Staying In No. 22

Have miso in your fridge? Apple cider? This meal plan is for you.

Welcome! This is “Staying In,” a Sunday newsletter with recipe ideas for your week ahead. Every other Thursday I also publish a “Going Out” edition where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Know someone who might like Riley’s Recs? Get your share link here! And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!

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The Oregonian’s food writer, Michael Russo, released his top 15 Portland pizzerias list this week. I’m not a subscriber, but thanks to a good Samaritan on Reddit, here’s the list:

15) Lombardos 14) Grana 13) Pizza Thief 12) Pan Con Queso 11) Dimo’s Apizza 10) Ranch Pizza 9) Reeva Cafe y Cocina a la Leña 8) No Saint 7) Red Sauce Pizza 6) Cafe Olli 5) Lovely’s Fifty Fifty 4) Ken’s Artisan Pizza 3) Bauman’s on Oak 2) Scottie’s Pizza Parlor and 1) Apizza Scholls.

Sir…no mention of Baby Doll? No Saint as #8?

I’m sure these lists are offensive at best to restaurants who find themselves assigned an arbitrary number. But for consumers, it’s sure-fire click bait. There’s nothing like a ranking to get the people going (and to get me to add Scottie’s to this week’s “menu”).

In addition to pizza, this week’s plan includes two “inspo” ingredients: miso and apple cider.

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning paste that instantly elevates the flavor profile of a dish, adding a touch of umami and salt. It’s a versatile ingredient can be used in everything from ice cream to soup to give a bit of edge. This week, we’ll use it as a salmon marinade and glaze for carrots.

The apple cider is obviously seasonally inspired. Although I do take a couple glugs out of the container in my fridge, I mostly use it for cooking. Specifically, to flavor the farro, which is a top-ten cooking hack for me. This week I’ll also use it as a syrup for waffles.

Enjoy!

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✨ Inspo ingredients for the week: miso and apple cider ✨

DINNERS

• Miso-Glazed Carrots with Scallion Gremolata | Roasted Potatoes | Chicken Thighs

• Farro with Roasted Squash, Feta, and Mint

• Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl

• Bolognese | Arugula Salad

• The #1 from Scottie’s Pizza Parlor

BREAKFAST

• Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

DRINK

• Golden Milk

Notes:

• To cook the potatoes and chicken, heat oven to 400. Cut potatoes in half. Season everything with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add whatever other spices you want like paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, etc. Roast until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender and golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

• I shared the Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl recipe here a few months ago.

• No dessert recipe this week, but if you have a sweet tooth, I recommend going to Lauretta Jean’s and getting their Dutch Apple Pie. A couple of my friends brought it over this week for our regular Bachelor/Bachelorette watch party, and it was *incredible.* (Thanks, Kendall!)

Miso-Glazed Carrots with Scallion Gremolata

Jesse Szewczyk | Bon Appetit

Roasted carrots, with their soft chew and subtle sweetness, are one of my favorite fall dishes. I love this iteration. It seems like a smart move to dress them up with a hearty miso glaze and crunchy scallion sesame gremolata. Both will complement the earthiness of carrots, and provide texture to a vegetable whose only flaw is being susceptible to overcooking. To prepare, you’ll make the gremolata, reduce miso and maple syrup on the stovetop, and then use that sauce to steam and glaze the carrots to perfection.

Farro with Roasted Squash, Feta, and Mint

Melissa Clark | New York Times (Gifted Link)

Do not under any circumstances use emmer farro to make this dish. Unless you want to spend 2 hours constantly checking for done-ness, only to be left frustrated, hungry, and eating al dente grains. Use semi-pearled or pearled farro instead. It can be a little tricky to find in smaller grocery stores, but Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have a 10-minute farro. Bob’s Red Mill is my preferred option.

Like I said in the intro, this recipe uses my favorite trick for farro: adding apple cider to the cooking liquid. This is especially convenient since apple cider is on every grocery store aisle display right now. Using a cooking liquid that’s part water, part cider, helps penetrate flavor into an otherwise bland grain. Wouldn’t hurt to throw in a few bay leaves for good measure.

A note of squash: Melissa calls for using kabocha because you can leave the skin on, but use whatever squash you can find.

Pumpkin Waffles

All Recipes

I have a wedding this week (LOVE YOU KELSEY AND ANDY) and will want a substantial Sunday morning breakfast post-celebration. So, it’s waffle time. I almost never stray from my favorite waffle recipe from Melissa Clark, but I really want to capitalize on pumpkin season, so I’ll use this generic one I found on All Recipes instead. Plus, it calls for making a syrup out of apple cider, which is a great way to use any leftovers from the farro dish.

Golden Milk

When you want something cozy to drink while you read or watch TV, golden milk is the answer. This is what I had last week when I was in the throws of my post-vaccine fever (not to be too dramatic). It couldn’t be more simple to make: just heat up milk, spices, and honey. Feel free to play with the ingredients.

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups milk

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• pinch black pepper

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

DIRECTIONS

• Heat milk on low on stovetop.

• Add spices and sweetener.

• Once heated to your desired temperature, serve.

Bolognese

I want a nice comforting pasta this week. This recipe from

Michael Ruhlman

, inspired by Marcella Hazan, fit the bill. I shared Ruhlman’s pancake “recipe” last week. He’s known for his simple approach to cooking: using ingredient ratios.

He loves this recipe because “The smells of cooking immediately engage our parasympathetic nervous system and relax us. Our ancient limbic brain knows food is coming and that all will be well. The smells of cooking relieve stress.”

I’ve never made bolognese at home, despite it being my go-to order at pastarias (still can’t pronounce it correctly, though), but I’m excited.

Fair warning: it takes 4 hours to make. But again, on a Sunday post-wedding, this is exactly how I’m going to find the perfect balance between relaxing and feeling productive.

Bolognese ...