Crisp gnocchi, roasted squash and more
Hello and welcome to Weeknight Dishes, recipes for busy people who still want something good to eat. Here are four dishes for the week:
Linguine With Crisp Chickpeas and Rosemary
I love a starch- on- starch recipe.
This one is especially good because of the fragrant rosemary, which is fried in olive oil and tossed with the beans and pasta to finish. If you add greens to the pan, you’ve got a one- pot dinner.
Recipe by Ali Slagle.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup extra- virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
8 fresh rosemary sprigs
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound linguine or other long noodle
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 ( 14- ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed,
drained and patted very dry
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 lemon, cut into wedges Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino, for serving ( optional)
Directions
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water ( 2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Meanwhile, make the rosemary oil: Pat the rosemary dry with a kitchen towel. In a large Dutch oven or skillet big enough to hold all the pasta, warm the oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the rosemary sprigs and fry, flipping once, until sizzling subsides and leaves are crisp, 3 or 4 minutes.
Transfer the sprigs to a paper towellined plate, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Keep the pot with the oil on the stove.
Add pasta to the boiling water, and cook to al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta.
While the pasta cooks, with the rosemary oil over medium- high heat,
add the butter. Once melted, add the garlic and chickpeas and fry, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are golden brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. If some of the chickpeas explode like popcorn, that’s a good sign.
As the chickpeas cook, remove the rosemary leaves from the sprigs ( pinch the top of the sprig and swipe downward). If any do not come off easily, they aren’t fully fried: Throw them back into the oil with the chickpeas and remove them after a quick fry. Crumble the leaves by rubbing them between your fingers, and set aside.
Once the chickpeas are crisp, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low and stir in the pasta, adding pasta water as needed to form a glossy sauce. Stir in the parsley and crumbled rosemary leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing. Top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
Roasted Butternut Squash With Lentils and Feta
Some people greet fall with obscene quantities of apples; for me, it’s butternut squash. This recipe is filling enough to be dinner, though it would be delicious with roasted chicken thighs. ( Put bone- in thighs, seasoned and brushed with oil, in a separate pan, and place them in the oven alongside the squash. They’ll
cook in roughly the same amount of time.)
Recipe by Nik Sharma.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients FOR THE SALAD:
½ cup ( uncooked) black or green
lentils
1 ( 3- inch) cinnamon stick
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed Kosher salt
1 ( 1- pound) butternut squash 1 tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup crumbled feta
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
FOR THE DRESSING:
¼ cup extra- virgin olive oil or
grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon ground cumin, toasted ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne ½ teaspoon black pepper
Kosher salt
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pick any debris from the lentils, then rinse the lentils under running water. Transfer them to a medium saucepan, then add the cinnamon, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt.
Add enough water to cover everything by 1 inch. Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium- high heat, then reduce to low and let simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils, discard the cinnamon and garlic, then transfer the lentils to a large bowl.
While the lentils cook, prepare the squash: Trim and discard the top and bottom ends of the squash. Peel the squash, halve it lengthwise, and remove and discard the strings and seeds. Slice the squash crosswise ¼ - inch thick and place the pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast the squash until completely tender, slightly caramelized and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, add to the lentils.
While the squash cooks, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, honey, cumin, cayenne and black pepper. Taste and season to taste with salt.
Sprinkle the feta, scallions and pumpkin seeds over the lentils and squash. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing over the lentils and squash. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the remaining dressing on the side.
Korean Barbecue- Style Meatballs
Meatball recipes are so great and are some of the fastest ways I know to make an excellent weeknight dinner. This one starts with the flavors of Korean barbecue and exports them to a meatball that bakes in 15 minutes. Good for kids. Triple this recipe: The meatballs freeze well.
Recipe by Kay Chun.
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons low- sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
½ cup finely crushed Ritz crackers ( 12
crackers)
1 pound ground beef ( round or chuck)
Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and use your hands to gently mix.
Shape the meat into 12 golf- ball- size rounds ( about 2 inches in diameter), and arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.
Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
TIPS: Leftover meatballs freeze well and can be reheated in the oven at 375 degrees until warmed through ( about 20 minutes). To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup.
Crisp Gnocchi With Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter
Both the Brussels sprouts and potato gnocchi are seared in the pan, which makes everything about this profoundly satisfying recipe easy, from prep, to cooking, to cleanup. Recipe by Ali Slagle.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound Brussels sprouts ( or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli,
cauliflower or even cabbage) 1 lemon
¼ cup extra- virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper ½ teaspoon red- pepper flakes
1 ( 18- ounce) package shelf- stable or
refrigerated potato gnocchi 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
into 6 pieces
½ teaspoon honey
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Directions
Trim and halve the Brussels sprouts. Using a vegetable peeler, peel thick strips of lemon zest, then coarsely chop. ( You should have about 2 teaspoons chopped zest.)
In a large ( preferably 12- inch) skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium- high. Add the Brussels sprouts, season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then arrange the Brussels sprouts in an even layer, cut- side down. Scatter the lemon zest over the top and cook, undisturbed, until the Brussels sprouts are well- browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red- pepper flakes, stir and cook until the Brussels sprouts are crisp- tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium- high. Break up any gnocchi that are stuck together, add them to the pan and cook, covered and undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the butter and honey, season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the butter is golden, nutty smelling and foaming, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the Brussels sprouts until warmed through. Serve with grated Parmesan.