MEAL PLAN 17
WHY THIS MEAL PLAN WORKS
Tell your family this is an eat-with-your-hands kind of week, since it includes the chicken sandwiches, the beef and lettuce wraps, and even the (shh, we won’t tell) bone-in pork chops served with a modern succotash (you’ll want a fork for that, but you’ll use your hands to get every last morsel off the bones). This plan also has a summery feel—and it’s even more fun to eat with your hands if you can do it outside. We use chili-garlic sauce and oyster sauce in two very different meals: first, a well-seasoned ground beef mixture served family-style, to be scooped into lettuce leaves by each diner, and second, simple yet substantial buckwheat noodles with eggplant that are just as good at room temperature as they are warm.
GROCERY LIST
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PROTEIN |
Substitutions |
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Chicken cutlets |
4 (4 ounces each) |
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85 percent lean ground beef |
1 pound |
Ground chicken or turkey (not 99 percent lean) |
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Bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops |
4 (8 to 10 ounces each), ¾ to 1 inch thick |
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PRODUCE |
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Eggplant |
3 pounds |
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Summer squash |
1 pound |
Zucchini |
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Bibb lettuce |
1 head (8 ounces) |
Boston lettuce |
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Scallions |
5 |
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Corn |
2 ears |
1½ cups frozen corn |
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Poblano chiles |
2 |
Green bell peppers |
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Red bell pepper |
1 |
Poblano chile |
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Jalapeño chile |
1 |
Habanero chile |
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Cilantro |
1 bunch (enough for ¾ cup leaves plus ¼ cup chopped) |
Mint (for chicken); parsley (for pork chops) |
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Fresh ginger |
1 knob (enough for 4 teaspoons grated) |
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PREP AHEAD
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Cut eggplant into 1-inch pieces |
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Cut summer squash into ½-inch pieces |
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Separate and wash Bibb lettuce leaves |
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Thinly slice scallions |
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Cut kernels from ears of corn |
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Stem, seed, and thinly slice poblanos |
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Stem, seed, and finely chop red bell pepper |
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Stem, seed, and mince jalapeño |
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Chop onion |
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Peel and shred apple |
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Wash and pick cilantro |
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Toast sesame seeds |
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Trim pork chops, then cut slits about 2 inches apart into fat and underlying silverskin, opposite bone |
MAKE AHEAD
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UP TO 3 DAYS |
Cook chicken for chicken sandwiches |
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UP TO 2 DAYS |
Roast eggplant for soba noodles |
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UP TO 1 DAY |
Cook beef mixture for spicy beef lettuce wraps (or freeze for up to 1 month) |
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Rub spice rub on pork chops |
PANTRY ITEMS
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CUPBOARD & COUNTER |
Substitutions |
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Dried soba noodles |
12 ounces |
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Oil |
¾ cup |
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All-purpose flour |
½ cup |
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Sugar |
⅓ cup |
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Curry powder |
2 tablespoons |
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Paprika |
1 teaspoon |
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Chili powder |
1 teaspoon |
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Cayenne pepper |
¼ teaspoon |
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Onion |
1 small |
3 shallots |
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Granny Smith apple |
1 |
Any variety apple |
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REFRIGERATOR |
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Plain Greek yogurt |
1 cup |
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Oyster sauce |
6 tablespoons |
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Soy sauce |
⅓ cup |
Tamari |
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Toasted sesame oil |
3 tablespoons |
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Asian chili-garlic sauce |
2½ tablespoons |
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Shaoxing wine |
2 tablespoons |
Dry sherry |
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Sake |
5 teaspoons |
Dry vermouth |
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Lime |
1 |
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FREEZER |
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Naan breads |
4 |
Pita or crusty bread |
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Sesame seeds |
2 teaspoons |
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CURRIED CHICKEN SANDWICHES with APPLE-YOGURT SLAW
SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 30 MINUTES
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
4 naan breads
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons curry powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets, trimmed
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss apple with ¼ teaspoon salt in colander, then set aside to drain for 10 minutes. Press to release excess liquid. Meanwhile, bake naan on rimmed baking sheet until light golden brown and beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes.
2. FOR THE CHICKEN Combine flour, curry powder, cayenne, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in shallow dish. Pat chicken dry, then dredge cutlets in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add cutlets and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice chicken ½ inch thick on bias.
3. TO FINISH Combine drained apple, yogurt, jalapeño, cilantro, and ginger in bowl, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide chicken evenly among naan, arranging slices over half of each naan, then top with apple slaw. Fold naan to cover filling and serve.
PREP AHEAD
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Peel and shred apple
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Stem, seed, and mince jalapeño
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Wash and pick cilantro
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 3 days
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Serve with Simplest Salad (this page), if you like
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Sub any variety apple for Granny Smith
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Sub habanero chile for jalapeño (to taste)
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Sub mint for cilantro
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Sub pita or crusty bread for naan
SPICY BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS with OYSTER SAUCE
SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 20 MINUTES
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
5 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 head Bibb lettuce (8 ounces), leaves separated
1. FOR THE SAUCE Whisk water, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine together in bowl; set aside.
2. FOR THE BEEF Cook beef in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to separate bowl.
3. Add bell pepper and scallions to fat left in skillet and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet. Add chili-garlic sauce and ginger and cook, mashing mixture into skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in beef and reserved oyster sauce mixture and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.
4. TO FINISH Serve with lettuce leaves as wraps or cups for beef.
PREP AHEAD
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Stem, seed, and chop red bell pepper
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Slice scallions
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Separate and wash lettuce leaves
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate cooked beef for up to 1 day (or freeze for up to 1 month)
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Serve with rice (this page), if you like
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Sub dry sherry for Shaoxing wine
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Sub ground chicken or turkey for ground beef
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Sub poblano chile for red bell pepper
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Sub Boston lettuce for Bibb
SPICY PORK CHOPS with SUMMER VEGETABLE SAUTÉ
SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 35 MINUTES
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
2 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges
1. FOR THE SEASONED PORK CHOPS Combine paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Cut slits about 2 inches apart into fat and underlying silverskin, opposite bone of chops. Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub with spice mixture.
2. FOR THE CHOPS AND VEGETABLE SAUTÉ Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add chops and cook until well browned and chops register 140 to 145 degrees, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while cooking vegetables.
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, squash, poblanos, and corn to now-empty skillet and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pork chops and lime wedges.
PREP AHEAD
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Chop onion
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Cut summer squash
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Stem, seed, and slice poblanos
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Cut kernels from corn
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Wash and pick cilantro
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Trim pork chops, then cut slits about 2 inches apart into fat and underlying silverskin, opposite bone
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate seasoned pork chops for up to 1 day
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Sub zucchini for summer squash
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Sub green bell peppers for poblanos
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Sub 1½ cups frozen corn for fresh
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Sub 3 shallots for onion
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Sub parsley for cilantro
SOBA NOODLES with ROASTED EGGPLANT and SESAME
SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 30 MINUTES
3 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup oil
⅓ cup soy sauce, divided
12 ounces dried soba noodles
⅓ cup sugar
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
5 teaspoons sake
1½ tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
1. FOR THE ROASTED EGGPLANT Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Toss eggplant with oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, then spread evenly on prepared baking sheets. Roast until eggplant is well browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring eggplant and switching sheets halfway through roasting.
2. FOR THE NOODLES Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until tender. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain noodles.
3. Cook sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sake, chili-garlic sauce, and remaining soy sauce in now-empty pot over medium heat, whisking often, until sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Add roasted eggplant and noodles to pot with sauce and toss gently to combine. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve.
PREP AHEAD
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Cut eggplant
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Wash and pick cilantro
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Toast sesame seeds
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate roasted eggplant for up to 2 days
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Sub tamari for soy sauce
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Sub dry vermouth for sake