By Tanya Sichnysky
The New York Times
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been averaging a dinner time of around 9:58 p.m. It’s not that I prefer to eat late. I’d love nothing more than to sit down to a meal at 6 p.m. on the dot, to not immediately go to bed with a stuffed stomach. But after a day in an office, a stint at the gym, a shower and a 45-minute commute, I’m lucky if I even make it home in time for “Love Island USA.”
At this rate, I’ll rarely consider something that takes more than 30 minutes to get from the kitchen to the couch. But on the next day I squeak home before, say, 8:30, I’m making Kristina Felix’s crispy potato quesadillas, coming in at, OK, 35 minutes. A hearty filling of shredded cheese and smashed potato and peas, with a zippy slaw topping of seasoned cabbage, carrots, red onion and jalapeño, means I won’t need to eat two quesadillas to feel something.
They’re baked rather than heated in a skillet, so I can at least start the latest “Love Island” episode and not worry about supervising my tortillas. “They may puff up, which is great,” Felix writes. Who doesn’t love a puffy quesadilla?
A very quick pasta is also on the table (or rather, in my lap). Nargisse Benkabbou’s newish creamy tomato spaghetti with preserved lemon is already racking up five-star reviews, and for good reason: It requires fewer than 10 ingredients, consists almost entirely of pantry staples and takes a cool 25 minutes to make.
Readers are clamoring for it. “Definitely a keeper.” “This pasta sauce is out of this world delicious.” “Stop being curious and just make it!!” I’d turn my head for that.
But the next time I walk through the door after 9 p.m., dinner will be breakfast. Specifically Naz Deravian’s gheysava, or eggs with dates and cinnamon, three ingredients I always have on hand. The dates are softened and caramelized in butter alongside crunchy walnuts, and the eggs are cracked right into the pan for a dish that tastes “like a French toast,” according to one reader.
“Gheysava warms you from within and fills you with vitality and strength to take on the day,” Deravian writes. And, hopefully for me, to recover from it.
Crispy Potato Quesadillas
Despite what many people think, quesadillas don’t always have cheese. In Mexico City, you can order a “quesadilla sin queso” with a variety of fillings, highlighting the regional debate around what constitutes a true quesadilla. This version embraces both worlds: It contains cheese, but it’s melted into a hearty potato and pea filling that makes these quesadillas more satisfying as a complete meal. The quick slaw on top, inspired by curtido (a vinegary cabbage salad popular throughout Central America), balances the richness of the quesadillas and provides a nice spicy crunch. If you have any slaw left over, it keeps for up to four days in the refrigerator and is versatile enough to serve with plain rice or grilled meat or fish throughout the week.
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
1 pound potatoes, unpeeled but scrubbed clean
1 cup peas, frozen or fresh (6 ounces)
2 cups shredded semi-soft cheese, such as Monterey Jack or Cheddar
1 1/2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil
8 (7- to 8-inch) flour tortillas
1/4 medium green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 carrots, grated
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño or serrano, diced (seeded for less spice, if desired)
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Sour cream or Mexican crema, optional, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1: Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2: Fill a medium pot with water; add 2 tablespoons salt and set it to boil on high. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and place them in the pot as you go. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat slightly to maintain a rolling boil and cook potatoes for 5 to 7 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork. Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes more. Drain the vegetables, return them to the pot, add the cheese and mash until fully combined. Add more salt to your taste.
3: Add the oil to a baking sheet and spread it around evenly using one side of a flour tortilla, then repeat with another until you have 4 tortillas lightly oiled on one side, evenly arranged on the baking sheet (it’s OK if they overlap a bit).
4: Divide the mash among the tortillas. Top each with a second tortilla and press down until the filling almost spills out. Flip the quesadillas so the other side gets oiled.
5: Bake for 8 minutes, flip the quesadillas over, and bake for another 8 minutes until browned and crispy. They may puff up, which is great.
6: Meanwhile make the topping. Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, vinegar, sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Toss the slaw with your hands and taste to adjust for vinegar, salt or sugar until the slaw is to your liking.
7: To serve, quarter the quesadillas with a sharp knife and top with slaw and a dollop of sour cream, if using.
Recipe by Kristina Felix.
Gheysava (Eggs With Dates and Cinnamon)
A sweet and savory combination of rich dates and eggs, gheysava is an energizing breakfast dish popular in Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. The dates are first soaked in hot water to soften, and then cooked in butter alongside walnuts until caramelized and luscious. Some variations cook the dates down until smooth and creamy and the eggs are then scrambled in, but here the dates retain their form and the eggs are simply cracked right into the pan. Juicy, meaty dates such as medjool dates are best here. Gheysava warms you from within and fills you with vitality and strength to take on the day. Serve with bread and a hot cup of tea.
Makes 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 dried, food-safe Damask rose buds, or about 10 petals, for serving (optional; see tip)
4 large meaty dates, such as medjool
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs
Salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Warmed flatbread, such as lavash or sangak, or toast, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1: In a kettle or small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil.
2: If using dried rose, pick the petals off the buds. Place the rose petals on a cutting board and chop as finely as possible; set aside.
3: Place the dates in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over the dates and soak until softened and the skins look like they’re slipping off, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, transfer the dates to a small plate or board. Slip off the skins and slice each date in half lengthwise, discarding the pits.
4: In a medium (8-inch) pan, melt the butter over medium. Adjust heat to medium-low, add the dates and walnuts, and cook, stirring frequently, until the dates soften more and begin to caramelize around the edges, about 5 minutes. Everything should smell nutty and caramel-like.
5: Sprinkle with the cinnamon and stir. Arrange the dates, cut-side down, in a circle around the edges of the pan. Crack the eggs in the middle, season with salt and pepper and cook until the whites set and the yolk is to your liking, about 2 minutes.
6: Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, chopped rose petals (if using) and a little extra cinnamon. Serve with flatbread or toast.
Tip: Dried edible Damask rose buds or petals, available in Middle Eastern markets and online, are used in various Iranian dishes as a fragrant and savory spice. They’re worth seeking out, grinding to a powder (whole petals are pretty as a garnish but tough to chew) and adding to your spice cabinet.
Recipe by Naz Deravian.
Creamy Tomato Spaghetti With Preserved Lemon
Something magical happens when preserved lemon and tomato are cooked together. In this quick and simple pasta, fragrant lemon permeates the tomato paste, creating a beautifully aromatic sauce with the addition of heavy cream. Spaghetti is tossed with the sauce, which ends up subtly sweet and yet bright and tangy — a comforting weeknight twist on the always beloved tomato pasta.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
Fine sea salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed in a garlic press
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 preserved lemon, seeded and minced (about 2 tablespoons), plus more to taste
2 teaspoons honey, plus more to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound spaghetti (or other long pasta)
Finely grated Parmesan (optional), for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1: Place a large pot of water over high heat, add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
2: Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium-low. Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of the minced preserved lemon, the honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
3: Mix in the cream, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with more preserved lemon, honey and salt as necessary. Bring to a gentle simmer, then turn off the heat and cover with a lid to keep the sauce warm.
4: Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until almost al dente according to the package instructions, 6 to 7 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta.
5: Over medium-low heat, add the spaghetti to the sauce along with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, and toss to coat. Continue to toss until the spaghetti is al dente, adding more cooking water as needed to achieve a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta, 3 to 4 minutes.
6: Serve warm, topped with Parmesan if desired.
Recipe by Nargisse Benkabbou.