Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen

This is easy and really delicious, from Cook's Country. The chicken is delicious but the genius comes from cooking the vegetables in the pan that the chicken browned in so it picks up extra flavor. I loved the way that the cherry tomatoes get cooked just enough by adding them to the pan the cauliflower is in, off heat. I served it with Garlic Naan (from the freezer, thanks to a recent visit to a local India Bazaar). Delicious! And perfectly suited to the tone of the meal. Coriander Chicken Thighs with Cauliflower and Herbed Yogurt Serves 4 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed 1-1/4 teaspoons table salt, divided 1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon pepper, divided 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 head cauliflower (2 pounds), cored and cut into 1-inch florets 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus 1/2 cup torn leaves (or fresh basil) 1 tablespoon lemon

From Beyond the Great Wall , another of the wonderful books by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. This is an unusual dish — a warm salad from Inner Mongolia — which the authors posit may be a fusion dish of some kind, possibly with a Russian influence. The sauce is literally a ground beef dressing which is delicious. I turned it into a main dish by doubling it — which worked well — and the simple expediency of serving it with rice. Oh, so very good ... and it looked just like the picture in the book. It will not only make your taste buds sit up and sing but will be easy on the budget as well. Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad About 4 packed cups coarsely torn romaine lettuce Dressing 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1/2 pound (1 packed cup) ground beef 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste 1 tablespoon Jinjiang (black rice) vinegar, or to taste 1/2 cup warm water 2 teaspoons cornstarch