Recipes By Yewande Komolafe
149 recipes found
Breakfast Burritos
A delightful breakfast, these burritos filled with soft scrambled eggs, scallion-flecked refried beans and buttery avocado slices are also great any time of the day. Cilantro adds freshness, and a few drops of your favorite hot sauce will deliver a nice zing. The nontraditional open-ended rolling technique used here will tightly encase the filling in the smaller-size tortillas while ensuring the optimal tortilla-to-stuffing ratio. To seal completely, wrap each tortilla in a strip of foil and twist both ends. For convenience, the little wraps can be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator or freezer and reheated in an oven.
Chess Pie
With a sparkling bright lemon flavor, this classic Southern buttermilk chess pie filling is poured into a shortbread crust with hints of spice from freshly ground black pepper. The coarse cornmeal gives the beautiful custardy filling the slightest bit of texture once baked. Consider the baking time below as a guide: The pie is done when it jiggles slowly when moved back and forth. A sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar is enough as a garnish to top the pie, and you’d do well to serve each slice with a dollop of whipped heavy cream. It’ll help temper the pie’s vibrant sweetness.
Green Salad With Apple Cider Vinaigrette
With its delicate, crisp bite, this salad can be a simple addition to your holiday spread. Dressed with an acidic, lightly sweetened cider vinaigrette, it carries a lot of the bright notes of the season and uses ingredients you most likely have on hand. Green is the theme but not the rule, so any sour-sweet red apple will also work just great. The nuts are optional but add a hearty crunch.
Citrus-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
These candied sweet potatoes work as a side dish for any dinner or holiday celebration by balancing citrusy sweet and savory flavors — and they also produce top-notch leftovers. Right out of the oven or the fridge, they are sure to add a pleasantly tart note to any meal. The braising liquid thickens as the tubers cook, resulting in a tangy glaze that coats every bite. Its acidity also helps the sweet potatoes stay intact with a slight bite even as they soften. The thinly sliced orange zest becomes tender and develops a marmalade-like taste. The shiny strips make for a beautiful garnish, along with the syrupy pan sauce.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Chunks of baked sweet potato enhance warm, tender and flaky biscuits, which also get a savory lift from sliced scallions. To achieve distinct biscuit layers, an integral characteristic of this quick bread, keep your butter cold and work quickly when folding. You can chill the dough in between steps if needed to keep the butter solid, because cold, hard butter will help the dough maintain its layered structure in the oven. Serve the biscuits piping hot right out the oven, broken open and slathered with a generous smear of the spiced honey butter. The sweet potato can be baked in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The spiced honey butter can be prepared up to a week in advance.
Sinasir (Fermented Rice Skillet Cakes)
A flat skillet cake made from a batter of fermented rice, sinasir is a recipe from Northern Nigeria similar in texture to Somali cambaabur and Ethiopian injera. Its spongy texture makes it an excellent vehicle for sopping up soups, stews or chunks of beef suya. It is also quite lovely when eaten as a snack, drizzled lightly with honey. This version gets a bit of nuttiness from the short-grain brown rice, and the scent of toasted rice will waft through your kitchen as you cook. The fermentation step in the beginning is crucial, as it gives the finished cakes a slight sourness. For a more intense tang, ferment slowly in the refrigerator using the directions below.
Orecchiette With ’Nduja, Shrimp and Tomatoes
’Nduja, a chile-spiked, cured pork sausage, lends bold flavor and heat to this arrabiata-style sauce. If you can’t find ’nduja at your local supermarket, feel free to swap in your favorite fresh chorizo or pork sausage and a flurry of red-pepper flakes. Be sure to pick a pasta that can hold this hefty sauce. The deep pockets in orecchiette will do nicely, capturing flavor in every bite. The trick here is to allow the pasta to finish cooking right in the garlicky sauce, which is thickened by the starchy pasta cooking water. A topping of lemony bread crumbs adds texture and brightness.
Lentil and Orzo Stew With Roasted Eggplant
For rich, golden cubes of roasted eggplant, a high-temperature oven is crucial. Here, lentils and pasta make for a hearty stew, and the coriander seeds introduce a robust, clean flavor. Use a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder or the base of a wine bottle to crush the seeds, opening them up before they’re tossed with the eggplant. Serve this stew warm or hot, topped with an aged, salty cheese like ricotta salata or feta, and a soft-poached egg if you like. The lemon zest and juice are essential and enhance the finish.
Thieboudienne
Thieboudienne holds a special place within the cuisines of West Africa. This elegant one-pot rice masterpiece is often referred to as the national dish of Senegal, yet its presence and popularity extend beyond any national borders. Rof, an herb-heavy marinade, perfumes and seasons fish steaks; nokoss — a blend of onions, bell peppers, chiles and fresh tomatoes — thickens a rich tomato broth. The end result is one pot of tender vegetables and fish layered over fluffed broken rice. Your choice of vegetables can be flexible; cabbage, okra and cassava are traditional, but squash, pumpkin, cauliflower or eggplants will all make adequate substitutes. Use what’s in season and freshest. Serve this warm, family style from a large platter, garnished with xońe or xoñe, those bits of crunchy rice grains that, by proximity to the heat, stick to the bottom of the pot.
Mushroom and Eggplant Yassa
Sauce yassa is a richly flavored Senegalese stew typically cooked with poultry, meat or fish. It’s the result of slowly caramelized onions, chile, garlic and ginger simmered in stock and finished with a splash of lime juice. This vegetable version, a vegan adaptation, uses mushrooms and eggplants, which both add layers of depth to the sauce. A shower of thinly sliced fresh scallions announces itself with its delicate yet crisp bite. Serve a generous helping of the sauce over steamed rice, millet or fonio, along with additional lime wedges for squeezing, if desired.
Spicy Tomato-Coconut Bisque With Shrimp and Mushrooms
A full-bodied, mildly spiced tomato soup with sweetness and depth from roasted red peppers, this is a tasty base for lightly poached shrimp or pieces of any firm white fish. The gingery, herbed mushroom gets with a citrusy lift from makrut lime leaves, ensuring this dish is packed with flavor. As a substitute, lime zest will work in a pinch. Serve over steamed rice or dig in with torn pieces from a crusty loaf of bread.
Beet Salad With Coriander-Yogurt Dressing
Disks of succulent roast beets make this salad especially hearty. If your oven is already on, throw in some beets wrapped in foil, and roast them until tender. But if you are pressed for time, grab some store-bought cooked beets. They’ll work just as well. This salad is all about big forkfuls of vegetables; the plump chickpeas, which are suffused with warm coriander and bright orange zest, lend a delightful crunch. It’s all finished with a creamy yogurt dressing you’ll want to drizzle over everything on your plate.
Brothy Thai Curry With Silken Tofu and Herbs
A jarred red curry paste is the central flavor of this wonderfully restorative and nourishing broth. Coconut milk lends a subtle creaminess, and the cherry tomatoes become bright little jammy bursts. You can use fresh tomatoes when in season, but canned tomatoes do just as well. Ladle the piping hot broth over seasoned tofu pieces and fresh herbs: The delicate silken tofu used here will absorb big flavors from the surrounding liquid.
Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini
Tofu and chickpeas form the hearty base for vibrant, woodsy za’atar, the popular Middle Eastern spice blend. The tomatoes, when roasted, become acidic, little bursts in the salad, a great complement to the earthiness of the other ingredients. The roasted vegetables, chickpeas and tofu and the tahini dressing will keep for days once refrigerated. Assemble your bowl to order, and enjoy it for lunch or as a light dinner.
Jollof Rice
A successful batch of jollof rice requires a few key ingredients (tomatoes, peppers, onions, a few herbs, spices and some stock) and a perfect sauce-to-rice ratio, so the cooked grains remain separate. I have found that the best, no-fuss way to do this is in the oven. Jollof is typically made with long-grain rice, though in Nigeria, parboiled rice is the norm. Most jollof is prepared over an open flame or on a stovetop. Missing from this oven version is the slightly smoky flavor you get from the little bits of rice that have browned on the bottom of your pan, but that’s nothing a pinch of smoked paprika can’t fix. Serve with braised goat or other stewed meats, and a side of fried plantains.
Agege Bread
Agege bread is a soft but dense sweet white bread made from a rich, low-yeast dough. This dough will take its time to rise, but it can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and slow-proofed in the refrigerator, which will develop the dough’s flavor. This recipe fits a standard Pullman loaf pan, so it makes a lot. Serve the bread in nice thick slices alongside some obe ata and scrambled eggs, or butter and toast it to enjoy dunked into milk tea.
One-Pan Fish With Bacon and Sweet Corn
The delightful textures of this dish’s three main components — crisp bacon, tender fish and plump corn kernels — make for a lovely summer dinner. Tilapia, trout, bass or any other flaky yet firm white fish will work well. Naturally smoked bacon imparts a flavor reminiscent of campfire cooking or outdoor grilling over hot coals. When fresh corn isn’t in season, frozen corn can be used, but will require a minute or two more in the skillet. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice rounds out the dish with its acidity.
Pan-Seared Chicken With Harissa, Dates and Citrus
Juicy, pan-seared chicken thighs in a saucy mix of peppery harissa, sour citrus and sweet caramelized dates will make this dish the star of your weeknight meals. For even more flavor, marinate the chicken for as long as you can, anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Dollops of creamy yogurt will mellow any heat, and a shower of fresh herbs will add a subtle fragrance. Serve with the pan drippings spooned generously over steamed rice or fluffy couscous, or alongside some warm crusty bread for dipping.
Mango With Chile-Lime Salt
This take on the classic street food, served throughout Mexico, is encountered often in open air markets, beaches and parks in summer. The original is often made with tajín spice, a store-bought blend of ground chile, lime and salt. This preparation allows you to use any variety of mango, in states of ripeness from soft and juicy to firm, and the homemade chile-lime salt can be used for a variety of savory or sweet dishes as a garnish or topping. If using store-bought chile-lime salt, substitute the ground chile, lime zest and salt with 2 tablespoons of the seasoning.
No-Bake Cheesecake With Caramelized Pineapple and Coconut
Pockets of jammy caramelized pineapple are a thrilling discovery in this creamy tropics-inspired cheesecake. Coconut milk and lime zest are added to the cream cheese filling, which is set in a crisp gingersnap crust. Caramelize the pineapples ahead, if time permits — the longer they sit in the syrup, the better they’ll taste. Serve the cake sliced in squares, topped with toasted coconut flakes, if desired.
Strawberry Jam Bars With Cardamom
These sandwich bars are a delightful mix of textures and flavors. The preference here is a red fruit jam for its acidic pop, but you can go with any jam you have on hand. The nuts give an additional crunch to the topping and may add a fun color contrast. These fruity, spiced cookies can be assembled, kept refrigerated, or wrapped and frozen. You can bake them straight out of the fridge or freezer, but if baking from frozen, add a few extra minutes to ensure a nice golden crust on the bottom. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Strawberry Jam Bars or try any of the other five recipes.)
Sparkling Shortbread Cookies
Classic shortbread is buttery and crumbly, with a crispness that melts as you devour it. These cookies are simple and perfect for holiday indulgence. Each gets adorned with decorative sugar around the perimeter, which adds some sparkle and an additional layer of crunch in every bite. The shaped logs can be refrigerated up to a week, or frozen for up to a month. Slice while the dough is cold, and bake. These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Sparkling Shortbread or try any of the other five recipes.)
Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread
Chocolate, toasted sesame, candied ginger and citrus! These cookies are a wonderful combination of intense flavors that pair really well together. The alternating layers of a chocolate dough and one spiked with warming spices are reminiscent of marble swirls, zebra stripes, rock strata layers — take your pick. They are as pleasant to look at as they are to eat, and they will add some flair to your holiday cookie tin. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Marble Shortbread or try any of the other five recipes.)
Vegetable Soup With Tamarind and Lemongrass
Tamarind is the prominent flavor in this soup, showing up as a subtle sour ingredient that gently awakens the senses. This light, brothy soup packs a delicious punch from ginger and lemongrass, with a breath of heat from chiles. It’s closely modeled after Sundanese sayur asem, Isan tom klong pla and Timorese sour fish soup, which all so successfully achieve the delicate balance of tart and spice. Like those, this soup provides a wonderful base for variation and nods to convenience. Medallions of sweet potato and daikon are poached, just enough to remain crisp, while tender tofu (soft or silken) absorbs the essence of the fragrant stew. A shower of fresh herbs adds the finishing touch. Serve piping hot, by itself or ladled over steamed rice or noodles.