Recipes By Ali Slagle
505 recipes found
Black Pepper and Onion Spaghetti
This rendition of Florentine spaghetti with red onions is so superlative, it has remained on the menu at Locanda Vini e Olii since the restaurant opened in Brooklyn in 2001. Michele Baldacci, the chef and co-owner, recommends a mixture of white and red onions for a more delicate, saucy result, and cooking them in a covered pot so they slowly braise in olive oil and their own juices. The sweetness of the onions is accented by tarragon and black pepper, plus optional grated cheese (which can be omitted for vegan diners). “We never add anything [else], we’re boring,” Mr. Baldacci said, but reckons livers would be delicious.
Ceviche
Light and bright, vibrant and punchy, ceviche involves marinating raw seafood in citrus juice until it becomes opaque and toothsome. You’ll find many variations of the dish in coastal Latin America made with ingredients like coconut milk, ketchup and green olives. This colorful rendition is one style popular in Mexico, but if you leave out the tomatoes, cucumber and avocado, you’ll get a dish that’s common in Peru, the birthplace of ceviche. Whatever version you make, start with fish that’s as fresh as possible; ask your fishmonger what’s best for ceviche that day, and to make shrimp ceviche, see Tip.
Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings
Crisp and smoky like a barbecue potato chip, with tender chicken underneath, these grilled chicken wings are worth the time investment, and most of it is hands-off. Dry-brining the wings with baking powder and spices seasons and dries them so that when they hit the grill, their fat fully renders and browns into a shattery crust. A final shower of seasonings ensures an extra bolt of flavor and plenty of spices to lick off fingers.
Chicken Quesadillas
Ever the reliable 10-minute snack or meal, chicken quesadillas are not hard to make, but a few pointers ensure they’re as gooey, crispy and delicious as possible: Start with cool, shredded chicken so it doesn’t make the tortilla soggy. Toss the chicken and cheese together for even distribution, and add a smidgen of chili powder to the filling for spunk. Cook the quesadilla over moderate heat, so the cheese melts just as the tortilla’s toasted.
Cheesy Green Chile Bean Bake
This quick and easy skillet dinner is somewhere between an easy take on enchiladas verdes (no rolling required) and a complete-meal rendition of chile con queso. The base is a mixture of charred green chiles, pinto beans and store-bought or homemade salsa verde, which delivers the brightness of tomatillos, chiles, cilantro and lime. Blanket the bean-and-chile mixture with Monterey Jack cheese, then broil until molten. Serve with tortillas, tortilla chips, rice, a baked sweet potato or fried eggs. You could also add Mexican chorizo, bacon or spinach with the chiles, or leftover pulled chicken with the beans.
Chimichurri Meatballs
Chimichurri is lively, with loads of parsley and oregano; bracing, with garlic, crushed red pepper and red wine vinegar; and rich, from buttery olive oil — all attributes that do wonders for meatballs. Add a generous amount of the Argentinian sauce to the ground-beef mixture, then roll and sear the meatballs until crispy and browned. (You can also broil for 7 to 10 minutes.) Serve as an appetizer, with more chimichurri alongside for dipping, or make the meatballs into a meal with couscous, broccoli, roasted peppers or a kale salad dressed with the chimichurri.
Easy Burritos
Saucy and savory with just ground beef, beans and cheese, this easy recipe is inspired by Los Angeles-style burritos, which restaurant critic Jonathan Gold once summarized as “the rough equivalent of a hardhat’s lunch pail, a method of constructing a filling, portable meal from a tortilla, last night’s beans and a spoonful of stew if there was one.” This burrito’s filling eschews guacamole, sour cream, rice and raw vegetables which means it freezes well for up to 3 months. The seared ground beef is simply spiced, but feel free to swap in a stewed meat like birria or tinga de pollo or make it vegetarian with just beans and cheese.
Green Smoothie
For a green smoothie that’s neither too sweet nor reminiscent of gazpacho, make the “Stew” from Veggies Natural Juice Bar & Cafe in Brooklyn. Fresh, spicy and sweet everyday staples like agave or honey, greens, ginger and banana harmonize thanks to one ingredient that brings them all together: vanilla extract, which enhances and balances flavors in baked goods and beyond. The Stew was invented on Veggies’s opening day, when a customer named Stew asked for a drink using a few requested ingredients. Co-owners Ian Callender and Jahman McKenzie named the smoothie after him, also paying tribute to Caribbean stews. Mr. Callender advises not to add more liquid to this smoothie — the greens bring their own — or more vanilla or ginger, which can overpower. The proportions for this recipe have been fine-tuned and perfected over time.
Sheet-Pan Red Curry Chicken With Butternut Squash
In this sweet and spicy, sheet-pan chicken dinner, boneless chicken thighs are coated in Thai red curry paste and roasted in a hot oven so the paste’s blend of chiles and aromatics toast and char. Cubes of butternut squash caramelize alongside, and you might marvel that the results taste richer than expected. Both the chicken and squash are seasoned with fish sauce instead of salt, which doesn’t make them fishy but rather accentuates their savoriness and inherent deliciousness. Herbs, lime and fresh chile perk up the deeply roasted flavors; serve with rice, or a crunchy raw vegetable salad like this one.
Fresh Spring Rolls
Vietnamese-style spring rolls (also known as gỏi cuốn, rice paper rolls, salad rolls and summer rolls) are refreshing, light and the ideal vehicle for crunchy vegetables, fragrant herbs and simple proteins. Made by moistening, filling and rolling rice paper wrappers, they do take some time and finesse, but they’re also quite adaptable. Switch out the shrimp for tofu, chicken, pork, fish or mushrooms, and use any soft, thin, bite-sized vegetables, such as bean sprouts, jicama and avocado, but keep the herbs for their freshness. These fresh spring rolls are best eaten right away as a meal or cut in half for an appetizer. Serve with a creamy peanut sauce or spicy nước chấm for dipping.
Cola-Braised Beef With Chile-Lime Onions
Braising tough cuts in cola tenderizes the meat, but perhaps better yet, the soda reduces into a caramelly, citrusy sauce. Here, cola’s makeup is accentuated by coriander seeds and ginger and grows savory with tomato paste, garlic and soy sauce. Because this recipe’s flavors are reminiscent of BBQ pulled pork, cochinita pibil and cola chicken, it’s equally fitting over rice or stuffed into burger buns or tortillas. However you enjoy the wobbly and rich meat, generously garnish with spicy onions, cilantro and lime for fresh pops of brightness. To make ahead, cool in the liquid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a low-temperature oven.
Paprika-Roasted Chickens and Potatoes
Roasting two chickens on one sheet pan with a heap of potatoes low-and-slow has perks both in flavor and practicality — plus, you’ll welcome guests to an amazing-smelling house. The rotisserie-like chicken will be so tender, carving is a cinch. It will be juicy from lemons stuffed in the cavity, a trick from Marcella Hazan. The brittle skin will be fiery from smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper. And as a bonus, the lemon and chicken juices mingle to create a devilishly spiced, tangy sauce for the chicken and buttery potatoes. All it needs is a Caesar salad.
Whole Roasted Squash With Tomato-Ginger Chickpeas
With creamy squash, sticky chickpeas and tangy yogurt, this vegetarian sheet-pan feast easily serves a crowd. The method here doesn’t bother with cutting rock-hard raw winter squash. Instead, roast them whole until you can rip them apart into wedges. Meanwhile, chickpeas, tomatoes, olive oil and a warming combination of cinnamon, ginger and marjoram concentrate until the chickpeas are buttery-soft and the tomatoes caramelized. Accompany with yogurt and perhaps salad greens dressed with lemon or lime juice. To make ahead, refrigerate the cooked squash pieces, chickpeas and yogurt separately for up to 4 days; reheat the squash and chickpeas covered in a low-temperature oven or serve at room temperature. To make vegan, add lemon or lime juice to non-dairy yogurt until tangy.
Peanut Sauce
Bright with lime juice, salty with soy sauce and punchy with chili sauce and garlic, this straightforward rendition of peanut sauce is an ideal accompaniment to grilled meats, seared tofu, roasted vegetables, noodles, salads, spring rolls or satay. There are many ways to make a peanut sauce, but the essential ingredients include ground peanuts, something savory (kecap manis or hoisin are common) and fragrant aromatics, like ginger, galangal, tamarind and chiles. The resulting sauce adds rich creaminess and toasty earthiness to whatever it touches.
Roasted Carrots and Chorizo
In this pretty, party-worthy side dish, coins of sweet carrots roast with coins of smoky chorizo. When the carrots are tender and the chorizo is crisp, you’ll squeeze some lemon over them, stirring the citrus and the chorizo drippings together for a makeshift sauce for the carrots. Serve this dish alongside white fish, turkey or brothy chickpeas; tossed into a kale or grain salad; or piled into pita with hummus or yogurt. When shopping for this recipe, look for hard, cured Spanish chorizo (as opposed to fresh); the shelf-stable sausage is usually found near salami and other cured meats.
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
Spicy broccoli rabe is often blanched in a big pot of salted water to tame some of its bitter sting, then sautéed with copious olive oil, dried chiles and garlic until silky. But this recipe streamlines and expedites that process: Toss the broccoli rabe in the garlicky oil, add a small quantity of water, cover and steam until fork-tender, then uncover. By the time the liquid has evaporated, the broccoli rabe will be ready. If you find it too bitter, just keep cooking; it will only grow sweeter and softer. Serve this dish any time you’d make a side of broccoli, with meat, fish, beans or other proteins.
Garlic Confit
These golden, jammy jewels of garlic cloves and the infused oil in which they were cooked can be used anywhere you’d use caramelized onions: Spread the softened cloves on toast or pizza, buzz them into a dip or mashed potatoes, or mix them into a grain salad. Use the oil for pasta, salad dressings, roasting potatoes or frying eggs. While cooking foods submerged in fat over a low temperature was originally necessary for food preservation, this process, known as confit, has survived the introduction of refrigeration because ingredients emerge from the warm bath supremely sweet and tender.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread
If pulling apart slices of warm, cheesy, garlicky bread is your idea of a good time, do this: Slice crusty bread into a grid pattern, coat every nook and cranny with garlic butter, tuck in some shredded mozzarella and bake the whole thing. What was just a loaf of bread is now a worthy party centerpiece. You can prepare, wrap and refrigerate the loaf up to one day ahead. The format is adaptable, too: Season the butter with scallions, rosemary or other flavorings, or swap the mozzarella for Cheddar, pepper Jack or another melty cheese you’d use for a grilled cheese.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a small but mighty seed: Hearty, plump, protein-rich and gluten-free, use it as you might use rice or whole grains in salads and soups, or as a side. A ratio of one part quinoa to one-and-a-half parts water will create quinoa that’s fluffy with enough bite to maintain its shape. It’s important to rinse and dry the quinoa before cooking to remove its naturally occurring bitter, soapy coating. Optionally, you can also toast the quinoa — as with nuts or sesame seeds — to enhance the seeds’ nuttiness. Cooked and cooled quinoa will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Cheesy Spinach Bake
This baked spinach gratin is similar to creamed spinach but has even more going on. It’s rich but uses half-and-half, so it’s not too heavy, and it’s crunchy with crisp toasted bread crumbs. It tastes verdant from so much spinach, sweet with onion and garlic, and sharp and gooey from two aged cheeses. It’s great alongside turkey, steak or white beans. To prepare this dish in advance, refrigerate the spinach mixture and the bread crumb topping separately for up to 24 hours before assembling and baking. If cooking chilled ingredients straight from the fridge, you may need to increase the cook time by 5 to 10 minutes.
One-Pan Pork Tenderloin With Mushrooms
When pork tenderloin roasts with mushrooms in the same skillet, the results are deeply delicious. The pork’s garlic, rosemary and fennel coating mingles with the crisping mushrooms, which grow rich and savory cooking in a knob of butter — exactly what the lean meat needs. Tearing a variety of mushrooms into ragged pieces creates a mix of textures with little effort. To double the recipe, sear the tenderloins and mushrooms in batches in a skillet, then transfer everything to a sheet pan to roast. Serve with couscous and a green salad.
Quinoa Salad
This bright, crunchy and hearty quinoa salad is inspired by the flavors and textures of tabbouleh and Greek salad. Quinoa, cucumbers, bell pepper, olives, lots of parsley and an assertive lemon-garlic dressing make it a filling and protein-rich vegan lunch, or a great side for grilled chicken, seared fish or spiced chickpeas. Feel free to add other briny, creamy, snappy or herbaceous ingredients, such as feta, avocado, torn romaine leaves or fresh mint. The salad will keep for up to 2 days refrigerated; refresh with salt and lemon juice before eating as flavors may become muted in the fridge.
Sweet Potato Hash With Tofu
Hash, which comes from the French word for “chop,” can be made of any number of meats and proteins that cook and crisp on the stovetop. One of the most common might be corned beef and potato hash, but this recipe is more hands-off: It cooks on a sheet pan. This vegan hash is sweet, smoky and spicy, with cubes of sweet potato, tofu, peppers and onions. The potatoes and tofu are spunky with chili powder and crisp from cornstarch. Serve the dish for breakfast or dinner, with vinegary red onions for crunch, plus your favorite hash toppings.
Vegetable Stock
Vegetable stock doesn’t need the whole vegetable drawer to be savory and flavorful; browned onions, garlic and mushrooms achieve that here, boosted by caramelized tomato paste. The other key ingredient is salt, which transforms the liquid from flat to well-rounded, so if your stock seems watery, the answer might not be simmering more but rather adding salt. This stock tastes neutral enough to be used in any recipe that calls for vegetable stock, though you can shift its personality with additional ingredients; see Tip for some ideas.