Author: Mariam

Creamy Tahini and Harissa Beef

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Think of this easy one-dish meal as a deconstructed pita sandwich, except crunchier, saucier, and more delicious. Adapted from Bon Appetit, it’s not an authentic recipe by any means but the combination of creamy tahini and spicy harissa will earn a spot in your regular dinner rotation.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 6 green onions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
  • 8 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup harissa
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 8-ounce bag pita chips
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, or mint)
  1. Whisk tahini, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup room temperature water in a small bowl until smooth; set tahini sauce aside.
  2. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Cook red onion, white parts of green onions, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and golden brown in spots, about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add harissa, remaining 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until harissa is slightly darkened and oil beads on surface, about 5 minutes. Add beef and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring often to break up meat, until water is mostly evaporated and beef is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in green parts of green onion.
  4. Spread half of reserved tahini sauce on a platter; spoon beef mixture over. Top with a handful of pita chips and remaining tahini sauce, then herbs. Gently mix to barely combine. Serve with more pita chips for scooping or dipping.

Mochi Waffles with Brown Butter Bananas

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I’m a sucker for anything made with mochiko flour. Hawaiian butter mochi, mochi ice cream, yaki mochi — I love it. This mochi waffle recipe, adapted from Bon Appetit, is a little chewy, a little sweet, and the perfect vehicle to soak up the delicious syrup from the brown butter bananas.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups mochiko flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 2 bananas, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  1. Whisk mochiko, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk egg yolks, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, then gradually add to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly; reserve skillet. Add dry ingredients to bowl and whisk until smooth. Lightly whisk egg whites in a small bowl until foamy, then whisk into batter.
  2. Heat a waffle iron on high; lightly coat with nonstick spray. Pour 1/2 cup batter (or enough to cover surface) onto iron and cook until waffles are golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter, coating iron with more nonstick spray as needed.
  3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bananas, cut side down, undisturbed, until bananas are browned and butter is amber, about 3 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and remove from heat.
  4. Serve waffles topped with bananas and sauce.

Beet Tartare

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Okay, I know the words “beet tartare” don’t exactly make your mouth water. But hear me out. This dip/side dish/whatever-you-want-it-to-be is a cacophony of textures and flavor. Try this if you’re sick of the same old winter roasted vegetables. It’s so good I eat it by the spoonful.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound baby beets, trimmed, scrubbed
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 2-ounce jar capers, drained
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled cherry peppers (or similar)
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
  1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400F degrees. Wrap beets in a few layers of foil, place on rimmed baking sheet, and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Using paper towels, rub skins to remove and cut beets into 1/4-inch pieces.
  2. Heat garlic, capers, and oil in a small skillet over medium, adjusting heat as needed to keep oil at a simmer, until garlic is golden and capers have burst, about 8-12 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a small heatproof bowl. Turn garlic and capers out onto paper towels; set oil aside.
  3. Mix beets, shallot, cherry peppers, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and 2 teaspoons reserved oil in a medium bowl to combine. Cover and let sit 45 minutes to marinate.
  4. Just before serving, stir chopped parsley and half of fried garlic and capers into beet mixture. Scoop beet mixture onto a platter or bowl and top with remaining fried garlic and capers, and additional parsley.

Broccoli with Black Garlic Vinaigrette

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Remember when black garlic was all the health food rage? I loved the trend because black garlic tastes just like seer torshi (Iranian pickled garlic), except it doesn’t take a literal decade to make. It’s a little harder to find black garlic these days but it’s worth it, especially for this broccoli salad that you’ll want to eat straight out of the bowl.

The vinaigrette makes more than you’ll need, but that’s okay, because you’ll want to put it on everything. Think of it as a seer torshi dressing.

Ingredients:

For the black garlic vinaigrette:

  • 2/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms 
  • 1/4 cup black garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated garlic 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

For the broccoli:

  • 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil, divided
  • Labneh (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons salted roasted sunflower seeds
  1. Make the vinaigrette: combine vinegar, 1/3 cup boiling water, and mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl; cover. Let stand, covered, at room temperature until mushrooms are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender; add black garlic, brown sugar, grated garlic, and salt. Process until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add the olive oil and process until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
  2. Make the broccoli: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add broccoli to boiling water, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer broccoli to ice water, and let stand until cool, about 1 minute. Drain well. Place broccoli on a clean kitchen towel; let stand until ready to use.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Place half of broccoli in skillet, and cook, without stirring, until very caramelized and deeply charred on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip florets over, and cook until charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining broccoli florets.
  4. Toss broccoli with 1/3 cup black garlic vinaigrette and season with additional salt to taste. Spread labneh, if using, on a serving platter, and top with broccoli. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

Korean Chicken Stew with Sweet Potato Noodles

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This spicy stew is a riff on dakjjim, a one-pot Korean braised chicken dish that’s cooked with danmyeon, or sweet potato noodles. I love these noodles’ chewy texture and they’re perfect for soaking up the sweet and savory braising liquid. Make this on a rainy day and serve with rice and kimchi for the ultimate comfort meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3.5 ounce) package of sweet potato nooldes (dangmyeon), also called glass noodles
  • 1/4 cup gochujang
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons gochugaru
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or bone broth
  • 1 palm-size piece kombu seaweed
  • 1 large russet potato (1 pound) peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/2 onion, cut into thin wedges
  • Chopped green onions, for garnish
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
  • White rice, for serving
  • Kimchi, for serving
  1. Place the noodles in a large bowl, add warm water to cover, and set aside to soak until you need them.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the gochujang, soy sauce, gochugaru, oyster sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil until blended.
  3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the avocado oil, then the chicken, and cook the chicken until it is evenly cooked on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes, turning when it releases easily from the pan. Add the soy sauce mixture, chicken broth, kombu, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the kombu.
  4. Add the potato, carrot, and onion to the pot. Increase the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the carrots are tender, another 15 minutes or so.
  5. Drain and add the noodles to the pot and let them cook until translucent and soft, another minute or so. Serve the stew garnished with green onions and toasted sesame seeds, with a side of kimchi. (To make this dish ahead of time, cook through step 4, then when reheating soak and add the noodles to the soup as you reheat it the next day.)