Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Good afternoon!
Happy New Year, friends! If you had the foresight to take January 2nd off from work, to give yourself a single day’s cushion before getting back to “the grind” and everyone who you promised to “circle back” with after the holidays, please give yourself a round of applause. Me, I did not, but I will be taking notes from you for next year. Slogging as I might be, I am ready to be out of the holiday zone and into whatever January brings. I hope it’s some snow. I hope it’s a concert. I hope it’s some long winter walks, ice skating, and skiing, basically any kind of winter activity that ends with hot chocolate. And I’m ready to be in the kitchen cooking non-holiday foods. Below, 10 recipes for your January consideration, a Yule Log-, latke-, and baked brie-free list for those hungry for change in flavors. I hope if you’re in a cooking slump, it injects some fresh ideas and energy into your repertoire. I hope you get to try them all.
Cheers,
Deb
Your favorite new 2023 recipes from the Smitten Kitchen! [Video link] Find them all here. ✨ Thank you for cooking along with me this year. I’m so glad you’re here!
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Want to buy a signed copy of my most recent cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers? Both Strand Bookstore in Manhattan and Books Are Magic in Brooklyn have copies in stock. Wondering what you might cook from the book in the depths of winter? I thought you’d never ask! I vote for the deli pickle potato salad, ginger garlic chicken noodle soup, baked orzo and artichokes, and skillet chicken parmesan. And please don’t forget the oatmeal date shortbread, better-than-classic pound cake, and chocolate olive oil spread. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.
roasted squash and tofu with ginger
A salty-spicy-acidic-sweet tray of winter squash and crispy tofu from Diana Henry that always hits the spot.
quick pasta and chickpeas
A 20-minute, 5-ingredient (I bet all 5 are in your kitchen right now), abundantly flavorful dish that I cannot resist adding one slightly crispy and dramatically sizzling finish to. Have you made it yet? Few dishes make me feel rewarded for waiting until the last minute to figure out dinner.
punjabi-style black lentils
Tiny black lentils and a little "French" finish make this spin on dal makhani taste like the most luxurious thing in the world. Eat it soup-style or ladled over rice. Double it and be glad you did.
chard and white bean stew
A cozy but simple vegetarian stew with white beans, chard (or any greens you’ve got around), finished with a nonnegotiable slice of grilled sourdough bread (even better if it’s drizzled with olive oil and kissed with a little garlic). You could even top it with a poached egg, if you’re into it, or a little parmesan, but it needs neither to taste wonderful.
chickpea and kale shakshuka
Eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce with kale and chickpeas, too, so perfect and filling for a cozy winter weeknight dinner.
squash and chickpea moroccan stew
Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list length -- this vegetarian, vegetable-full, complexly flavored stew comes together quickly and is fantastic over couscous, with or without a dollop of yogurt to finish it. Leftovers reheat well, so it's a meal prep dream too.
sheet pan chicken tikka
This chicken tikka is my favorite sheet pan dinner, here on a bed of cauliflower and potatoes, served right in the pan. Wildly flavorful, full of textures and color, we never get tired of it.
lentil soup with sausage, chard and garlic
This hearty lentil, sausage, and swiss chard soup from the late, wonderful Gina DePalma via Adam Roberts is a forever favorite -- cozy and filling but never boring due to a perfect finish of sizzling garlic oil. You'll be so glad you made it.
potato scallion and kale cakes
Leftover mashed potatoes, raised to their highest (and crispiest/most flavorful) calling are a weeknight or breakfast-at-any-time savior.
chocolate olive oil cake
A deeply chocolaty, fluffy and perfect one-bowl cake that just happens to be dairy- and egg- (!) free. I like the subtle, earthier quality olive oil imparts in chocolate, especially when flecked with sea salt.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. I recently added several new favorites I’ve bought in the last year. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!