Go for the gold: What to Cook Right Now

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Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.

Monday, July 5, 2021

What to Cook Right Now

Sam Sifton

Good morning. It’s high summer — really high summer, for some of us — and a day off for many, a chance to cook and eat outside. Maybe pan bagnats to wrap in wax paper and slip into a tote bag with a sweating bottle of wine, a few plastic cups, a knife for a big, chilled watermelon? I could eat that meal on a berm beside the highway, steam billowing out of my vehicle’s radiator, and still have a smile on my face.

Then, for dinner, give Melissa Clark’s latest a try, a sheet-pan chicken with roasted zucchini and basil (above). It’s dark meat chicken — thighs and drumsticks — seasoned with garlic, herbs and red-pepper flakes, roasted alongside chunks of zucchini that soften and caramelize in the oven’s heat. Torn basil and a squeeze of lemon at the end bring bright, tangy notes to the dish, which you might serve with rice or crusty bread to soak up the juices. Could you make it in a covered gas grill? I think so, though you’ll want to be careful with the heat: Use high to get the grill really hot before you add the sheet pan, then dial back to medium-low for the roasting.

Or maybe shrimp étouffée? A baked artichoke pasta with creamy goat cheese? I could see a fast stir-fry of orange beef. Make that with the best steak you can find, but with less meat per person than you usually might, and serve it with greens sautéed with garlic and ginger, over rice. Nice meal!

While you’re at it, you can have a fine dessert afterward — maybe this incredibly crunchy summer fruit crumble? Or a berry buckle? (Plan ahead while you’re at it. If you make this amazing chicken salad this afternoon, it’ll pay dividends for lunch this week. It’s one of those salads that improves overnight in the fridge.)

Thousands and thousands more recipes to consider cooking this week await you on New York Times Cooking. (Check out this awesome one-pot Japanese curry chicken and rice.) It’s true that a subscription is required to access all of them, and to utilize all of the features on our site and apps. But we think it’s a fair bargain. Subscriptions allow our work to continue. Please consider, if you haven’t already, subscribing today.

We’ll be standing watch, should anything go sideways for you along the way, either in your kitchen or in our code. Just drop us a line: cookingcare@nytimes.com. Someone will get back to you. (You can also shoot me a dart or offer faint praise: foodeditor@nytimes.com. I read every letter sent.)

Now, it’s nothing to do with fried eggs or steamed dumplings, but I’ve been enjoying some drive-time podcasting with “The Lazarus Heist,” about a hacking ring, possibly North Korean, which nearly stole a billion dollars. It’s from the BBC World Service.

Elvis Presley recorded his first single at Sun Studio in Memphis on this day in 1954, “That’s All Right.” It was released on July 19, with “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on the flip side.

Oh, boy, is this a fine piece of art criticism in The Times, from Jason Farago, about the “Cézanne Drawing” show at the Museum of Modern Art.

Finally, I’m late to it, but if you haven’t watched “Inside,” Bo Burnham’s one-man show on Netflix, you should do that tonight. Pandemic art! I’ll be back on Wednesday.