Side Dish
4106 recipes found
Ricotta Polpette in Tomato Sauce
This recipe is quintessential cucina povera, which roughly translates as ‘frugal cuisine of the poor’ in Italian, and it originated in Calabria. Its simple deliciousness comes from a handful of ingredients. In mountainous Calabria, where cows cannot roam free, goat’s-milk ricotta would typically be used, but recipes evolve over time and space, and cow’s-milk ricotta is commonly used in North America. Most translate the Italian word ‘polpetta’ as meatball, but in Italy, it is any mixture of ingredients rolled into a ball and cooked. This meatless variation’s base of ricotta is mixed with egg and bread crumbs, then rolled, poached in tomato sauce until fork-tender, and finally sprinkled with cheese. They make a perfect side to a first course of pasta or can be served on their own, with crusty bread, for sopping up the sauce.
Summer Squash Gratin With Pickled Rye Bread Crumbs
This rustic casserole was first developed using a specialty pickled rye bread from Carissa’s The Bakery in East Hampton, N.Y. The same effect is achieved in this recipe by mixing fresh rye bread crumbs (or even white bread crumbs) with a splash of pickle juice. Summer squash and zucchini are layered with caramelized onions, Gruyère and a handful of the bread crumbs, which help absorb excess moisture. If you can find patty pan squash, it makes for a particularly beautiful presentation.
Smashed Potatoes With Tapenade
Roasted Mushroom and Halloumi Grain Bowl
Like chickpeas and tofu, halloumi cheese is a sturdy vegetarian protein that browns and crisps when roasted in the oven. Its salty, chewy character is just one of the exciting bits about this grain bowl. Other highlights include crisp mushrooms, which roast alongside the halloumi; dollops of olive-studded yogurt; and whatever bright and crunchy herbs and vegetables you like or need to use up. To easily enjoy the full range of textures in each bite, instead of simply piling each element on top of the grains, layer them as if you are building nachos. It’s a small tweak, but one that makes for an even more satisfying bowl of grains.
Savory Gruyere-Olive Bread
Spanish Tortilla With Tomato-Pepper Salad
A Spanish potato tortilla is an egg dish unlike any other. It doesn't resemble the French omelet, which is loose and wobbly. Nor is quite like an Italian frittata, which is puffy and custardy. Instead, a tortilla is a solid cake with just enough egg to bind the soft, sliced potatoes. The first step to making it is to gently cook sliced potatoes and onions in plenty of olive oil. And plenty means at least a cup, or maybe two. It sounds like a lot but most of it stays in the pan (and you can reuse it). Other than adding great flavor, the oil turns the potatoes velvety and luscious. Just make sure the heat is low enough so the potatoes and onions cook but don’t brown very much, though a few darkened spots are okay. In Spain, a tortilla is a tapas staple nibbled with drinks. But it’s also delightful for brunch, dinner or lunch, served either warm or at room temperature.
Brown Butter Glazed Radishes
Many people think of radishes as a raw salad topper, but cooked radishes are sweet and crisp-tender and make a quick and easy weeknight side. Brown butter adds a hint of nuttiness, and a touch of sugar caramelizes the radishes, while chopped fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon lend brightness. Serve the glazed radishes warm or at room temperature. If you find radishes with beautiful green tops, toss the glazed radishes with the greens and a little olive oil for an out-of-the-ordinary salad.
Mung Bean Dal With Apples and Coconut Tarka
Grilled Garlic Bread With Basil and Parmesan
Garlic, cheese and basil on bread is a classic to go with pasta, but this recipe is made on the grill. With few ingredients (and things to carry), it can be a great addition to a campout or cookout. And, despite the utility involved in cooking outdoors, it’s also elegant.
Grilled Eggplant and Tomatoes With Chermoula
Chermoula, the pungent Moroccan herb sauce that is traditionally used as a marinade for fish, is also great with grilled vegetables, like the last of the summer’s eggplant and tomatoes. You can use an outdoor or an indoor grill for these.
Potato Nik
After living in what must have seemed like every neighborhood in three boroughs, my mother’s parents, in their old-ish age, settled in Astoria, which is where I spent almost all the Thanksgivings of my childhood. Thanksgiving was always (in my memory) gray and blustery, and my grandmother’s kitchen, steamy. She produced, almost solo, the traditionally ridiculous abundance of food, including my favorite, the potato “nik,” a huge latke fried in chicken fat until really brown, and as crisp as perfectly done shoestring fries. I still make this, and so can you.
Grilled Cherry Tomatoes With Curry and Golden Raisins
A bright favorite of summer, cherry tomatoes get an unorthodox treatment here. Instead of being served plain or as part of a salad, they are tossed with salt and pepper and skewered and grilled until slightly soft and a bit blistered. The tomatoes are then dressed in cool yogurt with mint and golden raisins and spiced with curry powder.
Roasted Fennel and Grape Salad
When fennel is kissed by an oven’s fiery heat, its strong anise flavor is toned down and replaced by a mellow char and sweetness. Similarly, roasting grapes intensifies the fruit’s juices, deepens its flavor and takes off the acidic edge, giving way to more of a dark, almost winelike character. Together, the roasted fennel and grapes make a lovely warm winter salad, enhanced by a zingy shallot-citrus vinaigrette. The whole lot gets topped off with crunchy, toasted walnuts and a generous shower of Manchego cheese, which lend texture and heft. (You can sub in any sharp and tangy sheep’s milk cheese.)
Cucumber and Cilantro Raita
When the season permits, you can change this dish into a jewel-studded pomegranate raita: simply substitute pomegranate seeds for the cucumber and cilantro. In either case remember to add a good pinch of salt to the yogurt.
Masoor Dal (Spiced Red Lentils)
What I have come to understand is that how food looks as you prepare it can make as much difference to the cook as it does, on the plate, to the person who gets to eat it. When the skies are drab and life feels a little gray, I am absurdly cheered by the fresh brightness of a vibrantly orange dal, a red lentil stew spiced with turmeric, chili and ginger, and colored with sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Just seeing that mixture in the pan lifts my spirits. It helps that a dal is simple to make: a bit of chopping and the stew all but cooks itself. And it can be made in advance and then reheated, always a bonus. This dal makes a wonderful, exuberant partner to broiled salmon, but I love it without meat, too, when I partner it with my “bright rice.”
Ember-Roasted Slaw With Mint
Inspired by what is undoubtedly the world’s most ancient method of cooking, ember-roasted cabbage is turning up everywhere, from the charred cabbage with muhammara and hazelnuts at the new Safta restaurant in Denver to the cabbage roasted in the embers and served with yogurt, sumac and lemon zest at Charcoal Venice in Los Angeles. This one features a sweet-sour dressing of sugar, vinegar and caraway seeds, with mint leaves stirred in at the end for freshness. Savoy cabbage is an excellent cabbage for grilling: The smoke circulates freely through its crinkled leaves.
French Lentils With Garlic and Thyme
This is a classic French way to cook lentils, and it’s very easy. Aromatics are sautéed and then simmered with French lentils, also known as Le Puy lentils, for 20 to 25 minutes. It is an easy side dish (shown here with cod baked with prosciutto), redolent of a Provencal feast.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Pistachio Pesto
Whole roasted cauliflower is a sight to behold and never fails to delight, especially when it’s topped with a verdant blend of herbs and pistachios. This version delivers a browned cauliflower that ends up soft enough — custardy almost — to serve with a spoon. And it all comes together in one pan, with water added right to the skillet to steam and soften the cauliflower while it roasts over caramelized onions. Sprinkling some Parmesan on top is a nice way to finish this dish.
Hawaiian Buns
Pineapple juice and a bit of sugar give these soft, golden buns a slight sweetness that makes them irresistible: They're as nice with butter and jam as they are hugging a burger or a turkey sandwich. Keep an eye on the dough rather than the clock when assessing the rise. The additional sugar, eggs and butter can slow things down. Give the yeast plenty of time to work, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with light, pillowy rolls.
Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese
Somewhere between macaroni and cheese, British cauliflower cheese and a cauliflower gratin is this burbling dish of tangy, creamy cauliflower. Cauliflower florets cut into noodle-size pieces step in for macaroni in this pasta-less macaroni and cheese; they’re roasted and draped in a mixture of melty Cheddar, heavy cream, garlic and cayenne. You could also add mustard, thyme or rosemary, or even caramelized onions, and swap out the Cheddar for Gruyère or another cheese. As the cauliflower cooks in the cream mixture, the cream thickens slightly and the cauliflower continues to brown. Serve it with a bright, crisp salad to offset the richness.
Spiced Roasted Cauliflower With Feta and Garlic
Cauliflower undergoes a few stages of cooking in this recipe, and, for a deep brown and ridiculous flavor, it’s important to see it through all of them. It will be cooked through about halfway through roasting, but to transform it from pale and tender to crisp and golden brown, it must continue roasting at very high heat. Make sure to keep the smaller bits that fall away as you prepare and slice the cauliflower. They'll get the most golden and crunchy, almost like little cauliflower bread crumbs.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole
This hearty mix of wild rice, creamy white beans and aromatic vegetables (spinach, leeks, fennel and mushrooms) makes a satisfying meatless main course or a very substantial side dish for Thanksgiving — and beyond. If you want to go all out, use some exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles, maitake (hen of the woods) or black trumpet, but a basic combination of cremini and shiitake mushrooms also works perfectly.
White Bean and Avocado Salad With Garlic Oil
Buttery avocado and creamy cannellini beans are a natural combination in this easy salad, and a quick garlic oil provides punch. The ingredient list is fairly simple, but here are a couple of tips that take it from good to great: First, make sure to remove the sliced garlic from the oil just as it starts to turn golden, so it doesn’t burn. Second, when working with ripe avocados, bypass the standard way of scooping the flesh out of the skin. Instead, achieve immaculate edges by quartering the avocado lengthwise, then gently peeling back the skin to remove the flesh.
Farro and Cauliflower Parmesan
This dish has all of the crispy-melty-tomatoey appeal of a chicken or eggplant Parmesan, but it uses only one pot. Olive oil provides richness, and broiling lends a cheesy crunch without the mess of breading and frying. The pizzalike flavors and mellow cauliflower make it a (potentially) kid-friendly meal. Feel free to omit the olives if that makes more sense for your family. In fact, this dish is highly customizable: Add more or less red-pepper flakes, throw in some capers or use broccoli rabe instead of cauliflower. Any salty, hard aged cheese will work in place of Parmesan, like asiago or pecorino. Leftovers are great crisped in the oven.