Recipes By Alexa Weibel
122 recipes found
Grilled Mushrooms With Chive Butter
Throwing whole mushroom caps onto the grill is a standard and effortless approach, but, because of their concave shape, they often steam rather than sear on one side, which does nothing to concentrate their meaty flavor. Instead, try slicing mushrooms into thick, hearty wedges and threading them onto skewers, flat sides facing out, and you’ll be able to sear them successfully. This recipe calls for seasoning the mushrooms with a paprika rub, grilling, then topping with a lemony herbed butter that offsets their smoky char. Serve them as a side, or as a vegetarian main with virtually anything: green salads, couscous salads, grilled vegetables or, for heartier appetites, potatoes of all stripes like latkes, French fries or baked potatoes.
Chopped Salad With Jalapeño-Ranch Dressing
This chopped salad is fresh, festive and excessive in a celebratory way. While most salads opt for the lightest layer of dressing to optimize the produce’s flavors, this one calls for the dressing to generously coat the crisp ingredients. Inspired by Caesar salad, ranch dressing and the dinner-worthy salads popularized at chain restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen, this salad is punchy and satisfying, thanks to rich ingredients, like avocado, Cotija and a mayonnaise-thickened dressing, plus those with bite, like radishes, corn kernels and tortilla chips. Pair the salad with grilled tofu, chicken, shrimp or burgers — or nothing at all. This salad eschews subtlety, and hits all the right notes.
Carrot Risotto With Chile Crisp
Simple yet surprising, this pantry risotto is a study in contrasts: Luscious, creamy risotto is topped with caramelized carrots that are roasted with spicy chile crisp while you make the rice. The risotto base — a classic approach using shallots, garlic and white wine — is the foundation for a cheap though lush meal that can be cobbled together with pantry ingredients. This one is subtly sweetened with freshly grated carrots, then topped with a pile of smoky roasted carrots. Don’t underestimate the versatility of chile crisp: This tingly, crunchy condiment can animate any number of rich dishes like risotto, pizza and macaroni and cheese with a robust dose of heat. In recipes, as in life, opposites attract.
Juicy Lucy Burger
This Minneapolis staple is smart and simple: Sealing a slice of cheese inside two thin burger patties allows the burger to develop a serious char while the inside stays moist thanks to its molten core. There’s debate over whether the burger originated at 5-8 Club or Matt’s Bar; both have drawn locals and tourists alike since the 1950s. The Juicy Lucy method takes some practice — you’ll need to make sure the edges of the stacked patties are properly sealed so that the melted cheese gushes out with every bite instead of making a mess in the skillet — but the results far outweigh the challenge. Because the ingredient list is short (an unassuming bun, a smattering of pickles and a pile of caramelized onions), you’ll need to season with abandon. You may be tempted to use an expensive craft cheese, but sliced American cheese is the only way to go for tradition and meltability.
Spicy Won Tons With Chile Oil
Sichuan won tons are typically doused with hot, numbing chile sauce, but this less fiery version, adapted from “Hong Kong: Food City” by Tony Tan, is more like what you’d find at Cantonese restaurants. These delicate won tons are subtly sweet, ginger-scented and filled with a tender combination of pork, egg, stock, soy sauce and Shaoxing rice wine. Eat a couple of the won tons on their own to appreciate their delicate flavor before surrounding them with chile oil sauce, which will inevitably dominate them. Scale the amount of chile oil to suit your tolerance.
Vegan Bolognese With Mushrooms and Walnuts
Some may balk at this version of Bolognese, the classic Italian ragù, because it bypasses the meat and dairy that are traditionally integral to the dish. But this recipe is equally rich, robust and complex, owing to seared mushrooms and toasted walnuts, which are bolstered by balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, soy sauce and Marmite. A popular British sandwich spread made from concentrated yeast extract, Marmite brings salty, bitter notes to the sauce, but you can substitute a vegetable bouillon concentrate paste — or skip it entirely. Enjoy the sauce over cooked pasta or employ it in this vegetarian lasagna Bolognese.
Charred Broccoli Rabe With Ajo Blanco Sauce
Inspired by Spanish ajo blanco soup — at its essence a creamy, dairy-free blend of almonds, bread, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and water or stock that is also known as white gazpacho — this recipe from Nina Compton, the chef of Compère Lapin in New Orleans, glorifies garlic. Rather than creating a chilled soup, she replaces the traditional almonds with cashews and boosts the flavor profile of ajo blanco with a hefty pile of blanched garlic cloves, for a surprisingly sweet, nutty sauce that softens the smoky, bitter notes of the charred broccoli rabe. This vegetarian side pairs with just about any protein, but it’s got enough complexity to work as a main alongside some toasted bread and perhaps some beans. Its garlic flavor will linger, but you won’t mind. —Alexa Weibel
Charred Scallion Dip With Lemon and Herbs
This creamy scallion dip could be the cooler cousin of ranch dressing or sour cream and onion dip. Grilled scallions add smokiness, while fresh chives and raw scallions lend brightness to the tangy, herb-flecked dip. If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, you can broil the scallions in your oven. Once assembled, the dip benefits from chilling to round out the flavors. At least an hour works, but it's better after a day. It needs nothing more than potato chips alongside, but it’s also great with crudités, crackers, grilled vegetables, fried chicken or slathered on sandwiches.
Celery Victor Salad
At Inga’s Bar in Brooklyn, this special salad is prepared in a professional kitchen with the resources to create its many components on a rolling basis. But the chef Tirzah Stashko’s exacting recipe can produce restaurant-worthy results at home if you set aside time to tackle its parts in advance. Inspired by the classic dish created by Victor Hirtzler, the chef at San Francisco’s Hotel St. Francis from 1904 to 1926, Ms. Stashko’s dish is more audacious: While Mr. Hirtzler braised celery until sweet, subtle and succulent, Ms. Stashko bolsters the softened stalks with bitter greens and piquant mustard seeds, then slicks them with mashed anchovies, capers and garlic. There is nothing subtle about it, but the complexity of each bite will validate your efforts.
Roasted White Bean and Tomato Pasta
With a flavor profile inspired by pasta e fagioli, this weeknight pasta recipe coaxes rich flavor out of simple ingredients while enlisting the oven to create a luscious sauce from roasted tomatoes and white beans. Essentially, the dish requires just three steps: Boil pasta, roast your sauce ingredients, then stir together until the pasta is glossy. When roasted in the oven, the beans become crispy, like croutons, and break down in a way that helps thicken the sauce. Though a flurry of freshly grated cheese would be welcome on top, this otherwise-vegan dish doesn’t need it: The roasted tomato sauce is rich and luscious, fortified by starchy pasta water, roasted beans and a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil.
Vegan Creamy Leek Pasta
This four-ingredient leek pasta coaxes as much flavor and texture as possible out of a few leeks, a box of pasta, some olive oil and lemon (plus salt and pepper). Though it doesn’t take long, this recipe is not fast — it’s even a little bit fussy. You’ll julienne and fry the leek whites to create a crispy garnish, then blend the resulting leek oil with boiled leek greens to create a silky sauce. You could absolutely make this dish on a weeknight, but since the recipe revolves around technique, it’s best not to rush. It’s about enjoying the process as much as the results.
Ginger Beer-Glazed Butternut Squash With Gremolata
While most winter squash recipes call for roasting the firm vegetable until nutty and caramelized, this recipe highlights the vegetable’s creamy texture and sweet notes by simmering it in ginger beer until supple. Like many glazed recipes, this one showcases the beauty of great timing: When the squash is done cooking, the liquid will have reduced to a glossy sauce (provided you’ve cut the squash into 1-inch pieces). Topping the mixture with a confetti-like gremolata of chopped ginger, garlic, parsley and orange zest turns this into a cold-weather side that sparkles.
Sopa de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
Ask 10 people for a recipe for a particular dish, and you’ll probably get 10 different recipes. Mexican sopa de albóndigas is no exception. Most variations are likely to involve vegetables, rice, a tomato-based broth and, inevitably, meatballs. Wesley Avila, the chef of Guerrilla Tacos in Los Angeles, learned this recipe from his mother, who learned it from her grandmother. His meatballs are hefty in size but light in density, and follow his family’s tradition of adding uncooked white rice to the pork-beef mixture before shaping it into balls and cooking: “My mom always told me that when the rice is done, the soup is ready,” Mr. Avila said. “She used it almost as a timer.” The toppings — piled on as you would atop chili — skew cheffy, but they are entirely optional.
Hindbaersnitter (Danish Raspberry Slices)
Glazed and dotted with sprinkles, this Danish treat sandwiches raspberry jam between two buttery cookie layers — and has Pop-Tarts vibes. Popular in bakeries across Denmark, it’s achievable at home because it’s assembled in one large piece. For this recipe from “ScandiKitchen: Fika and Hygge” by Brontë Aurell, the author recommends a not-too-thick layer of good-quality jam: “Go for intense flavor instead of volume.” Traditionally, these cookies are made with raspberry jam and cut into squares, but they invite experimentation. Slice them into rectangles or triangles; opt for other bright, tangy preserves; and decorate them liberally, adding color to the icing and sprinkling with chopped freeze-dried fruit, crystallized ginger or toasted nuts. Their nostalgic charm will still shine through.
Roasted Mushrooms With Smoky Pomegranate Sauce
For the very best roasted mushrooms, this recipe employs a steam-roast method, which allows the mushrooms to caramelize and crisp while retaining a surprising amount of moisture. They’re tossed on a sheet pan with olive oil, poultry seasoning and granulated onion for flavor, then covered tightly with foil and set in the oven to steam in their own juices until tender. Finally, they’re broiled just until their edges crisp, and their natural essence becomes more concentrated with deep nutty notes. An easy pan sauce made with pomegranate juice, peppercorns and ancho chile provides a burst of tanginess and brilliant color — and it is easily made vegan with the use of vegan butter.
Dashi
A cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, this basic kombu and bonito dashi from “Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking” by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton (Ten Speed Press, 2015) is full of umami but made from just two ingredients: kombu (dry kelp) and katsuobushi (smoked, dried bonito flakes). It has smoky, salty, savory notes and tastes restorative on its own, but more often contributes depth to many traditional Japanese recipes, used as one might use any other broth to build flavor. After infusing the water with the kombu and katsuobushi, avoid the temptation to press the katsuobushi to extract as much liquid as possible — doing so would alter the equilibrium of this delicate dashi, which tastes oceanic but not overtly fishy.
Spicy Red Pesto Pasta
Today, pesto describes many sauces that don’t necessarily adhere to the traditional formula of cheese, basil, nuts and olive oil. This red version, which is inspired by pesto alla Siciliana, the scarlet cousin of green pesto Genovese, leans on sun-dried tomatoes, nuts and tangy roasted red peppers and uses basil as a garnish only. Though pesto is traditionally pounded by hand, a food processor simplifies the effort. This pasta sauce is versatile: Crown it with lemon zest for brightness, or stir in heavy cream for extra richness. Should you find yourself with extra pesto, drizzle it over steak, slather it on sandwiches or serve it alongside a cheese board or crudités.
Café China’s Dan Dan Noodles
Also known as dan dan mian, these noodles have regional variations — you’re likely to find a peanut-laden, vegetarian version in Taiwan — but this recipe comes from Café China, a beloved Sichuan restaurant in New York City. Popularized in Chengdu, this dish takes its name from the Mandarin verb “dan,” which refers to how vendors once carried the ingredients, hanging from bamboo poles balanced on their shoulders. The dish builds on a complex chile sauce that is more rich and robust than fiery. Though the ingredient list is lengthy, the process is clear-cut: Get the water boiling for your noodles while you prepare the sauce. Sauté the pork, seasoned with suimiyacai (preserved mustard greens), boil your noodles, and dinner is served.
Vegetarian Lasagna Bolognese
There’s no way around it: Good lasagna is a labor of love, building deep flavor layer by layer. But the effort required on the front end pays off greatly, especially since the dish can be prepared in advance. Start with this vegan Bolognese, and half your work is done. The rest comes together easily: Stir together a parsleyed ricotta filling, boil your noodles, assemble your lasagna and bake until bubbly and browned. Rich, creamy and deeply satisfying, this lasagna happens to be vegetarian, but your guests will hardly know the difference.
Vegetarian Mushroom Wellington
Classic beef Wellington is a technical feat in which a tenderloin is topped with foie gras or mushroom duxelles, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. This vegetarian version is less exacting yet just as impressive. Seared portobello mushrooms are layered with apple cider-caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms, which are seasoned with soy sauce for flavor and bolstered with walnuts for texture. The rich mushroom filling is vegan, and the entire dish can easily be made vegan, too. Swap in vegan puff pastry, a butter substitute in the port reduction and caramelized onions, and an egg substitute for brushing the puff pastry. You can assemble and refrigerate the dish up to 1 day before baking it. Prepare the port reduction as the Wellington bakes, or skip it entirely and serve with cranberry sauce for a touch of tangy sweetness.
Vegan Cacio e Pepe
This speedy vegan take on cacio e pepe utilizes a classic technique: Cook the pasta just short of al dente, reserve some of the starchy pasta water to add body to the sauce, then simmer the pasta in its sauce with a splash of pasta water, stirring vigorously until the sauce is emulsified. While many dairy-free pasta recipes look to puréed, soaked cashews for their creaminess, this one cuts corners by using store-bought cashew butter. A spoonful of miso adds depth, and tangy nutritional yeast adds umami. Toasting the peppercorns boosts their flavor and softens them.
Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)
Boxty, breadlike potato pancakes that originated in Ireland as early as the late 18th century, were created as a resourceful way to transform less-than-stellar potatoes into a hearty side dish. Variations of these crisp, chewy potato pancakes abound, but most involve some combination of mashed potatoes, grated potatoes, flour, baking soda or baking powder; buttermilk or eggs are sometimes added for richness. Popular in pubs but also made at home, they’re typically served as an accompaniment to stews and rich meat dishes. This recipe is adapted from “The Irish Cookbook” by Jp McMahon (Phaidon, 2020), who serves them in a more modern fashion, with smoked salmon, sour cream and pickled onions, which balance and brighten.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad With Halloumi and Lemon
Inspired by Mediterranean and Moroccan dishes, this tangy, earthy roasted cauliflower salad is a satisfying vegetarian meal. Spiced cauliflower, salty halloumi, peppery arugula, buttery avocado and a honey-lemon vinaigrette fill it with contrasting textures, temperatures and flavors. There’s lots of room for substitutions or additions: Swap in orange zest and juice for the preserved lemon, smashed green olives for the avocado or kale for the arugula. If looking to bulk it up, you could toss in some seared shrimp, roasted chicken, pearl couscous or whole grains.
Potato Salad With Tartar Sauce and Fresh Herbs
Most potato salad recipes call for tossing together all the components, but this one calls for assembling the dish in layers, and for brightening — and loosening — the traditional mayonnaise dressing with pickles and their brine. The steps are simple, and the key is in the potato treatment: Boil the potatoes and slice them into rounds, then immediately douse them with fragrant pickle brine and olive oil, so they soak up flavor and retain moisture. Prepare your potatoes and tartar sauce in advance, then assemble before serving, draping your seasoned potatoes on a platter, drizzling them with the loose tartar sauce and sprinkling with herbs and lemon zest for a modern update on a classic.