Hello! This month we are leaning in hard to comfort carbs– rice, noodles, bread– we got ’em all! Some months just are not destined to be vegetable months. Sorry, April. I still think you’re pretty special. Closing out the month with a couple of Maangchi recipes because we all deserve to be delighted now and then.
April Faves
#1: Cheese Buldak/Fire Chicken. Ya girl loves anything involving a crispy rice cake.
#2: One-Pot Turmeric Coconut Rice with Greens
#3: Roasted gnocchi and artichokes with bacon and roasted tomato-red pepper sauce. Crispy gnocchi is just the most delightful, and bacon fat-roasted artichokes, it turns out, bring a lot to the party.
Honorary Mention: Everything bagel chive-parmesan puff pastry croutons. I mean, come on. We all know the croutons are the whole point of a salad anyway, so why not really lean in?
- One-pot turmeric coconut rice with greens (love this recipe!); I add chickpeas and crumbled feta. Makes for great lunch leftovers.
- Crispy gnocchi with crisped leftover Easter ham, peas, garlic cream sauce, and fennel fronds
- Kale salad with crispy potatoes, walnuts, and tuna-lemon dressing
- Lamb meatballs with roasted asparagus and chickpeas, yogurt sauce, and cilantro
- Chicken schnitzel with lemony Brussels sprout slaw and browned butter caper sauce
- Roasted tofu and green beans with chile crisp
- Baked farro with lentils, tomato, and feta (plus red peppers and a good drizzle of honey)
- Hot dish (!): potatoes, peppers, chicken, and spinach in a smoky paprika béchamel, topped with tater tots
- Roasted gnocchi and artichokes with bacon and roasted tomato-red pepper sauce (roast bacon in oven, then pour off most of the fat and stir in halved artichoke hearts and gnocchi straight from the package. Insert chef’s kiss emoji here.)
- Brothy kale, potato, red pepper, and chickpea soup with garlic bread
- Kraft mac & cheese with hot dogs and garlicky seared Brussels sprouts (if you pretend to be too old for Kraft and hot dogs, you’re lying and we both know it)
- Sopa de fuba (from Neide Rigo via Saveur) with blue cheese swirl bread (NB: I rolled the dough out into a rectangle and added a layer of blue cheese that way before proceeding with the recipe as written. I did not regret it.)
- Quiche: homemade ricotta, gruyere, spinach, and caramelized onion in a chive and parmesan rough puff pastry crust (As I’ve mentioned approximately a million times (sorry not sorry), homemade ricotta is so simple and so worth the minimal effort for a HUGE flavor and texture difference from what you’ll find at the grocery store.)
- Cheese Buldak (Fire Chicken) (If you’re spice-sensitive, don’t let the name scare you off– it’s a pretty mild, sweet heat!)
- Romaine salad dressed in oil and vinegar, with roasted sweet potato, walnuts, and halloumi, with everything bagel chive-parmesan puff pastry croutons (roll out leftover rough puff/pie dough, brush with heavy cream, top with everything bagel mix, cut into 1″ squares. Bake at 425 til done.)
- Jjapaguri (ram-don) with chicken and scallions
Law and Lentils 