Recipes By Andy Baraghani
35 recipes found
Olive Oil and Honey-Miso Dressing
This is one of those dressings that somehow ends up on everything. It starts with a base of white miso, olive oil and mustard — and it’s creamy, tangy and just a little sweet thanks to honey. It’s meant for blanched green beans, but don’t stop there: Toss it with boiled and drained ramen noodles for a cold noodle situation; smother torn roasted sweet potatoes with it; or drizzle it over a crunchy pile of sliced cucumbers. You’ll find more ways to use this dressing than you expect.
Olive Oil and Chile-Fried Eggs
This is less of a recipe and more of a trick — one that ends with a deeply savory, spicy red oil you’ll want to pour over everything. The eggs are fried in olive oil until the whites puff and crisp around the edges, then you scoot them to the side and let sliced garlic, smoked paprika and chile sizzle in the oil. What you’re left with is a garlicky, brick-red oil that stains the eggs and perfumes your kitchen in the best way. Eat the eggs straight from the pan, spoon them over a bowl of yogurt with flatbread for a savory breakfast, or serve over a bowl of rice and top it with herbs and pickles — whatever you've got. That spicy oil makes the dish, and you’ll want to save every last drop.
Olive Oil-Poached Tuna With Garlic Aioli
This is one of those recipes that feels luxurious without trying too hard. You slowly poach tuna, swordfish or halibut in a big bath of olive oil that’s been infused with lemon peels, garlic, thyme and chiles — basically, everything you want to be eating. Use a good everyday extra-virgin olive oil here, nothing too precious because you’ll be using a lot of it. (The leftover seasoned oil is gold; you can save it for roasting potatoes or sautéing greens.) As it poaches in the oil, the fish turns silky and rich, while the onion and chile soften and take on the deeply savory flavor of the oil. The best part? You use that same oil to make an aioli, which pulls everything together.
Spicy Vinegar Chicken Over Artichokes
There’s something undeniably comforting about the combination of chicken and artichokes. Bone-in, skin-on drumsticks and thighs are seared until the skin is deeply golden, then gently braised with onions and garlic, plus a splash of white wine vinegar for brightness. The addition of green olives adds a briny punch, while canned artichokes — an underrated pantry staple — make this a complete meal. Unlike fresh artichokes, which require trimming and peeling, canned artichokes are ready to use and soak up the flavorful pan juices beautifully.
Soy Butter Fish and Peas
Some dishes feel like they take hours to develop deep flavor, but this one comes together in minutes. The fish gently steams in a rich, buttery soy and black pepper sauce, soaking up its deeply savory notes while staying perfectly tender. Just before serving, snap peas (or snow peas) are tossed in, adding a fresh green crunch. Everything cooks in one pan, making this dish fast, effortless and packed with flavor. Feel free to swap in other quick-cooking vegetables like bok choy or asparagus for a different take.
Roasted Cauliflower Caesar
For this more robust take on Caesar salad, you start by cutting thick slabs of cauliflower before breaking them into smaller pieces and roasting, which ensures maximum caramelized edges while using every part of the vegetable. The florets, stems and even the leafy bits roast together with capers, creating a mix of textures in the dish. The crispy capers and golden cauliflower harbor a punchy, Caesar-inspired dressing made with Parmesan, mayonnaise, anchovies, garlic and Dijon. This dish is delicious warm, but also can work as a cold salad the next day.
Miso-Parmesan Asparagus
Asparagus can be a tricky vegetable to get just right, but this recipe cracks the code for tender, flavorful spears every time. The delicate tips cook much faster than the thicker stalks, often leading to an unfortunate contrast, with mushy tops and undercooked stems. This is where slicing on a steep diagonal helps: Not only does this make the spears look wonderfully dramatic on the plate, but it also ensures more even cooking and creates more surface area to soak up flavor. A quick sear in a hot pan brings out the natural sweetness of asparagus, while garlic, black pepper and a miso-butter glaze add richness and depth. A final sprinkle of Parmesan melts into the warm asparagus, making it just salty and savory enough.
One Pot Za’atar Chicken and Rice
There’s something undeniably comforting about a dish that cooks all together, with the flavors mingling and intensifying as it simmers. Here, chicken thighs and basmati rice are infused with za’atar and golden onions, creating a deeply fragrant, savory one-pot meal. Browning the chicken skin until crisp is key: It lends richness to the whole pot and adds a bit of irresistible crunch. Don’t skip the butter at the end; those little dots melt into the rice, giving it a subtle, velvety finish. Serve this with a dollop of tangy yogurt, quick pickles and warm flatbread to scoop up every last bit.
Spicy Shrimp Puttanesca
Puttanesca, the famous Neapolitan tomato sauce that’s briny and bold from olives, garlic, capers and anchovies, is pretty spectacular as is. This recipe leans into those intense flavors and adds shrimp for a complete dish that’s big on flavor and easy to pull off on a weeknight. Using tomato paste gives the sauce a deeper, more concentrated base that holds its own against the salty tang of olives and capers; it also helps the sauce cling beautifully to pasta and shrimp alike. A final dab of butter isn’t traditional, but it adds a glossy finish and pushes this pasta dish just over the edge of delicious.
Mast-o-Khiar (Cucumber Yogurt With Sizzled Mint and Crunchy Pistachios)
A signature dish in Persian cuisine, mast-o-khiar is a creamy yogurt dish that is often served with rice, grilled meats or warm flatbread for dipping. At its core, it’s a simple yet refreshing combination of yogurt, cucumber and dried mint bloomed in oil. This version adds a few extra layers of flavor — bright lemon juice and zest for tang, raisins for a sweet chewiness and pistachios for crunch. The sizzled dried mint brings a deep, earthy smokiness that fresh mint just can’t replicate. Light yet satisfying, it’s the perfect cooling contrast to rich, spice-laden dishes.
Kuku Sabzi (Herb and Scallion Frittata)
Packed with an abundance of fresh herbs, kuku is a frittata-like Persian dish with many regional and household variations. This version, kuku sabzi, is the most herb-forward, allowing the greens to take center stage. While kuku is often flipped to brown on both sides, this version skips that step and allows the egg on top to set under the broiler, which helps retain its vibrant green color. Some families mix in walnuts or tart dried barberries for added texture and flavor, but this rendition keeps it simple, letting the herbs shine. Kuku is traditionally served with flatbread and can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature or even cold. For a perfect bite, wrap it in lavash with a dollop of yogurt, slices of salty feta and crisp radishes, which balance the richness with bright, fresh flavors.
Slow-Cooked Fish With Citrus and Herbs
During Nowruz, the Persian New Year, it’s customary to serve fish alongside sabzi polo, buttery herbed saffron rice, as a nod to renewal and prosperity. Traditionally, white fish is smoked or fried, but this dish brings in many of the same key ingredients — fragrant saffron, fresh herbs and citrus — while embracing a more effortless, slow-roasted approach. A flaky white fish like cod or halibut works beautifully here, but salmon also works and tastes especially luxurious when bathed in olive oil, garlic and dill.
Ash Reshteh (Greens, Beans and Noodle Soup)
Among ash, a beloved category of thick soups in Iranian cuisine, ash reshteh is the most famous. Packed with legumes, a mountain of greens and reshteh, thin, flat noodles similar to linguine, it’s a hearty dish traditionally eaten on Chaharshanbe Suri, the Festival of Fire that falls on the Wednesday before Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The soup is finished with sizzled mint, crispy onions and kashk, an Iranian dairy product akin to a funkier sour cream. Kashk has a bold, umami-rich salty-sour flavor that’s unlike anything else. It’s worth trying to buy at a Middle Eastern market, but since it can be hard to find, a mix of lemon juice and sour cream or Greek yogurt makes a great substitute.
Sabzi Polo (Herbed Rice With Saffron)
Sabzi polo is an essential part of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, symbolizing renewal and prosperity with its vibrant mix of fresh herbs. This fragrant, fluffy rice dish is traditionally served with fish, honoring an age-old custom that ties the holiday to themes of abundance and good fortune. The combination of dill, cilantro and parsley infuses the rice with a bright, earthy aroma, while saffron lends a deep golden hue. One of the most treasured parts of sabzi polo is the tahdig, a golden, crispy layer at the bottom of the pot. In this version, tender lettuce leaves create a unique variation of tahdig. To ensure the tahdig releases beautifully, use a nonstick pot. Serve this alongside mast-o-khiar, a cucumber-yogurt sauce, which can be spooned over the rice or used as a dip for the crispy tahdig.
Spicy Turkey Burgers
The turkey burger doesn’t always get the respect (and love) it deserves, because turkey’s leanness can create a dry, crumbly burger. But those worries disappear when you add a dollop of mayonnaise to the burger mix, which ensures a juicy bite and encourages a caramelized coating. Using a mix of ground cayenne and paprika gives the patties a smoky heat that amplifies their meaty flavor. The garlicky iceberg slaw tames the burger’s spiciness and should spill out of the sides like a happy mess.
Lemony Chicken Thighs With Chickpeas and Dates
This flavor-packed, one-pan dinner harnesses the full power of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. By gently searing the chicken skin, you get the crispiest skin possible, plus a pool of chicken fat. Use that fat to soften and season the chickpeas, jammy dates, onions and garlic that round out the dish. Sprigs of rosemary and strips of lemon peel perfume the chicken as it gently cooks in the oven, while a squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds a bright finish at the table.
Pepper Steak and Celery Stir-Fry With Lemon
Lemon is the star of this quick weeknight stir-fry. Using both the peel and juice of the lemons gives this dish a wonderful scent and tangy finish. As with any stir-fry, you’ll want to have all your ingredients sliced and measured before you start cooking, since the meal comes together quickly once you start cooking. The celery softens just slightly, so it retains its herbal brightness plus a crisp-tender bite. Though you can opt for a leaner cut of meat like sirloin for the beef, fattier cuts like skirt or hanger will be more tender and boast richer beef flavor.
Chicken and Red Lentil Soup With Lemony Yogurt
If you’re feeling a bit worn down, one bowl of this hearty lentil soup will bring you back to life — or at least fool you into thinking so. The broth is simply (and deeply) flavored with charred onions and six garlic cloves, plus a generous pinch of turmeric that stains the soup gold. As they cook down, the lentils melt into the broth, making it thick and rich. A healthy dose of black pepper brings gentle heat to clear your head, and the final sprinkle of fresh dill and parsley adds a bright, herbal finish. This soup is soothing and satisfying on its own, but feel free to add a few extras: hearty greens like kale or spinach to wilt, a soft-boiled egg, or even chile oil for some heat.
Leafy Greens With Turmeric Dressing and Spicy Pistachios
If there’s going to be a salad at any celebration, it deserves to feel as festive as the rest of the menu — but it should also be simple. Golden turmeric dressing will add brightness to any greens you choose, but it works especially well with bitter ones. The quick candied nuts add crunch, plus a dose of heat that keeps guests coming back for another forkful. If you tend to snack on what you’re cooking as you go, make a double batch of nuts so there will be enough to go around.
Pickle Biscuits
These flaky, fluffy biscuits have a surprise ingredient: pickles. Not just because pickles make everything better—though yes, they do—but because the acidity of the brine helps make the biscuits incredibly tender. Cut, stack and flatten the dough three times for flaky layers that look like the pages of a good book. Eat these warm from the oven alongside hearty stews, slow-cooked meats and barbecue, or open them up and top with thinly sliced ham and a dollop of mustard.
Spicy Green Tahini Dip
This dairy-free dip gets its creamy texture from cooking the leaves and stems of Swiss chard until they are very tender before blending them with a spoonful of tahini. The mint leaves and zest and juice of the lemon give a fresh vibrancy. Feel free to try other hearty greens such as kale or mature spinach—just don’t use the stems as they can be quite tough and fibrous even after cooking. The tahini can also be swapped out for other seed or nut butters like sunflower or cashew.
Caramelized Squash With Cinnamon Toasted Nuts
The goal for this stunning side was to keep the squash technique simple and have fun with the toppings. Rather than attempting the labor-intensive task of peeling and chopping the squash into small pieces before roasting, this recipe minimizes effort, simply calling to cut the squash into large wedges then let the oven tenderize and caramelize its flesh. The roasted squash gets oh-so-sweet and crisp on the outside, and as tender as butter inside. While the squash roasts, you’ll create a crunchy topping that embraces sweetness by toasting nuts in butter and finishing them with maple syrup and cinnamon.
Cheesy Baked Cauliflower
A person could, in theory, just pour cream over cauliflower, drape it with cheese, bake it and be happy with the results. But taking just a few minutes to infuse that cream with garlic and rosemary — or other herbs, or citrus peels, or fresh or dried chiles — creates a side dish that might actually overshadow the main. Once your cauliflower is bathed in the scented cream and sprinkled with cheese, make sure your baking dish is tightly covered with foil for the first part of the baking process, so the cauliflower steams and softens. After that, uncover and let the cauliflower continue to bake until the cheese has melted and crisped up. You can swap out the cauliflower for sliced potatoes, fennel or other vegetables, which would be equally impressive.
Caramelized Onion, Cranberry and Rosemary Tahchin
Tahchin is a Persian rice dish in which the rice is mixed with yogurt, oil, egg yolks and saffron and baked until a golden crust forms at the bottom (Persians refer to this as the tahdig). The rice on the inside becomes buttery and almost cake-like and is often layered with chicken and barberries, a tart dried fruit that has a beautiful crimson color. This version incorporates common Thanksgiving ingredients like rosemary, sweet-tart cranberries and buttery onions to make a striking dish that feels more like a main than a side. It’s deeply savory and buttery, like stuffing, and some may say even better because it has a whole lot more texture coming from the crispy rice that everyone will be fighting over.