Recipes By Ali Slagle
497 recipes found
Stone Fruit Caprese
A standout caprese starts with great fruit. You need ripe tomatoes to weep juices, which then mingle with grassy olive oil and milky cheese to make your dressing. Basil adds freshness, black pepper and flakes of sea salt add crunch, and that’s it, a perfect combination. But if the stone fruit options are looking better than the tomatoes at the market, you can use them instead. They’re similar in flavor to tomatoes, but need cajoling to relinquish their juices. By letting sliced fruit macerate with salt, sugar and lemon juice, their fruitiness becomes more electric and their juices pool on the plate. Start with fruit you can smell and pair it with equally quality ingredients. Caprese is more about shopping than cooking.
Buffalo Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a blank canvas that can take on flavors that pack a punch, like Buffalo sauce. It also has lots of craggy edges that the sauce can cling to for maximum flavor. For crisp-edged buffalo cauliflower without a fryer, turn on the broiler. Once the tender florets are roasted, broil them a few minutes so the silky, spicy sauce caramelizes and chars in spots. (A finish under the broiler can also elevate chicken wings coated in Buffalo sauce.) Stir together a quick Ranch-style yogurt sauce for dipping, and get on with the game (or lunch).
Vegan Mashed Potatoes
If you think cream and butter are required to make amazing mashed potatoes, then this recipe might surprise you. It calls for Yukon Gold potatoes, which are naturally creamier than russets and need only to be mashed with a little of their cooking water to become rich and fluffy. Sizzling shallots in a generous amount of olive oil infuses the oil with flavor before it’s swirled into the potatoes. The finished mash is topped with the crispy shallots for a delightful, savory crunch. You could also fry a rosemary sprig in the same oil, or skip it and just add several pats of vegan butter. Whatever you do, remember to season the mashed potatoes generously. Mashed potatoes need lots of salt, especially those without dairy.
Oven-Steamed Fish With Mixed-Nut Salsa
This recipe pairs two elements you can incorporate into many meals: a steaming method that accommodates any size of fillet and a nut salsa that’s good on more than just fish. This recipe fashions a steamer using a baking dish, boiling water and the heat of the oven (see Tip for stovetop instructions), and steaming shows off the delicate flavor of mild fish and ensures tenderness even if things end up slightly overcooked. A crunchy and bright salsa made with salted mixed nuts — the kind usually served as bar snacks — balances the lightness of the fish, but it's also great on roasted chicken, winter squash, salad greens and more.
Pesce all’Acqua Pazza (Fish in Crazy Water)
This classic Neapolitan dish involves poaching fish in a liquid that Marcella Hazan explained as being “denser than a broth, looser, more vivacious and fresher in taste than any sauce.” It’s made by simmering chopped extra-ripe tomatoes with water, garlic, chile and other flavorings. Once the water tastes like tomato, fish fillets are poached in it. This foolproof method prevents overcooking, so it’s ideal for all kinds of delicate seafood. Some think “crazy” refers to the broth’s spiciness, while others think the name comes from the fact that fishermen made the dish with seawater (but it could also simply reflect that water is the key ingredient).
Grilled Swordfish With Corn Salad
Swordfish is one of the easiest fish to grill. Because it’s firm and thick, it can be cooked over hot coals for a while to pick up their smoky flavor, and it doesn’t fall apart when flipped. Serve with anything you’d eat with a steak or pork chop, like a bright and crunchy corn salad. Here, raw corn is mixed with long pieces of chives and cilantro in a move inspired by lao hu cai, or tiger salad, a Dongbei salad of cilantro and scallions, and buchu muchim, or Korean chive salad. When the salad is piled onto the fish, the rice vinegar and sesame oil dressing seasons the fish, and the corn and herbs soften slightly from the heat. The result is all at once fragrant, crunchy, juicy and satisfying.
Roasted Fish With Lemon, Sesame and Herb Bread Crumbs
Trout is an ideal weeknight dinner because its thin fillets cook in minutes. All it really needs is some butter and lemon, but an herb-panko mixture adds freshness and crunch. The breadcrumb mixture is inspired by za’atar, a spice blend that includes sesame seeds, dried herbs and tart-citrusy sumac. Using fresh thyme and oregano instead of dried herbs, and lemon zest in place of dried sumac yields a brighter final dish. If you want to use dried za’atar, swap in 3 tablespoons of the blend for the first four ingredients. Serve the fish alongside rice, a green salad, boiled potatoes or braised chickpeas. The fish roasts in about the same time as string beans, broccolini or snap peas would, so you can also roast vegetables on a second baking sheet while the fish cooks.
Fish Larb
Larb, a boldly flavored Thai dish, often combines ground chicken, ground pork or other ground meat with dried chile, scallions, shallots, fish sauce, lime, fresh herbs and nutty toasted rice, which you can make yourself or find at Asian markets. The dish also works with crumbled tofu, mushrooms, cauliflower or fish. In this quick-cooking fish version, fish fillets are pan-seared until cooked through, then broken into bite-sized pieces and tossed with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with sticky rice, small wedges of salted green cabbage, cucumber spears or lettuce leaves.
Crispy Salmon With Mixed Seeds
This recipe produces not only silky salmon with a crunchy coating of fragrant seeds, but also a shatteringly crisp skin. That’s all thanks to yogurt, which secures the seeds to the salmon and caramelizes into a crust when cooked. Mix assertive and mild seeds for a balance of textures and flavors, or swap in a ready-made seed mix like everything bagel spice or dukkah. Eat the seared salmon with more yogurt, as well as a squeeze of citrus and tuft of herbs for freshness.
Big-Cluster Chocolaty Granola
This granola pairs the bittersweetness of a good chocolate bar with the crunch and nuttiness of classic granola. By not stirring and by letting it cool in the oven, the granola will break apart in big clusters — perfect for snacking on. Eat this granola with berries and yogurt for breakfast, by the handful for an afternoon pick-me-up, or with peanut butter ice cream after dinner. (And yes, if you eat it with milk like cereal, it makes chocolate milk!) If you like your granola on the sweet side, stir in milk chocolate chips or a chocolate cereal like Cocoa Puffs once the granola is cool. Alternatively, lean into its bitterness by adding cacao nibs or chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Grilled S’mores Sandwiches
This always-makes-you-happy dessert combines two classics: s’mores and pan con chocolate, a Spanish snack of toast with melted chocolate on top. Oozy chocolate and wobbly marshmallows are sandwiched between two slices of crisp, slightly smoky pieces of bread. While you could use any white or whole wheat sandwich bread, cinnamon bread is the ideal way to go. Not only will the toasty cinnamon flavor remind you of graham crackers, but also the sugar will help the bread caramelize on the grill (and a surprising slick of mayonnaise, instead of butter, helps brown the bread without burning). To keep the sandwich from being cloyingly sweet, add a sprinkle of salt on top. (P.S. Make it a Fluffernutter by using peanut butter instead of chocolate.)
Savory Mixed-Nut Shortbread
Inspired by the cocktail nuts served at Union Square Cafe in New York City — butter-rich, toasty warm and fragrant with rosemary and cayenne — this no-mixer press-in cookie is a joy to make. You simply melt butter with rosemary and black pepper, stir that into dry ingredients, and then press the dough into a pan. Salted nuts and more fresh rosemary go on top before the whole thing is baked and broken into ragged pieces. Persnickety cookie, this is not. Enjoy on a cheese board, with cocktails or after dinner with tea and dark chocolate. Or pack these in a cellophane bag and tie it with a bow to share as a gift. (The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.)
Everything Bagel Dip
Think of this as a deconstructed everything bagel with extra schmear. A little tangy from sour cream, this spread can be used as a dip for pretzels, potato chips, raw vegetables and, yes, bagel chips. But it's just as good on a sandwich — or even a bagel, if you're crazy for everything spice. One thing to note: If you're making it by hand, make sure to keep your cream cheese quite soft. It'll make things a lot easier.
Bacon-Wrapped Dates
A bacon-wrapped date is sweet, smoky, squidgy and crisp, all in one bite-size package. The trick is getting the bacon to cook before the date burns, and you can do that by starting in a cold oven so that the bacon slowly renders its fat and evenly crisps. While this appetizer was en vogue in the 1970s and 1980s, it has never gone out of style. In fact, it dates back to Victorian England, when bacon-wrapped oysters or prunes (also known as angels or devils on horseback) were eaten before or after a meal. (“Horseback” referred to their being served on toast.) Sometimes the prunes were soaked in tea or liqueur, and stuffed with chutney, cheese, or nuts. You can do the same if you like.
Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs
Julia Turshen, the author of the cookbook “Small Victories” (Chronicle Books, 2016), cracked the code on turkey meatballs: Ricotta adds milky creaminess and acts as a binder. Taking her lead, the first two steps of this recipe produce all-purpose turkey meatballs that are light in texture and rich in flavor, and the final step of basting the meatballs with an herb-and-garlic-infused butter turns them into a weekday luxury. Eat with mashed or roasted potatoes or other root vegetables, polenta, whole grains, or a mustardy salad. (For oven instructions, see Tip.)
Creamy Goat Cheese, Bacon and Date Dip
This appetizer is like a bacon-wrapped date in dip form — and every bit as luxe, sweet and simultaneously smoky as that sounds. Here, as you swipe crusty bread through the smooth cheese, you’ll gather chunks of bacon and a bit of date, toffee-like from a quick fry in the meaty fat. You could embellish further, with nuts, chile or honey, or you could sip Champagne and dig in just as merrily — with friends hovering nearby for their turn.
Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
To enjoy the full-range of cauliflower in one dish, from raw and snappy to caramelized and tender, cut a head into slabs and grill only one side. Flat sides beget more charring than florets because they provide more direct contact with the grill. To ensure the cauliflower doesn’t dry out, grill just one side. The tops will remain juicy and sweet, while the undersides will become deeply browned and nutty. Before grilling, any small bits of cauliflower that would fall through the grates are added raw to a lively sauce of dill, lime juice, chile and peanuts. Feel free to swap in another sauce you like on cauliflower or grilled dishes, like buffalo, parsley-olive or a nutritional yeast dressing.
Crispy Feta With Lemon
When heat touches feta, its exterior crisps while its interior becomes surprisingly creamy and soft. Turning it into a dazzling appetizer takes very little: Dust the cheese with cornstarch and sesame seeds, sauté it in butter, then finish it with a squeeze of lemon. You can perch it atop a cracker, or eat it on its own, in awe of the sum of so few parts.
Fried Calamari
You can make light and crispy calamari — the kind you get at clam shacks and Italian-American restaurants — without a deep fryer. Compared to frying fish or chicken, frying squid is a breeze thanks to its small size and quick cook time. To ensure success, soak the squid in milk to reduce fishiness and help the coating stick. A little baking powder and cornstarch in the coating keeps it airy and delicate. (Add paprika or black pepper for spice, or let the mild flavor shine through.) Then, to keep the squid from toughening, fry it hot and fast; just a couple of minutes will do it. Eat right away with a squeeze of lemon or marinara sauce.
Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
The most negotiable part of Buffalo wings, it turns out, are the wings. Buffalo crudités can be just as crisp, Buffalo chicken dip just as tangy, and Buffalo cauliflower dip just as spicy and alluring. The whole dip — from caramelizing cauliflower to stirring together the creamy hot sauce base and baking on the generous layer of cheese — is made in one pan. You can bring the pan right to the table with dippers of choice and watch it disappear. Just because classic dishes are made a certain way — and Buffalo wings have a cult following, no doubt! — don’t be afraid to riff on them once in awhile. That's how new classics are made.
Spiced Grilled Halloumi
The play between salty, hot cheese and sweet, juicy tomatoes is what makes this dish sizzle. Halloumi is a springy Cypriot cheese that bronzes when hit with intense heat, but you must pat it dry before grilling. Pile the singed cheese atop sliced tomatoes, which are seasoned here with salt and olive oil to concentrate their flavor. The salt will also extract water from the tomatoes, creating a light dressing. Finally, for texture, everything is sprinkled with a combination of crushed coriander and cumin seeds, red-pepper flakes and a touch of sugar. (You could also use a store-bought or homemade dukkah if you have it on hand.) Serve with grilled bread or pita, or embellish with herbs, cucumbers, grilled peppers, lentils, beans or grains.
Buffalo Grilled Mushrooms
Mushrooms are at their best when cooked over high, unrelenting heat, which makes them ideal for grilling. So that they crisp instead of shrivel, toss them with more oil than you think is required and salt them only after they are cooked. As the mushrooms’ moisture disappears, their earthy umami concentrates and their outsides brown. They can be eaten on their own, added to any dish that you like mushrooms in, or tossed with a sauce that their spongelike texture will soak up. Here, that’s a spicy and silky classic Buffalo sauce. Top with parsley and blue cheese for crunch and coolness, then eat with your fingers or in buns. This method here works with most mushrooms, but avoid larger ones like portobellos, which, over such high heat, will burn before they’re cooked through.
Melon and Avocado Salad With Fennel and Chile
This sweet-savory, crunchy-creamy dish nods to California summers, when a drive to the market can often end with avocados and melons buckled in the back seat. The recipe is simple, and instantly impressive: It involves little more than scooping out the fresh fruit and topping it with a spicy-sweet pinch of sugar and a drizzle of dressing. Rubbing toasted fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes and lemon zest into sugar and salt helps their floral kick travel far. The salad’s balance depends on your melon and avocado, so rely on taste more than measurements here. Adjust the ingredients as needed, until the salad is rich, punchy and bright, bite after bite.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
The not-so-secret secret to roasting fresh pumpkin seeds — and crisping them properly — is making sure they’re really dry. Patting the seeds down with paper towels does a fine job, but drying them out in the oven is even more efficient and effective. Once they’ve toasted slightly, simply dress them with oil and salt, then continue to roast them until lightly golden. Feel free to add spices — say za’atar, or cinnamon and cayenne — in Step 3 with the oil and salt. But take note: Some add-ins, like nutritional yeast or raw sugar, may melt under high heat, so sprinkle them onto the seeds just after roasting.