Recipes By David Tanis
750 recipes found
Basic Harissa
This spicy North African condiment has many versions, but usually contains dried hot red pepper, caraway, cumin and garlic. Just a small dab packs quite a punch, and can be used to brighten soups, sauces or marinades. Thinned with olive oil, it’s good drizzled over grilled meat or vegetables. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Homemade Pita Bread
Is it worth making pita at home? Absolutely. Store-bought pita (like store-bought sandwich bread) is often several days old. Warm, fragrant home-baked pita is obviously superior, and there’s a bit of a thrill when the breads puff up in the oven. And once you get the hang of it, it’s not difficult. For the best flavor, try to get freshly milled whole-wheat flour. Even though only a little is called for in the recipe, it makes a difference.
Chicken Saltimbocca
Saltimbocca means to “jump in the mouth” with flavor. It is typically a restaurant dish, but at home on a weeknight, a chicken breast version makes a very tasty facsimile. Pound the chicken and marinate it in a mixture of chopped sage, garlic and olive oil, then brown it quickly before it goes under the broiler with fontina cheese and a slice of prosciutto. Fried sage leaves make a savory garnish. There’s no sauce, but wilted spinach makes an excellent accompaniment.
Easter Bread With Dried Fruit
Basic Polenta
Polenta is basically cornmeal mush, and it can be made with any kind of cornmeal, ground coarse, medium or fine. (You don’t need bags marked “polenta.”) As with most ingredients, though, the better the cornmeal you start with, the better your result in the kitchen. The trick is cooking the polenta for a sufficient amount of time. You must allow the cornmeal to swell and become fully cooked. That way, you emphasize the sweet corn flavor and don’t end up with something bitter and lame. Yes, it takes a long time. But it’s worth it — and you can fry the leftovers tomorrow night in a snap.
Rustic French Pork and Chicken Pâté
O.K., this is a little bit of a project, but not too taxing for an adventurous home cook. How about making your own pâté for the holidays? Ask the butcher to grind three-fourths of the meat medium, and one-fourth very coarse. Otherwise, if you are using a home meat grinder, you will need to hand chop about one-fourth of the meat, so that the mixture is dotted with little cubes of meat and fat. This will ensure a juicy texture and a rough mosaic pattern in each slice.
Quiche With Herbs and Goat Cheese
This green quiche laden with herbs and with thin slices of fresh goat cheese baked on top has a Gallic rusticity. A proper quiche (also known as a tarte salée, or savory open pie) should have really good pastry and contain a soft, tender eggy custard. It should be light enough to serve as a first course, or in larger portions for a simple main course. It should be something to sing about.
French Potato and Green Bean Salad
If this sounds like a pared-down salade niçoise, it is. Make a bold vinaigrette that is unapologetically fragrant with garlic and anchovy. Boil medium-size potatoes in their skins. Peel, slice and dress them while they are still slightly warm. You can even do the work in advance and then assemble it all just before serving. Authentic, traditional or somewhere in between, maybe we’ll just call this a potato salad with a southern French accent and let it go at that.
Egg Batter Pan-Fried Flounder With Green Garlic
For savory, moist, delicate flounder, it is difficult to beat this fast, easy method. Lightly coat the fillets in flour, then dip them in a mixture of beaten egg and milk. Slide them into a hot skillet filled with oil to a 1/4-inch depth and let them fry until golden, a mere two minutes or so per side, without jostling them around too much. Serve with a sauce of green garlic cooked in butter, with the juice of half a lemon providing a jaunty, bright finish. A sprinkling of chopped parsley makes for an elegant presentation, lifting an already elevated weeknight dish. Use fluke or sole in place of the flounder if you’d like, or scallions for the green garlic.
Homemade Chicken Broth
Braised Carrots With Cumin and Red Pepper
This recipe calls for braising the humble carrot in olive oil and garlic, then seasoning with toasted cumin and red pepper. They taste good hot or at room temperature which makes them ideal for a large dinner party or potluck. Use real carrots and peel your own. Which is not to say that those miniature peeled carrots in bags aren’t real, but, convenience aside, they often lack true carrot flavor.
Caramelized Turnips With Capers, Lemon and Parsley
Cauliflower With Curry Butter
These days, I would like some side dishes that add interest to the otherwise relatively bland (and unrelentingly rich) Thanksgiving table. I want vegetables so flavorful they could nearly double as condiments. So, cut cauliflower into the tiniest florets possible. This takes a little longer, but the results are worth it. You get something delicate, which is not a word usually associated with this vegetable. Cook the florets briefly, then toss them with a little curry-flavored butter, some chives and a squeeze of lime.
Ginger, Cucumber, Carrot and Cabbage Slaw
5-Minute Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatillo salsa, one of the great taco toppings, is a cinch to make. In this 2011 recipe, the tomatillos, stripped of their papery skin, are paired with Serrano chiles and cilantro. Made from just four ingredients, it comes together in moments and is a superb complement to tacos or tortilla chips.
New Potatoes Baked in Parchment
For an herb-infused delight, try cooking new potatoes in parchment. It's easier than it sounds. You pile a couple of pounds of potatoes onto a large round of baking parchment along with garlic, herbs and olive oil. Fold the parchment into a parcel and consign it to the oven for 45 minutes. When you open the package, steam-roasted new potatoes beckon. Indulge.
Tomato Risotto
Once you master the risotto technique, you can make flavorful versions throughout the year. This summery version is based on red, ripe tomatoes from the garden, but if you want to up the tomato quotient, surround the finished dish with slices of multicolored heirloom varieties. Best as a first course or vegetarian main course, it could also pair with a main course — grilled fish, for instance.
Cucumber-Ricotta Sandwiches
Part sandwich, part salad, this is an extremely refreshing and satisfying meal. It’s very simple, but there are two requirements: freshly baked bread, with a crisp crust and tender crumb, and the best ricotta you can find, preferably basket ricotta. Skip the low-fat supermarket type: Instead, make your own or use natural cream cheese or queso fresco.
Velvet Chicken Breast With Mustard Sauce
Cooking chicken breasts can be tricky, especially the “skinless-boneless” kind. No matter if they are pan-fried or grilled, they are apt to be dry if left to cook even a minute too long. This recipe borrows a Chinese technique called velveting that guarantees a moist chicken breast. A simple marinade made with egg white and cornstarch is the solution. Usually the chicken is cut into strips or cubes, but small chicken breasts or cutlets can be prepared the same way for Western-style dishes. Here, an assertive mustard sauce pairs nicely with the tender meat. Serve with boiled potatoes and crisp watercress, or stir-fried spinach.
Grilled Sesame Chicken and Eggplant Salad
This is a salad that is French by design and Chinese by flavor. The ginger and sesame notwithstanding, it is essentially very much like a salade composée, a “composed salad” where the ingredients are arranged and dressed but not tossed, with grilled chicken breast and a zesty vinaigrette. The jalapeño is optional, so you can turn down the heat.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
These mashed potatoes are extremely easy to make, and have the added benefit of being vegan. A hefty dose of garlic lends a bite to the creaminess. Make sure to use good olive oil. (For everything you need to know to make perfect potatoes, visit our potato guide.)
Île Flottante With Fresh Cherries
The name of this French dessert means “floating island.” It consists of soft meringue islands set afloat on a sea of the pourable vanilla custard called crème anglaise. Traditionally it is garnished with caramel sauce and praline powder. Here the dessert is flavored with cardamom and rose water instead, drizzled with cherry syrup and topped with pistachios.
Grilled Summer Vegetables With Tahini Dressing
Start up the grill for a crowd-pleasing platter of vegetables from the garden or farm stand. Take care to keep the fire medium-hot, so you can cook the vegetables without letting them become scorched or blackened. A bit of char is nice, of course, but don’t try for perfect grill marks. Remove vegetables from the grill when they are just done. They’re topped with a garlicky, lemony tahini dressing that serves as a perfect accompaniment.
Glazed Shiitakes With Bok Choy
Gorgeous glazed shiitake mushrooms and tender green bok choy sparked with ginger, sesame and hot pepper work beautifully against more staid flavors, so consider serving them next to a traditional roast chicken or turkey. They also are delicious draped over a pile of rice.