Appetizer
3523 recipes found
Crunchy Greens With Carrot-Ginger Dressing
This recipe draws inspiration from the sunny-orange flavor of green salads with carrot-ginger dressing at Japanese American restaurants. The pulpy, aromatic dressing may be the star, but a salad is only as good as its lettuce. After washing and thoroughly spin-drying the greens in a salad spinner (alternatively, you can pat them dry in a clean kitchen towel), one way to maximize their crunch before adding the dressing is to refrigerate them, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Little Gem has a sweet, juicy sturdiness, but regular packaged mixed greens, baby spinach and chopped romaine hearts work, too.
Tabbouleh
We think of tabbouleh as a bulgur salad with lots of parsley and mint. But real Lebanese tabbouleh is a lemony herb salad with a little bit of fine bulgur, an edible garden that you can scoop up with romaine lettuce heart leaves or simply eat with a fork. This will keep for a day in the refrigerator, though the bright green color will fade because of the lemon juice.
Silken Tofu With Spicy Soy Dressing
This recipe is inspired by the many cold silken tofu dishes from East Asia, like Japanese hiyayakko and Chinese liangban tofu. This no-cook dish is a handy one to have up your sleeve, especially for warm evenings when the desire to cook is nonexistent. Silky soft tofu is draped in a punchy soy dressing, creating a lively dish with little effort. The tofu is ideally served cold, but 10 minutes at room temperature can take the edge off. Make it your own with other fresh herbs such as Thai basil, mint or shiso leaves, or add crunch with fried shallots or roasted peanuts. A salty, fermented element like kimchi, pickled radish or ja choi, also known as zha cai, a Sichuan pickled mustard root, would work well, too. One block of silken tofu is usually enough to feed two people, but for a more substantial meal, serve it with hot rice or noodles to create a pleasing contrast of temperatures. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter .
Buffalo White Beans
This spicy-tangy vegetarian skillet comes together quickly, helped along by pantry ingredients and a few hardy vegetables. Don’t skimp on the butter! Classic Buffalo flavor depends on not just the vinegary hot sauce but also a rich butter base. Celery leaves make a fresh herbal topping; if your stalks don’t have leaves, grab some extras from the middle of the bunch.
Crispy Bean Cakes With Harissa, Lemon and Herbs
This recipe embraces any beans you’ve got in your pantry. Canned beans are easiest, but fresh shelled beans can be ready to go with a quick blanching, and dried beans can be used, too, if they’ve been soaked and cooked in advance. Toss the well-drained beans with harissa (or any red chile paste), scallions, herbs, lemon zest, cornstarch and a lightly whipped egg white. (The egg white and cornstarch give these bean cakes their crispness.) Shape them into patties for frying, and slice some lemon wedges for serving. Eat the patties as a vegetarian main dish, a side to roast chicken or fish, or as a snack with a dash of harissa.
Mozzarella in Carrozza (Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)
This Italian snack is essentially a mozzarella stick in sandwich form: Mozzarella cheese tucked inside plush bread, crusted with bread crumbs (use panko for extra crunch) and fried. In parts of Italy, you might also find anchovies, 'nduja or prosciutto in it, or marinara sauce or pesto served alongside for dipping. But gooey cheese in every bite? That's guaranteed: According to the food writer Emiko Davies, it’s called mozzarella en carrozza, or mozzarella in carriage, because the strands of melted mozzarella that pull from the sandwich resemble the reins of a horse and carriage. For best results, skip the fresh mozzarella and look for low-moisture mozzarella — the kind found sealed in plastic without liquid in your supermarket's dairy section. And try to set out your ingredients just before you begin: It'll help the process go more smoothly. (Watch the video Ali Slagle making mozzarella in carrozza here.)
Sauerkraut Jeon (Korean Pancakes)
Jeon are savory Korean vegetable, meat or seafood pancakes bound with the most basic batter: flour, cornstarch and water. Because the mixture is completely unleavened (no baking powder, yeast or even eggs), they run the risk of turning dense and gummy if you overwork the batter. This is good news for the lazy: The less work you put in, the better they come out. They can be made with virtually any meat or vegetable odds and ends, but they’re especially great with that crunchy sauerkraut languishing in the back of your fridge from that cookout you had last year.
The Original Nachos
The first nachos were said to have been invented in Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1940, with just three ingredients. As the story goes, a group of women walked into the Victory Club in Piedras outside business hours. Aiming to please, Ignacio Anaya, the maître d’hôtel known as Nacho, ran to the kitchen and made a quick appetizer with ingredients he found. Today’s nachos know no end to their variations: They can have a number of seasoned layers, like these bricklayer-style nachos, or these vegetarian bean nachos, or simply be topped with cheese sauce, like those sold at concession stands. But the simplicity of its original, with its barely salted chips, nutty melted cheese and briny pickled jalapeños, is sure to charm true fans.
Crunchy Cauliflower Salad
This chopped salad celebrates raw cauliflower, a hearty vegetable often reserved for roasting, which renders it golden and soft. Here, crunchy, thinly sliced cauliflower and radicchio bring a mix of slightly sweet and pleasantly bitter flavors; the honey and Meyer lemon vinaigrette is a nod to winter, when citrus fruits are at their brightest and sweetest. Customize the salad with whatever crunchy vegetables you have on hand; celery, fennel and cabbage all make great candidates. This dish makes the perfect side for roasted fish or chicken, or enjoy the salad as a main dish topped with beans, shredded chicken or canned tuna.
Loaded Vegan Nachos
This recipe certainly has more steps than the original nachos, but you’ll be rewarded with a festive tray that’s hearty and vegetable-packed enough for dinner. Queso is a great choice for nachos because, unlike melted grated cheese, it stays creamy and doesn’t congeal. This homemade, vegan take owes its bold flavor to nutritional yeast, chipotle, garlic powder and pickled jalapeños, and its glossy and smooth texture to the magical combination of starchy bean liquid and blended cauliflower. The key to great nachos is to make sure that each element is delicious on its own, so here, roasted cauliflower gets seasoned with cilantro and lime, and pinto beans with spicy adobo sauce.
Beet and Radicchio Salad With Goat Cheese and Pistachios
Here's a hearty roasted beet salad that doesn't take hours to make. Cutting the beets up into small cubes shortens the cooking time and results in all over caramelization that you don't get with roasted whole beets. By the time you're finished prepping the rest of the salad, the beets will be done.
Tea Eggs
In the 18th century, the Qing dynasty scholar Yuan Mei wrote about cooking eggs in a solution of tea leaves and salt in “The Way of Eating.” Now, tea eggs are prepared throughout China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and in diaspora communities the world over. Known for their marbled design and savory soy flavor, the eggs are boiled, then cracked and soaked in tea blended with spices. The liquid seeps beneath the cracks to form fine lines all over the eggs while seasoning them. You can also simply marinate them without their shells and end up with a more robust taste. Adjust the seasonings below to your taste, if you like, and then enjoy the eggs on their own with a cup of tea or any way you would enjoy boiled eggs — in rice bowls, noodles, salads and other vegetable dishes.
Orange and Radish Salad With Pistachios
Before I put this salad together, I could imagine how it would feel and taste in my mouth: the juicy, sweet oranges playing against the crisp, pungent radishes. The combination was inspired by an orange, radish and carrot salad in Sally Butcher’s charming book “Salmagundi: A Celebration of Salads From Around the World.” The salad is a showcase for citrus, which is in season in California. Navels are particularly good right now, both the regular variety and the darker pink-fleshed Cara Cara oranges that taste like a cross between an orange and a pink grapefruit. I fell in love with blood oranges when I lived in Paris years ago, and although the Moro variety that we get in the United States doesn’t have quite as intense a red-berry flavor as the Mediterranean fruit, its color is hard to resist. Here I use a combination of blood oranges and navels, and a beautiful mix of red and purple radishes and daikon. Dress this bright mixture with roasted pistachio oil, which has a mild nutty flavor that marries beautifully with the citrus. Put the prepared oranges and radishes in separate bowls and use a slotted spoon to remove the orange slices from the juices. Just before serving, arrange the oranges and radishes on a platter or on plates, spoon on the dressing and juices, and sprinkle with pistachios. You can also layer the elements, undressed, and pour on the liquids right before serving. For a juicier version, skip the slotted spoon and toss all of the ingredients together for a quenching salad that is best served in bowls.
Radicchio Caesar Salad
This fragrant take on Caesar salad uses up an entire tin of anchovies and replaces the sweet romaine with gloriously bitter radicchio. For the dressing: Though you could use a raw egg yolk and slowly stream in oil while whisking constantly, relying on the already emulsifying qualities of store-bought mayonnaise gets you to creamy heights with less fuss. This salad does not keep well, so serve it immediately, while the radicchio is still plump and crunchy. There’s no added salt in this recipe, as the many anchovies season both the bread crumbs and the dressing. But should your radicchio be especially bitter — pleasant though that flavor can be — feel free to add a pinch of salt to help tame the bitterness.
Sea Scallops With Brown Butter, Capers and Lemon
This bright yet rich treatment for scallops came to The Times in a 2009 article about Kevin Zraly, the wine director of Windows on the World from 1976 to 2001. Mr. Zraly turned the restaurant into an international wine mecca: at the time it was destroyed, when the World Trade Center fell, its cellar held close to 100,000 bottles of 1,500 labels. Mr. Zraly and Michael Lomonaco, the chef at the restaurant (both of whom were not at work on Sept. 11 when the planes hit), worked together on hundreds of wine and food pairings throughout the years. This was Mr. Zraly's favorite of Mr. Lomonaco's creations. With it, he recommends a Puligny Montrachet, Olivier Leflaive.
Shrimp Salad
Using plenty of lemon — both the zest and juice — is the secret to this tangy, creamy shrimp salad. If you’re using this to make sandwiches, chop the shrimp into pieces before adding them to the dressing. You can also leave the shrimp whole for an elegant salad, served with lettuce, avocado, and other vegetables if you like. If you’re starting with precooked shrimp, you can skip the first step entirely. The salad can be made and refrigerated for up to 6 hours before serving.
Pasta e Ceci (Italian Pasta and Chickpea Stew)
There is an incredible number of recipes for this classic Roman dish, and everyone has an opinion on how it should be prepared. This version is more stew than soup, but it can be loosened up with a bit more water if you prefer. It begins with sautéing onion, tomatoes, garlic and rosemary in olive oil, then tossing in the chickpeas, and smashing a few to give the stew a creamy texture. Water is added, then uncooked pasta, which cooks as the stew simmers (and results in one less dish for you wash). Escarole is folded in right before serving. This flexible stew can go in a number of directions, so tweak it as you see fit, but don’t forget to finish each bowl with grated pecorino and a drizzle of olive oil. Ciao.
Hummus
Hummus is an ideal dip for picnics, parties and everyday snacking. Serve it with pita, chips, crackers or cut vegetables. In this hummus recipe, adapted from "How to Cook Everything," tahini is essential, as are garlic and lemon. But this dip is also flexible: cumin and pimentón are optional, as are herbs or blends like za’atar. Hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.
Flaky Folded Biscuits
These biscuits rely on frozen grated butter to create an extra light and crispy texture. The dough can be gently kneaded together, rolled and cut into biscuits using a biscuit cutter or knife before baking, but this method of folding and rolling produces more flaky layers. The final step of rolling the dough like a jellyroll, flattening it, and cutting it into triangles results in triangular biscuits that gently fan apart in layers that are perfect for catching extra butter and jam, or for pulling apart with your fingertips. If the dough or butter feels like it is getting warm or greasy at any point, transfer the dough to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer for five minutes before proceeding.
Matzo Frittata
This savory matzo brei, loaded with caramelized onions and mushrooms, is made like a frittata that you cut into wedges. While commonly eaten for breakfast during Passover, this one serves as a substantial side dish. Leftovers make a nice brunch or lunch, especially with a green salad. The key to a good matzo brei is soaking the matzo just enough to retain a little bit of chew, but not so much that it becomes soggy. Here, the matzo is submerged in boiling water for one minute to soften. If keeping kosher and making this for a dairy meal, use a tablespoon of butter instead of oil for extra flavor.
Cowboy Caviar
Depending on where you’re from, this simple dip is known as cowboy caviar or Texas caviar, and it’s a favorite at tailgates and potlucks all over the South. Its creator, Helen Corbitt, a dietitian from New York, had never heard of black-eyed peas when she moved to Texas in 1931. The exact details are fuzzy, but at some point in her 40 years working in restaurants there, she combined black-eyed peas with a simple vinaigrette, and it was a big hit. The recipe has evolved over the years, and you can find a number of variations online. Some contain corn and black beans (as this one does), and others avocado. Some call for bottled Italian salad dressing, others homemade. No matter how you tweak it, it’s always good with a pile of tortilla chips.
Cheddar-Sauerkraut Toast
This 10-minute, vegetarian meal is happily reminiscent of a Welsh rabbit, a Reuben sandwich and nachos. Toast slices of bread under the broiler, then top with the fermented trio of sauerkraut, pickled jalapeños and Cheddar. After a few minutes under the broiler, the cheese bubbles and crisps and the cabbage warms and mellows. The sauerkraut provides plenty of vegetables and, along with the jalapeño, tames the richness of the cheese. Adapt as you wish: Smear mustard or horseradish on the bread or trade the sauerkraut for kimchi.
Crunchy Kale Salad With Plums and Dates
Kale salad has passed whatever nebulous test there is of food fads and become a mainstay, especially in the fall, but it’s ideal for summer, too, because it doesn’t wilt in the heat. If anything, you want to be sure to crush the finely sliced greens until they’re droopy. Kale salad can feel like a chore to chew if the greens aren’t softened sufficiently, so massage them into submission. To add a welcome, easy crunch to the tender leaves, this salad is littered with roasted, salted sunflower seeds. They’re a savory contrast to tangy wedges of juicy plums and chewy, sweet dates in the lemony mix that holds up well on any picnic table and for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Crispy-Edged Quesadilla
This straightforward quesadilla has an unexpected twist: a border of salty, crispy cheese surrounding the tortilla. Achieving it couldn’t be easier; just press down on the folded tortilla as it heats up in the pan so the cheese spills out and turns golden. A nonstick pan is key here, otherwise the melted cheese will glue itself onto the cooking surface. Medium heat is just the right temperature for a quesadilla: It’s hot enough to crisp up the cheese but low enough to prevent the cheese from burning.