5 weeknight dishes with kids in mind
New York Times food editors and writers spill the beans.
You might assume that the children of New York Times food editors and writers have adventurous palates. Surely, you might think, a person who spends so much time cooking and eating would raise a fearless eater who happily devours composed salads for school lunch. But you’d be wrong. Most of our kids are just as picky as anyone else’s.
Who knows why some kids are so tough to please at the table? Maybe their tastes are still developing, perhaps it’s one of the few ways they can exert their independence, or it’s possible they have legitimate biological sensitivities to certain tastes, textures and smells. Whatever the reason, just like you, we struggle daily with what to cook for our kids that they’ll actually eat and enjoy.
Here are a handful of recipes our kids really do love. Not to say yours will, too, but here’s hoping.
1. SKILLET CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES, PANCETTA AND MOZZARELLA
With a topping of tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, it’s no wonder that I always think of this easy skillet dish as “pizza chicken.” It’s a tangy, milky, gooey, lovable meal that’s somewhat reminiscent of chicken Parmesan, but with succulent bone-in chicken pieces instead of breaded and fried cutlets. Even better, it has pancetta and anchovies for complexity of flavor, and the whole thing comes together in under an hour.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes Ingredients:
3 ½ pounds bone-in chicken pieces (or use a 3 ½ pound chicken cut into 8 pieces) 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 ounces pancetta, diced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 anchovy fillets
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
1 large basil sprig, plus more
chopped basil for serving 8 ounces bocconcini, halved
(or use mozzarella cut into ¾-inch pieces)
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate.
3. Add chicken to skillet. Sear, turning only occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Add garlic, anchovy and red pepper flakes to skillet; fry 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Cook, breaking up tomatoes with a spatula, until sauce thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes.
5. Return chicken to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink, about 30 minutes.
6. Scatter bocconcini or mozzarella pieces over skillet. Adjust oven temperature to broil. Return skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes (watch carefully to see that it does not burn). Garnish with pancetta and chopped basil before serving.
2. ONE-POT RICE AND BEANS
Rice with beans is adored the world over (see: gallo pinto, khichdi, hoppin’ John, and Caribbean rice and peas). This deeply flavored rendition is inspired by these comforting traditions and a desire to wash as few dishes as possible: The rice cooks with the beans and the starchy liquid they’re canned in. As the two ingredients cook together, the beans disperse and glom onto the rice. For an extra kick, sauté chopped jalapeño with the onions, or add ¼ cup salsa with the stock. By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped (about
1 ¼ cups)
1 ¾ cups chicken or vegetable
stock or water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup long-grain rice 1 (15.5-ounce) can black or pinto beans
Lime wedges or cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional) Preparation:
1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Add the salt, rice and beans (including the liquid). Stir just to combine, then cover.
3. Turn the heat down as low as it will go, then let simmer, undisturbed, for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 4 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then garnish with lime or cilantro as you wish.
3. SLOW COOKER WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
This tangy, mildly spicy whitebean chili is as warming and comforting as a traditional chili, but in a lighter, brighter form. Plenty of green chiles — fresh and canned — provide kick while creamy white beans mellow it all out. To decrease the heat level, remove and discard the seeds from the jalapeño before you mince it. A large handful of chopped cilantro added at the end brings freshness, but if you don’t care for cilantro, pass it at the table along with the other toppings or omit it entirely. Continuing the spirit of customizing your chili, you can make this in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Use 3 cups chicken stock in the slow cooker and 4 cups on the stovetop, where liquid is more likely to evaporate. By Sarah DiGregorio
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 4 to 6 hours Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large yellow or red onion, finely chopped Kosher salt
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 jalapeño, minced
3 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, hot, mild or a combination
2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon ground cayenne 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 cups chicken stock 2 (14-ounce) cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups frozen corn
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 small bunch), optional
1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
Pickled jalapeño slices, sliced
sandalwood. $37 for 750ml
Highland Malt from Lyre’s
You could build an entire booze-free bar with the Australia-based Lyre’s, a brand that produces myriad mock spirits including absinthe and dark rum. The company has already won several beverage awards for those products; now founders Mark Livings and Carl Hartmann have introduced the first drink meant to be sipped neat: a woodsy, cereal- and toffee-flavored Highland-inspired malt whiskey. $36 for 700ml
Hemp & Root from the Pathfinder
Hendrick’s Gin brand creator Steven Grasse, Diageo alum Guy Escolme and cannabis vet Chris Abbott have teamed up to produce this amaro-inspired cannabis-based spirit. They add a blend of angelica root, wormwood, saffron and more into a distilled hemp base to yield an herbaceous (although not psychoactive) bittersweet elixir. $40 for 750ml