Dinner
8856 recipes found
Fish Tacos al Pastor
A chief contender for dinner party raving, these savory-sweet tacos de pescado al pastor, from the chef Luis Herrera of Ensenada restaurant in Brooklyn, are impressive parcels of celebration. Grilling the pineapple gets you close to the charred flavor of al pastor, “in the style of a shepherd,” without the traditional rotating vertical spit, a method of barbecuing lamb that Lebanese immigrants brought to Mexico in the late 19th century. In place of the more common pork are grilled, buttery whitefish fillets stained with brick-red chile sauce. This knockout adobo, redolent of raisins and raked with warm spices, is a labor of love for the people you love, so lean into the process. You can make the adobo and pineapple pico de gallo a day ahead, and even marinate the fish the night before. Then, on taco day, just grill the fish to serve, complete with grilled corn, a cooler of lagers and the best corn tortillas you can find — the kinds that slacken and steam over the fire. Enjoy these DIY tacos with your favorite salsa or hot sauce, and don’t skip the lime wedges; they provide the acid. Any leftover adobo can be used to marinate chicken, pork and vegetables throughout the week, or kept frozen for up to three months.
Italian Beef Sandwiches
These classic Midwestern sandwiches, which are thought to have originated in Chicago in the early 1900s, are made from slow-roasting tougher cuts of beef in a flavorful broth until tender. The cooked beef, which can be thinly sliced or shredded, is piled on soft rolls and layered with pickled hot peppers, provolone and tangy giardiniera. You’ll often find this sandwich doused in the cooking jus (or gravy, as Chicagoans call it) or with the jus alongside, for dipping. (This is a streamlined riff, but for a classic version, rub the meat with a mixture of 2 teaspoons coriander, and 1 tablespoon each dried oregano, dried garlic powder, smoked paprika, and fennel seed along with the salt and pepper in Step 1. Rub into the meat and keep covered for up to two days before cooking.) Pickled green hot peppers are traditional, but any kind of pickled pepper will bring a welcome bit of heat and crunch.
Mochiko Chicken
“Mochiko chicken is Hawaii’s fried chicken,” said Relle Lum, a nurse practitioner and the founder of the Keeping It Relle cooking blog. Growing up on the island of Maui, she enjoyed the craggy chunks at home. Mrs. Lum watched her mother and grandmother throw mochiko chicken together without a recipe, but she’s written one down that ensures the right juicy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside balance and sweet-savory flavor. The key is to let the chicken sit in the punchy marinade of soy sauce, sugar and scallions for a good amount of time, ideally overnight, then to fry it in batches, in oil heated to 325 degrees.
Saimin
This beloved noodle soup — unique to Hawaii and its local food tradition and thought to be a mashup of ramen, pancit and chow mein — is all about simplicity, according to Mark Noguchi, a chef and educator at Punahou School in Honolulu. “That is how we are preserving a part of our culture,” Mr. Noguchi said. His saimin recipe is made of a dashi-based broth enhanced with dried shrimp and black peppercorns, saimin noodles, wontons stuffed with pork and scallions and all the fixings: barely set eggs, char siu, kamaboko (Japanese fish cake) and scallions. Cook the hot components of the dish — broth, noodles, eggs, wontons — so they finish at the same time and can be assembled together quickly for hot, happy slurping.
Pinakbet
Ricardo Garza, a firefighter and emergency medical technician at Station 8 in Honokaʻa, Hawaii, learned to make this Filipino stew, brimming with fatty pork, fishy patis and lots of vegetables (Japanese eggplant, baby okra, bitter melon) from his grandmother. He has now passed it on to his colleagues at Station 8, who are cooking and riffing on it. If you find winged beans, a favorite of Mr. Garza’s, go for it and use eight ounces each of winged beans and long beans (instead of one full pound of long beans). Just trim the winged beans, separate the pods and add them to the pinakbet with the bitter melon.
Japanese Potato Salad With Mentaiko
A classic side dish for homemade lunch boxes or bento picnics, a Japanese potato salad is made with boiled russet potatoes, vegetables, boiled eggs and, often, ham, all seasoned with rice vinegar and tangy Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise. Folding in some raw mentaiko, the salt-cured roe of Alaskan pollock, gives it a savory, briny complexity (and is a good reminder of why potatoes and cured fish eggs are so often paired together). The potatoes in Japanese potato salad are typically roughly mashed, but you can dice them if you prefer a heartier texture. Salting the cucumber in advance helps it retain some crunch when you mix it into the salad, while adding vinegar to the potatoes while they’re still hot helps them absorb more flavor.
Classic Mentaiko Spaghetti
Mentaiko spaghetti is a staple of wafu cuisine, or Japanese adaptations of foreign ingredients. At its simplest, mentaiko spaghetti is made with nothing more than mentaiko (the salt-cured roe of Alaskan pollock), cream, butter and some simple umami seasonings like soy sauce or Parmesan. They’re whisked together in a bowl and tossed with hot pasta and a splash of pasta water, as with any sauce that is best served warm but uncooked (like pesto or carbonara). Adding an egg yolk to the base gives the dish a glossier, creamier texture, and using crème fraîche in lieu of regular heavy cream brightens the flavors. So does a bit of lemon zest and juice. The minty flavor of Japanese shiso leaves is a nice finish, but mint, basil, parsley, chives or even torn nori all work.
Egusi Soup
A delicious blend of stewed leafy greens bathed in a nutty, creamy sauce of ground egusi seeds, this soup is incredibly popular across West Africa. The off-white, sliced almond-shaped seeds are harvested from the melon fruit of a climbing vine native to West Africa. Also known as egunsi, agushi or egwusi, they act as a thickener in soup, especially when combined with a broth and added to a base of onions, palm oil and irú. This recipe includes chunks of meaty roasted mushrooms and fresh tender spinach leaves, but use what’s available to you, whether that’s meat or more traditional hearty greens, like ẹ̀fó̩ tẹ́tẹ (amaranth greens), ugwu (fluted pumpkin leaves) or tender ẹ̀fó̩ gbure (waterleaf). Each version you make that’s a little different is also a little more personal. But it’s the seeds that make it always recognizable.
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Philly Cheesesteaks
Tender, well-marbled steak, sautéed onions, and melty provolone cheese served in a soft but sturdy hoagie roll define this classic Philly sandwich.
Grilled Tofu Salad
Perfect for simple summer grilling, this vegetarian salad makes a great weeknight meal or easy-to-transport picnic fare. Grilled tofu and zucchini pick up smoky notes and light char from the grill in just 10 minutes. They’re dressed in a rich and tangy lemon-miso vinaigrette that does double duty as basting sauce and dressing. The grilled salad is brightened by a final shower of fragrant herbs, plus a raw snap pea topping that adds fresh, crisp bites. Leftovers turn into a fantastic pasta salad the next day; simply toss with cooked short pasta and finish with more olive oil and grated Parmesan.
Caramelized Zucchini and White Bean Salad
This flavorful and hearty salad makes use of one of summer’s most abundant vegetables, zucchini. You start with a big pile of shredded zucchini and onions, then might marvel at how much it cooks down as it browns and caramelizes. Next, you’ll toss that potent blend with creamy white beans and herbs to make an easy, flavorful side or main. The mint adds brightness, and it pairs well with other soft herbs, like parsley, dill and basil. The caramelized zucchini mixture makes a great base for bean salad, but it is so versatile it can be used in many other ways: Make a big batch and toss it with pasta, serve it on top of ricotta-slathered toast, or top a flatbread with it; you really can’t go wrong.
Gingery Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Most meatballs in tomato sauce rely on canned tomatoes for the kind of heady, garlicky recipe that’s typically spooned over spaghetti. But this recipe is made from briefly cooked fresh tomatoes for something lighter and brighter, seasoned with ginger, cilantro, lime juice and a dusting of cumin. It’s a perfect place to use up those overripe summer tomatoes, and it works well with just-ripe tomatoes, too. Feel free to use any kind of ground meat here: pork, beef, turkey, chicken, lamb or vegan meat. Then, serve it with crusty bread or rice to catch all of the zippy, fragrant sauce.
Dumpling Tomato Salad With Chile Crisp Vinaigrette
Harness the crowd-pleasing power of dumplings in this hearty yet light main course salad. The base is simple and summery: Ripe tomatoes are lightly touched with salt, garlic and basil, providing a perfectly fragrant canvas for pan-fried potsticker dumplings. Salting intensifies the tanginess and fruitiness of tomatoes, while also coaxing out some of the juice, which becomes a light sauce for the dumplings. (Salting also works wonders for out-of-season tomatoes, meaning you could eat this salad all year round.) Use your favorite chile crisp as it is the dominant flavor in the dressing and will greatly impact the final dish; all brands of crisp will have different levels of saltiness and spice, so season accordingly.
Tofu and Asparagus With Frizzled Leeks
This almost-no-cook vegan meal is a spunky mix of flavors and textures: Fried leeks add crunch and sweetness; asparagus provides snap and pleasant bitterness; miso lends savoriness; and tender, mild tofu balances it all out. The leeks get frizzled in oil, then the mixture is poured over the miso-dressed tofu and asparagus for an aromatic finish, similar to techniques common in Chinese and Indian cooking. (You could also swap in juicy, crunchy snap or snow peas, cucumbers or celery.) Serve over rice, soba or rice noodles, or spring lettuces drizzled with lemon or lime juice.
Zaalouk With Tahini
A Moroccan salad or dip, zaalouk is typically composed of tomatoes and eggplants, plus spices and a good amount of olive oil. It’s usually served at room temperature, with plenty of bread to mop it all up, but it’s equally delicious warmed and spooned over baked potatoes, or accompanied by fish or meat. Here, it's topped with tahini, which is untraditional but adds a lovely nutty, creamy element to the dish. The vegetables are roasted in this recipe for ease, but feel free to grill them over an open flame to get an extra smoky flavor, if you like.
Hush Puppies
Dipped in tartar sauce or an aioli, served with salted butter or on their own, hush puppies are the perfect starter or side for any meal, but especially seafood or barbecue. They symbolize prosperity with their golden color. The cornmeal batter here is studded with onion and chives, then fried in a couple of inches of hot oil, until the outsides become crispy and delectable and the insides are moist and tender.
Baked Chicken With Hibiscus BBQ Sauce
A homemade hibiscus barbecue sauce makes this oven-baked chicken extraspecial. This recipe layers flavor: A dry rub built on seasoned salt, onion powder and garlic powder flavors the meat, then the sweet-tart, tangy-spicy barbecue sauce — a counterpoint to the savory chicken — is layered on and baked until slightly sticky and caramelized. It gives you that barbecue feel without having to actually set up the grill.
Roasted Gochujang Salmon
Quick and easy, this five-ingredient weeknight recipe yields flavorful, flaky fish with minimal effort. If gochujang (spicy Korean fermented soybean paste) or doenjang (a milder bean paste) are not available, feel free to substitute with harissa paste or miso. Because salmon is already an oily fish, it doesn’t need extra fat to protect it from overcooking in the oven. Once cooked, the salmon fillets can hold up to 4 days, refrigerated, and are equally great eaten at room temperature. Enjoy warm with rice, torn into salads, or tucked into a sandwich.
Arroz Chaufa (Fried Rice With Chicken and Bell Pepper)
After laborers flocked from China to Peru in the mid-1800s, a blend of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine known as Chifa was born. This simple version of arroz chaufa (fried rice) focuses on chicken thighs and red bell pepper, but other varieties might embrace sliced hot dogs, shrimp or strips of meat. The key to this recipe, and other fried rice recipes, is keeping the cooking surface hot. This is easy to achieve when using a powerful wok burner in a professional kitchen, but at home, this means cooking things in smaller batches. If you need to serve more people, multiply the recipe as needed, but make sure to cook the rice in several batches to allow it to crisp rather than steam. (You can hold the prepared rice covered in foil in a warm oven.)
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Cantonese Clay Pot Rice With Velveted Chicken and Mushrooms (北菇滑雞煲仔飯)
When done properly, velveting can render a relatively lean cut of meat moist and tender—even after extended steaming.
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Cantonese Clay Pot Rice With Chinese Meatloaf (肉餅煲仔飯)
Pleasantly springy and fragrant with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine, Chinese meatloaf is delicious served on its own or atop Cantonese claypot rice.
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How to Make Cantonese Clay Pot Rice (煲仔飯)
This comforting meal of rice steamed and crisped within a Cantonese clay pot is a favorite in Hong Kong, where it’s served with an assortment of savory toppings and a seasoned soy sauce.
Charred Green Beans and Lemony Yogurt
Everyone needs a simple summer side dish formula and this one is very adaptable. Broil or grill a pile of bright, snappy green beans until just charred but still crisp-tender, then set over a bed of well-seasoned lemony yogurt. Top with a flurry of herbs plus a squeeze of lemon juice and you have the foundation for endless summer lunches and dinners. This recipe is equally delicious with broccoli florets, small peppers, sliced eggplant or halved carrots. You can char the green beans under your broiler or on a grill, but make sure to use a basket if you are grilling, otherwise the beans may fall through the grates. Serve the veggies and yogurt with a quickly grilled protein, like chicken, tofu, or shrimp, or simply with bread.
Fugazzeta (Cheese-Stuffed Pizza)
The influence of Italian immigrants is apparent in Argentinian pizza culture: Immigrants brought focaccia with them, which morphed into a focaccia-pizza hybrid known as fugazza, a thick pizza topped with cheese and shaved onions. This got dialed up a few notches to become fugazzeta. In a fugazzeta, two pizza crusts are sandwiched around cheese before being crimped shut and topped with a heap of thinly sliced onions. The onions may initially seem like overkill, but don’t skimp: They soften and char, providing a nice reprieve from the copious molten cheese.