| Good morning, everyone. Like me, are you planning on restocking your fridge and pantry this weekend? I'll admit that all the food I have on hand is not particularly organized or tightly curated, although my not-a-system system seems to work decently enough most of the time. What can I say, I like to have options. (Plus, there's my job and all the things I buy for it!) Sometimes I'm going to have the bandwidth to make full meals from scratch. At other points, I need food I can eat right away. This is where leftovers, either from that week or frozen, are essential. Then there are different days when I can manage something in between — not a full-on recipe, but a dish that's, in the parlance of cookbook author and TV personality Sandra Lee, "semi-homemade." I can think of some great examples in our archives. One of my favorites is using frozen potstickers to make a heftier stir-fry. Or how about store-bought pie dough for hand pies? Dried tortellini make an excellent pasta salad, too. The point is, you can stash some of these versatile essentials on hand to electrify, and speed up, your cooking. And that's exactly what you should be doing with instant ramen. This international staple is often associated with hungry college students strapped for time and money. But it can do so much more, which Peter J. Kim demonstrates in his new cookbook, "Instant Ramen Kitchen." As Aaron Hutcherson wrote this week, "Where some might see a cheap, ubiquitous food product, Kim sees a world of possibilities and wonder." One of those possibilities: Instant Ramen With Mexican-Style Beans, which combines the noodles with half a can of beans, a few aromatics and as many toppings as you like. Chopped fresh cilantro, sliced radish, cotija cheese, fresh or pickled jalapeño slices, diced tomato, and lime wedges are all great. Daniela Galarza reached into her pantry for another of the Food team's reliable standbys in Skillet Orzo With Cod and Cherry Tomatoes. In this quick but fancy-feeling dinner for two, the small, elongated pasta serves as a bed for cheese-crusted fish fillets and a pile of slumped tomatoes that release their ruddy juices to color the dish. Inspired by Amatriciana sauce, bacon (in lieu of the traditional guanciale) injects a savory note. Yes, if you haven't caught on, we love a skillet orzo. You'll want to keep that skillet out for Ellie Krieger's Arugula Salad With Sautéed Apples and Nuts. First you'll use it to cook apple wedges, a few minutes on each side, just until tender and golden. Then comes the topping, almonds and pistachios coated with honey, and flavored with rosemary and smoked paprika. I'd be tempted to make the nuts on their own for a snack. I'm already looking forward to the live cooking chat we host with readers every Wednesday at noon Eastern. Go ahead and submit your questions now while they're on your mind, but be sure to be back at your computer (or phone) when we flip the switch. Until next week, happy cooking. |
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