Recipes By Hana Asbrink
5 recipes found
Cold Tofu Salad With Tomatoes and Peaches
Sweet, savory and refreshing for summer’s hottest days, this is the salad to make when tomatoes and peaches are at their prime, on the verge of bursting. Inspired by Italian caprese salad and Japanese hiyayakko, it features juicy, ripe wedges of peaches and tomatoes seasoned with flaky salt, which draws out their juices to mingle with soy-balsamic dressing and creamy silken tofu. Top the salad with a shower of fragrant basil and mint, a nod to the shiso that often accompanies hiyayakko, and a few cranks of black pepper. Be sure to spoon the umami-rich dressing (the best part!) over the tomatoes, peaches and tofu so that it pools at the bottom of the serving platter. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.
Crème Fraîche Pasta With Peas and Scallions
Here’s an easy weeknight pasta featuring crème fraîche, the richer, slightly less tangy cousin of sour cream. It’s combined with Parmesan, lemon zest and starchy pasta cooking water for a sauce that is creamy, velvety and bright. Whole bunches of scallions caramelize until their edges char, lending sweetness and a hint of smoke, while raw scallions add color as a garnish. To preserve the brightness of the peas, throw them in the pasta cooking water at the very end and drain along with the shells. Plan appropriately, and the sauce and scallions can be prepared in the time it takes the pasta to cook.
Mushroom Wafu Pasta
Wafu directly translates to “Japanese style.” As it relates to pasta, you can expect uniquely Japanese flavors and twists like mentaiko pasta, which is made with spicy cod roe, or the Napolitan, which is made with mushrooms, green peppers and bacon, sausage, or even hot dogs, in a tangy ketchup-based sauce. Kinoko, or mushroom, wafu pasta is a spaghetti dish made with a variety of Japanese mushrooms (and occasionally bacon) in an umami-rich soy-butter sauce emulsified with pasta water. Using bronze-cut dried pasta, with its rough surface, is optional but results in a superior final dish. Bronze-cut pasta is normally labeled as such on the package, otherwise, look for pasta with a surface that is more coarse. (Traditional Italian brands and some organic pastas are often made in this manner). This recipe calls for a full pound of pasta, but it halves easily. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.
Roasted Fennel and Grape Salad
When fennel is kissed by an oven’s fiery heat, its strong anise flavor is toned down and replaced by a mellow char and sweetness. Similarly, roasting grapes intensifies the fruit’s juices, deepens its flavor and takes off the acidic edge, giving way to more of a dark, almost winelike character. Together, the roasted fennel and grapes make a lovely warm winter salad, enhanced by a zingy shallot-citrus vinaigrette. The whole lot gets topped off with crunchy, toasted walnuts and a generous shower of Manchego cheese, which lend texture and heft. (You can sub in any sharp and tangy sheep’s milk cheese.)
Sesame Snap Pea-Chicken Salad
This simple salad features crisp-tender sugar snap peas, delicate shredded chicken and creamy sesame dressing. The cooking methods are important here: Blanching the peas, then shocking them in ice water ensures that they retain crunch and color, while gently poaching the boneless chicken breast and plunging it into an ice water bath means it stays moist. The tangy dressing, which is a nod to the highly addictive Japanese-style goma dressing, is made with earthy roasted sesame seeds and mayonnaise; it finds its way to the craggy edges of the shredded chicken. Try to shred the meat the same size as the sliced peas for the best texture. This salad is great to serve immediately, and even better after spending at least an hour in the refrigerator.