Welcome! This is “Staying In,” a weekly 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. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations. Enjoy!
Wow. What a day! What a week! Started with an attempted assassination and ended with a new Democratic nominee.
Anyways, here’s what to cook this week.
✨ Inspo ingredients for the week: beans, red onions & scallions ✨
DINNERS
Sweet Potato Costra Tacos | Frijoles de Olla
Black Bean Smash Burgers | Grilled Asparagus
Taverna Salad | Chicken Skewers
Tofu with Scallions and Soy Sauce | Rice
LUNCH
Tuna Sandwiches
BREAKFAST
Steel Cut Oats with Fresh Blueberries
DESSERT
Caramelized Honey with Figs and Ice Cream
Notes:
If you don’t have ice cream on hand for the dessert, feel free to swap in creme freche, whipped cream, or even a soft cheese.
PSA: it’s blueberry picking season here in Oregon. I like to pick as much as I can and then wash, freeze on baking trays for a day, and then store in gallon Ziplocks in the freezer and add to my oatmeal throughout the year.
No recipe for tuna sandwiches (although here’s a good one), but I will be using the leftover red onion from the taverna salad and scallions from the tofu recipe.
The beans require the use of a pressure cooker or Instapot.
Black Bean Smash Burgers
Zaynab Issa | Bon Appetit
It’s a classic story: girl buys a grill press, becomes obsessed with smash burgers. Because you can’t just eat red meat all the time, I found a recipe for Black Bean Smash Burgers that will scratch the same itch.
In this recipe, canned black beans are smashed into a paste, mixed with onion and spices, formed into patties, smashed, and then grilled. The patties are then served on brioche buns with jack cheese and a chipotle mayo. YUM.
Taverna Salad
Lidey Heuck | New York Times (Gifted Link)
My mother-in-law sent me this salad recipe saying it’s a “delicious summer salad and pretty to look at.” At first it seems like a lot of ingredients, but I was surprised by how many I already have in my pantry or fridge.
The salad is essentially built off of tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper, and then throws in a few Greek ingredients like Kalamata olives, toasted pita, and halloumi cheese. The recipe says you can swap for feta, but halloumi is better…
I’m excited to try alongside New Seasons chicken skewers. Thanks, Kathy!
Sweet Potato Costra Tacos
Masienda
This Instagram post from Masienda stopped me in my scrolling tracks. I thought they were quesabirria tacos at first, but they’re essentially sweet potatoes mashed and fried into tortillas. I can’t wait to make them.
If you make your own tortillas at home, you already know that Masienda is the best masa on the market. The company has exploded in the last few years and now, thankfully, you can find their yellow or blue corn masa in Whole Foods.
If you don’t make your own tortillas, learn how here. Or buy Three Sisters Nixtamal in the refrigerated section at New Seasons.
INGREDIENTS
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup feta
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons water
Salt to taste
Corn tortillas
Roasted sweet potato
Salsa macha
Cilantro, minced
Scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
Make the yogurt-feta sauce: using a handheld immersion blender or a regular blender, puree garlic, feta, yogurt, olive oil, and water until smooth and creamy. Salt to taste.
Make the tacos: Add a small amount of olive oil to a preheated nonstick pan.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of roasted sweet potato onto the pan and press it flat using a tortilla on top. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and check on the sweet potato occasionally to prevent burning. When the sweet potato looks caramelized, flip to warm the tortilla.Dress the tacos: Drizzle the sweet potato side with yogurt sauce and salsa macha, and garnish with cilantro and green onion.
Frijoles de la Olla
Esteban Castillo | Chicano Eats
Chicano Eats is a bright and colorful cookbook filled with traditional Chicano recipes inspired by Esteban’s childhood growing up in California as a Mexican-American.
If I ever want to make a big pot of beans or a salsa, this is the cookbook that I turn to. Esteban’s second book Chicano Bakes is also a staple in my kitchen and contains a recipe for my favorite cookies to bring to a party.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound dried pinto beans. See note.
1/4 yellow onion
5 garlic cloves
1/3 cup cilantro
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Queso fresco, more chopped onion, and cilantro for serving
DIRECTIONS
Rinse and drain the beans. Transfer beans to the pressure cooker.
Add the rest of the ingredients and 8 cups of water.
Close the lid and switch the valve to seal.
Set the pressure to high and the cook time to 45 minutes.
When done, let naturally release for 10 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to serve and dress with toppings.
Note: black beans would definitely work here, and you could use them for the burger!
Tofu with Scallions and Soy Sauce
This is the easiest weeknight meal. When it’s hot outside, and I don’t want to cook, this is the ticket. You can prepare the tofu however you want (fried, cold, baked, etc.), but I prefer to just slightly heat in water so that it’s not super cold straight out of the refrigerator.
INGREDIENTS
1 block of soft tofu
1/4 soy sauce
Equal parts (about 1 tbsp):
Rice vinegar
Sesame Oil
Sriracha
Sesame Seeds
Pinch of sugar
1 scallion, sliced
DIRECTIONS
Whisk all ingredients (minus the tofu obviously) together.
Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Place tofu in water for a few minutes. The goal is to simply heat through.
Cut tofu into blocks and place on top of rice. Spoon soy dressing over the tofu and serve.
Caramelized Honey with Figs and Ice Cream
Alison Roman | a newsletter
My fig tree is kind of a tease. Every year new bulbs start to form, but never fully ripen. I’ve told myself that if the tree ever successfully produces figs, I’m celebrating by making this Alison Roman dessert.
I’m a big fan of stone fruit and cream (see last week’s Staying In), and this was the dish that kickstarted it all. The first time I made Figs and Ice Cream, I was staying at my parents’ house, and it felt like my entrance into fully formed, stylish adulthood. If you’re hosting a dinner party and want to put on a little after-dinner show for your guests, this is the perfect treat.
All you have to do is caramelize honey, throw in a dash of vinegar, butter, and salt, and then toss in the figs. As long as you don’t burn the honey (think: medium-low and slow!), this should turn out nicely in as little as five minutes.
