Appetizer
3523 recipes found
Pickled Mackerel
The chef Kyle Connaughton’s recipe for pickled mackerel is straight out of the Japanese playbook. It’s simple and foolproof to prepare, and the time it takes is mostly unattended. He serves it plain or over rice that’s been dressed with some cucumber and toasted sesame seeds. I also tried seasoning the rice with a couple of spoonfuls of the leftover vinegar marinade plus grated ginger, black sesame seeds, minced scallions and diced avocado, and Mr. Connaughton seconded that idea, as well as the notion of serving the pickled fish Scandinavian-style, with sour cream, sweet onions and boiled potatoes.
Hearty Bean Nachos With Spicy Salsa
According to Dr. Adalberto Peña de los Santos, the director of the International Nacho Festival, in Piedras Negras, Mexico, there are three timeless nacho essentials: crispy corn tortilla chips, mounds of melted cheese and at least one chile. If you want to go big, here are some unofficial guidelines: Nacho toppings should be good enough to stand on their own, the nachos should be saucy (maybe even messy) and they should be so delicious together that you can’t have just one bite. In this recipe, nachos take a vegetarian turn, with buttery pinto beans, tender carrots or sweet potatoes (or both), and a tomato-and-tomatillo salsa. Melty cheese, Mexican crema and chopped onion and cilantro take it over the top.
Wild Rice and Roasted Squash Salad With Cider Vinaigrette
Toothsome wild rice, caramelized roasted veggies and crisp radicchio all shine in this generous salad, which can be served as a hearty side or satisfying lunch. Radicchio adds a pop of color and a punch of bitterness, but a peppery green like arugula would also make a great substitute. This salad is tossed with a generous batch of mustard-cider vinaigrette. If you decide to double the dressing or have any left over, it pairs beautifully with just about any grain or hearty green, and will keep refrigerated for up to three days.
Parsley Salad With Fennel and Horseradish
I have always been the one at the Seder table to eat the parsley dipped in saltwater with enthusiasm. “You going to finish that?” I might ask my neighbor at the table when I see they have left theirs untouched after just a nibble. This salad is an obvious nod to the Seder plate, including both parsley (bitter herbs) and fresh horseradish, except it’s less ceremonial and more just a very delicious salad. I love, love parsley and think a well-seasoned bowl of it is something that most tables can benefit from, especially if those tables include braised pots of red meat. While parsley and fennel can be prepared ahead of time, the salad itself is best dressed right before you eat.
Chile Verde Guacamole
Mexicans are split into two camps when it comes to guacamole: those who always add lime juice and those who absolutely do not. Many Sonoran friends shout “Never!” at the mere suggestion. Having grown up in the pro-lime camp in Mexico City, I was filled with skepticism before trying versions from the deep Mexican north, but what a pleasant surprise. The creamy and nutty avocado takes a deserving central role in Sonoran guacamoles. What won me over was the combination of two chiles: roasted Anaheim, with its tart, fresh, peppery flavors, and raw serrano, with its grassy taste and heat. (I hate to admit it, but this guacamole really needs no lime.)
Camarones Embarazados (Adobo Grilled Shrimp)
Camarones embarazados translates to pregnant shrimp, but these crustaceans aren’t necessarily carrying roe. The catchy name is a play on words: “en vara” means on a stick, and “asado” means roasted, and together, “en vara asado” sounds like “embarazado.” These shrimp are soaked with an adobo that becomes a crunchy crust when grilled. This take on the dish, which spread from Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast of Mexico to beaches all over the country, combines guajillo chiles and chiles de árbol with the surprising addition of Mexican chocolate. The chocolate rounds out the sharpness of the adobo and provides a caramelized finish. Simmered extra adobo is delicious for dipping the shrimp hot off the coals.
Crabby Crab Cakes
Getting the most out of crab cakes often means putting the least into them. Since crab has the best texture and subtlest flavor of all crustaceans, the best crab cakes are those that showcase the crab, not another ingredient. The loose mix is best chilled before shaping, but it is essential to chill it again for a half-hour or so (longer is better) before cooking. When cold, the cakes will hold together, and once the egg, the binding agent, does its work, they will retain their shape until attacked with a fork.
Potato and White Bean Puttanesca Soup
Potatoes and cannellini beans provide the bulk in this hearty soup inspired by pasta puttanesca, while the garlicky tomato base is imbued with the briny punch of capers and black olives. The signature of puttanesca is heat, so adjust the amount of red-pepper flakes to your liking or use fresh chiles, if you have them. Reserve some of the olives and capers, and combine with parsley to make a topper that amplifies the sharp, bright flavors. Haphazardly mashing some of the beans and potatoes is an efficient way to thicken the soup, without the need for any additional equipment. In fact, it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve whenever you are looking to thicken soups or stews.
1968: Málaga Gazpacho
Cream of Spinach Soup
Puréed vegetable soups can be lean and spare or rich and creamy, spicy or subtle, hot or cold. They can be vegetarian or quite meaty. And much of the cooking time is just for simmering. This spinach soup, with a touch of nutmeg and some cream, is a classic combination, and its flavor justifies that distinction.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Rosemary Olive Oil
This soup turns a short list of vegan ingredients into a sublimely silky soup. Infusing olive oil with fresh rosemary is a trick you’ll want to keep up your sleeve: The results are delicious brushed on roast chicken, drizzled over roasted winter vegetables or even just sopped up with a nice piece of bread. The croutons here are optional, but they transform an elegant and delicate first-course soup into a satisfying lunch.
Dooymaaj Salad
Dooymaaj is a nostalgic Iranian childhood snack of dried, days-old bread — it’s an effort to not waste a single crumb — combined with fresh herbs, cheese and walnuts. The ingredients are bound with a splash of milk and a drizzle of butter, then rolled into balls and enjoyed as an afternoon treat. This refreshing, zesty, herb-filled bread salad is an homage to the beloved snack. Use any flatbread you like, but crisp lavash bread holds up particularly well against the creamy and tangy buttermilk dressing. This is hearty enough to be served on its own as a light meal or alongside grilled chicken or fish, such as chicken or salmon kababs.
Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce
These nuoc cham-inspired meatballs are perfect to fill lettuce cups topped with fresh basil or cilantro. (Add steamed rice for a more substantial meal.) The Ritz crackers here make for a juicier meatball, but feel free to substitute plain dry bread crumbs. To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. For an easy dipping sauce, spike 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or soy sauce. And save any leftover meatballs: They're great simmered in chicken broth the next day. The ginger and garlic in them release their aromatics into the broth for a deeply flavorful soup base.
Fried Artichokes
These deserve to be served as a separate course, eaten with your fingers. The basic method is the same for French fries — the first frying cooks and the second, hotter frying crisps. Roman cimaroli or mammole artichokes do not have the sharp thorns of our American globe variety and are picked before their chokes have fully developed, so I have made some adjustments to the original recipe to remove the choke here. Don’t let it intimidate you; the first frying and a grapefruit spoon or melon baller makes it relatively easy to manage.
Beet and Barley Salad With Date-Citrus Vinaigrette
Have fun with this early fall salad, meant for Rosh Hashana but festive throughout the season. Bitter and tart greens, like arugula, crunchy romaine and celery, pair well with shallots or red onion, dates, dried figs, a handful of multicolored olives and crisp, refreshing cucumbers. About a cup of cooked barley adds chew, but you could use lentils or chickpeas instead for more protein. If you can find them, heirloom varieties of barley add wonderful nutty complexity. Beets — used in ancient times more for the leaves than the roots — currants and green grapes lend color and sweetness, as well as a pomegranate, the symbol of fruitfulness by virtue of its many seeds. All these foods are symbolic of fertility, abundance, and prosperity in the New Year.
Creamy Broccoli Soup
This is one of the best formulas for a creamy, savory broccoli soup — and it doesn’t include any cream. Borrowing from the concept of using coconut water to provide the kind of richness that is reminiscent of bone broth in Yi Jun Loh’s ingeniously vegan Malaysian ABC soup, this simple green elixir starts with a base of umami-loaded vegetables seared in olive oil then braised in coconut water. With silken tofu providing creaminess, this verdant, vegetable-powered soup can be pleasurably contrasted, in flavor and in temperature, with an optional dollop of sweet, cool ricotta. (If you’re keeping this vegan, you’ll still have plenty of creamy richness even if you leave the ricotta out.)
Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup
The beauty of a soup like this — other than its bone-warming properties — is that you don’t need a recipe. You can pretty much simmer together any combination of vegetables with a little water or broth, purée it, top it with good olive oil and salt, and end up with something good to eat. The addition of miso paste and crushed coriander to the broth, and fresh lemon and cilantro at the end, zips things up without negating the comfort factor.
Crispy Chickpeas With Beef
Related to a classic chili, this fast-cooking recipe combines legumes, meat and spices, with excellent results. This dish works equally well with canned or home-cooked chickpeas; if you like a bit more kick, double or triple the ancho chiles or chile powder. Turmeric or saffron also work well. Don't want to use ground beef? Ground turkey, chicken or pork would sub in well here; add a little oil to the pan first. For a bit more flavor, add a clove or two of chopped garlic to the browning meat. The point is: improvise.
Korean Cod Jeon Sliders (Pan-Fried Cod Sliders)
Jeon is the Korean name for small savory pancakes made with fish or vegetables, which are sliced, egg battered, then pan-fried until golden. The egg batter creates a delicate, tender coating, rather than a super crispy one. Typically served as a side dish with a soy dipping sauce, these cod pancakes are instead tucked into Hawaiian sweet rolls for kid-friendly fish sliders. They’re great for entertaining, as the jeon can be cooked ahead and enjoyed at room temperature — just assemble the sandwiches right before serving.
Abdoogh Khiar (Chilled Buttermilk Cucumber Soup)
This beautiful and simple classic Iranian cold soup is destined for those hot summer days when all you want to do is pull up a chair inside the fridge. Doogh refers to the buttermilk that comes from the process of churning yogurt butter, but this dish is often prepared with a mixture of yogurt and water. Here, tangy, creamy buttermilk is blended with plain yogurt for a soup with extra body. An array of cooling, crunchy, sweet and savory ingredients are then added to the base, along with herbs and spices for a refreshing, satisfying meal. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.
Avocado and Onion Salad
Avocado, onion, oil and vinegar are all that’s needed for ensalada de aguacate y cebolla, with rich, creamy avocado against the assertive crunch of onion, plus oil and vinegar accentuating the contrast. According to “Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America” (W. W. Norton, 2012) by Maricel Presilla, this combination is found in many Caribbean and Andean traditions, served as a starter or alongside almost any dish but especially rich stews and meats. Florida avocados are larger and can taste greener than buttery Hass avocados; when they’re in season, use them for this salad. While sometimes embellished with tomato, watercress, tropical fruits or seafood, start with the simple recipe below, and see why it’s a mainstay on so many tables.
Burekas With Spinach or Eggplant Filling
These little pocket pastries are adapted from the ones made at Congregation Or VeShalom in Atlanta. The women there make theirs with oil, which is traditional, but this version with butter is more tender. The dough is easy to work with and the fillings are delicious on their own; use any leftovers in eggs for breakfast.
Carrot-Parsnip Soup With Parsnip Chips
Winter root vegetables lend their complementary, slightly sweet flavors to this hearty soup that came to The Times from Cooking Light magazine. Parsnip chips – thinly-sliced parsnips fried for five minutes in olive oil – sprinkled over the top add a delightful crunch. Stir in more water or broth if you prefer a thinner consistency.
Watermelon and Grapefruit Salad With Tahini
This fruit salad is simple to make but thrilling to eat because it hits all the marks of a good salad in surprising ways. The base is crunchy-sweet watermelon and tangy-tart grapefruit. (If you can’t eat grapefruit, substitute orange sprinkled with lemon or lime juice.) These two fruits look similar, but taste different, and that is part of the fun of eating them together. Tahini is used like a nuttier, richer oil, and honey mellows the mix. The balance really depends on the quality of your ingredients, though, so adjust to taste until each bite races between sweet, savory, juicy and creamy.