Good morning! Today we have for you:
A nice dinner for a nice person
My brother is coming to visit next week, which is great because 1. I love my brother and 2. he’s exceptionally nice to cook for. Is there anything better than a willing, curious and cheerful diner, an eater who will try anything, who wants to know the recipe and proclaims “Wow!” upon first bite with wide eyes and full sincerity? He takes pictures of whatever I cook, not to post on social media but to remember and to relay to friends. This kid, I tell ya. So I always feel moved to reward his enthusiasm by making his favorite things, starting with gnocchi. This new Hetty Lui McKinnon recipe looks like the sort of thing he’d order at the nice little wine bar in the neighborhood, but it’s very easy to pull off at home. A food processor or blender whirls together your peas, feta, mint, lemon juice and garlic with the push of a button; after that, it’s just a simple sear of the gnocchi and a sauté of the snap peas. It’s a satisfying, springy and very photogenic dinner (in case you’d also like to snap a photo before digging in). Featured Recipe Gnocchi With Peas and Whipped FetaMore brother foodPeanut noodles with spicy tofu: My brother doesn’t have the same tolerance (and craving) for spicy food that I do, but that’s no problem with this new Sue Li recipe. I’ll simply reduce the amount of gochugaru sautéed with the crumbled tofu and top my own serving with some chili oil or — all together now — chile crisp. There’s no way he won’t love these savory, creamy, nutty noodles. Skillet chicken with tomatoes, pancetta and mozzarella: Brothers love pizza, and this Melissa Clark five-star classic is referred to as “pizza chicken” around here, for its anchovy-enhanced tomato sauce and melty mozzarella topping. An easy win. Pancake mix: I’m not good about eating breakfast every morning, but my brother is. I want to do him one better than his usual cold cereal plus banana combo, so I’ll assemble a container of Melissa Knific’s trusty pancake mix ahead of time and direct him to the recipe in the New York Times Cooking app to cook as he pleases. With maple syrup (or blueberry syrup, which can also be made ahead), sliced bananas and coffee, that’s a pretty great breakfast courtesy of a pretty great sister. 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.
And before you goMy thanks to WXPN’s “90s at 9” segment for reminding me that No Doubt’s 1995 album “Tragic Kingdom” is a masterpiece (and that I know all of the lyrics top to bottom). I can’t make it to the band’s residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, which kicked off May 6. But I can blast that perfect “Sixteen” into “Sunday Morning” one-two punch while I bop around the kitchen making dinner, and I suggest you do, too. Thanks for reading!
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