Recipes By Colu Henry
69 recipes found
Pasta With Roasted Broccoli, Almonds and Anchovies
This no-fuss weeknight pasta makes marvelous use of basic ingredients found in almost every kitchen — and calls for some smart multitasking: Get the broccoli roasting while the pasta cooks, then create an easy emulsified sauce using butter, anchovies, red-pepper flakes, lemon juice and a splash of pasta cooking water. A sprinkle of toasted almonds provides texture and crunch. This dish is endlessly adaptable: Go for cauliflower instead of the broccoli (or a combination of the two); use parmesan or any other hard cheese in place of pecorino; opt for walnuts or pistachios instead of the almonds — or bypass nuts altogether and use toasted panko or breadcrumbs. If you don’t have campanelle or fusilli, that’s fine too. Any pasta with plenty of nooks and crannies to capture the buttery sauce will do.
Pasta With Mushrooms, Fried Eggs and Herbs
This fall-inspired, earthy pasta uses a combination of mushrooms for depth of flavor and is topped with a runny egg, which silkens up the sauce. Supermarkets these days generally have a good selection of different varieties such as cremini and shiitake, but if your standard white-button mushroom is all that’s available, this dish will still be a winner. If you’re not feeling pasta, the mushrooms are equally good served on top of creamy polenta or on their own. Red wine not optional.
Shrimp and White Beans With Fennel and Pancetta
This quick, one-pan meal relies heavily on pantry staples. Browning pancetta or bacon adds richness to the tomato sauce, but skip it if you like. Anise-flavored fennel and seeds are incorporated into the soffrito, which plays nicely with the sweetness of the shrimp and the creaminess of the beans. But if you don’t like them, leave them out. Serve the dish in deep bowls with thick slices of garlic-rubbed toast, finish the dish with a flurry of fresh herbs, and pair it with a glass of something red, light and bright.
Seared Scallop Pasta With Burst Tomatoes and Herbs
Although usually designated as a “something special” ingredient, scallops make a perfect weeknight dinner because they cook in minutes. To get a good, crisp sear, be patient (it's hard for us, too) and let the pan get quite hot before adding the scallops. Once you do, leave them alone to ensure a deeply golden crust. Toss them with pasta and candy-colored cherry tomatoes that burst and get coaxed into a jammy sauce. Finish with a showering of fresh, tender herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
Roasted Butternut Squash Bread Salad
This sheet-pan recipe is an easy way to get a hearty vegetarian meal on the table in under an hour. Inspired by panzanella, which traditionally provides new life for stale bread by tossing it with juicy tomatoes, this bread salad instead gets its moisture from an earthy tahini dressing. The creamy tahini is lightly sweetened with honey, which plays well with the buttery squash, while a flourish of fresh herbs adds a light, springy finish. This makes for a nice supper on its own, but it would also work well as a side to roasted chicken or fish.
Blistered Green Beans and Tomatoes With Honey, Harissa and Mint
It’s worth seeking out a well-seasoned cast-iron pan for this recipe as the heat will evenly distribute throughout the surface area helping to ensure beautifully charred, but tender vegetables. Smoky, earthy harissa is given a lift with the addition of honey and lime juice, which is tossed with the green beans and tomatoes and some butter to melt at the end of cooking. Serve with grilled sausages for a fast and flavorful summer meal.
Herby Pork Larb With Chile
In this take on the classic Thai dish larb moo, ground pork is pan-cooked, then stirred together with a combination of funky fish sauce, fresh and dried chiles, shallots, lime juice and an abundance of fresh herbs for brightness. If you don't eat pork, ground chicken or turkey will work well in its place. Making the toasted rice powder is a little fussy, but it gives the dish an authentic nutty flavor and crunch. That said, if you skip it, it will still be delicious. If you have the time, top this dish with crispy shallots: It takes the whole thing to the next level, as does a flurry of chive blossoms when in season. Serve this spicy dish with sticky rice, and grilled or roasted wedges of cabbage squeezed with lime, but for a low-key weeknight, plain white rice and lettuce leaves work just as well.
Linguine With Clam Sauce
Purists may object, but canned clams are a great weeknight pantry stalwart. When fresh ones are out of reach, or when you’ve decided you need a briny fix, the canned clam is reliable no matter the season. This recipe calls for dry vermouth, which adds a subtle herbaceous layer of flavor. (Vermouth has a long shelf life when stored properly, and it’s great to have on hand to make a last-minute pan sauce.) Canned clams are already salty, so be mindful of oversalting the pasta water or the sauce. The dish is finished with lemon zest for brightness and butter for silkiness. The best part? The whole thing can be on the table in the same amount of time it takes to boil water.
Pasta With Radicchio, Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts
This forgiving pasta makes for a hearty vegetarian dinner that arrives with salad in tow. The sweet, buttery crunch of hazelnuts and the salty, rich blue cheese balance the bitter crisp of the radicchio. If you don't have hazelnuts, any toasted nut like almonds or walnuts will do. If you’re not going meatless, crisp up a little pancetta before you add the radicchio or serve the pasta as a side to accompany roast chicken or pork.
Farro and Green Bean Salad With Walnuts and Dill
Farro is a perfect vehicle to showcase summer produce. With its nutty flavor and toothsome texture, the whole grain is a great counterbalance to snappy, sweet green beans. The farro cooks while you prepare the rest of the salad, allowing for an easy-to-assemble meal. Dill and walnuts, a nod to Middle Eastern flavors, are used in the gremolata, but pistachios and mint or hazelnuts and parsley would also work. Feta cheese or ricotta salata tossed in at the end would also be a nice addition. This hearty salad works well on its own, but would also be a fine companion to grilled fish or any other protein. Add the acid just before serving; it makes every ingredient sing.
Coconut-Poached Fish With Bok Choy
This one pot, Thai-influenced dish couldn’t be easier to assemble, and its beautiful presentation makes it look like you spent a lot longer on dinner than you actually did. The poaching liquid does double duty by gently cooking the fish and wilting the bok choy. If bok choy is unavailable, another sturdy green, like kale or Napa cabbage, can be substituted. Serve with steamed jasmine rice to soak up some of the fragrant coconut milk broth.
Stuffed Mushrooms With Panko and Pecorino
These flavorful stuffed mushrooms come together quickly, which makes them great for entertaining. Crunchy panko bread crumbs, instead of the traditional sort, are combined with salty cheese, parsley and garlic, then spooned into mushroom caps and baked until crisp and golden. You can assemble them through Step 2 a few days in advance and pop them into the oven minutes before guests arrive. Pro tip: Don’t throw away the mushroom stems. Freeze them to add to your next pot of stock for unbeatable richness.
Crunchy Chickpeas With Turmeric, Ginger and Pepper
Roasted chickpeas are tossed in an addictive spice combination of turmeric, ginger and black pepper. The beans are dry-roasted and then tossed in the spice-infused oil to ensure they get ample coverage. Eat these on their own as a snack or use as a topping for savory yogurt or a curry. You may want to make a double batch — they’ll go quickly.
Baked Ziti With Sausage Meatballs and Spinach
Baked ziti is meant to feed a crowd, and this one surely does. “Cheater” meatballs made with uncased Italian sausage are strewn throughout the sauce for heft, and baby spinach lends a pop of color. Because ricotta has a tendency to dry out when baked, crème fraîche is added to ensure a more velvety texture, but sour cream thinned out with a little heavy cream works just as well. The whole dish can be assembled and baked ahead the day before. Bring it to room temperature before warming, then broil right before serving for crisp edges.
Broccoli and Scallions With Thai-Style Vinaigrette
Roasting gives broccoli an incredible texture and crunch, and it softens and sweetens the bite of the scallions. This is paired with a highly addictive vinaigrette that is a play on the classic Thai dipping sauce prik nam pla. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself with leftovers, spoon it over roast fish, chicken or even plain white rice.
Linguine With Shrimp and Lemon-Pistachio Bread Crumbs
Pangrattato, or bread crumbs in Italian, is the secret star of this dish. When mixed with sweet pistachios, bright lemon zest and fresh mint, it makes for a crunchy, flavorful topping that pairs well with garlicky shrimp and linguine. The citrus and herbs provide welcome complexity to an otherwise simple dish. Serve with a shaved vegetable salad of fennel, radishes and Parmesan.
Crunchy Chickpeas With Aleppo Pepper and Lemon Zest
Zippy lemon zest and mildly spicy Aleppo pepper are tossed together with warm roasted chickpeas for a satisfying snack, which pairs well with everything from a gin and tonic to a cold beer. Tossing the dried, toasted beans in oil after they roast helps gives the pepper and lemon something to adhere to. If you’re not having cocktails, these can be used in a salad in place of croutons or anywhere you want some crunch. If you don't have Aleppo pepper, red-pepper flakes make a fine substitute.
Soba Noodle and Steak Salad With Ginger-Lime Dressing
Soba, which are buckwheat noodles common in Japanese cooking, work well for a weeknight meal: They take just a few minutes to cook and can be served warm or at room temperature (which means they make great leftovers). Hanger steak is quickly seared in a drizzle of oil, and once done, the bok choy is cooked in the residual fat left behind, leaving you with one less pan to wash. This flexible dish also works well with seared or grilled shrimp or chicken. Shredded cabbage or tender broccolini could also be swapped in for the bok choy. Soft herbs like basil or cilantro would also be nice. The only thing you need to round out this meal is wine, preferably chilled and pink.
Baked Eggs With Beans and Greens
Consider this a heartier version of the classic Italian dish “eggs in purgatory,” which works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s also very forgiving. If you’d rather keep this a vegetarian meal, skip the sausage. No chickpeas? No problem. Any white bean will work well in its place. Same with the greens. Use what you have (anything that wilts works). Sprinkling the dish with grated cheese before serving is not required, but it sure does taste good. Serve with thick slices of toasted sesame bread slathered with plenty of softened butter.
Spicy Shrimp With Blistered Cucumbers, Corn and Tomato
When warm weather arrives, the best recipes are the simple ones that allow seasonal produce to shine. In this recipe, shrimp gets a quick marinade in lime juice, ginger and garlic while the rest of the salad is assembled. Pan-searing cucumbers and corn deepens their flavor and adds a pleasant contrast to the fresh tomatoes. The Thai-style vinaigrette adds zingy brightness. Serve this salad over rice studded with mint and scallions, or as a side dish to grilled steak or pork. The shrimp and the dressing (minus the chives) can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a day or so in advance, just be sure to bring them to room temperature before tossing everything together.
Orecchiette With Corn, Jalapeño, Feta and Basil
Sweet, peak season corn is at the heart of this flavorful and simple-to-make summer pasta. The jalapeño offers a pleasant kick, and the feta cheese tossed in at the end melts slightly, giving the sauce a silky texture. It’s worth seeking out orecchiette here, as it nicely catches the corn kernels, creating perfect bites. If you can’t find it, fusilli or farfalle would work in its place. Serve with a bright, simple salad alongside and fresh fruit for dessert.