My flight landed simply earlier than dinnertime final evening. My household and I might simply have ordered in, however after 4 straight days of restaurant meals — on a scouting journey for The New York Occasions — I craved the Zen of constructing dinner, which all the time soothes my journey frazzle. I needed one thing quick, pantry-friendly and seasonal, to replicate this beautiful heat climate we’ve been blessed with within the Northeast. Lo and behold, I discovered Ali Slagle’s lemon-garlic linguine, which checks each field.
It’s a pantry pasta excellent for the season. The acidity of the lemon juice and zest makes it lighter and brighter than the standard pantry pasta, and you may jazz it up with no matter contemporary components you have got available: a handful of torn contemporary herbs (I’ve obtained sorrel and mint on the deck), or a few of these greens or sugar snap peas simply coming into season, thinly sliced and cooked within the pasta water. Is it too early to proclaim this the Recipe of the Summer season? It’s solely been out for a few weeks and it already has a 5-star score! Give it a whirl and let me know what you assume — I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com. Let’s examine notes.
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Lemon-Garlic Linguine
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Lemon juice additionally performs a vital function in Yasmin Fahr’s zucchini salad with bread crumbs. The citrusy, mustardy, anchovy-enhanced dressing soaks into uncooked zucchini cubes, softening them and imbuing them with taste. A crunchy topping of fried capers and bread crumbs provides texture and heft. You’ll be able to serve it with any pantry pasta that wants a facet of greens, or make it the star of a summer time lunch or gentle dinner.
There’s a small quantity of lemon juice in Kay Chun’s herb-marinated pork chops, although it’s actually simply there to carry out the flavors of the herbs, garlic, shallot and olives. Boneless loin chops maintain this on the leaner facet for pork, they usually prepare dinner up in a snap. And take a look at Kay’s wily approach: She marinates the pork after cooking as a substitute of earlier than, which suggests the meat absorbs sharp, contemporary flavors that haven’t been dulled by cooking. This works splendidly with any just-cooked meats and fish. For instance, I’d strive it with seared boneless, skinless hen thighs for a straightforward poultry-based weeknight dinner.
For an additional full-flavored hen thigh possibility, the honey and soy sauce combination on Kay’s glazed hen thighs caramelizes within the oven, turning sticky and salty-sweet. Serve it with a stack of napkins for many who like to eat poultry with their fingers (that’s me!).
No level in consuming Yasmine’s ginger-garlic shrimp with coconut milk along with your fingers, although — the creamy, spicy broth (and the rice that absorbs it) needs to be scooped with a spoon. Then you’ll be able to pluck out the fats shrimp and floppy spinach leaves along with your chopsticks.
Lastly, for dessert, let’s circle again to lemon with a pan of lemon-blueberry bars. The jammy berries add shade and sweetness to those beloved tart treats. Make sure you serve them chilly, straight from the fridge, for the firmest and finest texture. They will get slightly runny if left at room temperature too lengthy.
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That’s all for now. See you on Wednesday.
