Hi, it’s Emily, here with your five weeknight dishes, food for busy people who still want something good to eat. My daughter is turning 1 this week, so I’m deep in yellow-cake recipes and buttercream, contemplating sprinkles and candles and round cake vs. sheet. (Round is so classic, no?)
This week also marks the debut of my beloved friend and colleague Samin Nosrat’s Netflix show, “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” based on her cookbook of the same name. Samin has been very busy of late, busier than you or I can imagine, as the world embraces her and she flies the width of it, shooting her show and writing and cooking. So I texted her to ask how she gets dinner done on those nights when she is at home in California and busy and dead tired and so hungry it’s hard to think. “Mara’s Tofu!!!” she answered instantly.
“I felt like I couldn’t do justice to tofu until I learned to make it this way. It’s custardy on the inside, crisp and lacy on the outside, and just perfectly seasoned throughout.”
I’ve certainly never done justice to tofu in my kitchen, so I need to make that recipe. Join me? Or just email me to share ideas, thoughts, dreams, hopes or dinner dilemmas, at dearemily@nytimes.com. (And thanks for the podcast suggestions after last week’s email. Can I make one, too? Slow Burn, from Slate!)
Here are five dishes for the week:
Colu Henry’s stove-top braised chicken thighs with greens, olives, and raisinsCreditLinda Xiao for The New York Times
1. Braised Chicken Thighs With Greens and Olives
I love this comforting but sophisticated chicken recipe, which is made in one pot, on the stove, and is substantial enough to be a meal with crusty bread or small boiled potatoes alongside. If you have olive or raisin haters, just extract the chicken from all those wonderful additions and serve it separately. They never have to know.
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CreditAndrew Scrivani for The New York Times
2. BLT Tacos
Melissa Clark brilliance, and a pretty fun way to do dinner. Melissa bakes the bacon on a sheet pan, which is objectively the best way to do it. Add rice (make extra to serve with the shakshuka below, if you like) and a can of black beans to round out the meal, and try to follow her suggestion and add a ripe avocado to the taco — which technically makes it a BLAT taco. Not quite as catchy, but even more delicious.
CreditThuss + Farrell for The New York Times
3. Green Shakshuka With Avocado and Lime
This is a smart twist on the North African dish, which can be found throughout the Middle East made with spiced tomatoes and bell pepper. This version swaps out tomatoes for a big bunch of chard, and deletes the spices in favor of jalapeño and lime. Serve with tortillas, hot sauce and cheese; you could add rice here, too.
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Kay Chun’s baked cod with crunchy miso-butter breadcrumbs.CreditLinda Xiao for The New York Times
4. Baked Cod With Miso-Butter Bread Crumbs
A superb and simple way to do dinner: Sprinkle cod with a mixture of white miso, ginger, garlic, butter and panko bread crumbs, and then bake until that coating caramelizes and crisps. This recipe includes broccoli and brown rice, for a full meal. Miso lasts forever in the fridge, but that won’t be an issue regardless. Once you make fish this way, you’ll do it again and again. (You can also use the miso in the soup below!)
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Lemony carrot and cauliflower soup.CreditEvan Sung for The New York Times