Good morning. Bryan Washington has a love letter to banana bread in The New York Times Magazine this week and, with it, a lovely new recipe for miso pecan banana bread (above) that I think every one of us should make this weekend.
It’s a simple, forgiving and flexible set of instructions. If something bothers you, change the script: Add more miso or less, a little less sugar or more, extra nuts or no nuts at all. “Banana bread makes you feel good,” Bryan wrote, “and there are infinite ways of getting there. It’s a desire as expansive as it is global, and that’s a mighty reassuring idea.”
Not to mention, it’ll make your kitchen smell great.
For dinner, in advance of the loaf, you should take a look at Ham El-Waylly’s recipe for locro de gallina, a soupy chicken stew from the Andes packed with squash, yuca and, in keeping with today’s emphasis on the genera Musa, green plantains.
Or head in an entirely different direction and try Hetty McKinnon’s crispy tofu and broccoli with ginger-garlic teriyaki sauce. It’s not fried, but roasted at high heat on a sheet pan, and it stays crisp below its dressing of teriyaki sauce. I like that with rice, but it’d be nice served over a bowl of noodles, too.
I like the chef JJ Johnson’s recipe for seafood gumbo as well, though I probably won’t make it with lobster tails. Instead I’ll increase the weight on the shrimp and scallops, and finish the thing off with a sprinkle of crab. Weekend luxury!
Other things to cook this weekend: buttermilk pancakes (I stir some sourdough starter in with the wet ingredients, for extra flavor); kimchi grilled cheese; a big vat of stew chicken; and a caramelized apple king cake.
There are thousands and thousands more recipes to consider waiting for you on New York Times Cooking. (You can find additional inspiration on our TikTok, Instagram and YouTube channel.) Go explore and see what you find.
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Now, it’s a far cry from brownies and caul fat, but the new short story by Han Ong in The New Yorker, “Hammer Attack,” is one you ought to read.
While you’re at it, you could read Adam Reiner in Taste, on getting lost in the world’s largest stack of menus, which is at the New York Public Library.
Even if you can’t make it to Manhattan to see the Anton van Dalen show at the gallery PPOW, you can still browse the works on your phone or laptop. They’re remarkable.
Finally, here’s PJ Harvey, “This Is Love.” Listen to that while you bake your banana bread, and I’ll see you on Sunday.
