Good morning! Today we have for you:
A quick chicken stew for sharing (or keeping all for yourself)
Welcome to the weekend, friends. Are you feeling ready for a break? From the pace of the weekdays, but also from … everything? The kitchen isn’t a permanent escape but is a great little one, especially now that it’s solidly fall. Well, sort of. Even if it’s unseasonably warm where you are, you may still be craving butternut squash soup and pumpkin bread, Oktoberfest sausages and apple pie. It’s time for stew, specifically this cozy but not-too-heavy stew from Naz Deravian. Green beans — loobia sabz in Persian — relax to softness, along with potatoes and carrots, all of them naturally sweetening the tomato-savory chicken stew. Last week, Naz and I were chatting about how we feel as if we have to cook a big spread to have people over. We’re trying to change that, nudging ourselves to follow up on the “we’d love to have you over sometime!” text and make just one big, tasty, low-stress thing. This is exactly the sort of meal anyone would welcome. Set it out with a bowl of rice, and party on. Or maybe you’re an introvert and need some alone time to recharge. Enjoy a warm bowl of Naz’s stew in perfect quiet and save the rest for the week. Leftovers only taste better with time. Featured Recipe Khorak-e Loobia Sabz (Green Bean and Chicken Stew)Here are five more dishes to make your weekend cooking even more relaxing: Salmon with avocado and cilantro salad: If you’re not ready for hot cider on these bonus sunny days, you might instead want the sharp lime freshness of this salad, hot with jalapeños and mellowed by the buttery richness of avocado and roasted salmon. Any tender greens work here, but Yasmin Fahr offers the option of watercress. Its peppery bite is as wonderfully bracing as a plunge into the October ocean. Tofu and broccoli: One of the most soothing kitchen tasks, especially on an unhurried weekend, is standing over a pan of sizzling tofu cubes and turning them to crisp all sides to a sunrise gold. Those are good enough to eat on their own, but Sue Li takes them to the most comforting place by giving them the takeout beef and broccoli treatment. Charred broccoli and a garlicky soy glaze make the dish exactly what you want to shovel while streaming. Smoky bean and sweet potato burritos: When life feels hard, soft food feels good, especially when it’s all wrapped in a stretchy flour tortilla. Kristina Felix gives sweet potatoes and beans a tangy, smoky complexity with chipotles in adobo and diced tomatoes. I’m going to pick up a pack of the exceptional tortillas from Sonoratown here in LA. If you’re looking for a project, you can make them at home. Sheet-pan eggs with croissant bread crumbs: Eggs are the best thing to cook for brunch at home. They’re also the most annoying if you need a bunch ready for a group. I throw them on a sheet pan with bacon, and Jerelle Guy turns oven eggs into a full meal. She cradles each egg in a croissant crumb nest, and salty feta melts on top. This works with any bread you have on hand, and you can skip the grinding step if you’re using panko. Snickerdoodle muffins: Conjure autumn with the cinnamon scent of these quick muffins. Plain yogurt keeps them tender and gives them a gentle tang. Stick with the classic cinnamon sugar combination or mix in a pinch of cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, anise, fennel or, of course, pumpkin spice. This is a fantastic template for any spice muffin. This has nothing to do with brunch, but I’d encourage you to marvel at the beauty of birds while sipping your coffee, those outside your window and also in Audubon’s winning 2025 photos. And while it’s still warm enough to lie on a picnic blanket, bring “Katabasis,” the new novel from R.F. Kuang, as well as those burritos and muffins to the park. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
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