Good morning! For my column this week, I wrote about the visceral way smell is tied to memory. And for me, one of the most redolent is the scent of sizzling chicken skin. I vividly remember my father standing at the stove rendering a mound of chicken trimmings with onions to make schmaltz, which was kept in the freezer to use in matzo balls and chopped liver. The byproduct of his schmaltz-making was gribenes — salty, crunchy nuggets of skin that my sister and I devoured like popcorn. It was heavenly, and writing this makes me wonder why I don’t make them more often.
Oh, that smells so goodI was hit with that same meaty, savory smell while testing a recipe for crispy chicken thighs with cucumber yogurt from Devin Finigan’s newish cookbook, “A Kitchen on Goose Cove” (written with Peter Kaminsky). Devin’s trick is to start the thighs in a cold skillet and then to weigh them down as they cook. This ensures the chicken skin makes maximum contact with the pan, allowing it to sear slowly and evenly. Then she serves the burnished, juicy chicken with salted yogurt spiked with quick-pickled cucumbers and shallots. It’s the kind of meal that makes everyone want to congregate in the kitchen while it’s cooking, breathing it all in. Recipes for your weekLet’s keep that skillet busy with five dinners that come together in the pan, like a crisp-edged kimchi pancake and satisfying masala chicken and chickpeas. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started. And before you goTomorrow is this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which marks the beginning of the harvest season in Chinese and Taiwanese cultures. And making and eating mooncakes is a traditional and very delightful way to celebrate. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks wonderful. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes at hellomelissa@nytimes.com. I’ll see you on Saturday!
Melissa Clark has been writing about food for The New York Times since 1997 and is the author of 46 cookbooks. Her latest is “The Big Book of Dinner,” coming in November. You can reach her at hellomelissa@nytimes.com. Editors: Mia Leimkuhler and Li Goldstein. Host photo: Melanie Dunea. For help with your New York Times Cooking subscription, please email cookingcare@nytimes.com. Was this email forwarded to you? You can sign up for our New York Times Cooking newsletter here.
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