mushrooms roast, finely chop half of the red onion and transfer it to a small bowl. Add the vinegar, season with a pinch of salt and set aside to pickle while you continue cooking. Using a food processor, coarsely chop the remaining half onion, the roasted red peppers, garlic and ginger. Alternatively, you can chop each ingredient with a sharp knife.

4. In a large (30cm) frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium. Add the red-pepper mixture and chilli halves to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until any liquid from the vegetables evaporates and the relish turns a shade darker, about eight to 10 minutes. Season with salt. Remove the thyme sprigs from

the mushrooms and add the mushrooms to the red-pepper relish. Stir to combine.

5. Remove from heat, discard the chilli pieces and add in the chopped herbs. Stir to combine. Drain the pickled red onion and top the mushrooms with it. Serve hot, alongside some steamed rice or a grain of your choice and fried sweet plantains.

Creme fraiche pasta with peas and spring onions

An easy weeknight pasta (Getty/iStock)

Here’s an easy weeknight pasta featuring creme fraiche, the richer, slightly less tangy cousin of sour cream. It’s combined with parmesan, lemon zest and starchy pasta cooking water for a sauce that is creamy, velvety and bright. Whole bunches of spring onions caramelise until their edges char, lending sweetness and a hint of smoke, while raw spring onions add colour as a garnish. To preserve the brightness of the peas, throw them in the pasta cooking water at the very end and drain along with the shells. Plan appropriately, and the sauce and spring onions can be prepared in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

By: Hana Asbrink

Serves: 4 to 6

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Salt and black pepper

3 bunches spring onions (about 340g)

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

450g medium shells pasta

90g finely grated parmesan

180g creme fraiche

1 lemon, zested (about 2 tsp zest), then quartered

140g frozen peas

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

2. Trim the spring onions. Thinly slice one or two spring onions on the diagonal and set aside for garnish. Cut the remaining spring onions into 1.5cm-long pieces.

3. In a large cast-iron frying pan, heat two tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the 1.5cm spring onions pieces, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions start to caramelise, soften and brown in spots, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

4. Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.

5. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: in a large bowl, add the remaining one tablespoon of oil, the parmesan, creme fraiche and lemon zest; mix to combine. Stir in half a cup of the hot reserved pasta water until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the charred spring onions.

6. When the pasta is done, add the peas to the water and turn off the heat. Immediately drain the pasta and peas together, and add them to the sauce in the large bowl. Toss thoroughly to combine, adding more reserved pasta water as desired to loosen the sauce to a silky texture. Season to taste.

7. Serve immediately. Divide among bowls and top with more pepper and reserved sliced spring onions. Serve with the lemon wedges, for squeezing on top.

Arroz con tocino

This twist on classic white rice is a favourite at Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico (Getty/iStock)

In Puerto Rico, rice is typically served at Thanksgiving. Arroz con gandules is standard, and this twist on classic white rice is also a favourite. Salt pork or bacon is sauteed until crisp, replacing the oil and salt that’s usually added to white rice and giving this staple a decidedly porky essence. While Puerto Ricans often use a lightweight aluminium pot or caldero for rice dishes, a large, light, non-stick saucepan with a lid is a good replacement. Salt pork can vary in saltiness and funk, so rinse well and pat dry with a clean towel before dicing, and adjust the salt to taste. Do not wash the rice before cooking as it will make the rice retain moisture and become mushy. This quick, easy side dish pairs well with saucy beans, greens and stewed meats any day of the week.

By: Von Diaz

Serves: 4 to 6

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

150g salt pork or bacon, chopped into ½cm pieces

1 to 2 large garlic cloves, minced

400g short grain rice or sushi rice

Salt

Method:

1. Heat a large saucepan with a lid over medium. Add salt pork or bacon, and cook, stirring often, for seven to 10 minutes until browned and toasty, and a substantial amount of oil has released. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds more until fragrant, then add rice and stir until the rice is evenly coated with fat and starts to turn opaque.

2. Meanwhile, bring 700ml of water to a boil in a small saucepan or kettle.

3. Add the boiling water to the rice mixture and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered until liquid has almost completely evaporated and the surface of the rice is dotted with little bubbly volcanoes, about seven to 10 minutes.

4. When there is no more liquid bubbling up from the holes, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 17 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for at least 10 minutes. Taste to ensure rice is fully cooked, and let sit for five to 10 more minutes with the lid on if needed. Fluff with a fork, season with salt to taste and serve.

Chicken with artichokes and lemon

The dish can easily be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated or even frozen (Getty/iStock)

If you like artichokes, this recipe, often made at Passover by Jews from Morocco, is for you. You can use fresh or frozen artichokes, though trimming fresh artichokes is worth the effort for their delicate texture. To save waste, boil the trimmed artichoke leaves about 15 minutes until tender in water with a lemon, then enjoy them for lunch, dipping them into an easy sauce of yoghurt spiked with a spoonful of Dijon mustard. Easily made in a frying pan, this tagine goes well with couscous, or a quinoa or bulgur pilaf, though that might depend on your Passover traditions, and Moroccan Jews do not allow rice or couscous. The dish can easily be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated or even frozen.

By: Joan Nathan

Serves: 4 to 6

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 large lemons

8 fresh globe artichokes (or 8 frozen artichoke bottoms, quartered, or about 250g frozen artichoke hearts)

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 900g total)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more to garnish

½ tsp saffron

½ tsp ground cinnamon

350ml chicken broth, plus more if needed

Method:

1. If using fresh artichokes, fill a large bowl with water. Cut one lemon in half then squeeze the juice into the water; add the spent lemon halves to the bowl, too.

2. Prepare the artichokes one at a time, rubbing them all over with the spent lemon halves as you cut and expose the inner artichoke heart. First, cut off at least 2.5cm of the thorny top. Trim the stem near the heart, leaving about 5cm of stem if possible, then peel off the outer green fibre of the stem. Using your fingers, tear off the tough outer leaves, then switch to a sharp paring or bird’s beak knife, when necessary, to shave more inner artichoke leaves until you reach the tender pale green or yellow leaves and create a bulbous shape. Gently open the leaves and remove the choke using a grapefruit spoon or melon baller, then scrape and tear (or slice) the remaining leaves off so that only the bottom remains. Cut the artichoke heart in quarters; put the quarters in the lemon water as you work to prevent discolouration. Discard the rest of the artichoke, leaves and stem, or reserve for another use.

3. Pat chicken dry, then season all over with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook, undisturbed until well browned, seven to eight minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about five minutes. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate and spoon out about three tablespoons of fat from the pan, if desired (you can discard the excess fat or save for another use).

4. Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, parsley and saffron. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about five minutes. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the onion, then stir to combine.

5. Add the broth to deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the pan skin-side up. Arrange the artichokes between the chicken pieces, cover, and simmer over medium-low until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.

6. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is thickened and the artichokes slightly browned, about five minutes. Stir in the juice from half the remaining lemon, taste, and adjust with salt and more lemon juice if needed. Spoon artichokes and pan sauces over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley to garnish, and serve.

Tofu larb

Larb originated in Laos but it’s also popular in north and northeastern Thailand (Getty/iStock)

Larb, a ground meat dish seasoned with fresh herbs, originated in Laos, but it’s also popular in the northeastern and northern regions of Thailand. This vegan version requires minimal cooking and features crumbled extra-firm tofu, which soaks up the spicy, citrusy sauce like a sponge. Toasted ground rice is a traditional addition that adds a lovely aroma and nuttiness while thickening the sauce. Makrut lime leaves and crispy fried shallots can be found at Asian grocery stores, at some larger supermarket chains, or online, but both can be omitted. Crispy shallots bring a bit of crunch on top, but chopped, roasted peanuts would also work. Eat it with lettuce leaves for a light meal, or if you’re looking for something more substantial, serve it with sticky or regular rice. For those who are looking for even more spice, top with sliced fresh chillies.

By: Hetty McKinnon

Serves: 4 servings

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the tofu:

3 tbsp uncooked glutinous (sticky) or jasmine rice

2 (400g) packages extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

1 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable

1 lemongrass stem, outer layer removed, tender stem finely chopped

1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced

4 makrut lime leaves (optional), thinly sliced

Large handful mixed soft herbs, such as mint, Thai basil, basil, coriander and chopped spring onions

1 tsp salt, plus more as needed

1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Crispy fried shallots or onions, to serve

For the dressing:

4 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

3 tbsp dark or light brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp red-pepper flakes or ½ to 1 red chilli, such as bird’s eye, finely chopped

Method:

1. Make the toasted rice powder: heat a medium (25cm) frying pan over medium-high. Add the rice and stir constantly for four to six minutes until golden, with a nutty aroma. Transfer rice to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind until it is a coarse powder (you don’t want it too fine; some texture is nice). You should have about three and a half tablespoons. Set rice powder aside.

2. Make the dressing: in a small bowl, combine the lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and red-pepper flakes; whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Crumble the tofu into small chunks and place in a large bowl.

4. Heat the medium frying pan over medium-high and add one tablespoon of oil. Add the lemongrass and shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and aromatic, about two minutes. Remove from heat and add to the tofu, along with the lime dressing, rice powder, makrut lime leaves, herbs and salt. Taste and add more salt if needed.

5. To serve, spoon the tofu larb into the lettuce leaves and garnish with crispy fried shallots.

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