YURA’S MEALS-TO-GO

 Here are some highlights from this week’s Meals-to-Go:

What a relief is what we say of this cool, refreshing meal. After a week of brutal heat, thank God for quenching Thai Watermelon-Pineapple-Cucumber Salad. Juicy, sweet, and savory, with a squeeze of lime for punch, it makes a perfect palate primer for the handy main course yet to come. Poached Shrimp Summer Rolls are lined with cooling leaves of mint, Thai basil, and cilantro, and laid with shrimp and crisp, paper-thin, julienned veggies. Peanut Sauce is for dipping into before each and every bite. And yes, there’s a little nest of Rice Noodles. We’d serve the Nuac Cham-dressed salad right on it!

First-of-the-season Young Beets are a star of this MTG, easy to roast whole, peel, then cool in balsamic-olive oil marinade. We slice them onto a Salad of Baby Greens and Mint next to pillows of Whipped Goat Cheese topped with pretty Pistachios. Amazing to have found a way to make this even more appealing. We’ve turned the dish into dinner with a plump piece of Poached Salmon!

A carafe of red, a basket of peasant bread, and fragrant olive oil for dipping…now the mind’s table is set for that Greektown neighborhood specialty, Pastitsio. It’s as if you’ve hit the streets of Astoria on a gorgeous summer’s night, yet there’s no restaurant in the city you’ll get better a Greek meal than this. Pastitsio is an icon of tubular pasta, layered with aromatic meat sauce, topped with custard-like, nutmeg-ie béchamel. A statuesque square of it can be yours this Wednesday. 

Without getting out there to sweat over the grill yourself, there’s no more satisfying sizzling chicken you could eat right now. Orange, lime, and grapefruit infuse the marinade for Pollo Asado, a Flash-Roasted Chicken glazed in the reduction of its plentiful juices. The tasty summertime char comes from flame-blackened chiles, peeled and pureed with skillet-toasted cumin, coriander and annatto. Mexican oregano and smoked paprika enhance the tangy seasoning, bold against subdued Rice Pilaf with Black Beans. A Pickled Onion garnish is pink and electric. Roasted Carrots and Peppers round out the meal.

One part kitsch, the other flat-out amazing, Sweet & Sour Meatballs hit the spot like the very best American-Chinese take-out used to. Handmade, of pork and beef, and seasoned with ginger, they’re sauced together with Fresh Pineapple and Bell Peppers; served with Coconut Rice.