Lemon Juice
491 recipes found
Spicy Green Tahini Dip
This dairy-free dip gets its creamy texture from cooking the leaves and stems of Swiss chard until they are very tender before blending them with a spoonful of tahini. The mint leaves and zest and juice of the lemon give a fresh vibrancy. Feel free to try other hearty greens such as kale or mature spinach—just don’t use the stems as they can be quite tough and fibrous even after cooking. The tahini can also be swapped out for other seed or nut butters like sunflower or cashew.
Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast With Gravy
This browned and succulent, slow-cooker roast is largely hands-off and can solve several Thanksgiving conundrums, such as lack of oven space and a majority of white meat lovers at the table. Make it in addition to a whole turkey or as a substitute for it. The herbed dry brine helps to ensure moistness and flavor, but white meat doesn’t cut you much slack, so make sure to check the internal temperature: Pull the turkey out as soon as the thickest part of the breast is 155 degrees, or even a few degrees cooler. (Food safety is achieved by both heat and the amount of time the meat stays at that temperature, so the long cooking time plus carryover heat ensure safety here.) This recipe calls for a whole, skin-on, bone-in turkey breast. Standard slow cookers are between 6 to 8 quarts. If yours is 6 quarts, be sure to look for a breast on the smaller side, as anything more than about 6 1/2 pounds may not fit. If you plan to serve fewer people, see the tip for variations.
Buttermilk Pie
Buttermilk pie is one of those desserts that can be made with pantry staples whenever the fancy strikes: a make-do pie, if you will. It belongs to a category of pies, also called desperation pies, that home cooks turned to when ingredients were scarce. Start with a store-bought crust or your favorite pastry and then fill it with a deliciously simple custard flavored with the appealing tang of buttermilk and lemon and the creamy richness of butter. Blind baking, or baking an empty crust with pie weights, is an important step for many custard pies. The baked custard slightly softens the underlying crust, but blind-baking sets the crust and gives it a head start towards crispness. Be sure to fill the empty, chilled crust with enough pie weights, beans, or rice to come all the way up to the top so that the edges don’t slump down while it bakes.
Pasta With Spinach, Feta and Yogurt
In this speedy, verdant dish, pasta is coated with a tangy feta-yogurt sauce that’s garlicky, creamy and bracing from a dash of red-pepper flakes and some grated lemon zest. Frozen spinach adds just enough in the way of vegetables to make this qualify as a one-pot meal, and it truly needs nothing more to make for a satisfying and very easy dinner.
Skillet-Braised Chicken With Greens and Olives
Braising chicken and greens together in a skillet does wonderful things to both bird and vegetables. As the chicken cooks, the skin browns, crisps and renders savory fat, which suffuses the greens with flavor. The greens, in turn, make a soft, moist bed on which to cook the chicken, keeping the meat supremely tender. In the end, the silky greens make a rich, mineral contrast to the juicy meat, while lemon juice and olives add brightness and acidity to the mix, giving it a needed jolt. Serve this with crusty bread or mashed potatoes to catch all the juices.
Parmesan-Crusted Salmon Caesar Salad
This fast weeknight recipe uses your favorite store-bought mayonnaise and bottled fish sauce in an easy Caesar dressing. And then, in an even more resourceful move, it uses that same dressing to coat salmon fillets, to help prevent overcooking, and to adhere a Parmesan crust. As the fillets broil, the layer of cheese bubbles and caramelizes to form a crispy, salty coating, a texture that only enhances the crisp lettuce. (For a vegetarian version, you can also use this method on avocado halves.)
Chermoula Potato and Fish Stew
This dish features tender potatoes and flaky fish fillets simmered in Moroccan chermoula, a fragrant marinade bursting with fresh parsley, cilantro, lemon and garlic, and complemented by warm spices. In Moroccan cuisine, chermoula is used to marinate meat and fish before grilling; it can be also served as a sauce drizzled over vegetables or any number of cooked dishes. Here, the chermoula and potatoes are cooked first, creating a flavorful base for the fish, resulting in a satisfying one-pan meal. The optional harissa oil comes together in no time and is highly recommended if you like heat and crave complexity. To make the chermoula, this recipe calls for finely chopped herbs, but feel free to pulse the herbs and garlic in a food processor, if you prefer.
Grilled Eggplant, Herby Lentils and Turmeric Tahini
This easy summer salad brings bold flavors, contrasting textures and gorgeous color to the plate. Well-cooked eggplant is succulent and juicy, and needs less time (and oil!) than many may think. Eggplant is known to absorb liquid like a sponge, so here’s a trick: Oil the slices (lightly) just before they hit the pan to ensure that they are not oil-logged. Pressing them into the pan gives them nice color and promotes charring. A flexible utensil, such as a fish or silicone spatula, is useful here. Each element of this salad can be prepared ahead, making this a great option for gatherings or weekly meal prepping. The eggplant can also be grilled outdoors, which will deliver even deeper smoky flavors. If you’re looking for a shortcut, use canned lentils (or other legumes) rather than starting with dry, uncooked ones.
White Bean Salad With Crispy Cheese
This hearty, no-cook salad has a range of textures and flavors that make it particularly satisfying, all without much effort from the cook. The canned white beans are dressed in a bracing red wine vinaigrette that enlivens their soft earthiness with a welcome tang. Slivers of fennel lend sweetness, while arugula and basil add pleasingly green and bitter notes. Then, just before serving, crumbled store-bought Parmesan crisps make the whole thing crunchy, salty and very fun to eat. Just be sure not to add the Parmesan crisps until right before serving; they soften quickly and may lose their snap.
Zucchini Pasta With Tuna and Chile Paste
Spaghetti with tuna is one of those adaptable pantry dishes that you can dress up with whatever you have on hand. Just cook alliums (garlic, onion, scallions or shallot) in plenty of olive oil, add pasta water and al dente pasta to the pan, and finish with a can of tuna flaked on top. This version adds zucchini, fresh herbs and any kind of chile paste you like (gochujang, harissa, aji amarillo, sambal oelek or Sriracha) for brightness and heat. Just note that some chile pastes are more fiery than others, so if you’re unsure how much to add, gradually dab it in it, tasting as you go. Then make this in summer when zucchinis are abundant, or substitute other vegetables (eggplant, peppers, greens) as they come into season. Simple, thrifty and very satisfying, it’s an afterwork dish to make on repeat.
Maroulosalata (Green Salad With Feta and Dill)
Although the iconic Greek salad, colorful with tomatoes, feta and olives, might spring to mind when contemplating Greek salads, monochromatic maroulosalata (which translates to “lettuce salad”) is arguably the more popular option in Greece. The salad is simple and effortless: Toss sliced romaine hearts, fresh dill, crumbled feta and sliced scallions with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper, no separate dressing required. The key to this refreshing chopped salad is slicing the lettuce into delicate shreds, then soaking them in ice water to get them extra-crisp before draining, drying and tossing with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with grilled seafood, such as shrimp or fish, or as a sunny side salad with souvlaki or roast chicken. But this salad can also stand alone, as a light, summery supper on the hottest of days.
Caesar Salad Dressing
This undisputed salad classic embodies four pillars of flavor: salt, fat, umami and acid. Traditional recipes for the dressing call for egg yolks and a particular finesse that you’d find with a table-side restaurant preparation. This version, however, leans on quality, store-bought mayonnaise for a creamy base. Another key to Caesar is the richness of tinned anchovies. You could use anchovy paste for convenience’s sake, but if you mince the anchovies, you’ll be rewarded with a dressing that boasts a subtle texture. Other uses than the obvious salad: toss with pasta or use as a surprising dressing for crispy, pan-fried potatoes.
Lychee Cake
Chinese Jamaican bakers might closely guard the secrets to their lychee cake recipes, but typical components include fluffy sponge cake, sweetened cream filling and decorative fruits, for garnish. Lychee cake was originally created by Selena Wong, a professional baker, about 40 years ago to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and home bakers also sell the confection. Lychee is delicately flavored and watery, so producing a strong lychee flavor can be tricky. This recipe infuses the cake with lychee flavor by reducing lychee into a glaze, sauce and filling, thus introducing it into the batter, glaze, filling and garnish. Rose water, common in Jamaican baking, intensifies lychee’s floral notes. This cake uses canned lychees, because fresh ones are hard to find (and too watery for baking), but if you can find fresh lychees at Asian markets in the summertime, they make a wonderful garnish, along with other fresh fruits of your choice.
Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Topped with fluffy pink buttercream and a generous cap of strawberries, this perfectly pink cake is a stunning centerpiece for any gathering. Strawberries are used here in two ways: Freeze- dried berries in the buttercream provide concentrated berry flavor, and fresh berries are used to fill and top the cake. This recipe uses the reverse creaming method made popular by author Rose Levy Beranbaum: The dry ingredients are mixed with a solid fat (butter, in this case) before the liquid ingredients (including oil) are mixed in, helping ensure that you don’t overmix your batter. The combination of butter and oil in this mixing method creates the soft, tender crumb of the zesty lemon cake. And, as a bonus, the cake layers bake up nice and flat, so you don’t have to worry about trimming them.
Cold Noodles With Zucchini
Zucchini loves the kiss of heat but can easily turn to mush. Briefly salting and drying half-moons of zucchini before quickly stir-frying them, mostly on one side, maintains their texture while lending so much flavor. An impactful dressing of maple syrup, soy sauce and fish sauce — plus a pinch of concentrated savoriness in the form of garlic powder — seasons both stir-fry and noodle. Ice is the secret ingredient that helps to cool down the noodles for quick eating, as well as to melt down and open up the flavors of the dressing (as water is wont to do) while you eat. The final spritz of citrus is not optional: It finishes the dressing and makes this chill meal taste multidimensional. A tableside sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, furikake or shichimi togarashi is welcome.
Stuffed Peppers With Chickpeas and Cheese
Cozy, cheesy stuffed peppers are made vegetarian by using chickpeas instead of the usual ground meat. The cumin, tomato paste and chili powder give the filling its depth and heat, and plenty of scallions and herbs keep it bright and fresh. If you’d like to assemble the peppers ahead, you can. They’ll keep in the fridge overnight. Just pop them in the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time. Or bake them ahead and savor them later; these peppers are equally good served hot, warm or at room temperature.
Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs
Simple and impactful, this pantry marinade made from lemon, honey, tahini and olive oil gives chicken a subtle nutty flavor and imparts a gorgeous color — and caramelization — thanks to the honey’s sugar content. You can cook this chicken one of three ways: on the grill, in the oven or a skillet; all options lead to sensational results. Flavorful but versatile, this chicken pairs with almost anything. You could serve a refreshing green salad or grilled vegetables on the side, or tuck the chicken into a toasted pita with avocado, cucumbers and crumbled feta. Sprinkling sumac on the cooked chicken or adding it to the sauce will add extra depth and citrusy notes.
Halloumi, Arugula and Tomato Sandwiches
In 2022, Jake Marsiglia and Costa Damaskos opened Baby Blues Luncheonette in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to honor the historic diners and luncheonettes that closed during the pandemic, while paying homage to Mr. Damaskos’s Greek roots. One of the best ways they’ve incorporated this history and culture into their menu is through their HLT sandwich, a play on the classic American BLT that replaces bacon with halloumi cheese, seared until golden and crisp. They replace BLT’s standard lettuce with an arugula salad seasoned with a bright Greek vinaigrette, and round out the sandwich with red onions, juicy heirloom tomatoes and a garlic-pepper mayonnaise.
Shrimp Pullao
When Madhur Jaffrey first published her cookbook, “An Invitation to Indian Cooking,” in 1973, Americans had a hard time finding Indian staples like garam masala and basmati rice in local supermarkets, and dishes like her fragrant shrimp pullao were considered special occasion fare. Much has changed, and these days pullaos are easy to throw together on any given weeknight, often straight from the pantry. This one is gently spiced, letting the delicate flavors of the rice and shrimp shine. Ms. Jaffrey suggests serving it with a yogurt-based vegetable dish. But even simpler, a little dollop of salted yogurt on the side adds a cool and creamy contrast.
Garlicky Chicken Sandwiches With Red Cabbage Slaw
Two heads of garlic sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil set the stage for these sandwiches, where tender chicken thighs are heavily seasoned, then pan-seared in garlic oil until dark golden brown. A red-cabbage slaw nestled above and below the chicken adds crunch, and its vinegar (not mayo) base means you don’t have to worry if it sits outside for too long. But your guests will have eaten these up long before then.
Roasted Zucchini and Shrimp With Za’atar Yogurt
This simple, colorful sheet-pan meal combines caramelized chunks of zucchini and tender shrimp. The zucchini is given a head start in the oven so it can turn deeply brown, while the shrimp marinate in a mix of za’atar and lemon zest, absorbing the flavors. Then, the shrimp is added to the sheet pan, and everything is quickly broiled before being dolloped with an herby, garlicky yogurt sauce. Don’t slice the zucchini too thin: This dish benefits from the texture of thick, meaty pieces.
All Day Cassis
This combination of dry vermouth, lemon, crème de cassis, dry tonic and sparkling rosé is bright and refreshingly bubbly any time of day. The small add of crème de cassis (a black currant-based liqueur) balances the drink's acidity, while a pinch of flaky sea salt smooths and enhances flavors. The drink can be made to serve one, as written, or the mix of vermouth-lemon-crème de cassis can be batched in advance, then poured over ice and topped with dry tonic and sparkling rosé just before serving.
Tandoori Chicken
Believed to have originated in Iran but known by different names depending on the country, the tandoor is a clay oven used throughout South, Central and Western Asia to bake, roast and grill. Meats cooked in a tandoor are incredibly moist and tender; cooking on a grill or in the oven under the broiler can achieve similar results. Make incisions into the chicken to help the marinade really penetrate the meat. Lemon juice and yogurt help achieve the tenderness tandoori chicken is known for, while a combination of sweet paprika and Kashmiri chile powder give it its signature red hue. (The bright red hue you might see in some Western restaurants is achieved by adding red food coloring.) Serve with steamed basmati rice and cucumber cilantro raita.
Sheet-Pan Roasted Salmon With Pea Pesto
Peas, one of the highlights of spring produce, make for a delightfully sweet and bright pesto. Lemon juice, garlic, basil and almonds join the peas as they are blitzed with olive oil, creating a creamy pesto paste. Fresh peas can be used, but frozen peas work especially well, so use what's left in that bag in the back of your freezer. Feel free to swap the almonds for a different nut or the basil for different herbs, and add grated Parmesan if you like. Pea pesto is particularly delicious drizzled on this simple, easy meal of roasted salmon and potatoes, which cooks in the oven while you make the pesto. Feel free to use any extra pea pesto on, well, everything.