January's here, which means I'm back at the stove. This week is all about winter comfort that still works on a Tuesday: stir-fries, sheet pans, and a stew that cooks itself. Something for everyone.
This Week's Recipes
1. Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry
Twenty minutes, start to finish. Sliced steak, half a head of cabbage, and a hot cast-iron pan. That's it.
The secret is a full tablespoon of coarsely crushed black peppercorns pressed into the beef with garlic, brown sugar, and cornstarch. It forms a crust that's sharp and sweet. The cabbage goes into the same hot pan and picks up the caramelized bits. Rice vinegar at the end brightens it up.
Feels like takeout. Serve it over rice.
The Split: Adults get beef with a full tablespoon of crushed black peppercorns; kids get tender slices with just soy sauce and brown sugar over rice.
Serves: 2 to 4 servings | Time: 20m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →
2. Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric
Make this when you want the house to smell good. Chickpeas fry in turmeric and oil until they crack and crisp, then coconut milk and stock turn everything golden and thick. Takes about an hour, mostly hands-off.
Some of the chickpeas break down against the pot bottom, thickening the broth. Greens wilt in at the end. Adult bowls get red-pepper flakes and fresh mint; kid bowls stay mild with yogurt.
Vegetarian, good leftovers, filling without meat.
The Split: Adults get red-pepper flakes and mint; kids get the same coconut-turmeric stew without heat, over rice with yogurt.
Serves: 4 to 6 servings | Time: 55m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →
3. Crispy Gnocchi With Sausage and Broccoli
If you haven't roasted shelf-stable gnocchi yet, try it this week. They go in soft, come out golden and crispy with a chewy center. Toss with broccoli, olive oil, and garlic, scatter pinched sausage on top, and roast.
Good one to cook with kids. They can pinch the sausage into pieces. Everything roasts on one pan. Lemon and Parmesan at the end. Takes about 45 minutes, mostly oven time.
Doesn't look like much but you'll make it again.
The Split: Adults add crushed red pepper and extra lemon; kids sprinkle their own Parmesan, no heat.
Serves: 4 servings | Time: 45m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →
4. Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl
There's a moment under the broiler when the miso glaze goes from sticky to charred, and that's when it's done. White miso, honey, and grapefruit make a glaze that's salty, sweet, and a little bitter. Broils in five to seven minutes—rice takes longer.
The rice gets butter and scallions, fluffed until glossy. You'd want to eat the bowl even without the salmon. But the salmon is what makes it, pink and flaky under that dark crust.
Looks fancy, takes thirty-five minutes. One sheet pan, one pot.
The Split: Adults get miso-grapefruit-ginger glaze; kids get the same buttery rice with salmon glazed in just honey and miso.
Serves: 4 servings | Time: 35m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →
5. Skillet Chicken With Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions
Caramelized onions turn sweet and jammy when you cook them long enough. Nothing like raw onions. Here they cook with mushrooms and bone-in chicken thighs that get a quick honey-mustard marinade.
The chicken cooks right in the onions and mushrooms, picking up sweetness from the pan. Sherry vinegar at the end for the adults cuts the richness. Takes about thirty minutes, mostly passive.
Shred the kid portions and toss with buttered egg noodles. The sweet onions coat the pasta, chicken stays tender.
The Split: Adults get honey-mustard-sherry vinegar with crusty bread; kids get the same chicken and caramelized onions shredded over buttered noodles.
Serves: 4 servings | Time: 30m | Get the recipe at NYT Cooking →
That's week one done. I hope at least one of these gets you to slow down at dinner. Cook something good, and I'll see you next week.
