This week’s 3 dinner ideas
BASICS 2.0
Pan-Roasted Whole Chicken Legs
This calls for just four ingredients (six if you get ambitious) and uses the whole quicken leg quarter (drumstick and thigh), so one is enough for a serving. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat, and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Season whole chick
en legs (enough to fit in the pan without squeezing too much) with a generous amount of salt and pepper. I like to add some granulated
garlic and dried oregano (any favorite spice will do), but it’s not necessary. When the pan is really hot, sear the chicken legs, skin side down, for 5-7 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden. Flip them and cook another 2 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and cook for about 3035 minutes, or until the juices run clear on the chicken when you pierce the thigh. Serve hot. I like them with good bread and salad, but they’ll go with just about anything.
PHONE-TO-STOVE
Steak & Spring Vegetable Sauté
Prather Ranch sells sliced dryaged stir-fry meat, both on Good Eggs or at their Ferry Building shop. You can also ask your butcher to cut top sirloin into thin 2-inch strips for you. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough sesame or olive oil (or a combination of both) to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.
Season thinly sliced top sirloin strips with salt and pepper. Add the strips to the pan, and cook, without moving, for about 3 minutes, until they start to brown. Shake the pan and cook another 2 minutes. Remove the meat and set aside. Pour off the excess liquid and add a swirl of sesame oil. Add chopped green or spring
onions and snap peas to the pan. ( I’m currently loving crisp snap peas, but this could be anything – broccolini, fava leaves or dandelion greens, asparagus, mixed bell peppers, etc.) Season well with salt and
pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, until vegetables start to soften. Add steak back to the pan. Add any of the following and cook for a couple minutes more: a generous squeeze of lemon juice, or a couple teaspoons of maple syrup, a splash of soy sauce, and a
few drops of sriracha, if you like a little heat. If you’re feeling really ambitious, garnish with a sprinkling of togarashi, a bottled blend of nori, salt and sesame seeds. Serve with brown rice or quinoa, or on its own with a salad.
QUICK & SEASONAL
Asparagus & Eggs On Toast
Serves 4
This recipe from The Chronicle archives comes from chef and author Joanne Weir. Her mother used to make a version of this, which she then adapted to make it a little heartier. It’s one of the simplest — and best — ways to turn asparagus into a meal when it’s in season. It’s important to use the best quality ingredients you can find, as there are so few.
4 slices coarse textured bread (like levain), cut into ½-inch-thick slices 1 tablespoon + 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1 pound asparagus, ends removed Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 to 8 large eggs 1⁄3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions: Place the bread under the broiler or in a toaster oven, and toast on both sides until golden. Place on individual serving plates, and brush the tops lightly with the 1
tablespoon of butter. Peel the ends of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler. Put about 1 inch of water into a skillet large enough to hold the asparagus spears, preferably in a single layer, and bring the water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt and cook the asparagus until tender, 3-4 minutes. Remove, drain on paper towels and arrange on the toasts, dividing evenly.
Place 1 teaspoon butter and ½ tablespoon olive oil into an 8-inch, non-stick frying pan, and heat over medium heat. Crack 2 eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until the eggs are done, sunny-side-up style. Place on top of the toast.
Repeat with the remaining eggs, butter and olive oil, and place the cooked eggs on top of the other toasts. Top each serving with a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Per serving: 249 calories, 8 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (7 g saturated), 25 mg cholesterol, 308 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.
Start with a slice of toast, then top it with asparagus, an egg and a shower of Parmesan for a simple springtime dinner.