Staying In No. 29

Meals inspired by my favorite Portland restaurants.

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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Last week, I phoned it in. I made nachos and microwavable desserts and ordered out four times. This week, I’m back baby. Literally. My back is (mostly?) back. And I’m excited to cook again—and go for long walks on Mt. Tabor with my dog.

For this week’s meal plan, I chose recipes inspired by dishes from some of my favorite Portland restaurants. The idea came to me after I got Nong’s Khao Man Gai for dinner and added a bottle of their sauce to my order (recommended in my gift guide!). Figured I might as well lean into a theme. In addition to Nong’s, I’m including a steak recipe from Grain and Gristle (RIP) and the Jerk Cauliflower from Kann.

Also, I got a pint of the Pine Nut Torrone from Cornet Custard this weekend, and it was luxurious and perfect and had marshmallow fluff and I’m in love. Maybe go get a pint as a holiday gift to yourself.

Happy cooking!

✨ Inspo for the week: Portland ✨

DINNERS

• Nong’s Khao Man Gai

• New Season’s White Cheddar Shells | Spinach Salad

• Beef Bavette with Chimichurri and Citrus Aioli | Spinach Salad

• Jerk Cauliflower | Sauteed Spinach, Pine Nuts, and Golden Raisins | Brown Rice

BREAKFASTS

• Oatmeal with Spiced Apples

DESSERT

• Pine Nut Torrone Ice Cream

Notes:

• The New Season’s white cheddar shells are my go-to boxed pasta. Not exactly restaurant-inspired, but it’s made with local cheese, which is a step above Annie’s—my #2 choice.

• If I have leftover steak, I’ll use it along with the citrus aioli to make sandwiches the next day.

• I have leftover apples, cinnamon, etc. from the apple crisp from last week. I’ll heat everything on the stove until soft and then spoon over my oatmeal in the mornings. It’s a great way to make breakfast less boring.

• I’ll use the spinach as a side salad and for the pine nut and golden raisin dish.

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

Nong is Portland’s sweetheart chef. She got her start on Chopped (underrated TV) and has since grown from a small food cart into a beloved brick-and-mortar with multiple locations. She also bottles and sells her famous sauce, which you can buy at any of her restaurants or at stores like New Seasons or Wellspent Market.

Making her famous chicken and rice dish is a three-part process. TBH, this is too involved for me for weeknight cooking so I’m going to modify, but there’s a video above for the full recipe.

This serves 4-5 people.

CHICKEN

• 4 quarter legs of chicken

• 8 cups of water

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 whole garlic

• 1 cup of ginger

Bring the water to a boil. Add chicken, ginger, garlic, sugar, and salt to the pot. Return to a boil, then let simmer for 35 minutes. Remove chicken, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

RICE

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• 2 tbsp of chopped garlic

• 1/3 cup of chopped shallots

• 1/3 cup of minced ginger

• 3 cups of jasmine rice

• 3 cups of chicken broth

Heat coconut oil in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot with lid. Add ginger, garlic, and shallots; cook and stir until golden and aromatic. Add rice to rice cooker or pot; stir to coat. Stir in chicken broth (you can use leftover liquid from when you boiled the chicken). Use your rice cooker like normal. If using a pot, bring rice to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 18 minutes. Take off heat and then let sit for another 10 minutes undisturbed.

To serve, slice chicken cross-wise and lay on top of the rice. Slice up some Persian cucumber and throw on top, too, if you’d like. Then spoon Nong’s sauce over everything and enjoy.

Beef Bavette with Chimichurri and Citrus Aioli

Grain & Gristle | Portland Cooks

Grain & Gristle was a textbook perfect neighborhood restaurant, and I wish it were still around. Housed in the restaurant pod on NE 15th and Prescott, Grain & Gristle had all of the pub favorites—burgers, fried chicken, Ceasar salads, etc.—and I remember there being this rotating three-course meal for $25? Someone correct me in the comments please.

Anyways, when I stumbled upon a recipe of theirs in Portland Cooks (a cookbook of recipes from Portland chefs, also featured in my gift guide), I knew I had to make it. Steak, although luxurious and sometimes expensive, is very easy to make on a weeknight. Plus, even if you mess up, knowing you can disguise the flaws with a healthy dose of chimichurri is a relief.

This recipe is one you make in bits and pieces throughout the day and then assemble when you’re ready to eat. Skip the aioli if you want to simplify.

INGREDIENTS

Steak

• 1/4 cup Kosher salt

• 3lb beef bavette steak (or skirt steak)

Chimichurri

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp Kosher salt

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 shallot, chopped

• 1 Fresno chili, chopped

• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Citrus Aioli

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 cups olive oil

• 2 egg yolks

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• Zest and juice of two limes

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Generously salt the bavette on all sides and set aside for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. To make the chimichurri, combine the vinegar, salt, garlic, shallot, and chile in a bowl. Let everything get to know each other for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the cilantro, parsley, oregano, and oil. Keep these two separate while you continue with the rest of the meal. You’ll combine later.

3. To make the citrus aioli, in a food processor, mix the garlic with just enough oil to make a paste (just a couple of tablespoons should be fine). Add the yolks and mix until it’s pale-ish in color and the mixture is thickened. With the motor running, slowly drizzle the remaining oil into the mixer. If it gets too thick, add a splash of cold water. Finally, add the zest and juice from the lemons and limes, season with salt, and process until fully combined. Let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. The original recipe calls for char-grilling the bavette. Because it’s winter, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to make it on the stovetop.

5. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is lightly smoking, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Give it a swirl. Then, lay the steak down gently away from you to avoid splattering any hot oil in your direction. Sear on the first side for about four minutes, followed by 2-3 minutes on the other side. You’re looking to reach an internal temp of 125-135. Then set on a plate and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

6. Combine the chimichurri ingredients. Arrange steak on a serving platter, spoon the chimichurri on top, and serve the aoili on the side for dipping.

Jerk Cauliflower

Gregory Gourdet | Everyone’s Table

This is the vegetarian main that puts all meat dishes to shame. When you see this glazed, lightly charred cauliflower head served on a platter at Kann, you can’t help but ooh and ahh. A little secret about this dish? It’s surprisingly easy to make at home. It’s essentially two steps: blend the marinade and roast the cauliflower.

The final result is a pleasantly spicy, flavorful meal that would impress any guest. Or simply get dinner on the table on a Tuesday with no effort.

Sauteed Spinach, Pine Nuts, and Golden Raisins

Carrie Vasillos Mullins | Serious Eats

I’ve made the Jerk Cauliflower several times now, and I always pair it with this spinach dish and brown rice. Gregory has a version in his book, but I can’t find it anywhere online so I’m linking to a similar one. It’s also very easy to make and can come together in about 6 minutes. Pine nuts feel like a splurge, but they add a nice textural element to the plate and shouldn’t be omitted. I add the golden raisins to my oatmeal in the morning so that they never go to waste.

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