Staying In No. 27
Back to regularly scheduled programming.
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!
If I had to eat the same meal every day for the rest of my life, it would be rice and beans. Ideally with a side salad, grilled meat, or egg on top. It’s such a satisfying meal. At one point (college) I was really into adding a healthy drizzle of Lizano salsa. Lizano is Costa Rica’s favorite condiment. Because it mostly contains ingredients like acetic acid, hydrolyzed corn protein, and sodium benzoate, it’s not an everyday thing for me anymore, but don’t knock it until you try it.
For this week’s menu, I’ll pair the rice and beans with a sofrito and onion salad, and I’ll use Rancho Gordo black beans (they’re the best, high-quality dried beans out there!). While I’m at it, I’ll also buy some Rancho Gordo split peas to make soup. Here’s a store locator with where to buy. I’ll get mine at Coquine Market, where I can also grab a few chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Happy cooking!
✨ Inspo for the week: leftover Revel Meat bacon and beans ✨
DINNERS
Black Beans, Rice, and Avocado | Ensalada de Cebolla
Picadillo | Leftover Beans and Rice
Roasted Honey Nut Squash and Chickpeas With Hot Honey | Naan
Split Pea Soup | Bread
LUNCH
Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, and Spinach Sandwiches
BREAKFAST
“Famous” Waffles
Notes:
I didn’t take any food home after Thanksgiving dinner, which means I didn’t get to enjoy a “leftovers” sandwich. So I’ll just buy my own turkey and cranberry sauce at the store and make Thanksgiving-inspired sandwiches this week.
I’ll buy a loaf of Grand Central bread at the beginning of the week for sandwiches and then eat any leftovers with the split pea soup.
You can make your own hot honey by heating red pepper flakes and honey together on the stove or in the microwave.
You can use butternut instead of honey nut squash.
Here’s a refresher on how to cook dried beans (but canned is obviously a great alternative).
Picadillo
Maria del Mar Cuadra | Serious Eats
Picadillo is made from a “sofrito” of onion, garlic, and red bell pepper, which is essentially the Latin American equivalent of a French mirepoix (carrot, onion, and celery). You might have had picadillo before as an empanada filling — it has a ground pork or beef base and is seasoned with cumin, oregano, and white wine. Potato and pimento green olives are thrown in near the end and provide more substance to the dish. The end result is a sweet/salty dish that pairs perfectly with rice and beans. Remember to cook the sofrito low and slow in order to maximize flavor.
Ensalada de Cebolla
Beryl Shereshewsky
Finding the right balance of onion, tomato, and watercress will be your goal here. Otherwise, it’s pretty simple: slice everything thinly and season with olive oil, lemon, and some soy sauce. If you find onions to be too intense, mellow them out by soaking in water for 10-15 minutes before assembling. This was a reader submission. Thanks, Julia!
Roasted Honey Nut Squash and Chickpeas With Hot Honey
Melissa Clark | New York Times (Gifted Link)
I’m not sick of fall vegetables yet. Anything with butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes still sounds good to me. This dish is a great one that I turn to regularly year-round when I want to eat vegetarian. I love everything about it: hot honey, crispy chickpeas, squash, dollops of yogurt. I’ll serve with naan, but you could also serve on top of a pile of arugula, with rice, or alongside sausages (which you could just slice and throw on the sheet pan with the butternut squash, too).
A few notes:
Honestly, don’t bother trying to get the skins off the chickpeas. Not worth it.
Bake on two trays (one for squash and one for chickpeas) to avoid crowding the pan.
Split Pea Soup
Rancho Gordo
What’d you eat for breakfast? Pea green soup. What did you eat for lunch? Pea green soup. What did you eat for dinner? Pea green soup. What did you do all night? Pee green soup.
Anyways, split pea soup is an incredibly easy and forgiving dish. It’s not pretty, but it’s full of flavor and nutrients. This recipe calls for crispy prosciutto, but I’m going to use some leftover bacon I bought from Revel Meat at Providore. Which, by the way, is the best bacon I’ve ever had. I chose this recipe because it’s vegetarian-friendly, but if you want a bit more protein and have an InstantPot, here’s a great pressure-cooker recipe from Serious Eats that uses ham.
“Famous” Waffles
Marion Cunningham | Fannie Farmer
This is another reader-submitted recipe. Thanks, Carolyn! I typically make Melissa Clark’s waffle recipe on the weekends, but using a yeasted dough like this one is sure to take this breakfast classic to new heights. The overnight rise is also just more convenient. I can wake and bake (iron?).
Acetic acid is vinegar