In Madhur Jaffrey’s green lentil curry, she infuses them with garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin, for a dish that’s perfect over rice or with a piece of warm naan bread.

Serves 4

foodandwine.com

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove (mashed to a paste)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons canola oil
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small shallot (minced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with of water
1 ¼ cups dried green lentils
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 ounces green beans (cut into 3/-inch lengths)
4 ounces kale (stemmed and leaves finely chopped)
1 medium carrot (thinly sliced)
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt

INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander and ground cumin. Stir in 1/4 cup of water to make a paste. In a small skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the spice paste and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thick, about 1 minute longer.

In a saucepan, combine the lentils with the turmeric and 5 cups of water; bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are barely tender. Add the green beans, kale, carrot, three-fourths of the cilantro and the cayenne and season with salt. Cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 minutes. Scrape in the spice paste and the remaining cilantro. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve.

Fresh ingredients team up with store-bought shortcuts to get this comforting dinner on the table in just over 30 minutes. Frozen cheese tortellini only need a 5-minute dip in the simmering broth to cook up perfectly. Don’t be tempted to just dump the whole can of tomatoes into the pot; draining them first concentrates the flavor.

Serves 8

foodandwine.com

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 cups chopped yellow onion (from 1 large onion)
1 cup chopped celery (from 2 stalks)
5 garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
4 cups stemmed and thinly sliced lacinato kale (from 1 bunch)
1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over high. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken; let rest 5 minutes. Cut chicken into cubes, and set aside.

[Cut up whole chicken and brown in pot; once done, chunk it up and continue with recipe]

Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and basil, and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes. Add wine and tomato paste; bring to a boil, and reduce until liquid has almost evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in stock. Add tomatoes, using your hands to crush tomatoes over pot as you add them. Bring to a boil. Add chicken, kale, tortellini, remaining 1/4 cup oil, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Simmer until tortellini are al dente, about 5 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with Parmesan and additional basil.