Good morning! Today we have for you:
A classic Southern chicken from a classic Southern guy
Hey, hey. Sometimes knowing the back story makes a recipe more delicious. Worst case, it gives you a chance to hold court at the family dinner table. There’s a strong argument to make that without Craig Claiborne, we wouldn’t have Yelp reviews. (You might consider this good news or bad.) In 1957, he became the food editor of The New York Times and invented modern-day restaurant criticism. Michelin may have been the first to award a restaurant a star, but Craig’s four-star system made it a cultural phenomenon. Some other things about Craig: He was a prolific cook, a tortured soul who drank too much and a gay son of the South. I once visited the historic marker in front of his childhood home in Indianola, Miss. He wrote and published thousands of recipes in his time, many of them influenced by France, as was the fashion in his day. But he always delivered the Southern goods. One of the most enduring is his and Pierre Franey’s recipe for smothered chicken, which Sam Sifton adapted. He offers some good variations on Craig’s original take. I can’t think of a more solid dish to make on a Sunday. Featured Recipe Craig Claiborne’s Smothered ChickenMondayLet’s snap out of the past and pull out our sheet pan. You know what would be easy and delicious prepared on the piece of cooking equipment that somehow became the most popular pan in school? Sheet-pan feta with corn and shishito peppers.
TuesdayAnd now, let’s shift from the American South to South Korea. (OK, so that’s a stretch, but you come here and try to write a clever newsletter.) Eric Kim offers a healthy and hearty recipe for gochujang potato stew that’s a great jumping off point; commenters suggest subbing frozen spinach or adding mushrooms or chickpeas.
WednesdayI am very pro spice cake. When I came home from school and my mother had a spice cake on the kitchen counter, I knew all was well with the world. This reliable recipe for spice cake with cream cheese frosting from Yossi Arefi hits all the right notes. It also uses vegetable oil, which gives it some extra days on the counter. That’s Wednesday.
ThursdayBy this point in the week, I usually need a little Melissa Clark. Sometimes that means I get to join her in a Very Important Work Meeting or maybe we just text or talk. When we can’t connect, I can always cook her food. May I suggest her cauliflower shawarma with spicy tahini? It’s incredibly satisfying to eat on pita or as the star of a gluten-free rice bowl. (Check out the video for extra Melissa.)
FridayYou made it! Happy Friday. Pete Wells’s recent deep dive into matcha inspired me to seek out some ways to use it besides in a mediocre latte. Matcha overnight oats does the trick, and they’re packed with oats and chia seeds. Where my fibermaxxers at?
Now, it’s a long way from leftover Halloween candy and acitrón, but Kate Medley is the Southern photographer who made that plaque in front of Craig Claiborne’s childhood home happen. She also created a book of photographs chronicling the gas station food of Mississippi. You can find so many other recipes at New York Times Cooking. If you want help with your account, believe me when I tell you the folks at cookingcare@nytimes.com are the ones to turn to. I’m assuming that, if you’ve read this far, you’re a fan, so I can share some news. Life sometimes shows up in the form of a severely messed-up knee. (Blame varsity sports and my mom’s genes!) I am getting a new one and have to bid this newsletter farewell to recover. Just remember the good times! 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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