MAKE 'N' TAKE DISHES
Make a big batch of these recipes for 'al desko' lunches all week!
‘Tis officially soup/stew/warm-grain-salad szn! We love a meal we can make one night and take to work for lunch the next day, so that’s why we’re jotting down two of our favorites for you today. Hope you get cozy and enjoy these dishes as much as we do!
THE STEW (ANTHONY’S VERSION)
AU: Hi yes hello. I know I’ve already made this Taylor Swift joke, but I’ll never stop. Alison Roman’s chickpea stew went viral in December 2018, and I’ll never stop making it either. Here’s why…
AU: It’s a perfect storm of things I look for in a recipe: it’s cozy, it doesn’t require crazy ingredients, it’s super satisfying, it freezes well for a later date, and it gives good leftovers. Plus, I get to eat it with bread (which may just be my favorite thing in the world).
EK: And, let’s not forget that it’s gorgeous! Look at all those fall colors!
AU: When I first made the OG version, simply known as “The Stew,” I was underwhelmed by a lack of oomph. You start by sauteeing onions, garlic and ginger—a heavenly aroma will immediately fill your kitchen. Then you add two cans of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed. You cook these ‘til they become “crispy.” The problem is that they never become crispy despite the recipe’s instructions. So ignore that part. The other part I ignore is the step of scooping out a cup of “crisped” chickpeas to save as garnish.
So then I started playing around some more...
First, the stew absolutely needed acid. All that coconut milk and no lime?? Sacrilege. And like Carla Hall taught us, use the zest of the lime and the juice, “you paid for both anyway!” I add it at the very end of cooking, so it tastes nice and zingy.
Second, I wanted some chicken. This is absolutely a delicious vegetarian meal, if you make it without… but we wanted more protein than the chickpeas were providing, so I decided to just throw in a pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into the broth. After about 10 minutes (depending on how big the chicken pieces are), I fished ‘em out with tongs and pulled the chicken into bite sized pieces that I returned to the pot to warm through just before serving. I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could do the same thing with your favorite plant-based chik’n, too.
Third, I wanted a little more color in the dish… and as we know, with color often comes flavor, so bulking up the veggies with a red bell pepper was a nice addition.
When it comes to toppings, I like to do a nice dollop of nonfat greek yogurt. Is full fat eternally better? Yes. But I’m trying to find what is known as a “waistline,” so nonfat it is. Then I shower the dish with aleppo pepper (but you can use plain red chili flakes, too), and sliced scallions if I have them on hand. The absolutely necessary garnish is either mint or Thai basil leaves. Both are delicious and somehow take the dish over the top.
Per usual, I recommend making a double batch of this recipe and freezing half (without the herbs/garnish) for a later date. There is nothing better than knowing you’ve got this stew waiting for you.
ANTIPASTO RICE SALAD
EK: Rice salad may not be all that popular, but it should be! Years ago, I went to a restaurant in Paris that had an entire menu of rice salads. Think about any of your favorite combinations of foods tossed together with a vinaigrette and rice and served chilled, but not cold. My favorite one featured sweet baby shrimp, scallions, corn and a toasted sesame oil vinaigrette.
AU: Rice/Grain salads are the PERFECT lunch to take to work (or have on hand when WFH). I used to make one with quinoa, cherry tomatoes, scallions, and corn.
EK: Today’s popular rice bowls are similar, but not quite the same. In the rice salads that I had in Paris, the ingredients that flavor the rice are chopped small and the ratio of ingredients to rice was about 4-to-1, rice to mix-ins.
Until recently, I never made a rice salad myself because I am the world’s worst rice cook. It gave me anxiety to even think about making rice. When I had to occasionally make rice for my pup Gracie, it always came out a hot gloppy gluey mess no matter how I made it—and yes, I followed the instructions. Luckily, being the empathetic and polite dog that she is, she still ate it!
And then, [play the revelation music here] Anthony convinced me to buy a rice cooker (which happens to be on sale today). And, I can. not. believe. how. much. I love it!
For years, I resisted buying another appliance because I already have multiples of most everything. But the fact that it is relatively small—3 cups—and in addition to rice it also makes steel-cut oatmeal and grits to perfection means that it is well worth the storage and counter space. Thank you AU!!!
AU: I hear ya! I am obsessed with my rice cooker. I don’t know why I resisted it for so long! It’s the most convenient, most useful appliance I never knew I needed. The timer function for steel-cut oats in the morning is a Winter AM Routine Game Changer! The night before, you set a time for when you want fresh oatmeal to be ready in the morning, and baby, you’ve got perfectly cooked oats waiting for you when you wake up!).
EK: Now that I am free to make things with rice, I have been seeking out rice recipes. When I came across an article on social media that clued me in to “the salad that the Kardashians are always eating on camera,” I was intrigued. The article said that it was the La Scala Chopped Salad. [As an aside, there seems to be another salad that claims to be the salad of choice for the KUWTK krew, but I didn't discover that until I was writing this week’s newsletter!]
AU: You’re correct! They love the La Scala Chopped Salad and the salads they’re eating in those HUGE plastic clam shells come from a chain in the valley called The Health Nut (of which I think Kris Jenner is now a major investor).
EK: I didn’t think much more about the Kardashians, but I searched for the salad recipe online and found it via the LA Times in an article on LA’s “Timeless (food) Classics.” It’s a classic chopped salad with simple Italian ingredients of salami, mozzarella and chickpeas.
I read the recipe and instantly, a rice salad popped into my mind. The La Scala salad was my jumping off point, but then, I jumped the long jump to adapt it for my Antipasto Rice Salad.
The original salad is mostly lettuce with chickpeas, salami and mozzarella cheese. I added sliced castelvetrano olives, chopped scallions and parmesan cheese to the original ingredients and marinated my chickpeas with a Dijon mustard red-wine vinaigrette. It is so tangy and satisfying. It’s all my favorite antipasto and rice in a bite.
The beauty of this salad is that you can add what ever you like to it. Off the top of my head, it would also be great with some olive-oil packed tuna, roasted red peppers and capers instead of the salami; or grilled artichoke hearts, mushrooms and crispy prosciutto.
Let us know what you think would make a great rice salad!
