Recipes By Alexa Weibel
122 recipes found
Feta-Ranch Wedge Salad
A towering wedge salad is fun to look at, but the height and shape make it impractical for a couple reasons: Toppings tumble right off and dressings can’t permeate it properly. This recipe fixes all that by calling for thinly sliced wedges that are stacked on their sides. The toppings stay put, and the dressing can work its way into all the little nooks and crannies. This salad looks impressive, it tastes delicious and it’s actually quite no-fuss: You can make the dressing days ahead of time, and swap in whatever herbs, spices, seasonings you have and crave. The only tricky aspect is emulsifying your feta. The key is time: Scrape the sides as needed and keep blending. With some coaxing, it always gets there.
Crunchy Queso Wrap
A wildly popular novelty snack from Taco Bell, the Crunchwrap Supreme combines elements of a burrito with the tidier portability of a sandwich, in a stacked, layered and wrapped tortilla package. It delights for two practical reasons (low cost and convenience) and two culinary ones (crunch and cheesiness). An at-home version is a fun party trick — and it is endlessly customizable. Once you cook up the assertively spiced ground beef, the rest of this recipe is basically assembly: Start with the largest flour tortillas you can find, then layer on the meat (or crispy tofu, or refried beans), cloak it in queso, stack a tostada on top, pile on some chipotle sour cream, lettuce and pico de gallo, then fold and sear. Would you spend less buying just one at a Taco Bell? Yes, but your ratio of filling to tortilla will be paltry compared to this homemade version, which cheaply and happily feeds a crowd.
Crispy Tofu Tacos
There are plenty of crispy tofu recipes, but few truly deliver on the promise, since tofu has a tendency to steam because of its high moisture content. But time can do the trick in the oven, creating brittle edges and a chewy texture with little effort. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can from your block of tofu, grate it coarsely, season it fearlessly, then roast it until sizzling. The key step is to drizzle the tofu with a combination of olive oil and tomato paste toward the end of cooking, which crisps the edges and lends a deep umami flavor, so much so that this tofu could almost be mistaken for seasoned ground beef. A swipe of avocado mayo, loosened with lime juice and electrified with zest, adds richness and tang, and quite literally holds the tacos together. Choose your mayonnaise and tortillas wisely and the whole dish is vegan.
Pad Prik King (Red Curry Chicken and Green Beans)
There are very few ingredients that can electrify a dish the way a spoonful of curry paste can. In this recipe, which is adapted from “Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand” (Penguin Canada, 2020) by Nuit Regular, store-bought red curry paste and lime leaves season sliced chicken and long beans in a salty-sweet dry curry. At her Toronto restaurant, Ms. Regular makes the curry paste from scratch, and in Thailand, you can purchase fresh curry paste by weight, but stateside, you’re more likely to find it in shelf-stable cans or jars. Salt and heat levels vary widely, so start with a little, then add more gradually, as desired. Citrusy, herbal Makrut lime leaves are essential to classic pad prik king (see Tip 2), but rest assured, this recipe is still delicious without them.
Roasted Carrots With Whipped Tahini
For a spectacular vegetable side at home, try this tried-and-true formula: A swoosh of sauce on a plate topped with a cooked vegetable and a confetti of finely chopped garnish. For this iteration, blend the base (a cloud of yogurt, tahini, citrus and garlic) and chop your garnish (a pretty pile of pistachios, dill and chives) while the carrots roast. Set on a platter, served hot or at room temperature, it’s a special side dish that can also hold its own as a vegetarian main, supplemented with chickpeas, quinoa, couscous or toasted bread.
Rumbledethumps (Potato Mash With Cabbage and Cheddar)
A traditional Scottish potato-cabbage mash, rumbledethumps is named for the sound a spoon makes as it rattles along the sides of the pot as you mash all of the ingredients together. This version is adapted from Ali Stoner (or “Roving Haggis” as she is known on Instagram and YouTube), who updates traditional Scottish recipes for the modern palate. She takes a few liberties, replacing cabbage with brussels sprouts and boosting flavor and texture with caramelized onions, fresh chives, punchy mustard and a crunchy panko topping. This humble mash invites variation, whether you prefer it chunky, creamy or topped with extra cheese and cream. It is complex enough to stand alone, with a sharp green salad, but it also pairs well with beef tenderloin, a simple roast chicken or a good pot of beans.
Steak au Poivre for Two
A celebratory French dish that likely originated in Paris in the 1920s, steak au poivre might be associated with white-tablecloth dining, but it is a recipe that you can easily make at home for a fraction of the price. It begins with a piece of beef that is crusted in crushed peppercorns, then topped with a silky, peppery Cognac pan sauce. In this version, using one large, well-marbled rib-eye steak instead of two individual filets means it’s more affordable, more flavorful and simpler to cook. (Preparing one perfect steak is easier than two.) Season generously, sear on the stovetop, then finish in the oven for even cooking. Let it rest while you prepare your pan sauce. Slice your steak into generous slabs and fan it out over your sauce, a move that makes the meat look more plentiful and the finished dish more lavish than if you drizzled the sauce on top.
Roasted Broccoli and Whipped Tofu With Chile Crisp Crunch
The concept here is simple, but the results are truly spectacular: Broccoli florets are tossed with olive oil and soy sauce, steamed in the oven until softened, then crowned with crunchy chile crisp bread crumbs. The broccoli is bundled up in aluminum foil, then cooked, so that it tenderizes swiftly and retains moisture. Meanwhile, chile crisp, panko, cashews and olive oil are toasted in a skillet until seasoned and crunchy. (This mix would also be stellar over peanut noodles, roasted vegetables or salad greens.) The optional base of two-ingredient cashew cream (tofu and cashew butter) adds lusciousness and protein. This dish has got heat, but it’s more about texture.
Smoky Tomato Soup
A grown-up version of grilled cheese’s best friend, this tomato soup is subtly complex thanks to the addition of ancho chile and smoked paprika, but it still has all of the nostalgic qualities of a really good tomato soup: It’s silky, robust and wonderfully tomato-y. Taking a cue from this classic tomato soup, this recipe calls for sweating the onion and garlic with a little flour to thicken the soup, which creates a velvety texture that doesn’t hide the pure tomato flavor. Simmering a whole ancho chile in the soup produces an undercurrent of heat; but if you prefer more spice, pluck off the stem and blend the chile into your finished soup rather than discarding it. Adjust the amount of cream and the level of heat as you like and the soup will taste just right to you.
Potato Pavé With Parmesan Crust
In the long line of elaborate potato recipes like pommes dauphine, hasselback gratin and Jannsson’s temptation, the pavé feels uniquely party-worthy. While typically found on restaurant menus, it’s perfectly doable at home, with a little patience and effort (in the way of peeling and slicing five pounds of potatoes, but a mandoline makes it easy work). Prepare and chill the terrine in advance so you can simply sear the pieces when ready to serve. This pavé strays from tradition with the addition of cheese: Dip each piece in shredded Parmesan to coat on two sides, then sear until the cheese fuses into a salty frico crust. You could sear all sides, if desired, but two requires less energy — and also highlights the lovely contrast between the crunchy frico crust and the creamy center, which holds pure potato flavor.
Jimmy Nardello Peppers
Prized for their flavor — savory but sweet, even faintly fruity — Jimmy Nardello peppers are easy to spot because of their spindly shape and fire-truck-red hue (though they can also be consumed when green and at their most peppery). Named for Jimmy Nardello, whose parents imported the seeds from southern Italy in the late 1800s, the peppers were once mostly limited to farmers’ markets and restaurant menus. But now, they are popping up in supermarkets as supply rises to meet demand. For cooking, they don’t need much more than heat and a sprinkle of salt. Here, they are grilled until charred and slumped, then tossed with vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Enjoy them as soon as they soak up the marinade, served over grilled bread and cheese, or squirreled away in the fridge for later, to be tossed into salads, tucked into sandwiches or stirred into a pot of pasta.
Chantilly Cake With Berries
You might recognize this berry-laden, emoji-ideal cake from birthday parties, family gatherings or the shelves of supermarket chains selling copycat versions across the country — but this recipe has been perfected by its creator during the last 20 years. Invented by Chaya Conrad, the head chef and owner of Bywater Bakery in New Orleans, when she worked in the bakery department at Whole Foods, this newer version of her famed layer cake skips the traditional yellow cake for an almond-scented white cake base. Inspired by crème Chantilly (whipped cream), the frosting is thickened and stabilized with cream cheese and mascarpone, and has inspired Chantilly donuts, Chantilly king cakes and Chantilly ice cream. “To have something that you’ve made that has turned into such a big deal is pretty wild,” Ms. Conrad observed on the impact of her creation. “In New Orleans, when I pass, they’ll be second lining with Chantilly hats and things.”
Golden Diner’s Tuna Melt
This tuna melt, which was adapted from Sam Yoo, the owner and chef of Golden Diner in New York, is almost more about the textures than the tuna: Two slices of rye bread, crisped in butter and adorned with melted American cheese, sandwich a hefty scoop of tuna salad and a fistful of salt-and-vinegar potato chips. The sandwich will crunch, audibly, as you smash it together, and again between your teeth as you eat it. But the tuna salad is equally memorable: Reminiscent of the flavors of a Big Mac, its tangy, mayo-based sauce gets a hefty dose of acidity from minced bread and butter pickles, mustard, vinegar and Tabasco. This tuna melt eats like a tuna grilled cheese and proves that the best sandwiches are all about contrast: hot and cold, buttery and tangy, crispy and creamy.
Kai Yang
There’s hardly a definitive recipe for any dish, and certainly not kai yang, which is sometimes referred to as Thai barbecue chicken. Variations abound, but you’ll always find salty notes (often from fish sauce, soy sauce or Thai seasoning); sweet notes (from palm sugar or coconut milk); and a range of accents like lemongrass, garlic and galangal or ginger. This recipe is adapted from Sheree Sarabhaya, the chef and owner of Kai Yang restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey. She refrigerates whole chickens in a fragrant, salty marinade with turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and cilantro for 24 hours, then roasts them in a rotisserie oven, allowing the scent to permeate the dining room. You can achieve spectacular results at home by basting the chicken as it cooks, encouraging it to soak up the seasoning. Traditionally served with green papaya salad and sticky rice, this chicken can also be used as a substitute for standard rotisserie chicken to liven up soups, sandwiches and salads.
Arrabbiata Sauce
Like marinara’s fiery cousin, this classic tomato sauce comes together in about 30 minutes with just canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper. Arrabbiata, which means angry in Italian, nods to the sauce’s spicy nature, but the aggressiveness of your sauce is up to you: Start with 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper for a noticeable tingle in the back of your throat, or double up for additional intensity. (One word of caution: It’s hard to reverse a sauce that is too spicy, so start small, then hit it with additional heat at the end, if desired.) Though dried chiles or crushed red pepper are traditional, feel free to experiment with what you’ve got and what you like: Any combination of fiery elements in the form of dried chile flakes, dried whole chiles, fresh chiles, chopped jarred Calabrian chiles, chile sauce or chile pastes (gochujang, Sriracha) liven up this elemental tomato sauce.
Creamy, Spicy Tomato Beans and Greens
This weeknight wonder is for those who delight in turning a modest can of beans into a spectacular dinner. Inspired by the flavors of red pesto, this recipe calls for simmering cannellini beans with staple ingredients like onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, tomato paste and heavy cream, as well as sun-dried tomatoes and salty Pecorino, until the results taste complex and rich. Top the beans with a lemony arugula salad that is peppered with fried bread crumbs for a dish that is crunchy, chewy, crispy and creamy in every bite.
Braised Broccoli Pasta
By creating a sauce from just broccoli, onions, olive oil and starchy pasta water, this recipe feels Italian in spirit but embraces an unexpected technique. Pulverize onion, broccoli and garlic in a food processor, then cook it in hot oil, much like sofrito, extracting as much flavor as possible. Add stock, orecchiette and broccoli florets, then watch the mixture go from soup, to stew, to saucy pasta. For best results, stick to the ingredients, measurements and temperatures listed in the recipe: Use a different pasta shape, and it will likely overcook; increase the amount of orecchiette, and there won’t be enough liquid; increase the heat and the liquid will evaporate before the pasta cooks through. But with attention, this recipe will yield a glossy pasta that makes cheap, accessible ingredients taste positively lush.
Gochujang Shrimp Pasta
Easy but exciting, this five-ingredient pasta dish is spiked with spicy gochujang, a Korean red chile paste that provides heat and complexity. Chopping the shrimp into bite-size pieces before cooking ensures that they will distribute more evenly in the finished dish, leaving you with perfect bite after perfect bite. Once that’s done, sear the chopped shrimp in olive oil, set them aside, then toss in scallions, halved cherry tomatoes, gochujang and a splash of pasta water for a supereasy pan sauce. Toss with your cooked pasta and shrimp until everything comes together and is slicked with vibrant sauce.
Spicy Caramelized Shrimp With Lemongrass
For those who love all things salty and sweet, Vietnamese tôm rim is an ideal dish, wedding fish sauce with caramel. Variations abound, but traditionally, tôm rim is made by marinating whole, unpeeled shrimp in fish sauce, palm sugar, pepper, garlic and shallot, then sautéing until the shrimp cooks through and the sauce becomes glossy and caramelized. This version, which is adapted from “Vietnamese Home Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2012) by chef Charles Phan, calls for weeknight-friendly peeled shrimp, and builds upon the dish’s classic flavor profile by introducing chile, lemongrass and ginger. Mr. Phan uses a homemade roasted chile paste that is heady with Sichuan peppercorns, ground bean paste and soy sauce, but he suggests store-bought roasted chile paste or chile-bean sauce for ease. You could swap in Sriracha, increase the garlic, apply these flavors to different proteins or even vegetables. Once you’ve understood the foundation of a dish, its potential is infinite.
Lemongrass Chicken
Defined by the bright, citrusy flavor of fresh lemongrass, this 30-minute Vietnamese chicken dish is further complemented by punchy black pepper, spicy red chile, salty fish sauce and a dash of sugar for sweetness. The recipe builds intense flavor in minimal time, so using boneless chicken thighs is ideal because they’ll stay moist throughout cooking. This recipe is adapted from a dish by Vicky Pham, a blogger who writes about Vietnamese home-cooking dishes that aren’t typically found in Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. “I wanted to replicate those recipes with precise measurements instead of relying on the traditional ‘pinch of this’ and ‘just add enough until it tastes right’ so that one day my kids wouldn’t have too much trouble replicating their favorite childhood dishes,” Ms. Pham said. She whittled this dish down to three simple steps: Sear the chicken until golden, push it aside to make room to bloom the lemongrass, garlic, shallot and chile, then toss with fish sauce and sugar until caramelized. Spicy, salty and sweet, this dish is deeply satisfying served simply with a bowl of rice.
Chingri Dopiaza (Shrimp With Onion, Tomato, Chile and Turmeric)
Vivid and bright, this traditional Bangladeshi shrimp dish, which was adapted from Nur-E Gulshan Rahman, the chef and an owner of Korai Kitchen in Jersey City, New Jersey, is stained with earthy turmeric, sweetened with onion and spiked with chile. In Bangladesh, Iran, India and in other parts of the subcontinent, dopiaza can refer to dishes that use a lot of onions. This recipe cleverly builds flavor using onions two ways: Some are sliced and cooked until softened, adding texture, while the remaining are blended into a purée that melds with turmeric, chile, oil and cilantro into a sauce that tastes as bright as sunshine. Ms. Rahman learned the recipe from her mother, and the dish is a popular staple at the restaurant, which she owns and operates with her youngest daughter, Nur-E Farhana Rahman.
Baked Brie and Caramelized Vegetable Pie
A vegetarian centerpiece inspired by baked Brie, this caramelized vegetable pie cuddles creamy, earthy molten cheese with a bevy of autumnal vegetables: roasted butternut squash, seared mushrooms, herbed brussels sprouts and tangy red onions, and enrobes the whole mixture in store-bought puff pastry. It’s significantly less work than this mushroom Wellington, but has a similar ceremonial pomp, with a delightful big reveal. Developed with ease in mind, this savory pie benefits from being prepared in advance: Cook the individual components at your leisure, even a few days in advance, and you’ll need only to assemble the pie and bake it off before dinner. This pie is relatively easy to engineer but it does require some patience. You’ll want to let it rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting, to allow the puff pastry to maintain its structure — and for the cheese to firm up a bit before carving.
Shrimp Saganaki
Built for a weeknight but worthy of company, this Greek dish coddles shrimp in a delicate tomato sauce that gains depth from olives, ouzo and feta. Its name is derived from sagani, a two-handled pan in which the dish is traditionally cooked and served. Garides saganaki can be an appetizer, mopped up with bread, or it can anchor a meal. Some versions might be flambéed, but this recipe, from “Salt of the Earth: Secrets and Stories from a Greek Kitchen” by Carolina Doriti (Quadrille Publishing, 2023), is sautéed, then baked, which is an easy way to ensure plump, pillowy pieces of shrimp. If you don’t have licorice-scented ouzo, Ms. Doriti suggests brandy or white wine as potential substitutes.
Pa Muchim (Scallion Salad)
A bright tangle of greens that is sour, salty, spicy and sweet, this traditional Korean scallion salad pairs well with meat but is suitable for any banchan spread. This recipe comes from David Shim, the executive chef at Cote in New York City, who noted its versatility and its ability to team up with beef, pork, chicken or just about anything off the grill — including Mr. Shim’s galbi skewers. Though all you need to cut the scallions into thin slivers is a sharp knife and a little patience (you’ll need to position your knife at a sharp angle on the scallion to shave it into long strands), cheap bladed scallion cutters make fast work of the task. Plunging your sliced scallions into a bowl of ice water helps them curl while taming their bite. Dress the scallion curls just before serving, so you can pile them high. Frilly and fragrant, a little bite of this salad goes a long way.