Hi, old friends! I’m not traveling, but my goal is to watch too many holiday movies, eat my weight in Italian rainbow cookies and cook as little as possible. When I was growing up, lasagna was always a favorite weeknight dish. I’m compromising by making a quick ragu, which has all of the flavors of the classic layered pasta.
Of course, I fulfilled my Christmas cooking duties, but since then I’m phoning it in inasmuch as possible. There will be plenty of takeout, but I’ll fill the gaps with simple, cozy dishes like those below. I hope you like them.
Quick Ragu With Ricotta and Lemon
Meat ragu traditionally requires a long simmer over low heat, but this 45-minute version owes its slow-cooked flavor to a hefty dose of red-pepper or chile paste, which yields a complex, hearty sauce. (This recipe calls for sambal oelek, which is easy to find, but Calabrian chile or Hungarian paprika paste would work well, too.) Spoon the ragu over cooked, broken lasagna noodles and top it with a dollop of creamy ricotta, a sprinkle of toasted fennel and a few curls of lemon zest. This recipe uses beef, but you could also prepare it with spicy Italian sausage, or ground pork or turkey — though you may want to amplify the flavor by tossing in a little fennel seed and red-pepper flakes with the onion and garlic.
By Sarah Copeland
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 heaping tablespoons sambal oelek (or any spicy red-pepper paste)
- 1/4 cup full-bodied red wine, like cabernet or merlot
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
- 8 ounces plain or whole-wheat lasagna noodles (not no-cook), broken in 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- 1 lemon, zested
- Flaky salt, like Maldon
Preparation:
1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and cook until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with the edge of a spoon, until nicely browned but not completely cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the sambal oelek. Add the wine and stir to release any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, crushing completely between your hands or with a potato masher. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down and the beef is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper halfway through cooking.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Boil the broken lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente.
4. In a small skillet, toast the fennel seeds over medium until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and crush on a cutting board with the flat end of a large knife or the bottom of a skillet.
5. Drain the pasta, add to the ragu and toss to coat. Divide among four bowls and dollop each generously with ricotta. Sprinkle with lemon zest, cracked fennel, flaky sea salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil as desired. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.
Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken With Pears and Arugula
In this hearty sheet-pan meal, thick pear wedges and chicken thighs seasoned with earthy, warming spices are roasted until soft and tender. During the last five minutes, crunchy sunflower seeds are scattered on the pan to sizzle in the pan juices, gaining a salty flavor that balances out the sweetness of the pears. A final topping of arugula soaks up any lingering juices and turns this into a full-on meal. Using firm, not-quite-ripe pears prevents them from becoming mushy and falling apart during the cooking process. Swap baby spinach for the arugula and sherry vinegar for the lemon juice, depending on what you have on hand. Serve any leftovers on a bed of fresh arugula, dressed with lemon and olive oil.
By Yasmin Fahr
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger from a 2-inch piece
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 firm, semi-ripe Bartlett or Bosc pears, cored and quartered lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 packed cups baby arugula
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped (optional)
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center.
2. Pat the chicken dry and trim excess fat and skin. Sprinkle all over with 2 teaspoons salt, and season with pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the red-pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and oil. On a sheet pan, rub the chicken and pears all over with the mixture. Arrange chicken skin-side up and pears skin-side down. Cook until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees at the thickest part) and the pears are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add the sunflower seeds to the pan. If there’s a lot of fat when finished cooking, tilt the pan and spoon it off until there’s a light coating on the surface of the pan.
3. Scatter the arugula on top, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with herbs, if using. Cut the remaining lemon half in quarters and serve. Yield: 4 servings.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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December 31, 2021 at 05:02PM
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Try this lazy lasagna as a weeknight dish - Lowell Sun
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