Good morning! Today we have for you:
Pasta alla vodka, hold the pasta
Hello, friends. We’ve hit the part of the year when I become overly attached to my weeknight meals, knowing that, as December ramps up, the weekends increasingly belong to others. And that’s not a bad thing! I’m truly grateful for the parties and gatherings, the travel and visitors, the activities and errands that give this time of year its excitement and warmth. But I’m equally happy to have the quiet midweek nights at home, when it’s just me and the husband and the dog, and we can cook whatever we need and then kill hours rewatching previous seasons of “Taskmaster.” (Jason Mantzoukas, if you’re reading this, you have made your country so proud.) What this means, in execution, is that my weeknight meals become a touch more festive, a little extra. The Caesar gets additional anchovies draped on top. Maybe I roll-cut my carrots for my curry. And my regular-degular beans and greens? They get alla vodka’d, per Ali Slagle’s wonderful five-star recipe. Some red chile flakes, a scant shot of vodka and a splash of cream give a bit of spice and plushness to tomato-y beans; a bunch of greens adds the roughage necessary to counteract all those cookies. And, it being an Ali recipe, there’s lots of flexibility built in with the bean and green elements. I’m going to use the escarole that called to me at the market (though I won’t give it as much cook time, since it’s not as sturdy as kale or broccoli rabe) and some pearly, large white limas. Maybe I’ll toast some breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top — I’m feeling fancy, after all. Featured Recipe Beans and Greens Alla Vodka
Today’s specialsRoasted butternut squash mac and cheese: My thanks to Tara Holland, who modeled this recipe after a beloved Trader Joe’s frozen dish. (Before you ask, here’s Vivian Chan-Tam’s orange chicken.) And my thanks, too, to the genius Alexa Weibel, who answered my question about using canned pumpkin for the roasted squash as follows: “If time permits, I’d suggest bumping up the aromatics, perhaps adding garlic, sage and onion powder (the items applied to the roasted squash) to the sautéed shallots in Step 5, so the canned pumpkin gets some additional depth!” Shira-ae (smashed tofu salad with green beans): I usually eat shira-ae as a side with broiled or seared fish, rice and pickles — a sort of Japanese-breakfast-for-dinner situation — but there’s no reason you couldn’t eat Hetty Lui McKinnon’s dish by itself as a light dinner. The soft (or medium-firm) tofu provides a good dose of protein, and Hetty provides a helpful tip for softening firm or extra-firm tofu if that’s all you can find. Two roast chickens with citrus and sage: Ali created this recipe to go with her opinion — and, in my view, correct assessment — that the best Thanksgiving turkey is two chickens. As such, save this recipe for any upcoming gathering where you need to cheaply and efficiently feed lots of people. (You could also just halve the recipe and roast one chicken — check out the new scaling feature in our app!) For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
And before you goIt’s Cookie Swap season, and I have eight recipe recommendations for you: these seven Cookie Week beauties, and Hetty’s mochi brownies. The sweet rice flour gives these brownies a pleasant chew and, crucially, makes them gluten-free, which is why they are my go-to for any “I’ll bring something sweet” moments. They also require just five ingredients and one bowl, making them ideal for those “Oh shoot, I forgot I said I’d bring something sweet” moments.
Thanks for reading!
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