Keema palak is a keeperFirst, sauté the onions, then bloom the garlic and the ginger, and add the ground meat last. To make keema, a traditional ground-meat curry from the Indian subcontinent, that’s generally the order of operations. Except when it’s not. In her version of keema palak (ground chicken and spinach curry), Zainab Shah streamlines the process by adding the onions, garlic, ginger and meat to the pan all at the same time. It’s a shortcut that preserves all of the flavor, and allows the chicken to crisp and brown while the onion softens. Warm spices and tomatoes are folded in next, followed by handfuls of leafy baby greens. Serve it over rice or with roti, and you can use the time you’ve saved to enjoy this fresh, complex dish. Featured Recipe Keema Palak (Ground Chicken and Spinach Curry)More food for thoughtBerbere brown sugar chicken: Kiano Moju braises boneless chicken thighs in a heady mix of orange juice, brown sugar and berbere spice blend — a warm, smoky seasoning used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisines. The chicken ends up deeply spicy, slightly sweet and exceedingly tender — excellent for shredding into tacos or serving over polenta, grits or rice. Tomato, bacon and corn salad: Bacon, corn and tomatoes are a classic summer combination that Christian Reynoso amps up with lime juice, cilantro and avocado. Serve the salad as a side dish for a grilled protein, or as a light warm-weather meal all by itself, maybe with a baguette on the side. Roasted zucchini and shrimp with za’atar yogurt: I love the colors in this easy sheet-pan meal: yellow and green from the caramelized zucchini, pink from the shrimp, white from the yogurt flecked with herbs. The key here is to start roasting the zucchini before adding the shrimp. That way, they’re both done at the same time, ready to enjoy with your favorite beverage — perhaps a cold glass of rosé, to match the rosy shrimp. Sweet and sour eggplant with garlic chips: On the hottest days, when turning on the oven seems like the cruelest option, you can whip up Sue Li’s five-star stunner entirely on your stovetop. Although the sticky, soy-glazed chunks of fried eggplant are wondrously soft and supple, the homemade garlic chips steal the show. Just try not to eat all of them before dinner is served. Apricot snack cake: Apricots and other stone fruits are reaching their peak right now, and Kay Chun’s moist, rich loaf cake is a perfect use for the ones that have gone a bit soft. She calls for fresh apricots, but peaches, plums and nectarines work well, too. It’s a delightful afternoon snack, just as advertised, and it’s also lovely for dessert, preferably with some vanilla or salted caramel ice cream scooped on top. As always, you’ll want to subscribe to get all of these summery recipes, along with the tens of thousands of others at New York Times Cooking. If you need any technical help, the brilliant people at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there for you. And you can find me at hellomelissa@nytimes.com. That’s all for now. See you on Wednesday.
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