Category: Pasta, Rice and Bread

Spaghetti with Eggplant, Piquillo Peppers, and Tomatoes

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This pasta screams summertime. Tossed in a light salsa rossa made with fresh tomatoes, this garlicky spaghetti is full of buttery eggplant, piquillo peppers, and loads of basil. 

Ingredients:

For the salsa rossa:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
  • 10 basil leaves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the spaghetti:

  • 2 medium eggplants, skins on, cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup olive oil, divided
  • 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
  • 10 canned piquillo peppers
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
  • Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Make the salsa rossa: Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and saute until tomatoes are soft. Stir in fresh basil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Puree or leave chunky.
  2. Make the spaghetti: Place the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let rest for one hour.
  3. Pat eggplant dry. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 cup oil on high. Add one layer of eggplant and cook until crispy on one side. Do not stir. Turn to crisp the other side. Eggplant will shrink and crisp. Repeat until all the eggplant is crispy.
  4. In a wide pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil, add diced tomatoes and peppers, and cook on high, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Lower heat, add garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add eggplant and salsa rossa, and cook, stirring gently. Add basil, red pepper flakes, oregano, and parsley.
  5. In a large pot, bring salted water to boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking water. Add pasta to sauce and cook over high heat 2 to 3 minutes, adding a little pasta water if needed. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Nasi Lemak (Fragrant Coconut Rice with Crispy Anchovies, Peanuts, and Cucumber)

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I’ll be real with you: the first time I made this nasi lemak I told myself I wouldn’t make it again. It took too long to make! Too many components. But then I took a coconuty, eggy, cucumbery, peanuty bite, and uh, I guess this one’s a keeper. Crunchy, crispy, savory, and sweet, this Malaysian classic has it all. 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 ounces dried bird chiles or dried chiles de arbol
1 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup peanuts
2 1/2 cups small dried anchovies
2 shallots, halved
3 garlic cloves
2 Holland chiles (or similar red chile), stems removed, halved lengthwise
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind paste
2 cups jasmine rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 pandan leaves
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 eggs
2 Persian cucumbers or 1/2 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
Soy sauce, for serving

1. Chop dried chiles into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding the seeds that fall out. Place in a small bowl and pour in boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes to soften, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, bring oil and peanuts to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, adjusting heat as needed, until peanuts are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer nuts to paper towels to drain; set aside for serving. Immediately add anchovies to oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; let cool. Set ¼ cup oil aside.

3. Pulse shallots, garlic, and 1/4 cup fried anchovies (save remaining anchovies for serving) in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add dried and Holland chiles to food processor (no need to clean) and pulse until very smooth and no visible pieces of dried chile remain. Transfer chile puree to a small bowl.

4. Heat reserved oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in chile puree and cook, stirring often, until it starts to stick to bottom of skillet, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar, tamarind concentrate, and 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring often, until sambal is much darker in color and thickened, 25–35 minutes.(Sambal ikan bilis can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.)

5. Make the rice: place rinsed/cleaned rice in a medium saucepan and cover with 2½ cups cold water; stir in salt. Gather pandan leaves together and tie into a knot; add to pan. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook 18 minutes. Remove lid and stir in coconut milk. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Lower eggs into water. Cook 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

7. Combine sambal ikan bilis, reserved fried peanuts, and reserved fried anchovies in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat. Scoop a generous ½ cup sambal mixture into a 12-oz. bowl. Top with 1½ cups rice and pack into bowl with a rubber spatula to compress. The bowl should be filled to the rim. Place a slightly larger bowl upside down over bowl of rice. Invert so larger bowl is now on the bottom; lift off smaller bowl. You should have a dome of rice and anchovy mixture nestled in the center of the larger bowl. Arrange 8 cucumber slices around rice dome, overlapping slightly to make a semicircle. Add 2 egg halves to side of rice with no cucumber slices; season yolks lightly with soy sauce. Repeat with remaining rice, sambal mixture, cucumbers, and eggs to make 3 more bowls.

Spicy Tuna, Miso Eggplant, and Avocado Rice Bowls

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My local seafood market is theeee absolute best. They have everything local, and if they don’t have it, they’ll tell you how to get it. The last time I stopped at my the market, I picked up some pristine tuna and roe, and with eggplant in season, these rice bowls were a hit.

Ingredients:

8 cups cooked sushi rice, warmed
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more to taste
7 ounces sushi-grade tuna, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons masago (Japanese salt-cured smelt roe)
2 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili crisp or chili oil
1 avocado
1 10-ounce Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons avocado oil
cooking spray
1/4 cup white miso

1. Prepare the rice: stir together rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until salt is dissolved. Drizzle over rice; gently fold together. Set rice aside and keep warm.

2. Make the tuna: stir together tuna, green onions, masago, mayonnaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, chili crisp, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.

3. Peel and cut avocado into 1-inch cubes and lightly season with salt. Set aside.

4. Prepare the eggplant: preheat oven to 425F degrees. Toss together eggplant and oil in a medium bowl. Spread on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet coated in cooking spray. Bake until tender, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

5. Meanwhile, place miso and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; gently stir in roasted eggplant.

6. Assemble rice bowls: place 2 cups rice in each bowl and top evenly with tuna, avocado, and eggplant.

Shiitake Mushroom and Five-Spice Tofu Bun Noodle Bowls

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Vietnamese-style bun is the quintessential warm weather dish: fresh, light, and full of greens. There’s a lot of chopping involved to make this noodle bowl, but you can save yourself some time by chopping everything ahead of time and assembling the bowls at the last minute.

Ingredients:

For the quick pickles:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 3/4 cups peeled and shredded daikon
1 2/3 cups peeled and shredded carrots

For the mushrooms:
3 garlic cloves
2 serrano chiles
2 inches ginger root, peeled
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed
3 teaspoons coconut sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved (or quartered if large)
7 ounces firm tofu, cubed
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
Salt
2 tablespoons avocado oil

For the noodle bowls:
8 ounces dried thin rice noodles
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cucumber, sliced
Handful each of mint and Thai basil leaves
1 small head lettuce, thinly sliced
3/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

1. Make the pickles: combine the sugar, salt, and vinegar with 1/2 cup water in a bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the vegetables and set aside for 2 hours. Drain and serve, or chill them for up to 2 weeks.

2. Make the mushrooms: finely chop the garlic, chiles, ginger, and lemongrass in a mini food processor. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Remove half of this mixture to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

3. To the original large bowl, add the mushrooms, tofu, and five-spice, gently mixing to coat. Leave for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, add the rice vinegar and the juice of 1 lime to the small bowl of reserved sauce along with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Stir, taste, and adjust with more lime juice, salt, or sugar to taste. Cover and set aside.

5. Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and drain under cold water. Blanch the bean sprouts in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain again.

6. Divide the bean sprouts, noodles, cucumber, herbs, lettuce, and pickles between 4 large serving bowls, and set aside.

7. Set a large frying pan over high heat and add the oil. Add the tofu and mushroom mixture (leaving the liquid behind the bowl). Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until well browned. Add the liquid and cook until liquid is reduced and mushrooms and tofu are glazed, about 2 or 3 minutes.

8. Divide the tofu and mushroom mixture between the serving bowls. Scatter with the crushed peanuts and serve with the dipping sauce alongside each bowl to add to noodles.

Curried Egg Tartines

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It may seem like endless winter in California this year, but technically, spring is finally here. Here’s the perfect dish, adapted from Bon Appetit — toasted sourdough, creamy curried eggs, and crisp radishes — to celebrate our hypothetical spring. Enjoy your twentieth atmospheric river of the season! 

Ingredients:

8 eggs
3 radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped tender herbs (such as parsley and/or chives)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
3 green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thick slices sourdough bread
1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Maldon sea salt
Aleppo-style pepper

1. Using a slotted spoon, lower eggs into a large saucepan of gently boiling water. Cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil, 9 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place radishes, herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to combine; set herb salad aside.

3. Separate dark green tops from green onions and thinly slice; set aside. Thinly slice remaining white and pale green parts; set aside separately.

4. Gently peel eggs and coarsely chop (keep pieces large). Toast slices of bread until golden.

5. Heat oil in a small skillet and cook curry powder and reserved green onion white and pale green parts, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer green onions to a large bowl, add mayonnaise, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mix to combine. Add eggs and reserved green onion tops and gently fold to envelop eggs in dressing. (This egg salad can be made a day ahead of time.)

6. To serve, top toasted bread with egg salad and herb salad. Sprinkle with sea salt and Aleppo-style pepper.