1. Lemony Chicken Soup With Fennel
I have a pretty gnarly cold (I know — wah, etc.), and I find that when this happens I actually do crave chicken soup. This lemony number from Alison is classic enough to satisfy, but zingy enough to be interesting. You can save a little time by omitting the chopped fennel, or make it a little more traditional by doing rice or egg noodles instead of potatoes. (In need of a vegetarian sick-day soup? Try this chickpea stew with orzo. And did you know that before she was mega-famous, Samin Nosrat wrote a whole NYT Cooking guide to soup?)
The word “slow” here means 25 to 35 minutes, not the typical 15 or so that salmon takes under higher heat, and the extra few minutes are worth the investment. I like to cook leaner wild salmon, like sockeye, this way: bathed in citrusy oil, so the fish stays silky and doesn’t dry out. Of course this dish works with individually portioned fillets, too; serve with any grain you like, and add arugula to the herb salad in the recipe to make it into a true side.
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4. Baked White Beans and Sausage With Sage
This one-pan recipe is meant for kids (both to eat and to cook), but there’s no reason adults wouldn’t want to get right in there. If you’d like to adultify it further, you can sub in cider, the alcoholic kind. Serve with bread for an easy, cozy, put-in-the-oven-and-mostly-forget-about-it meal.
