FIVE DISHES

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and place the Parmesan on a plate. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in

Parmesan and turn to coat, patting to help it stick.

2. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer chicken to a plate.

3. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms, onion and herbs, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally and scraping up any cheese that may be stuck to the pan, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Place chicken on top of vegetables and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the vinegar to the vegetables and toss to combine; serve with chicken.

By Julia Moskin

I know some of you are tired of chickpeas, but this main-dish salad has so many things going on — crispy pita, tahini dressing, juicy tomatoes, warm spices — that the chickpeas act as one of many backup singers and not the main vocals. Yield: 4 main-course servings

Total time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the chickpeas:

Preparation

1. Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing.)

2. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk

in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.

4. Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside.

5. When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, half the pita chips, and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and scatter remaining pita chips on top. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.

Tips: It’s easy to make pita chips from stale pita bread. Cut each round into triangles like a pie and separate the top and bottom layers. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it ripples, add the pita triangles and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Reduce the heat as needed to prevent scorching. oil, ramp or scallion whites, and chard stems, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt and red pepper and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.

3. Add the chard leaves, ramp or scallion greens, and broth, set the heat to medium-low, and cook partly covered, until very soft and silky, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. If using fresh peas, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking; if using frozen peas, stir them in when the greens are cooked.

4. Crack eggs into the greens. Season eggs with salt and pepper, then cover pan completely and cook until eggs are cooked to taste, 5 minutes for very runny, 7 minutes for jammy. Sprinkle with pancetta and serve with toast if you like.

By Kay Chun

The savory glaze that forms on the outside of these meatballs means that you have a tasty sauce for rice ready when they’re cooked. A leafy green stir-fried with ginger is all you need to add; or just kimchi, if you have it. Yield: 4 servings Total time: 20 minutes Ingredients

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