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!
Roux Portland—a celebration of women-owned food businesses—kicked off this weekend with a speaking panel and a food fair (not too late to go!). The rest of this week includes a sprinkling of specials and events at the restaurants listed here. I’m particularly excited for the Red Sauce pizza special: aged mozzarella, pecorino, stracciatella, the Flavor Society Chili Crisp, mint and basil. There’s also a Latte Throwdown, hosted by Portland’s most famous barista Morgan Eckroth, at Puff Coffee, a drink special benefitting Xcelerate Women at Dear Sandy, and a very on-brand Egg Freezing educational session at Providore (not eggs eggs) among other events.
A lot of dining options for those of us in Portland this week, but here’s a roundup of recipe ideas for those of us Staying In.
✨ Inspo ingredients for the week: rotisserie chicken and bitter greens ✨
DINNERS
Rotisserie Chicken | Risotto with Greens and Peas
Red Lentil Soup | Bread | Kale Salad
Pumpkin Dumplings with Brown Butter | Bitter Greens Salad
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Turmeric and Coconut
LUNCH
Rotisserie Chicken Sandwiches
BREAKFAST
Buttermilk Pancakes
Notes:
Buy a rotisserie chicken at the beginning of the week to eat with the risotto and use the leftovers for the lunchtime sandwiches. I think New Seasons has the best rotisserie chicken because it’s not too salty.
Greens galore this week so be sure to buy lots. You’ll put them in the turmeric stew, serve alongside soup and dumplings, and include in the lunchtime chicken sandwiches.
Risotto with Greens and Peas
Hetty Lui McKinnon | To Vegetables, With Love
When I was 9 years old my class went on a field trip to the Oregon Culinary Institute. I was excited because a) the trip included food and b) everyone got to wear a chef’s hat. Together as a team of fourth-graders, a chef taught us how to make risotto. Somehow early on I was given the nickname: Risotto Riley. And it’s still what I think of when I think of risotto to this day. It’s crazy how there are things people said to us when we were younger that we never forget.
Risotto feels like a white tablecloth, candlelit restaurant sort of meal. But that’s a false illusion. Risotto is a great weeknight meal. It usually requires lots of stirring (read: time), but this recipe by NYT’s Hetty Lui McKinnon calls for baking the risotto, which is a major time saver and brings risotto one step closer to your kitchen table.
Red Lentil Soup
Melissa Clark | New York Times (Gifted Link)
This is a go-to recipe. The ingredients list is simple (basically just onion, garlic, tomato paste, carrot, and lentils), and it’s very forgiving. The only time it hasn’t turned out for me was when I used old lentils I found in the back of my cabinet that disintegrated immediately. Otherwise, this is a recipe I’d recommend to anyone, including people uncomfortable in the kitchen. You’ll need an immersion blender but no experience or confidence required.
If you have time to make it on a Sunday it will keep as lunch throughout the week. Otherwise, if eating for dinner, you’ll need to pair with hearty bread and salad because the lentils truly do not have enough protein to sustain you until breakfast.
Pumpkin Dumplings with Brown Butter
Carolina Gelen | New York Times (Gifted Link)
This is a surprisingly easy weeknight meal. My dog eats a lot of pumpkin puree (sensitive, spoiled dogs amirite), but now that it’s fall it’s my turn to eat the pumpkin. I usually have a container open in the fridge (again, for my dog) so this will be a great way to steal food from her for a change.
I’ve made pumpkin ravioli and gnocchi before, but this dumpling recipe is even simpler: just mix the pumpkin with eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, flour, and salt and then drop scoops of it into boiling water. Readers recommend using a mini ice cream or cookie scoop if you have one. If not, a spoon will do. You’ll then top with a browned butter and thyme sauce and serve.
Bitter Greens Salad
I’m always striving for a balanced bowl of greens that has just the right amount of acidity, bitterness, and oil. In an effort to get the perfect salad, I tend to overthink salads, but this recipe is a good example of how sometimes the best salad is a simple salad.
INGREDIENTS
4 teaspoons whole-grain or Dijon mustard
4-5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
A clamshell’s worth of radiccio, frisee, arugula, escarole, and/or mizuna
DIRECTIONS
Whisk together the mustard and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Drizzle in olive oil and mix. Taste for desired lemony-ness.
Season with salt and pepper.
Toss greens in dressing and serve.
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Turmeric and Coconut
I’m one cookbook away from being overly obsessed with Alison Roman recipes. Say what you will about her, but I think she has impeccable taste in food. This recipe for chickpea turmeric stew, although controversial because it’s clearly a copy-cat of traditional Jamaican curry soups, is a staple in our household. The recipe is pretty straight-forward so my only note is: be careful with turmeric! I’ve ruined several pieces of clothing making this dish.
Rotisserie Chicken Sandwiches
Christian Reynoso | New York Times (Gifted Link)
Revive your leftover rotisserie chicken with this sandwich recipe. It calls for a whole rotisserie chicken, but because I’ll be eating that for dinner with the risotto, I’ll halve this recipe. You’ll start by shredding the leftover chicken (use two forks to rip and tear!). You’ll then heat up some oil, cook scallions and garlic, and mix with the chicken. You’ll finish by heating vinegar and currants, tossing with the chicken along with some arugula, nuts, and cheese, and then serve on a baguette. This seems easily modifiable and also a really convenient way to use not only dinner leftovers but also the bitter greens from the salad, too.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Michael Ruhlman | Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking
My friend Seamus introduced me to this recipe for pancakes, and I’m forever grateful. It’s from the book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. Its premise is that we could all be better cooks if we memorized ratios for staple recipes like biscuits, cookies, and pancakes. I’m not going to do that, but I am going to make this winner of a pancake recipe for the rest of my life. Because the recipe is based on ratios, remember that you can sub in different milks, etc. easily.
The lentil soup and chickpea coconut curry are two of our beloved recipes as well. True fail-safes. You convinced me with the pumpkin dumplings, any excuse to use the cookie scoop!