I have a short running list of cooking projects in my head, the things I would do if I were living the long-baked lifestyle as opposed to the fast-cook one. At the top of the list, alongside pastries, is sourdough bread — good bread being a true love of mine. This is why our new guide to making sourdough bread is crying out to me and really is not to be missed. It’s written by the extraordinary Claire Saffitz (of Bon Appétit test kitchen video fame), and it is thorough and helpful and approachable and sane. I also ate some of the test loaves, and frankly they were amazing.
If you can’t actually make the sourdough, at least not right this second, buy some good bread, and toast it or freeze it (as I did with a tire-sized loaf I bought last weekend from my favorite bakery), then eat it with some of the dishes below. Also send me your short running list of fantasy, if-I-actually-had-time cooking projects at dearemily@nytimes.com.
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Here are five dishes for the week:
1. Vinegar Chicken With Crushed Olive Dressing
This Alison Roman chicken recipe is sweeping Instagram and is on its way to conquering the entire internet. So many people have told me in the office hallway or elevator that they are making it: You should, too. And while you know I would use toast to sop up those juices, potatoes would be delicious as well.
2. Coconut-Poached Fish With Bok Choy
Mmm, coconut milk and chiles and ginger and shallots: As I write this there are 404 five-star ratings on this brothy, one-pot beauty, and yours could be the 405th. (I know, very exciting.) Add rice to make it dinner.
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3. One-Pot Pasta With Ricotta and Lemon
It really doesn’t get easier or more delightful than this creamy pasta, which works well for eaters of all ages. If I were making it for my daughter, I’d throw in frozen peas and omit the red-pepper flakes. If I were making it for you, I’d throw in gold flakes and caviar! O.K., maybe I wouldn’t do that. The point is you can tailor this to your audience, and it will be delicious.
Alert: We have crossed into red-lentil soup season. This recipe, as you may know, is one of the all-time NYT Cooking greats (and is also vegan if you use vegetable stock). Make it in vats. Put it in your freezer. Serve it with the good bread and a side salad.
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