Staying In No. 34

Finally, February.

Feb 02, 2025

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!

It’s such a meme to be like “January is the longest year.” But it really does drag on and on.

Welcome, February. I’m looking forward to:

Eating as many dumplings as I can during Dumpling Week next week. I’m especially excited for Gado Gado’s shrimp wonton soto, ¿Por Que No?’s chorizo empanada, and Bluto’s crispy feta dumpling.
Ending dry January and going to a few bars I’ve been wanting to try, including Teardrop Lounge, Duality Brewing, and Normandie.
Snow? Maybe??
Finally trying my hand at making croissants.
The Toothpick Test
has a nice little guide I’ll follow as I make my first attempt.

So that’s February. But this week specifically, I'm trying out some new recipes, including Kenji Lopez-Alt's 15-minute tomato soup. I'm curious to see if it really is that fast.

Enjoy!

✨ Inspo ingredients: cheddar, asparagus, basil, and bread ✨

DINNERS

Stir-Fried Chicken with Hot Basil & Fried Egg
Beet and Lentil Salad with Cheddar
Caramelized Shallot Pasta | Asparagus
15-Minute Tomato Soup | Tuna Sandwiches

LUNCH

Ham, Cheddar, and Sautéed Asparagus on Baguette

BREAKFAST

Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries

Notes:

The lunch sandwich is simple and doesn’t require a recipe. But here’s a melted variation. I’m just going to buy a baguette and then make little Paris-inspired sandwiches.
If you’re buying ham, a nice bonus recipe to throw in here is Kimchi Fried Rice, which calls for a thick slab of ham.
I’m eating oatmeal with blueberries this week because I listened to a story from This American Life this weekend about people being stuck in a loop that involved a woman saying “porridge with blueberries” over and over again. SNL also had a great joke about oatmeal on Weekend Update with their most recent Timothée Chalamet episode. Oatmeal is on a PR run.
Basil is used in the chicken stir fry and soup.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Hot Basil & Fried Egg

Andy Ricker | Splendid Table

I feel like this recipe could be called “Chicken Two Ways.”

It’s from Pok Pok’s Andy Ricker, and is a one-plate stir-fry that’s typically served for breakfast in Thailand.

I’m recommending this even though I know eggs are a luxury right now. On Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me this weekend, Peter Segal made the joke, “Hold on to them for a few years, and they’ll be worth a lot more!”

At about $2.50 an egg, they’re still more affordable than a lot of other ingredients. And a fried egg makes so many dishes 10x better, including this one.

A note on substitutions: Andy insists that “Holy” Thai basil is essential. It’s a spicy leaf and adds more heat to the dish. But you can just use regular or Thai basil (the unholy variety, I guess). You can also sub long beans with green beans.

Beet and Lentil Salad with Cheddar

Hetty Lui McKinnon | New York Times (Gifted Link)

This is a hearty salad that stands on its own for dinner. Especially if you have toasted bread on the side or add a bit of chickpeas or tuna. There’s also a lot of room for using pre-made ingredients like cooked beets and canned lentils. You can also swap in your preferred nuts and herbs — truly just use what you have. The point is that the combo of beets + lentils + nuts + cheese + apple cider vinegar dressing is sure to please.

Caramelized Shallot Pasta

Alison Roman | a newsletter

I used to make this recipe all the time during the pandemic when I was temporarily living with my parents (thanks again, Mom and Dad!). We all loved this dish and ate it so much that I haven’t had it since. But it popped into my head this week because it has a great effort to flavor ratio.

Quite obviously, the requirement here is: must love anchovies. But feel free to use a different pasta shape and use tubed anchovies and tomato paste instead of canned.

15-Minute Tomato Soup

Kenji Lopez Alt | Serious Eats

This soup promises a lot: a 15-minute cook time, creaminess without dairy….

Let’s see if it can deliver. Kenji says that getting the oil and water to emulsify requires a high-speed blender and some bread. He calls for white sandwich bread, but I’m going to use pieces of baguette (with crusts removed). If you make this, let me know what you think!

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