What to cook: Easy dinners for laid-back spring evenings

By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times

It’s the season — here in New York, at least — for sitting outside at the end of the day with a pastel-colored drink. Then I’ll head into the kitchen, where I’ll be looking to make something simple, quick and delicious. Here are five recipes that hit the mark.

1. Sheet-Pan Miso-Honey Chicken and Asparagus

Sheet-Pan Miso-Honey Chicken and Asparagus. Miso-honey chicken and classic shrimp scampi come together in a flash after happy hour. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh, The New York Times)

This quick and easy sheet-pan meal is broiled instead of baked, which chars the marinade slightly on the chicken, browns the asparagus for maximum flavor and cuts the cooking time to around 10 minutes. The miso-honey mixture packs a punch, with lots of garlic, ginger and as much hot sauce as you like. It doubles as a marinade for the chicken and a sauce to spoon over the chicken and asparagus once cooked. Make sure to arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer, so they cook and char evenly, and keep an eye on the pan, as some broilers have hot spots. Feel free to substitute broccolini for the asparagus, and serve with steamed rice, if desired.

By Yossy Arefi

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 20 minutes, plus marinating

Ingredients

3 tablespoons white miso
3 tablespoons mild honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely grated garlic
2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons neutral oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked rice (optional), for serving

Preparation

1. Make the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the miso, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, chile-garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon water. Refrigerate half the marinade for serving.

2. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Toss the chicken until coated and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes. (A longer marinade may dry out the chicken.)

3. When you are ready to cook, heat the broiler with a rack set 6 inches below it. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

4. Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping off and discarding any excess. Place the chicken in a single layer on one side of the baking sheet, with the flatter side up. Place the asparagus on the other side. Drizzle the asparagus with remaining oil, then season the asparagus; toss to coat.

5. Broil until the chicken is cooked through with some charred spots and the asparagus is browned, about 10 minutes.

6. To serve, top the chicken with a drizzle of the reserved marinade and a sprinkle of scallions. Serve with rice, if desired.

2. Fried Cheese and Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy

Fried Cheese and Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy. Miso-honey chicken and classic shrimp scampi come together in a flash after happy hour. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.(James Ransom, The New York Times)

Fried cheese becomes a main meal in this pantry-reliant dish. Make it with your choice of ‘fry-able’ cheese, one with a high melting point that retains its shape after cooking. Halloumi and paneer are excellent choices, but queso blanco and queso de freir are often less expensive, but just as delicious. (Note: Halloumi is saltier than most frying cheeses so use less salt.) The trick to frying cheese without it sticking is to use a hot skillet, but if you’re not confident, opt for non-stick. This dish can easily be adapted for vegans by substituting the cheese with extra-firm tofu.

By Hetty McKinnon

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil or ghee
10 ounces frying cheese (such as queso de freir, queso blanco, halloumi or paneer), cut into 1/4 inch slices and patted dry
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal (use ½ teaspoon if using halloumi)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (28-ounce) can diced, puréed or crushed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
Handful of cilantro leaves
Flatbread or rice, to serve

Preparation

1. Heat a large (12-inch skillet) on medium-high until very hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil or ghee and swirl it around to coat the base. Add the cheese and fry until golden, 1 to 1½ minutes. Flip and cook the other side. Transfer the cooked cheese to a plate and set aside.

2. Place the same pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or ghee, along with the onions and stir until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, turmeric, ginger, cumin and cinnamon and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, sugar, tomatoes and chickpeas and stir well to combine.

3. Cover and cook on medium, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary, until the tomatoes have thickened up, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if required.

4. Place the cheese on top of the sauce, and cook just until warmed through, 2 minutes.

5. To serve, top with cilantro and serve with flatbread or rice.

3. Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi. Miso-honey chicken and classic shrimp scampi come together in a flash after happy hour. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh, The New York Times)

Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations. This classic recipe makes a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce that goes well with a pile of pasta or with a hunk of crusty bread. However you make the dish, once the shrimp are added to the pan, the trick is to cook them just long enough that they turn pink all over, but not until their bodies curl into rounds with the texture of tires.

By Melissa Clark

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
Cooked pasta or crusty bread

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.

2. Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.

4. Seared Salmon With Caper-Raisin Vinaigrette

Seared Salmon With Caper-Raisin Vinaigrette. Miso-honey chicken and classic shrimp scampi come together in a flash after happy hour. Food Stylist; Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgepeth. (Linda Xiao, The New York Times)

In this rich one-skillet dinner, seared salmon and cauliflower are topped with frizzled capers, plumped raisins, browned butter and vinegar. For cauliflower with bite, sear florets until they’re caramelized but still snappy, then toss with vinegar and raisins. Cooking the salmon skin-side down (and not flipping) ensures a crisp skin and tender fish that won’t dry out. Finish with a baste of brown butter, garlic and capers. Serve alone, with bread or over orzo or farro.

By Ali Slagle

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1/3 cup raisins, any color
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot water
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 small cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into bite-size florets
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets, patted dry
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons rinsed capers, patted dry
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup mint or parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the raisins, vinegar and hot water. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the cauliflower in an even layer and cook undisturbed until browned underneath, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt, stir and cook until golden on a second side but not yet tender, 3 to 5 minutes. If the skillet looks dry at any point, add more oil. Turn off the heat, transfer the cauliflower to the bowl of raisins and stir to coat.

3. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, then lay the salmon in the skillet skin-side down. (You don’t need additional oil because the salmon skin will release enough fat to prevent sticking.) Turn the heat to medium and cook until the salmon is opaque halfway up the sides, 7 to 10 minutes. To one side of the skillet, add the butter. Once nearly melted, add the capers and garlic to the butter. Tilt the skillet and spoon the butter over the salmon until the salmon is cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with nutmeg, if using.

4. Stir the mint into the cauliflower-raisin mixture, then transfer to plates. Transfer the salmon to plates skin-side up, then spoon the butter, garlic and capers over the salmon and cauliflower.

5. Bean and Cheese Burritos

Bean and Cheese Burritos. Miso-honey chicken and classic shrimp scampi come together in a flash after happy hour. Food Stylist; Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgepeth. (Linda Xiao, The New York Times)

Mexican refried beans are a cinch to make at home on a weeknight thanks to some staple pantry items and a few basic fresh ingredients. Buttery canned pinto beans are perfect in this dish, breaking down into a creamy, silky mixture. (Black beans would also work great.) While the beans are often fried in lard or bacon drippings, this vegetarian version builds flavor with caramelized onion, bell pepper, garlic and smoked paprika instead. Pico de gallo adds a touch of tang to counter the rich beans. Pan-frying the wrapped burritos guarantees a golden, irresistibly crispy exterior and an interior that oozes with melted cheese.

By Kay Chun

Yield: 6 burritos

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (from 1/2 pepper)
Salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, 1/2 cup of bean liquid reserved and the rest drained
1/2 cup store-bought or homemade pico de gallo or salsa
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
6 (9- to 10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (8 ounces)
Sour cream and hot sauce, for serving

Preparation

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add onion and bell pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden and tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, 1 minute. Add pinto beans, pico de gallo, smoked paprika, reserved bean liquid and 1/2 cup of water, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring and mashing occasionally with a potato masher or the back of a spoon, until liquid is absorbed and mixture is thick, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer refried beans to a bowl, and wipe out skillet.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of the refried beans in the center of each tortilla and top each with 1/3 cup of the cheese. Fold the short sides of the tortilla over the filling; fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the filling and tightly roll.

3. In the skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Add 3 burritos seam side down and cook until golden, turning occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to serving plates and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 3 burritos. Serve warm with sour cream and hot sauce on the side.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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