Dinner
8856 recipes found
Mussels and Cod Bucatini With Spicy Tomato Sauce
Simple yet celebratory, this hearty seafood pasta is a party dish that your guests will want to tuck into. White wine-steamed mussels and tomato-poached cod top a mound of bucatini coated in a buttery, brothy sauce. Calabrian chile paste adds depth of flavor to the tomato sauce and a small hit of heat. Of course, you can use as much of it as you — and your guests — can handle. If this dish is served on its own, it’s enough to feed eight. As part of a feast, it’s easily 12 servings or more. For smaller celebrations or a weeknight meal, it can be halved easily.
Lumpia
Shatteringly crisp and stuffed with juicy pork filling, Shanghai lumpia are a popular Filipino dish similar to fried spring rolls. Pork is the traditional filling, but they can also be made with a combination of pork and shrimp, ground beef or chicken. If you have one, use a food processor to finely mince the vegetables, and for a pleasant crunch, drop in a big handful of water chestnuts or jicama. Rolling the lumpia into a cigar-like shape takes a little bit of practice, but don’t overstuff them, wrap them tightly so the oil doesn't seep in and keep at it. You can prepare a large batch and freeze (see Tip) until ready to fry. Serve lumpia with store-bought sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Insalata di Frutti di Mare (Italian Seafood Salad)
Crisp and zesty, this version of the classic Italian dish uses shrimp, scallops and calamari but works well with any seafood you can get your hands on. It can be served as an appetizer for a large feast or as the main course of a smaller meal. Steaming the seafood instead of boiling it makes it more tender and simultaneously gives it a snappier bite. Submerged in an abundant amount of tart dressing while it cools in the refrigerator, the seafood, along with fennel and celery, ends up infused with serious flavor. Spicy jarred cherry peppers add a welcome hit of heat, but sweet cherry peppers can be substituted.
Clams Oreganata (Baked Stuffed Clams)
In this take on the beloved Italian American classic, butter crackers are used in place of plain bread crumbs to add their unique fatty saltiness to the crunchy topping. Shallots, dried oregano and Parmesan join the stuffing party, and spooning in a modest amount ensures the flavor of the clams shines through. Sometimes, the clams are chopped up in this dish, but here they’re kept whole to preserve their briny juiciness and to make the preparation easier. Clams are gently steamed just until they open enough to shuck, separating the shells and prying out the meat. Save the cooking liquid to make a delicious buttery wine sauce to spoon over the baked clams before eating.
Roasted Carrots and Chorizo
In this pretty, party-worthy side dish, coins of sweet carrots roast with coins of smoky chorizo. When the carrots are tender and the chorizo is crisp, you’ll squeeze some lemon over them, stirring the citrus and the chorizo drippings together for a makeshift sauce for the carrots. Serve this dish alongside white fish, turkey or brothy chickpeas; tossed into a kale or grain salad; or piled into pita with hummus or yogurt. When shopping for this recipe, look for hard, cured Spanish chorizo (as opposed to fresh); the shelf-stable sausage is usually found near salami and other cured meats.
Potato Pancakes
Whether it’s Irish boxty, Ukrainian deruny or Swedish raggmunk, the humble yet always comforting potato pancake is a staple in many cuisines. Iterations abound, of course: Some are made with finely grated or mashed potatoes for a smoother, more uniform texture, while others opt for coarsely grated potatoes, similar to those used in latkes (which typically include baking powder and sometimes matzo) for jagged, extra-crispy edges. This simple recipe lands somewhere in the middle with a coarse grate, but a pared down ingredient list. If you like, add a teaspoon of paprika or dried herbs such as dill, parsley or thyme, but the pancakes are delicious seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and served with applesauce or sour cream and minced chives. Freeze any leftover cooked pancakes in a single layer on a sheet pan, then pack into a resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Moo Goo Gai Pan
The basic components of moo goo gai pan, a Chinese-American dish which means “mushrooms with chicken slices” in Cantonese, has remained relatively unchanged over the years: tender chicken and an assortment of vegetables coated in a light, savory sauce served alongside a pile of steamed white rice. The dish, which is inspired by classic Cantonese cuisine, is believed to have first appeared in the United States in the 1800s, when Chinese immigrants prepared it for laborers. While the combination of vegetables varies, here, fresh carrots and canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts reflect what’s commonly found in Chinese restaurants in the United States. For added texture and flavor, this version includes crunchy sugar snap peas, and the option of substituting shiitakes for traditional button mushrooms. Most often, this dish is prepared with a silky, chicken broth-based white sauce, but here, a tiny bit of soy boosts the flavor.
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
Spicy broccoli rabe is often blanched in a big pot of salted water to tame some of its bitter sting, then sautéed with copious olive oil, dried chiles and garlic until silky. But this recipe streamlines and expedites that process: Toss the broccoli rabe in the garlicky oil, add a small quantity of water, cover and steam until fork-tender, then uncover. By the time the liquid has evaporated, the broccoli rabe will be ready. If you find it too bitter, just keep cooking; it will only grow sweeter and softer. Serve this dish any time you’d make a side of broccoli, with meat, fish, beans or other proteins.
Christmas Glazed Ham
There’s nothing quite like the smell of ham roasting with clementines and cloves to announce the holidays. Taking inspiration from Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake, which uses boiled oranges for moisture and flavor, this recipe steams clementines alongside the ham, then blends them into a sweet mustard sauce to pour over the meat. The result is a sweet, sticky, spiced glaze coating the ham, plus extra pooling at the bottom of the pan. Any excess turns into a clever sandwich condiment to dress any leftover ham.
Chicken Vindaloo
Tangy and tongue tingling from Kashmiri red chiles, vinegar and garlic, chicken vindaloo is spicy enough to make you take notice, but not so much that it overpowers the sweet and sour flavors or the subtle warmth of the cloves, cumin and cinnamon. Vindaloo is a Goan recipe adapted from carne de vinha d’alhos, a Portuguese dish in which meat is marinated in garlic and wine or vinegar. In Goa, vindaloo is prepared with pork, while the Western version is typically made with chicken, as it is here. Toasting and grinding whole spices will yield the most traditional and vibrant vindaloo, but if you don’t have a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, don’t fret — we’ve also provided the amounts of ground spices to use. The optional tomato paste, while not conventional, helps temper the chiles’ heat, but leave it out if you like your food fiery. Serve with basmati rice or yellow rice and naan.
Seared Bone-In Rib-Eye Steaks
Rippled with fat, extrathick rib-eye steaks end up with charred crusts after an initial, intense stovetop sear, and buttery, tender centers after cooking through in a low oven. This technique is the reverse of a reverse sear, in which the meat cooks through first in a low oven or grill, then gets seared just before serving. Both methods ensure an even medium-rare on this expensive cut, but with this reverse-reverse sear, you’re not stuck at the stove, smoking up the kitchen after guests arrive. Instead, the time the steak finishes cooking in the oven can be spent washing up or enjoying a cocktail with friends. If you’re preparing just one steak, skip Step 5 and simply transfer the skillet to the oven. Once the steak comes out of the oven, transfer it to a cutting board and make the sauce as directed in Step 8.
Panang Curry
Rich with coconut milk and crushed peanuts, panang curry, also known as phanaeng or panaeng curry, is subtly spiced with coriander and cumin. This version is made with chicken, but you’ll often find it made with beef and sometimes prawns. Panang curry is sometimes mistakenly linked to Penang, a Malaysian island, but it actually originated in Thailand. According to Pim Techamuanvivit, the chef and owner of Nari and Kin Khao restaurants in San Francisco, and the executive chef of Nahm Bangkok in Bangkok, it’s important to use thick coconut milk for the creamiest results, and be sure to break the sauce by simmering until a layer of bright red oil shimmers on top. Purchase panang curry paste online or at an Asian market and add crushed peanuts to it if it doesn’t include them (not all of them do), or prepare your own paste, as is done here.
Yaki Udon
Pleasantly chewy udon noodles are tossed with a mix of vegetables and meat, then coated in a salty-sweet combination of soy and oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and sugar in this version of yaki udon, the Japanese stir-fry dish. Using precooked frozen udon noodles, available at Asian markets in vacuum-sealed bags, ensures that they don’t overcook and fall apart. Keep them on hand for a fast meal: Just give them a quick bath in boiling water before stir-frying alongside just about any meat and vegetables. While using dark soy sauce (see Tip) and oyster sauce is not traditional, this variation combines them for a thicker and slightly sweeter sauce.
Vegan Jackfruit Pernil
On holidays and special occasions, the center of a Puerto Rican table usually features pernil, a juicy shredded roast pork seasoned with garlic, citrus and oregano. In 2020, Lyana Blount suddenly had more time to experiment with her vegan recipes and formed her Black Rican Vegan pop-up. She created a vegan version of the pernil she grew up eating using jackfruit. She boiled canned, brined jackfruit and seasoned it with spices and sauces like adobo, sazón and sofrito, then roasted the marinated jackfruit pieces in the oven, crisping the edges to mimic pernil. Even the most critical abuelas might not be able to tell the difference. Serve the dish with a vegan arroz con gandules or other rice.
Egg Salad
This classic, deli-style egg salad requires only a few kitchen staples and the time it takes it to hard-boil and peel eggs. Seasoned simply with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, it makes for a delicious sandwich piled on toasted bread, or a quick snack with crackers. Chop the hard-boiled eggs finely for a smooth, creamy texture, or coarsely for larger pieces of egg in each bite. This basic recipe can be dressed up with whatever green herbs you have on hand, or add a handful of finely chopped celery for some crunch. Use this simple method for cooking eggs to the hard-boiled stage and running them under cool water if using right away.
Chicken Fried Steak
There is, in fact, no chicken in chicken fried steak. The name of the classic Southern dish refers to the batter — the sort typically used for fried chicken — which coats cube steak, whose perforated texture provides lots of little nooks and crannies for batter coverage. That, and a double dip in flour makes for a delightfully crisp crust. Season the flour with the salt and seasonings used here, or try 2 teaspoons of store-bought seasoned salt or Cajun seasoning. Chicken fried steak is traditionally draped with a simple white gravy made with flour, milk, butter and plenty of salt and pepper. Make it in a separate pan with butter for snowy white results, or recycle the pan and oil used for frying the steaks for a tawny, speckled gravy. Serve with fluffy mashed potatoes and a side of greens for the ultimate comfort food.
Flank Steak
This lean, readily available cut of beef takes particularly well to flavorful marinades, and is best grilled over high heat to develop a nice char. In this recipe, the marinade takes a cue from bottled salad dressing, with plenty of punchiness from garlic, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. The honey helps the flank steak caramelize beautifully on the grill, and Worcestershire adds a savory, salty note that balances the sweetness. The trick to serving lean cuts of beef like flank is to slice them against the grain, so look for the natural lines in the steak’s muscle fibers, and slice perpendicular to them. For directions on how to cook a flank steak on the stovetop, see Tip.
Spiced Vegetable Phyllo Pie
In this spectacular meatless meal, crisp sheets of buttery, golden phyllo surround vegetables and chickpeas stewed with sweet spices, preserved lemon and earthy turmeric. You can prepare the vegetable stew the day before; just reheat it so it's warm when it meets the phyllo pastry. Once it’s baked, you can serve this hot or at room temperature, making it perfect for a party. Since it’s baked on a sheet pan, it makes enough to feed a crowd.
Lemony Skillet Chicken and Brioche
In this comforting one-pan meal, salt-and-pepper chicken thighs roast atop sweet, buttery brioche, which conforms to the chicken like memory foam. The parts cushioning the chicken become soft and tender from the juices, and the bottoms and exposed portions turn golden and toasty. To marry it all, a simple, savory and bright pan sauce is made with shallots, butter, lemon and a touch of miso. Chopped dill lightens the mood. Serve with roasted green beans, or mixed greens tossed with a little lemon and olive oil.
Tardivo Salad With Pistachio and Citrus
When it comes to wintertime eating, you can count on two things: chicories in abundance and the best citrus of the year. At the cozy Manhattan restaurant Raf’s, executive chef Mary Attea makes the most of both with this tardivo salad, which delivers the style and ingenuity of a restaurant-level dish to any home cook. Tardivo is a top choice for its delicate flavor and dazzling appearance, but endive is a suitable substitute, playing equally well with the fragrant schmear of puréed Sicilian pistachios. The creamy purée acts as the foundation for a bright combination of supremed citrus, sharp fennel and thinly sliced red onion. The dish is mellowed out with good-quality Italian olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and topped with salty slivers of ricotta salata. Serve as an impressive starter at your next dinner party or impress yourself on a weeknight. Either way, you’ve got a hit on your hands.
Cucumber Pomegranate Salad
Cucumber pomegranate salad is an early fall love story that confidently leaps into winter. Crisp and sweet Persian cucumbers are a welcome companion to ruby-red, tart pomegranate seeds, the jewels of cooler months. Tossed with red onion and both dried and fresh mint, this colorful and tangy salad enlivens a meal and your taste buds. There’s no need to prepare the dressing separately; drizzle and sprinkle everything directly on. The juice from the pomegranate seeds mingling with the lime juice makes for a pink-hued dressing that is worthy of slurping directly from a spoon.
Chicken Cook-Up Rice
Hearty and satisfying, this one-pot meal combines tender coconut rice and black-eyed peas with chicken. Marinated in a slightly spicy and herbaceous green seasoning, the meat ends up deeply flavorful. The term “cook-up” is a Caribbean expression for a dish that incorporates the ingredients at hand, so it changes from cook to cook. Different iterations vary among the islands, including the types of beans and meat used. This version of cook-up rice is inspired by a one-pot Guyanese rice dish generally made on the weekends and also on New Year's Eve. With a tradition similar to American Southerners preparing black-eyed peas for a lucky new year, this beautiful dish is hearty and satisfying.
Chicken Biryani
Just as beautiful for entertaining as it is for a comforting family meal, biryani is a Central and South Asian dish of layered rice, spices and meat or vegetables. There are many variations of biryani, but here, marinated chicken drumsticks are tucked in between layers of basmati rice, fried onion, whole spices and fresh herbs. Don't be intimidated by the multiple steps: Split up the work by marinating the meat in advance, and feel free to use store-bought fried onions instead of frying your own (use about 1 heaping cup). Traditionally, biryani is sealed with dough, but in this recipe, the lid is covered with a thin kitchen towel to ensure a proper seal and catch excess condensation so the rice steams properly. Garnishing with pomegranate seeds is not traditional, but they add a pop of color and a welcome fresh bite. Serve chicken biryani with raita, if desired.
Braised Chicken Thighs With Sweet Potatoes and Dates
This colorful meal is based on tsimmes, the classic Ashkenazi dish of sweet potatoes, carrots and dried fruit (and sometimes meat) typically served on Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays. This version includes boneless, skinless chicken thighs and spices, and lets everything simmer together in a Dutch oven until fragrant and silky. It’s a festive one-pot meal that’s sweet, savory and a little tangy from some orange juice used for braising.