Five easy family recipes we’re cooking this week

People have many unlikely sources of cooking inspiration, including movies, TV and books. Then there’s jury duty.

In response to a recent query about what inspires cooking, one reader recounted her experience on a jury, during which a witness testified as part of her recollection of a particular evening, that she had shouted up the stairs to her husband, “Come get your pork chop!” It took all her willpower to stay focused for the rest of the testimony, she said, and, “You better believe we had pork chops for dinner that night at my house.”

The recipe for pork chops here will help if her tale inspires you.

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Brawny and golden brown, these seared pork chops make a hearty one-pan dinner that’s rounded out by sweet sugar snap peas and loads of fresh mint. The feta, added at the end, melts into the pork and peas, spiking the sauce with its brininess. Be generous with the fresh lemon juice at the end; this rich dish gains a lot from the tang.

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By: Melissa Clark

Makes: 3 to 4 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 (3cm-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 454g each)

Salt and black pepper

1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1tbsp unsalted butter

4 spring onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, plus more for serving

200g sugar snap peas, trimmed

Handful chopped fresh mint or basil, plus more for serving

Large pinch of red pepper flakes

150g crumbled feta

Lemon juice, for serving

Method

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high until shimmering.

2. Add the pork chops to pan and sear, without moving, until dark golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Lower heat, cover pan and cook the pork chops for 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.

3. Return the pan to the stove and reduce heat to medium. Add butter to remaining oil in pan, then add spring onions and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add snap peas, mint, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt, stirring everything to coat with pan juices.

4. Making space, return pork chops to pan, surrounding them with snap peas. If necessary, you can mound snap peas on top of pork, but make sure the meat sits directly on the bottom of pan. Scatter feta over pork and snap peas. Cover and cook over low heat until pork chops are just cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes longer.

5. Drizzle or squeeze lemon juice over the dish and sprinkle with more mint, scallions and black pepper before serving.

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The savoury Korean bulgogi marinade in this recipe is made with cupboard items and livens up just about anything you put it on. Here, the soy-spring onion-ginger marinade is used on boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but it can also be brushed on tofu, courgette or bell peppers for a satisfying vegetarian meal.

As the meat cooks, the marinade caramelises into a sweet-salty sticky glaze that coats the chicken. Serving the grilled chicken and vegetables in lettuce cups is a fun way to enjoy the meal. Korean condiments like kimchi and gochujang are traditional bulgogi accompaniments, but shredded cabbage, salsa or even guacamole would also work. Leftovers can be refrigerated overnight, then chopped and tossed with salad.

By: Kay Chun

Makes: 4 servings

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

118ml low sodium soy sauce

5 spring onions, chopped

2tbsp minced garlic

5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (2tbsp)

2tsp demerara sugar

½tsp black pepper

3tbsp rapeseed oil, plus more for greasing

680g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2.5cm-thick slices

2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into 2.5cm wedges

230g white button mushrooms, halved, or quartered if large

Lettuce leaves

Any combination of cooked short-grain rice, kimchi, gochujang or toasted sesame oil, for serving

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, spring onions, garlic, ginger, sugar, pepper and two tablespoons oil and mix well. Add chicken and onions and toss to evenly coat. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Heat a cast-iron griddle or grill pan over medium-high and lightly grease with oil. Toss mushrooms in remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange half of the chicken, onions and mushrooms in a single layer. Grill until chicken is caramelised and cooked through, turning all ingredients every few minutes, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to serving plate. Repeat with remaining chicken and vegetables.

3. Serve chicken bulgogi, onions and mushrooms with lettuce leaves for wrapping. Fill lettuce cups with rice (if using), chicken and vegetables. Top with any combination of kimchi, gochujang and sesame oil. Wrap and enjoy.

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You probably already have a favorite pantry pasta dish that you habitually whip up when there’s nothing in the house for dinner. Next time, try this one instead. It has all the usual players – olive oil, parmesan, flaky sea salt – along with fried lemons for brightness and chilli flakes for heat.

Don’t skip the step of blanching the lemon slices before frying. It may seem fussy, but it eliminates any bitterness in the lemon pith and takes only a few extra minutes. Then dry the lemon slices well before adding them to the hot oil; this helps them brown more deeply.

By: Melissa Clark

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 lemons

450g linguine or spaghetti

4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

1tsp salt, more as needed

Pinch of sugar

3tbsp unsalted butter

¾tsp chilli flakes, more to taste

60g parmigiano-reggiano cheese, more to taste

Black pepper, as needed

150g celery leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)

8g parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)

Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Finely zest two of the lemons and set aside. Trim the tops and bottoms off the other two lemons and cut lengthwise into quarters; remove seeds. Thinly slice the quarters crosswise into triangles. Blanch the lemon pieces in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a dish towel. Blot dry.

2. In the boiling water, add pasta and cook until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving half a cup of the pasta cooking water.

3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add the dried lemon pieces and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Cook until the lemons are caramelised and browned at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4. Melt the butter with the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the chilli flakes and zest of both lemons; cook until fragrant. Whisk in the reserved pasta water.

5. Toss in pasta, juice of one lemon, cheese, pepper and the remaining salt. Cook until pasta is well coated with sauce. Toss in the caramelised lemon and the celery leaves and parsley if using. Taste and add lemon juice if needed. Serve, topped with a drizzle of oil, more cheese if you like, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

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This warming dish is inspired by Japanese ochazuke, a comforting bowl of rice with green tea poured on top. Traditionally, the meal may also be finished with grilled fish, sashimi or other toppings, but there is room for variation: you could swap out the hot tea for dashi, broth or other liquids. In this approach, the salmon is slow-roasted – which helps render some of the fat and keeps the fish meltingly tender – while a light shiitake mushroom and leek broth simmers. Divide cooked rice among bowls, spoon the salmon and vegetable broth on top, and finish with fresh ginger and a drizzle of sesame oil.

By: Sue Li

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

680g piece skin-on or skinless salmon

2tbsp sesame oil, plus more for serving

Salt

2 medium leeks, trimmed, white and light greens cut crosswise into 2.5cm rounds

230g fresh shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced

950ml chicken broth

500g cooked short-grain white rice

Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks, for serving

Method

1. Heat oven to 150C. Place salmon on a baking sheet. Drizzle salmon with one tablespoon sesame oil, sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven until cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove salmon from the oven and let it rest another 5 minutes.

2. While the salmon roasts, heat remaining one tablespoon sesame oil in a pot over medium. Add leeks and mushrooms, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks and mushrooms are lightly golden on the edges, 8 to 10 minutes (don’t worry if the pan seems dry, the moisture that comes out of the mushrooms and leeks will help steam the vegetables and keep them from burning).

3. Add chicken broth and simmer until the broth is infused with mushroom flavor and leeks are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt.

4. To serve, divide rice among bowls. Scoop salmon by the spoonful onto the rice, and ladle vegetables and broth over salmon and rice. Top with ginger and a drizzle of sesame oil.

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You may think of frittatas as leftovers’ idea of heaven, but is it yours? For a frittata to look forward to, throw in leftover grains: the result is something like a Spanish tortilla, pleasingly dense, but with more bounce. Add an acid, like lime, and umami, like fish sauce, which melts into an underlying savouriness when warmed.

Whatever you do, don’t turn on the oven for this. Instead, stir the frittata on the stove and all but the top will set – nothing a few minutes covered can’t fix (no precarious flip!). Finally, put a salad on top. The herby one here adds pep to the substantial frittata, as does a final squeeze of lime.

By: Ali Slagle

Makes: 4 servings

Total time: About 20 minutes

Ingredients

8 eggs

1½tsp fish sauce

200g cooked farro (or grain of your choice)

2tbsp unsalted butter

1 shallot, coarsely chopped

1 Thai bird chilli or ½ small jalapeño, thinly sliced (about ½tsp)

10g dill, cilantro and/or mint leaves

2tbsp thinly sliced spring onions

1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and 60ml water until bubbles form, then whisk in the fish sauce until combined. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the farro.

2. In an 20-24cm nonstick frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and chilli, and saute until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then pour in the egg-grain mixture. Using the rubber spatula, stir the eggs to mix in the shallot and chilli. Let sit undisturbed until the edges of the eggs start to bubble and cook, just a minute. Then run your spatula across the bottom of the pan to pull the eggs from the edges to the center. Create holes in the centre of the frittata as well, tilting the pan as needed so wet egg runs into the empty space created by your spatula. Continue pulling and agitating the eggs until the surface is wet but mostly set when you tilt the pan, about 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.

4. Smooth the top of the frittata, then cover with a lid or foil and let cook until the eggs are just set, about 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, combine the herbs and spring onions in a small bowl, then squeeze in enough lime to lightly moisten (about one tablespoon or a quarter of a lime). Toss with your fingers to combine.

6. Once the frittata is cooked, loosen the sides with your rubber spatula and slide onto a serving platter. Top with herbs and spring onions and serve immediately with extra lime wedges on the side.

Tip: Grains can be made three days in advance. No need to reheat.

© New York Times