dinner tonight

What put me in the cherry mood? Perhaps it was finding a jar of cherry jam in the fridge and realizing that it had never been opened. Or, it could have been the bag of dried cherries in the pantry that, too, was still sealed up tight.

Salmon with Cherry Sauce and Israeli Couscous Recipe

salmon fillets,

olive oil,

salt and black pepper

Israeli couscous

cherry jam

red wine vinegar

dried cherries, chopped

almonds

juice lemon

Adjust oven rack to six inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Brush the top of the fillets with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place salmon skin-side down on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Cook until salmon is golden brown on top and cooked through, eight to ten minutes. Halfway through, carefully rotate the pan so the fish evenly cooks. Remove pan when done. 

Meanwhile, bring 3 1/3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the couscous and a pinch of salt. Cook until the couscous is tender, five to six minutes. When done, drain the couscous in a colander. 

Combine the cherry jam and red wine vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sauce reduces to a glaze. Turn heat to low to keep warm. If mixture thickens too much, add a little more vinegar or water. 

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried cherries and almonds. Cook, stirring often, until the almonds are toasted but not burnt. Add the drained couscous, and stir well to combine. Turn off the heat. Add half of lemon juice stir to combine, and adjust seasoning with more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil as desired. Serve couscous with cooked salmon and cherry glaze.

Pad see-ew is perhaps less known in America than pad thai, but it's certainly no less delicious.

Pad See-Ew Recipe

boneless chicken, thinly sliced

baking soda

oyster sauce

sugar

rice vinegar

garlic clove,

Vegetable oil

rice noodles

broccoli florets, sliced

eggs

sweet dark soy sauce

In a medium-sized bowl, toss the chicken with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and the baking soda. Set aside. 

In a second medium-sized bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and garlic clove. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook according to the directions on the packaging. When done, remove noodles with a pair of tongs and drain in a colander. Toss with a tablespoon of oil so the noodles don't stick together. 

Place the pot back over high heat and return to a boil. Place the marinated chicken in a large strainer and dip into the water. Cook until the chicken looks white. When done set the chicken aside in a large bowl. 

Pour enough oil into a large work to just coat the bottom and turn heat to high. When just starting to smoke, add the broccoli. Stir-fry until broccoli turns bright green and becomes tender. Transfer broccoli to the large bowl and set aside. 

Carefully rinse out the wok and then dry it. Pour in two tablespoons of oil, and turn heat to high. When just starting to smoke, crack in the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, scramble the eggs. When set, add the noodles. Toss well to separate the strands, and then let them cook for a minute. 

Drizzle on the sweet soy sauce, toss well, and then let cook undisturbed until the noodles start to brown, about one minute. Add the broccoli and chicken back to the pan. Toss well. When everything is warm, pour in sauce. Stir fry until everything is coated. Turn off the heat and serve immediately. 

This is what my wife asked me to accomplish: a) Recreate the tomato soup from Nordstrom, and b) don't mess it up. In case you're not familiar with this soup, it's rather famous, ranked regularly on lists of Best Tomato Soup Ever, enjoying something of a cult following for those who love tomato soup.

Nordstrom's Tomato Basil Soup Recipe

olive oil

carrots,

onion,

dried basil, crushed

whole peeled Roma tomatoes

chicken broth

heavy cream

Salt and pepper

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add carrots and onion and cook until beginning to soften, 10 minutes, then add basil and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about 5 minutes more.

Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, or up to 45 minutes if time permits.

After allowing soup to cool somewhat, purée in a blender or food processor until smooth, doing so in batches if necessary. For a much silkier texture, strain the purée before returning to the pot.

Stir in cream little by little over over low heat, until desired texture is reached and soup is just heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

As tough as chicken breasts can be to cook—there's no fat or bone to help mitigate dryness—a pounded chicken "paillard" is as easy. It's a technique that becomes a no-brainer once you learn it, whenever sauteeing the old boneless, skinless standby. By pounding the breast into uniform thickness and watching carefully, you can turn out a surprisingly moist cutlet with plenty of caramelized surface area. Add a delicious pan sauce—this time, by one Thomas Keller—and it's a solid dinner, indeed.

Thomas Keller's Chicken Breasts with Tarragon Recipe

sweet paprika

yellow curry powder

(about 8 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Canola oil

unsalted butter

shallot

dry white wine

chicken stock

tarragon

black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the paprika and curry powder. Sprinkle the mixture over both sides of the chicken breasts. If time permits, cover and refrigerate for a couple hours.

Lay the chicken breasts between two large pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound them until they are uniformly of 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides liberally with salt.

Preheat an over to 200F, and place a baking sheet with a cooling rack set over it in the center. In a large (14-inch) skillet, heat a film of canola oil over high heat until almost smoking. Lay two of the chicken breasts presentation (smooth) side down into the pan and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Flip the breasts and cook the other side until golden, being careful not to overcook the thin breasts. Transfer to the rack, add a little more oil to the pan if needed, and repeat with the other breasts.

Pour out any remaining oil in the pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the shallot and cook until just soft, about 3 seconds, then add the wine and cook until reduced by half. 

Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and reduce until thickened to a sauce consistency. Stir in the chopped tarragon and remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter and swirl the pan until just melted into a glossy sauce. Pour in any accumulated juices on the baking sheet and swirl to combine.

Arrange the chicken on a platter, pour the sauce over it, and serve immediately.

A twist on roast chicken, this technique from a recipe in Food & Wine tackles the problem of the breast meat drying out by the time the thighs are ready due to the thighs taking longer to cook. Cutting out the backbone and flattening the chicken changes the playing field. Make a slash through the leg to speed up cooking, and the chicken can now be cooked all at once to the same degree of doneness.

Dinner Tonight: Jacques P&#233;pin's Quick-Roasted Chicken Recipe

chicken

garlic cloves, minced

Dijon mustard

soy sauce

Tabasco

herbes de Provence

salt

Preheat the oven to 450°F. In the meantime, place the chicken on a cutting board breast-side down and, using kitchen shears, cut along either side of the backbone to remove it. Flip the chicken over and press gently but firmly onto the breastbone until the chicken flattens. Using a sharp knife, slash partway through both sides of the joint between the thigh and the leg. Do the same for the joint between the wing and breast.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine. In a large over-proof skillet, place the chicken skin-side down and pour half the sauce over it, rubbing it into the flesh. Turn the chicken over and pour the remaining sauce onto it.

Place the skillet over high heat for about 5 minutes, until the chicken begins to sizzle and brown. Transfer to the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until the skin is crackly and the chicken is cooked through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving.

[Photograph: Blake Royer] Sometimes a craving for some classic dish from childhood will hit me like a ton of bricks. Swedish meatballs, tuna and pea casserole, fettucine alfredo—none of them have any mercy on me. So when I recently began...

Dinner Tonight: Beef Stroganoff Recipe

butter

shallots (or substitute onion

cremini mushrooms, sliced

Salt

Pepper

nutmeg

dry tarragon tarragon

brandy

sour cream,

egg noodles

In a large skillet with plenty of room for the beef strips to brown without crowding (work in batches if necessary), heat half the butter over medium-high heat.  When the foam subsides and the butter is very hot, add the beef strips in a single layer.  The pan should be hot enough to brown the beef quickly, but not hot enough to burn the butter.  Turn once to brown the other side, then season well with salt and pepper.  Remove the beef strips to a bowl, leaving the fat and juices in the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots.  Cooking until soft, for a couple minutes, as they soak up the juices.  Scrape them into the bowl with the beef.  In the meantime, bring a pot of salty water to boil and prepare to cook the egg noodles until tender.

Add the remaining butter to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high.  When the butter foam subsides, add the mushrooms, tarragon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook until the mushrooms are soft and golden.  Begin cooking the noodles.

Add a few tablespoon of water and the brandy or coganc (if using) to deglaze the pan (gently scape up any browned bits).  Lower the heat and add the sour cream, making sure it does not boil or it will separate.  Stir in the beef and shallots, and add water if necessary to thin the sauce to a good consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over the noodles.

If you've ordered takeout from a Chinese restaurant in your life, you've probably either seen or tasted Kung Pao chicken. And I'll admit that it's a dish I've loved and still enjoy. But the Westernized version is missing the key ingredient that is the star of the authentic Sichuan version, known more commonly as Gong Bao chicken: Sichuan peppercorns.  It's their unique, mouth-numbing effect that gives the dish its spicy, warming quality.

Gong Bao Chicken Recipe

unsalted peanuts

cornstarch

unroasted peanut oil or other neutral oil

Sichuan peppercorns

red chiles,

garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced

ginger root, peeled and very thinly sliced

scallions,

white rice,

Combine the chicken, corn starch, and half the soy sauce in a small bowl. Toss the chicken until it's well-coated in the mixture, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large, dry skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the peanuts and cook, gently tossing occasionally, until they're golden brown and fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Heat the oil in the skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chiles and cook, stirring continuously, until the chiles turn a light brown in color.

Turn the heat to high and add the marinated chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until starting to turn golden, then add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and peanuts. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, 1-2 minutes more.

Remove from the heat, pour the remaining soy sauce over the chicken, and serve immediately with rice.

I recently bought one of those Kyocera plastic mandolines—the cheap alternative to large French models—and it's changed everything. Never mind that a cell phone company makes it; this thing works. And it makes me look like a fast, skilled cook,...

Fennel, Arugula and Green Apple Salad Recipe

For the salad

walnut halves

fennel

Granny Smith apple

baby arugula (or regular arugula, sliced into wide ribbons)

For the dressing

lemon

juice of 1 orange

cider vinegar

shallot, finely chopped

sugar (omit if the orange

In a 350ºF oven or small skillet, toast the walnuts until fragrant and warmed through, 5-7 minutes.

Combine the dressing ingredients except the sugar in a small jar and shake vigorously until emulsified.  Taste, and add the sugar if necessary (it depends on how sweet the orange is).

Slice off the fennel stem tops and root, then halve.  Halve and core the apple.  Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice both as thinly as possible.  If not using immediately, keep the slices in a bowl of water to avoid browning.

Toss the fennel and apple slices with the arugula in a large bowl with the dressing.  Top with the walnuts and some chopped fennel fronds.

The original goal was to make saag paneer (sometimes called palak paneer), an incredible Indian dish of spinach and freshly made cheese. It's time-consuming and not exactly a Dinner Tonight, but it would have been undeniably tasty. I was politely...

Dinner Tonight: Palak Aalu, Palak Paneer's Cousin Recipe

potatoes,

spinach

black mustard seeds

cumin seeds

turmeric

coriander

cumin

jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

water

Rinse the spinach in a colander and then toss it into a large pot set over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. The spinach should wilt and reduce in size. Roughly chop the spinach.

Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant. This should take a couple minutes. Then add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, and jalapenos. Cook for another minute.

Add the cubed potatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the water and a pinch of salt, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.

Toss in the chopped spinach, stir well, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes. Grate the nutmeg on top and serve with rice. 

When it comes to convenient pantry staples to have on hand for a quick meal, a can of good Thai curry paste ranks up there with bacon and kimchi. Grab a can of coconut milk and whatever happens to be in the fridge, and twenty minutes later you have a stunningly spicy dinner waiting for you.

Red Curry with Shrimp, Zucchini, and Carrot Recipe

(14 coconut milk

red curry paste

zucchini,

small carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

peas

Asian fish sauce

palm sugar or brown sugar

low-sodium chicken stock

shrimp,

mint leaves, stems removed, half chopped

lime

Open the coconut milk can and scoop off 1/4 cup of the thick cream. Add this to a large 12-inch non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid starts to bubble furiously. Add the red curry paste, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the curry paste is very fragrant, about three minutes. 

Add the zucchini and carrots, turn the heat to medium, and stir until the pieces are completely covered in the paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables just start to soften, about 3 minutes. 

Pour in the remaining coconut milk, and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. If using jalapeños, add them now. Cook until vegetables are completely tender, about 7 minutes. Add shrimp and peas, and cook until shrimp are pink and plump, about 2 minutes. 

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the fish sauce, chicken stock, and sugar. When sugar has dissolved, pour this into the skillet. Stir well and simmer for a minute. Turn off the heat, add cilantro, chopped mint, and lime juice. Serve the curry with the whole mint leaves as a garnish and a side of white rice. 

In a medium pot, over medium heat, combine the drained lentils, onion, tomato, chile, ginger, garlic and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, then lower the

Red Lentil Soup

red lentils,

tomato,

green serrano chile, splt and seeded

ginger,

garlic,

canola oil

paprika

kosher salt

cilantro, chopped

This is the kind of chicken noodle soup I can get into. It's warming and comforting, with hunks of chicken meat and slinky noodles suspended in a rich stock. But this isn't some bland rendition. No, this soup is imbued with the haunting aroma of star anise and cinnamon, and tickled by the numbing sensation of Sichuan pepper. A sprinkling of chopped chile completes this assertive bowl of soup, which comes together surprisingly fast.

Dinner Tonight: Sichuan-Style Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

leek, cleaned, ends trimmed, hard green parts discarded, and thinly sliced

shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced

vegetable oil

rice wine

cinnamon

star anise

Sichuan pepper

noodles egg

chicken,

jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, Pour oil into medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat. Add leeks and mushrooms. Cook until leeks are soft, about four minutes.

Add chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan pepper, and black pepper. Turn heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for five minutes. 

Meanwhile, add noodles to large pot of boiling cook for exactly one minute less than instructions on packaging say. When timer goes off, drain noodles and transfer to saucepan. Add shredded roast chicken and cook for one minute. 

Serve soup in large bowls with garnish of chopped jalapenos to taste. 

This 2-ingredient, easiest chicken is one of the best baked chicken dishes you are likely to make.

Duck Sauce Chicken

duck sauce (Sweet & Sour)

My guess is that there's only so much excitement I can drum up about a lentil soup.  Inherently, it's just not going to send you running to the kitchen with nothing on your mind besides, "I have to cook this now," like a picture of a dripping burger might, or a seared, crusty steak. But I'm going to try anyway, because even though lentils have a reputation as sort of drab, this is one of the best recipes for them I've ever made.

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