Is there anything better than being able to cook a weeknight dinner using only one pan? Christopher Kimball solves that for you in the newest Milk Street cookbook, “The World in a Skillet.” With dishes from many countries and a 12-inch skillet, you get a huge number of opportunities to give you the help that we all need on a Monday night.
Stewed Spinach and Chickpeas with Lemon
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately
1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground allspice
15½-ounce can chickpeas,
¾ cup liquid reserved, drained
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
10-ounce bunch spinach, trimmed of bottom 1 inch, roughly chopped
2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
Directions
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ½-teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the scallion whites, tomato paste, cumin and allspice. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture is well browned, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the chickpeas and their reserved liquid along with the lemon zest, scraping up any browned bits. Add the spinach a large handful at a time, stirring to help it wilt and adding more as space permits. Cover, reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the radishes, scallion greens and an additional drizzle of oil.
Don’t use baby spinach for this recipe, as the leaves are too delicate. Opt instead for mature spinach sold in bunches. Trim about 1-inch off the bottom of the bunch so you have a mixture of leaves and stems.
Sweet-and-Sour Stir-Fried Pork with Pineapple
Serves 4
Stir-fried pork with pineapple. Photography by Connie Miller of CB Creative/Provided
Ingredients
1½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed, cut into 2-inch-wide strips, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided, plus more if needed
½ teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon white sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple (½-inch chunks)
2 or 3 serrano chilies, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 3 tablespoons)
⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more if needed
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the ½ teaspoon sugar and the cornstarch. Stir until the pork is evenly coated.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the pork in an even layer and cook, stirring only once or twice, until the pork is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pepper is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pineapple, chilies and ginger, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar, the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Cook, stirring often, until the meat and vegetables are lightly coated with the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.
Off heat, taste and season with additional soy sauce and vinegar. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the scallions.
Avoid using canned pineapple for this recipe, but if prepping a whole pineapple is too much work, look for ones sold already cleaned in the produce section of the supermarket. Also, don’t use a conventional (ie, not nonstick) skillet. Without a nonstick coating, the sugars from the pineapple and sauce are likely to stick to the pan’s surface and scorch.
Excerpted from MILK STREET: THE WORLD IN A SKILLET by Christopher Kimball. Copyright © 2022 by CPK Media, LLC. Photography by Connie Miller of CB Creative. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
.
