Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Meredith Heuer for The New York Times

from cooking.nytimes.com

adapted by Jeff Lindenbaum

preparation time: 30 minutes

serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons grated ginger

2 tablespoons garam masala

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Cayenne pepper to taste

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, cut in 2-inch pieces

1+ cup chicken broth

1 13-ounce can coconut milk (whisked to combine liquid and solids)

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 tablespoon lime juice

¼ cup cilantro leaves for garnish

cooked kasha (instead of basmati or jasmine rice)

naan for serving

In a slow cooker, heat oil to medium high, add onions and cook until softened.  Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add garam masala, tomato paste, salt and Cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add chicken pieces, broth, coconut milk, lime zest and lime juice to the pot. Stir all together, cover and cook on low setting for 4½ to 5 hours. Alternately, cook on high for about 1½ hours and low for 1½ hours, and then adjust temperature as needed to finish cooking. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with kasha and/or naan.

For extra flavor, maybe add more lime zest and juice when serving. Serve with kasha for a great nutty taste, or rice.

Roasted Dill Salmon

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

from New York Times Cooking app

submitted by Anne Halsted

preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes marinating

serves 4 to 6

1½ pounds center-cut salmon fillet, skin on

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup fresh lime juice or Seville orange juice, plus additional serving wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon dried dill or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 large garlic clove, crushed

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

⅛ teaspoon ground saffron (optional)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F with a rack in the center position. Choose a baking sheet or baking dish that fits the salmon snugly (so the juices don’t disperse and burn), and line it with parchment paper. Place the salmon skin side down on the baking sheet or dish and season well with salt and pepper.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and spoon over the salmon. If you have time, flip the salmon and let marinate directly on the baking sheet or dish, flesh side down for 15 minutes.

Roast the salmon skin-side down until cooked through to your liking, 9 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile get a pot of rice started. Serve the salmon over rice on a plate with extra lime or orange wedges, and drizzle the pan juices over the salmon and rice.

Salmon with Shallot-Red Wine Reduction Sauce

from Wine with Marguerite Thomas 

submitted by Jeanne Milligan

preparation time: about 1 hour

serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1½ cups minced shallots

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 cup chicken stock

1½ cups red wine

2 teaspoons minced parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice*

Cayenne to taste (optional)

salt and pepper

1½ pounds cooked salmon fillet (prepared as you like it – poached, grilled, broiled, etc.)

Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet. When the butter foams, add the shallots, garlic and bay leaf. Cook over medium-to-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the shallots have softened; then add the chicken stock and red wine. Raise the heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a steady boil, until the mixture has reduced by half (20 to 30 minutes). Add the parsley (and Cayenne, if using) and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Spoon the sauce over the salmon.

*If you want a sauce that is robust, yet not too rich, stir in the lemon juice towards the end of the cooking period, which adds a bright, refreshing note and lightens the texture. For a dense sauce with somewhat more intense favor, add the lemon juice earlier, along with the chicken stock and wine.

Serve with red wine (soft and supple) or a full-bodied Chardonnay.

Curried Shrimp and Crab Gumbo

Sara Essex Bradley for The New York Times

adapted from Saffron Nola, New Orleans

submitted by Anne Halsted

preparation time: 1¾ hours

serves 4

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced ginger

6 cups homemade shrimp stock or store-bought seafood stock

3 medium tomatoes, crushed in a food mill, or 1 cup crushed tomatoes

2 sprigs curry leaves (about 15 leaves)

2 dried bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or ground Cayenne, divided

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

¼ pound blue lump crab meat (about ¾ cup) or use other lump crab meat

cracked black pepper, for serving

½ cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves, for serving

½ cup chopped scallions, for serving

steamed rice, for serving

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until just short of smoking, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the oil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the roux is the color of milk chocolate, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the roux. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the stock, crushed tomatoes, curry leaves (discard the stems), bay leaves, turmeric and thyme, along with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon chili powder. Bring the gumbo to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the flavors meld and skim the skin that forms on the surface, about 1 hour.

Season the shrimp with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon chili powder. Stir the shrimp into the gumbo and cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crab meat and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Crack black pepper into four empty bowls, then divide the cilantro and scallions among the bowls. Add a scoop of steamed rice to each bowl then ladle the gumbo on top to serve.

One-Pan Harissa Shrimp with Blistered Eggplant and Basil

submitted by Mary Reid

preparation time: 15 minutes

serves 2

½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed

1 large eggplant cut into 1 ½-inch chunks

2 tablespoons harissa

1½ tablespoons cumin

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ lemon, zested and juiced

salt

basil leaves, torn

steamed couscous, for serving

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add eggplant and sauté until slightly brown on the outside and almost soft inside. Add harissa and cumin; stir to toast spices for one minute. Add shrimp, garlic, lemon zest and salt.

Cook stirring until shrimp is done, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the lemon juice over the top, add basil, and serve over couscous.

This dish is super-fast, healthy and full of flavor. The spicy harissa and smoky cumin compliment the natural sweetness of the shrimp. Don’t add the salt until the end to ensure the eggplant is extra crispy.

Swap option: substitute any preferred protein cut into small pieces for shrimp. Or omit the protein for a terrific side dish.

Tarragon-Roasted Halibut with Hazelnut Brown Butter

from Epicurious,Bon Appetit

submitted by Anne Halsted

preparation time: about 50 minutes

serves 6 to 8

½ cup blanched hazelnuts

2 large bunches fresh tarragon

1 3 to 3 ½ pound skinless halibut fillet (halved lengthwise if very wide)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Coarsely chop, set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Scatter tarragon sprigs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place halibut on top, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until halibut is just opaque in the center, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on thickness of fish.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until butter foams, and then browns (don’t let burn), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let brown butter cool slightly. Stir in lemon juice, hazelnuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.

Serve fish with hazelnut brown butter sauce and lemon wedges.

Quick-Braised Cod with Herbed Yogurt

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

from The New York Times, early 2018

submitted by Michael Dewees

preparation time: 20 minutes

serves 4

4 cod or hake fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed

1 large shallot or ¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced

5 sprigs of thyme

¼ cup dry white wine

⅓ cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, parsley or cilantro, more for serving

1 small clove garlic, finely grated or minced

flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)

Season fish with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large skillet with a lid, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened and shallot is very soft, about 2 minutes longer.

Add cod to pan, spoon some of the shallots over top of fish and cover pan. Reduce heat as needed; the liquid should be at a simmer, not a boil. Cook until fillets are just opaque, 2 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix yogurt, fresh herbs, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the cod immediately, topped with shallots, yogurt sauce and herbs. Drizzle everything with a little more olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky salt and more pepper.

If using Greek yogurt, thin it out with a little milk or water. Sheep's milk yogurt, if you can get it, has an especially nice tang in this recipe.

I used a mixture of parsley and cilantro in the yogurt, really good. Probably any firm, neutral-flavor fish will do in this recipe.