The meals
Nine things to cook in November.
Specific dishes, chosen for this month's basket. Each one ends by explaining how it works — so the next time, you won't need it.
This week — what the basket covers
- Braised chicken thighs with leeks, fennel, and satsuma November's lesson: a hard sear, then an hour in a low oven. Leftovers become the farro bowls.
- Farro bowls with braised chicken, crisp cauliflower, and pickled fennel The braise, midweek: chewy farro, crisp cauliflower, and the juices.
- Minestrone with Italian sausage, chard, and white beans The month's soup. Made on Sunday, it's lunch all week.
- Salmon over warm lentils with crisp Brussels sprouts and pickled fennel A French classic, with Brussels sprouts crisped in the air fryer.
- Thai basil pork with green beans and a crisp fried egg Thailand's everyday plate: pork, garlic, chile, basil, and a crisp fried egg.
Also this month
- Crisp chicken thighs over garlicky white beans, chard, and satsuma Crackling skin from the air fryer, over garlicky white beans and chard.
- Lomo saltado: Peruvian beef stir-fry with tomato, onion, and fries Peru's beef stir-fry: soy, vinegar, and tomato, over fries and rice. Swap it in for the basil pork any week.
- Chicken tinga tostadas with black beans and pickled red onion For week three, when the month feels familiar: smoky chipotle chicken on crisp tostadas.
- Seared halibut with shaved fennel and satsuma In season now. Seared, with shaved fennel and satsuma.
Mornings, and in between
Small things from the same basket: quick on weekdays, slower on the weekend.
Weekdays
- Satsuma and yogurt. Thick yogurt, a peeled satsuma in segments, its zest, a pinch of salt, and a thread of olive oil.
- Soup and an egg. A mug of the week's soup brought to a simmer, an egg cracked in, the lid on for four minutes. Breakfast that's already made.
- Tomatoes and eggs. China's home classic, in ten minutes: three eggs scrambled soft in the wok and set aside, two chopped tomatoes cooked with garlic, salt, and a pinch of sugar until saucy, the eggs folded back in. Over rice or toast. In a lomo saltado week, buy two extra Roma tomatoes for it.
Weekends
- Chard and Parmesan frittata. Chard stems softened in butter, the leaves wilted in, eight eggs and plenty of Parmesan, finished in the oven.
- Eggs in the braise. The morning after: warm the leftover leeks and juices from the braise, make wells, crack in eggs, and cover until the whites set. Toast for dragging.
- Fried rice. The week's leftover rice in a hot wok with garlic, two eggs, a splash of fish sauce, and the last of the basil.
In between
- Satsumas. Three, peeled at your desk. The reason to buy a bag.
- Toast and the jar. Sourdough, a little butter, pickled fennel, and shaved Parmesan.
- A cup of the soup. Hot, with a forkful of the pickled fennel on top.
Or cook by instinct
When something's already in the fridge: what it wants, a few ways to cook it, and the flavors that suit it.
Chicken thighs Skin and bone are flavor: slow heat turns them into a braise, fast hot air into crackling skin.
- Braise. Sear them skin-side down, then an hour uncovered in a low oven on leeks and fennel. The weekend braise →
- Over farro. Pull the leftovers off the bone and warm them in their juices. Farro bowls →
- Shredded. Cooked in the air fryer, then simmered in a smoky chipotle and tomato sauce. The tinga →
- Air fryer. Skin-side up at 375°F until the skin crackles, then onto garlicky white beans. With white beans →
Best with Bright and sharpCrisp and sweet
Beef Quick cuts like sirloin want very high heat and a few minutes; cut thin, they're done before they toughen.
- Stir-fry. Seared in batches in a smoking wok with red onion, soy, and vinegar, tomato folded in at the end. Lomo saltado →
- Sear. A whole sirloin steak in a smoking cast-iron pan, sliced thin, with the pickled fennel beside it.
- Leftovers. Sliced cold over rice with a spoonful of fish sauce and chiles.
Best with Salty and hotBright and sharp
Ground pork Its fat browns fast and carries garlic and chile; it wants salt, heat, and something green at the end.
- With basil. Browned hard with garlic and chile, green beans tossed in, basil wilted off the heat. Thai basil pork →
- Over lentils. Crisped in a hot pan with chile flakes and spooned over warm lentils with a fried egg.
- In soup. Browned with garlic in place of the sausage in the minestrone.
Best with Salty and hotSalty and sharp
Italian sausage Its fat and seasoning do the work of a sauce.
- Soup. Browned first in the pot, so the whole minestrone tastes of it. The minestrone →
- Pasta. Browned and crumbled through any short pasta with chard and plenty of Parmesan.
- With beans. Browned and stirred into garlicky white beans in place of the chicken.
Best with Salty and sharpBright and sharp
Fish Rich salmon wants something earthy and sharp under it; lean halibut wants something crisp and sweet beside it.
- Air fryer. Salmon skin-side down at 400°F, set on lentils dressed with the jar's brine. Salmon and lentils →
- Sear. Halibut: dry fish, hot pan, hands off, with fennel and satsuma shaved beside it. The halibut →
- Leftovers. Flaked cold over farro or rice with lemon and pickled fennel. Don't reheat it.
Best with Bright and sharpCrisp and sweet
Mushrooms Pressed hard in a hot pan, oyster mushrooms go crisp and meaty: the meat-free night that actually fills the plate.
- Pressed. Torn into clusters and seared in the cast iron under a heavy pot, until half as thick and deeply browned.
- With basil. Pressed, then chopped and tossed in the wok with garlic, chile, and basil in place of the pork. Thai basil pork →
- Saltado. Pressed, torn into strips, and tossed with the onion, soy, vinegar, and tomato in place of the beef. Lomo saltado →
Best with Salty and hotBright and sharp
Eggs and beans For a meat-free night, they want sharpness and fat.
- Lentils. Two fried eggs on the warm lentils and Brussels sprouts instead of the salmon. Warm lentils →
- Beans. The garlicky white beans and chard on toast, two fried eggs on top. The beans →
- Tomatoes. Scrambled soft, then folded into tomatoes cooked down with garlic and a pinch of sugar, over rice in ten minutes — two extra Romas in a lomo saltado week.
Best with Bright and sharpSalty and hot
November's four flavors
- Bright and sharp Pickled fennel + its brine A forkful of the jar beside anything rich, and a spoonful of brine wherever you'd use vinegar.
- Salty and sharp Parmesan + lemon + black pepper Grate it fine, zest the lemon over, and crack pepper on top. Finishes soup, pasta, and greens.
- Salty and hot Fish sauce + sliced chiles Thailand's table sauce: two tablespoons of fish sauce with a sliced chile. A spoonful over rice, eggs, or anything from the wok.
- Crisp and sweet Satsuma + shaved fennel + lemon Slice both thin and dress them with lemon, olive oil, and salt. A cold salad beside anything warm.