Tag: Make ahead

Lasagna Soup

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Lasagna soup feels like the kind of thing that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does. It has all the comfort of a baked lasagna: the rich tomato broth, melted cheese, noodles soaking up flavor, but without the ceremony of layering and baking. Just one pot, a big spoon, and the kind of dinner that makes a spring California evening feel a little cozier.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 jar marinara sauce
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup basil, chopped
  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute for one minute. Add beef, sausage, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Break up meat and cook until cooked through, about 7 minutes.
  2. Stir in marinara sauce. Add chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, add the lasagna noodles and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, until melted. Garnish with basil and serve.

Kale Ohitashi

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Ohitashi is a Japanese side dish made by blanching vegetables and soaking them in a light dashi and soy-based broth. This simple version features kale and it’s perfect because it’s easy, you can make it ahead of time, it’s super healthy, and it tastes great. Serve it room temperature alongside a Japanese meal and feel free to replace the kale with Swiss chard or any other hearty, leafy greens.

Ingredients:
  • Salt
  • 1/2 pound bunch curly kale (about 1 punch), bottom stems trimmed and discarded
  • 1 1/2 cups dashi
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon mirin
  • 1 tablespoon bonito flakes
  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a medium mixing bowl full of ice water in the meantime.
  2. Blanch the kale in the boiling water until it is tender but still retains its texture, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the kale to the icy water and let it cool. Drain the kale in a colander and squeeze to remove excess water.
  3. Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the salt dissolves. Let the dashi mixture cool and pour it into a medium bowl. Add the kale, stir, and cover the bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  4. When ready to eat, gently take the kale out of the bowl, leaving the liquid behind. Line up the kale leaves on a cutting board and gather them into a long bundle and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces and arrange them on a serving plate. Spoon on about 3 tablespoons of the reserved liquid or more to taste. Sprinkle the bonito flakes on top and serve.

Dashi Deviled Eggs

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I didn’t realize I love deviled eggs until I was almost thirty but man, have I made up for lost time. Red pepper and gouda deviled eggs? Check. Spanish deviled eggs? Check. These deviled eggs, adapted from The Wok and made with Japanese instant dashi and topped with ethereal katsuobushi, are my new favorite. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, you’ve done it again.

Ingredients:

  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon instant dashi granules
  • Salt
  • Thinly sliced green onions, to garnish
  • Shichimi togarashi, to garnish
  • Katsuobushi shavings, to garnish
  1. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Place the yolks in the bowl of a food processor and set the egg white halves aside on a serving platter. Add the vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, and instant dashi to the food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
  2. Transfer the yolk mixture to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (or a ziplock bag).
  3. Pipe a small dollop of filling into each egg white, distributing evenly. Top with green onions, shichimi togarashi, katsuobushi, and serve.

Antipasto Salad

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Whatever happened to antipasto salad? (Unfortunately) relegated to the ’90s, I think of it as a chopped salad’s long-lost relative. Italian herbs, cheese, and salami may not have made the the healthiest salad a few decades ago, but this updated version features kale, radicchio, and avocado too for a Californian take on an updated classic. Serve this as a side to pasta, as I do, or eat it as a light meal on its own. Either way, it’s delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small or medium garlic clove
  • 1/3 cup good quality olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces deli-sliced salami, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • Black pepper
  • 1 head radicchio, cored and coarsely chopped
  • 1 avocado, halved, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
  1. Mince the garlic on a cutting board, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and chop and scrape the garlic and salt back and forth with the flat side of a knife until it forms a mostly smooth paste.
  2. Scrape the garlic paste into a large serving bowl and whisk in the olive oil, vinegar, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Add the mozzarella, salami, kale, chickpeas, and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then gently stir in the radicchio and avocado. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Cheddar and Jalapeno Cast Iron Cornbread

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I’m not a baker. Despite my best attempts, I can’t seem to produce consistent results when it comes to anything doughy, with rare exception. Thankfully, this cornbread is one of those rare exceptions. Gone are the days of dry, cardboard-y cornbread. This has a moist crumb, a touch of sweetness, and a hint of heat thanks to the jalapeno.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cups flour 
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal 
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 8 ounces aged cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups) 
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels (from 2 ears)
  • 1 small jalapeno, chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Heat a 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Add butter, and swirl pan until butter is melted and bottom and sides of skillet are coated. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk, cheddar, corn, melted butter, jalapeno, and eggs. Mix until batter is just combined. (Make sure not to overmix.) Pour batter into prepared skillet, and spread evenly. Bake in preheated oven until cornbread is light brown on top and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
  3. Cut cornbread into slices and serve with softened butter, if desired.