Hi friends,
I’m hitting your inboxes this week with a slightly different format! As usual, I’m featuring a weeknight dinner recipe (details below), but instead of sharing a weeknight project, I will be answering a few questions from my cooking hotline.
Cooking Hotline
I received a couple of questions from one of my readers, Summer. Here’s what she asked:
How can you tell what goes together in terms of a main and a vegetable based side (ie. Pasta and salad) I never know what to pair something like penne alla vodka with, or spaghetti aglio e olio.
On that same vein, what is your go to green salad? I have never had a go to, so when in a recipe, it’s suggested ‘serve with a green salad’ I’m at a total loss!
She also had a couple of questions related to grocery shopping that I’ll discuss in an upcoming newsletter, so stay tuned!
On Pairing Dishes
First, it’s important to note that pairing dishes will always be a somewhat subjective endeavor. That said, I’m excited to share what works for me! When I think about a meal, I strive for balance.
“Balance” can be achieved in a few different ways. Let’s use your example of penne alla vodka to work through serving suggestions.
#1 - “Nutritional” balance: This is the simplest way to determine pairings, and many of you likely already do this. I like to ensure that most (if not all) of my meals have a protein, carb, and vegetable component.
So with the penne alla vodka example, we’ve got our carbs and some protein from the dairy/pasta, but we probably need more protein, and we definitely need a vegetable!
Carb: Penne alla vodka
Protein: Roasted (or grilled) chicken, roasted chickpeas, or baked fish
Vegetables: I typically scour my fridge for what I can find here. Maybe I’ve got some broccolini, cauliflower, or baby spinach.
This is a great starting point, but it doesn’t provide any details on how to prepare the other components. Are we making a roasted broccolini dish? Should the chicken be lemony? Or spicy? Do we want to cook the spinach or use it in a salad? That’s where category #2 comes in.
#2 - Balanced flavors: Choose complementary dishes to create a well-balanced meal. Think about your starting dish and try to categorize it into a general flavor profile: bright and refreshing, rich and creamy, hearty and earthy, smoky, etc.
For penne alla vodka, I think rich and creamy, with a hint of spice. What’s the opposite (or complementary) profile of rich and creamy? For me, it’s bright and refreshing, maybe something citrusy and acidic. I also find it easier to marry ingredients with similar cultural profiles.
Here are some options:
Option 1 - Rich & Creamy + Bright & Refreshing: Penne alla vodka with sheet-pan lemony garlic chicken thighs and broccolini.
Option 2 - Rich & Creamy + Herby & Smoky + Bright & Refreshing: Penne alla vodka with pesto grilled chicken and arugula citrus salad. Option 2 is a bit more complex in terms of flavor development. The pesto is herby and earthy, and because the chicken is grilled, there’s a bit of smokiness. Finally, the citrus arugula salad helps cut the earthy, rich flavors of the first two dishes with acidity and brightness.
If you’re curious about pairing ingredients, I go into this in a lot more detail in my Guide to Developing Flavors.
#3 - Textural balance: Another form of pairing is balancing textures. The obvious example is the contrast of serving soup with something crunchy, like croutons or crusty bread. Or, you might pair the softer textures of a hearty stew with a crisp, crunchy, refreshing salad.
#4 - Put it all together: Now that we have some ideas, the next step is implementing them. Ultimately, thoughtful pairing is a skill that requires practice to build and develop your expertise.
Here’s an exercise I recommend: Next time you dine out, select a main course and brainstorm several possible pairing options. Restaurant menus are a simple tool for developing this skill, as the dishes are already well-composed. You can “test” your theory by ordering 3 - 4 dishes and seeing how they work well together.
When you’re ready to level up, it’s time to get cooking in your own kitchen. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
My Go-To Green Salad
My favorite green salad is from the restaurant Via Carota in New York, and you can get the full recipe here. It’s a brilliant dish featuring crisp greens and lettuces piled mile-high with a light coating of dressing in between each layer.
It’s THE most perfectly seasoned salad I’ve ever had and a crowd favorite. Although the dressing can be prepped ahead and used throughout the week, this recipe isn't the quick-fix solution usually sought for busy weeknight dinners.
For those nights, I love a simple green salad. I don’t have an exact recipe, but here’s what I generally do: I choose a combination of softer and crunchier lettuces (e.g., butter lettuce and romaine), and I either chop them up or leave them whole if the leaves are small. Then, I season them with salt and pepper.
Next, I make a quick mustard-shallot vinaigrette (usually a mix of lemon juice or fruity vinegar, finely diced shallot, dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and olive oil). I like to shake it up in a small jar to help emulsify the dressing. I toss the lettuce with the dressing and serve immediately.
PS: I’m obsessed with this tangerine vinegar I found at Whole Foods. It’s practically drinkable and doesn’t need much other than olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Variations: Sometimes, I add chopped cucumbers and avocado for creaminess. If I want something heartier, I go for my kale salad. If I want something brighter, I throw in some citrus segments, which I love in the winter. Note: With every additional ingredient, I may tweak the dressing slightly to ensure the flavors still work together.
Weeknight Dinner: Butter Paneer, My Way
Most recipes for paneer butter masala are developed to perfectly mimic the Indian restaurant dish. This is not one of them. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the restaurant version, and I'll order takeout when I'm craving that flavor.
But I don't always want a lot of butter and cream; my version is a bit bolder and tangier. The resulting paneer dish is rich, comforting, slightly punchy from the spice, and perfect with some garlic naan, hot parathas, or chapatis on the side.
Why I Love This Recipe
It's tasty and comforting. With lots of warming spices and a bit of sweetness, the makhani sauce is like a warm hug in a bowl!
It's easy. This recipe requires fewer steps than other versions, meaning you're one step closer to a delicious dinner!
It's nourishing without feeling heavy. The sauce is still creamy, but a lot of the creaminess comes from using cashews and just a pat of butter or two.
Grab the full recipe below! ↓
That’s all for this week! Thanks to Summer for sending in these great questions. Have a question yourself? Submit them to my cooking hotline!
-Karishma
Thank you for this- it was so so helpful!