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The microwave and the baby arrived roughly around the same time. I hadn’t had a microwave until then: My kitchen was small, counter space was highly coveted and I wasn’t doing enough reheating to justify it. But my husband wisely realized that we’d want to heat food for the baby and for us, the new parents, in a quick and nonfussy way. And so it happened. We bought a microwave.
Skip forward years later and, unsurprisingly, the dowdy microwave gets a lot of love around here. It’s excellent for cooking vegetables (fresh or frozen), and brilliant for cooking corn on the cob (so succulent!). It’s amazing for steaming eggs and rice. And now I’ve got something new to try: poaching salmon. That recipe is below, along with four other new arrivals on New York Times Cooking.
If the impending Super Bowl has you in more of a molten-cheese head space, then we’ve got recipes for you. Here’s your annual reminder from me that nachos make a great dinner. Tell me what you’re cooking at dearemily@nytimes.com. It’s always good to hear from you.
1. Microwave Salmon
I’m really looking forward to trying Kevin Noble Maillard’s fast method for making “buttery, flawless fish,” as he tantalizingly describes it — both for my dinner but also to give to my kids, with whom plush salmon has been a surprise hit. (They still won’t try shrimp, though.) If you’re using wild salmon, which is leaner than farmed fish, be sure to read the tip at the end of the recipe, as the cooking time and directions change slightly.
2. Chimichurri Meatballs
Chimichurri is one of the world’s great sauces, and now Ali Slagle has rolled it into one of the world’s great foods: meatballs. You can buy this Argentine sauce at some stores, but honestly, just make yourself a big batch if you can. It keeps in the fridge for weeks, ready for roast chicken, steak, vegetables and eggs. These meatballs become a meal if you serve them on couscous or rice.
3. Lemony Pasta With Braised White Beans
This new(ish) Melissa Clark recipe pairs pasta and canned beans for a fast dinner that’s really pretty delicious, with ingredients that are more or less always on my grocery list because they are such good, versatile last-minute players (lemons, cherry tomatoes, arugula, beans).
4. Chicken Quesadillas
Making a perfectly cheesy quesadilla is an art, and Ali talks you through it in this simple trick of a recipe. It’s a satisfying fast lunch or dinner, and there’s no higher purpose for leftover rotisserie chicken (except, maybe — maybe — chicken salad).
5. Tamarind-Maple Brussels Sprouts
Hetty Lui McKinnon coats earthy brussels sprouts in a tart-sweet tamarind glaze in this new recipe that I am also quite excited to make. It can easily be a main course for brussels lovers if you serve it with rice, showered with filling cashews and sprinkled with scallions.
