An Easy Risotto to Top However You Please

Kay Chun’s classic Parmesan risotto is a rich canvas for personalization — perfect for appeasing picky eaters.

By Emily Weinstein

What is a weeknight recipe? It wiggles a bit depending on the dish, but generally I feel a weeknight recipe has as few ingredients as possible, requires minimal active work (and pans to clean), and can be done relatively quickly. You can make it at the end of the day and aren’t too tired to actually enjoy it.

And yet I’m here today to talk about risotto, a dish that doesn’t scream “weeknight.” Risotto doesn’t scream anything, really: It’s quiet luxury, rich and understated. It’s also highly needy. In the classic rendering of the dish, you heat up stock in one pot and gradually ladle it into rice cooking in another pot, stirring insistently as you go.

But I got a email from a reader named Marie telling me that basic risotto is one of her weeknight standards. The more I considered this, the more it made sense. After all, it’s creamy rice with cheese. It doesn’t require more effort or time than a recipe with lots of vegetable chopping. Picky kids even eat it! It’s amenable to mix-ins, whether you add them before you finish cooking or set them all out and let people top their bowls to their liking at the table: browned sausage, broccoli, squash, peas, shrimp, leftover shredded meat. Can this work for you on a weeknight? Yes, it can!

Be like Marie and write to me at [email protected] with your ideas and feedback. And if you enjoy the work we do here at New York Times Cooking, please consider subscribing.

1. Risotto

Kay Chun’s risotto recipe is a laid-back but faithful version of the classic, which takes a handful of simple ingredients and transforms them into something sumptuous. This is much easier than you think it is!

View this recipe.

2. Gingery Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Use any kind of ground meat (pork, beef, chicken, turkey) or a plant-based option in this new Melissa Clark recipe, which commenters are loving. Melissa uses diced fresh tomatoes, instead of canned, for a light and bright sauce that cooks quickly.

View this recipe.

3. Broiled Salmon and Asparagus With Herbs

I love this recipe from Yasmin Fahr, which tops broiled salmon (a great way to cook fish, in my opinion) and asparagus with a fresh herb-and-scallion salad. Add rice and you’ve got a winning meal.

View this recipe.

4. Grilled Pork Chops

You know what’s really delicious? Thick pork chops, rubbed with salt, pepper, paprika and brown sugar, then grilled for mere minutes. This recipe from Steven Raichlen walks you through it.

View this recipe.

5. Grilled Tofu Salad

To make Kay Chun’s new salad recipe, you coat tofu and zucchini in lemon-miso sauce, grill them and serve with snap peas and herbs. It’s the kind of simple dish you can make ahead and eat at room temperature — which is to say, it’s relaxed and breezy summer cooking. (If you don’t have a grill, this works well in a grill pan or under the broiler.)

View this recipe.

Thanks for reading and cooking. If you like the work we do at New York Times Cooking, please subscribe! (Or give a subscription as a gift!) You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram. I’m [email protected], and previous newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at [email protected] if you have any questions about your account.

View all recipes in your weekly plan.

Emily Weinstein is the Food and Cooking editor of The New York Times. She also writes the popular NYT Cooking newsletter Five Weeknight Dishes. @emilyweinstein

Site Index

Site Information Navigation

Source: Read Full Article