Good morning. Ali Slagle made a great point about breakfast sandwiches the other day. The reason we put ketchup on them is that the sweet acidity of the condiment helps counter the fatty richness of the bacon, eggs and cheese. (I thought it was because I’m an American, and for me as for Swedes and Canadians, ketchup is a birthright.) For a twist, she said, swap the ketchup for kimchi and make a kimchi, egg and cheese (above).
Holy crow! That’s a lovely breakfast for a host of reasons, perhaps the best of which is the crunch of the fiery kimchi against the softness of the scrambled eggs and cheese. Perfection. If enough of us start making it regularly, the bodega cats will catch wind of it and adjust their menus accordingly. That would be a lovely thing to see.
Featured Recipe
Kimchi, Egg and Cheese Sandwich
I’m adding bacon to mine, so, a BECK for breakfast and maybe some smoked almonds for lunch. I’ll downshift into swordfish piccata for dinner and call it a weekend. Then I can turn to the rest of the week. …
Monday
Here’s a terrific pantry meal from Naz Deravian: white bean, rice and dill soup. I like a squeeze of lemon juice at the end — a whisper of brightness against the heft of the turmeric-stained rice and beans.
Tuesday
I love Kay Chun’s recipe for chicken lo mein in part because it’s forgiving enough to accommodate whatever vegetables I have in the crisper, and even more because the sauce is so good. (As she suggests, make a double batch so you can use it in a stir-fry later.)
Wednesday
Creamy chickpea pasta with spinach and rosemary? Alexa Weibel’s recipe provides a master class in using texture and the layering of flavor to achieve a luxurious result in about 30 minutes. Don’t stint on the caramelizing of the chickpeas. Half are used as a garnish while the other half breaks down in the cream of the sauce, thickening it beautifully.
Thursday
Break the breast-or-thigh logjam with Lidey Heuck’s new recipe for baked chicken drumsticks showered with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and onion and garlic powders. I’d add some ground cayenne or a few shakes of hot sauce. Serve with rice and a ramekin of ranch dressing for dipping.
Friday
And then you can head into the weekend with Eric Kim’s recipe for baby back ribs with sweet-and-sour glaze. The glaze is inspired by cocktail meatball recipes from the 1970s, with Concord grape jelly thinned out with rice vinegar and soy sauce. One reader suggested using blackberry preserves in place of the jelly, and I bet that’d be ambrosial. Try it!
If you’re looking for more or different, go take a look at New York Times Cooking and see what you discover. Yes, you need a subscription to do that. Subscriptions make this whole operation possible. If you haven’t taken one out yet, would you consider subscribing today? Thank you.
If you have questions about your account, send them to cookingcare@nytimes.com. Someone will get back to you. Or if you’d like to hand me an apple or drop off a worm, you can reach me at foodeditor@nytimes.com. I can’t respond to every letter. But I read every one I get.
Now, it’s a considerable distance from anything to do with apricots or spatchcocked quail, but Alissa Wilkinson’s review in The Times got me thrilled to see the new documentary “Grand Theft Hamlet,” about staging a production of Shakespeare’s play within the confines of a violent, fast-paced video game.
Here’s new fiction in The New Yorker: “A Visit From the Chief,” by Samanta Schweblin, translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell.
What happens if a theater critic can’t sit down? Naveen Kumar found out, and wrote about the experience for The Washington Post: “I was reminded time and again that theaters are just rooms full of people whose vulnerability, uncertainty and imperfections — including my own — are what bring them alive.”
Finally, a very happy birthday to Ina Garten, who turns 77 today. Our Kim Severson profiled her last fall. Bourbon chocolate pecan pie for all! I’ll be back on Friday.
