What to Cook This Weekend

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David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

Friday, April 17, 2020

What to Cook This Weekend

Sam Sifton

Good morning. What I’d like to do this weekend is go fishing, post up near the flat on the bay that I know holds striped bass, wait on the tide, eat a turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese and coleslaw, a squeeze of Russian dressing, with a bag of Fritos on the side. That’s good social distancing under the rising sun, but the boat ramps are closed because of the coronavirus, and I don’t have any of the fixings for that sandwich anyway. What I’ll probably do instead: Take a long walk before dawn, stare out the window, stare at the news on my phone, stare out the window again, have a grilled cheese sandwich, contemplate dinner.

I suspect something similar is at work for many of us, stuck at home now for a month. We’re restless, nervous. We start conversations, we can’t even finish them. The idea of unfettered access to the outside is strange, and we stick close to the house or apartment, counting out the onions we have left, the potatoes, the beans. This can be a bummer at the end of a run of days that all felt the same, save for changes in weather.

Here in the freezer: a kielbasa, maybe? Hasselback that sausage (above) for a reminder of cookouts in the park with friends, the garlicky smokiness of the meat tempered by sweet. I call for apricot preserves in the recipe, but you could use honey or maple syrup instead, peach jam, marmalade, almost whatever you have on hand. I cook the meat with peppers and onions. You could use potatoes instead, a wan leek, a handful of shallots.

You scored some vegetables! Here’s a springtime spaghetti carbonara to make Eeyore smile. You’ve only got leavings of baby arugula, kale, parsley, everything right on the cusp of going slimy and wrong? I made that into Tejal Rao’s kale-sauce pasta the other night to cheers. Might do it again on Sunday.

Maybe you have the remnants of an Easter ham. (Lucky you!) Here’s a hambone soup for weekend pleasure or, as good or better, a cumin lamb stir-fry with ham swapped in for lamb. Have that on Saturday night, with a stack of pancakes on Sunday morning, and it’s hard not to think that there are a few benefits to being homebound and that good eating is one of them.

I like Dawn Perry’s new recipe for pasta with chorizo, chickpeas and kale. Her pasta with garlicky greens and buttered pistachios as well. (You can use any nut you have. It’s the “buttered” that matters here.) And if you’re super-lucky and run into some scallops, this seared scallop pasta with burst tomatoes and herbs is also a dream.

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Now, it’s nothing to do with tenderloins or babka, but take a look at this excerpt from Naoise Dolan’s debut novel, “Exciting Times,” in Granta.

It’s not for everyone, but I liked Stephen Sautner on bluefishing on Block Island, in Anglers Journal. Good recipe ideas at the end.

In Esquire, Dave Holmes makes an argument for watching a lot of old “Top of the Pops” broadcasts on YouTube.

Finally, Pete Wells is watching sheep. Enjoy that, and I’ll be back on Sunday.