Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Curried Lentils with Kale and Coconut Milk (a favorite!) Plus: Easy No-Knead Brioche Loaf, Brioche French Toast and More

Last week my daughter turned 13, and she requested two meals to celebrate: brioche French toast for breakfast and pizza for dinner. I obliged and prepared by making this no-knead brioche bread on Wednesday and then assembled this French Toast on Thursday evening.

On Friday, Ella awoke to a pan of piping hot, burnished brioche slices, their edges caramelized, their centers custardy. She ate four slices before heading to school, and that evening, she ate an entire pizza. (Incidentally, she seems to be growing a foot a day.)

Of course, there was this favorite birthday cake to cap off the evening, but I had forgotten not how much we all love the brioche bread toasted with butter for breakfast as well as the overnight French toast, an old recipe from Gourmet magazine, which continues to win over the hearts and tummies of all... all who manage to snag a slice that is.

Just Add Greens

This week I took one night off from making pizza and made these curried lentils with coconut milk and kale, and it reminded me how much I love the addition of a heap of greens in many a dish. I often rely on kale and spinach, but Swiss chard and escarole — any green you like — not only will add flavor to whatever stewy, brothy, beany dish you are preparing but also will make it visually more appealing. Here are a few of my favorite recipes that employ this trick:

Curried Lentils with Coconut Milk (and kale):

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash (and kale)

Addictive Black Lentils with Yogurt (and spinach)

Yotam Ottolenghi's Farro Risotto with Feta (and kale).

One-Pot Thai Chicken Curry (with spinach)

Orecchiette with Brown Butter (and Swiss chard)

Brothy Chickpeas with Parmesan (and escarole)

Quick Pizza Book Update

I've been working on a thin-crust pizza recipe for the pizza book, and I'm loving it and can't wait to share it with you. Here it is with caramelized leeks and potato...