1. Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts
There’s a lesson in this recipe, which is on Lex’s list and can probably make anyone happy: Crushed crackers, used as an ingredient or garnish, provide amazing crunch. (The same is true of cornflakes, pretzels, potato chips and several other crisp delights.) Here, Eric Kim crushes Ritz crackers, tosses them with shredded Cheddar and then uses them to coat chicken breasts.
3. Glazed Tofu With Chile and Star Anise
Another recipe that landed on Lex’s list: Yewande Komolafe’s glazed tofu. As Lex points out, most tofu recipes call for cubing and then searing the tofu pieces. But when you sear the whole block of tofu first and then tear it into pieces, as Yewande does, you get craggier edges that are better for soaking up sauce. (The same principle — craggy edges that take on more sauce — is also at work in Samin Nosrat’s crouton recipe.)
4. Linguine With Clam Sauce
Pasta alle vongole is easy to make with fresh clams. It is also shockingly delicious in its simplicity. But fresh clams mean a trip to a store that sells fresh seafood, ideally that same day, right before dinner. Last-minute, post-work trips to the store are not generally what we are about here at Five Weeknight Dishes. So: canned clams, which deliver a different but still tasty take on the classic, as seen here in this great recipe from Colu Henry.
