Tag: Make ahead

Sparkling Citrus-Pomegranate Sangria

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I love big-batch drinks for the holidays because it frees up my time for other tasks like cooking (and eating). This fizzy pomegranate sangria has entered the permanent rotation and best of all, you can prep most of it ahead of time.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 cups 100% pomegranate juice
  • 3/4 cup brandy
  • 1 small green pear, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small Fuyu persimmon, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 small orange, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and quartered (about 1 cup)
  • 1 small lime, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (optional)
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle lambrusco (or other sparkling red wine)
  1. Combine sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium. Boil, stirring occasionally, until cinnamon flavor is infused, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, and let mixture steep at room temperature, about 1 hour. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks.
  2. Whisk together pomegranate juice, brandy, and cinnamon syrup in a large pitcher. Stir in pear, persimmon, orange, lime, and pomegranate arils. Chill until flavors combine, 4 to 12 hours.
  3. Gently stir lambrusco into chilled pomegranate juice mixture. Divide sangria with fruit evenly among ice-filled glasses and serve.

Tofu Crumbles with Coconut Rice

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The first time I made this dish I accidentally fooled everyone into thinking they were eating ground meat. I didn’t mean to — I love tofu, for what it’s worth. It’s just that’s how inconspicuous the tofu is here. It absorbs all the umami-laden flavor of the seasonings, including the chili crisp, which does a lot of heavy lifting. (No such thing as too much chili crisp, amirite?) Fragrant, slightly sweet coconut rice and crunchy cucumbers round out this heavy hitter of a one-dish meal.

Tofu crumbles with coconut rice
Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 pound firm tofu, rinsed and drained well
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chili crisp (I recommend Big Spoon Chili Crisp)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • Torn basil leaves, for serving
  1. Whisk coconut milk, salt, and 1 cup water in a cold medium saucepan to combine. Add rice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let sit covered 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
  2. Toss cucumbers, vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl to combine and let sit until ready to serve.
  3. Crumble tofu into small pieces (about the size of a pea). Heat avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add tofu, shallots, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tofu is crisped, 11–13 minutes. Add chili crisp, soy sauce, and sesame oil and cook, stirring often, until well coated, about 1 minute. Stir in peanuts.
  4. Divide coconut rice and tofu among plates and top with marinated cucumbers and basil.

Miso Keema Curry

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I absolutely love this curry because it combines three of my favorite things: okra, keema, and donabe-style cooking. Adapted from my Donabe cookbook, this makes a perfect weeknight entree because of how easy it is. Make this in the summer when okra are in season and serve with rice. Perfection.

Miso keema curry
Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons peeled, grated ginger
  • 1 1/4 pound ground beef
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder (I use a mix of Madras and Sri Lankan)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red miso
  • 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons chicken bone broth
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 pound okra, trimmed and sliced crosswise
  1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a donabe and saute the cumin seeds over medium or medium-low for 1 minute, until aromatic. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and continue sauteeing for 20 minutes, or until the onion is light golden and soft, being careful to not let the onion burn. Cover with a lid when not stirring. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute, or until aromatic. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the beef. Saute until the beef is almost cooked through. Add the carrot and stir. Add the curry powder and paprika and stir for 1 minute.
  2. Whisk the miso with a half ladleful of the stock in a small bowl. Set aside. Add the remaining stock, ketchup, and bay leaves to the donabe. As soon as the broth starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Line the surface with a piece of aluminum foil. Cover with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the miso mixture, vinegar, salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Add the okra and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Hawaiian Butter Mochi

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I’ve been making this Hawaiian butter mochi since I was a teenager. Adapted from a decades-old recipe from the now-defunct (endless sob) Gourmet Magazine, it’s the best (and easiset) butter mochi I’ve had to this day. Go ahead, try it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups (1 pound) mochiko (sweet rice flour)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 (14 oz) cans coconut milk
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350F degrees.
  2. Whisk together mochiko, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together coconut milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla in another bowl. Add coconut mixture to flour mixture, whisking until batter is combined.
  3. Pour batter into an ungreased 13- by 9-inch baking pan, smoothing top, and bake until top is golden and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Cook cake completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Cut mochi into 24 squares before serving.

Khoresh-e Qarch (Iranian Mushroom Braise)

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I didn’t grow up eating khoresh-e qarch but I love anything with mushrooms so I had to try this. Adapted from a Najmieh Batmanglij recipe, this khoresh is super savory, thanks not only to the musrhooms but the the slow-and-low browning and braising of lots of onions and chicken. Serve this with basmati rice and fresh herbs on the side for a comforting meal.

Ingredients:

2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into one-inch cubes
5 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound cremini mushrooms, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
1 egg, beaten

1. In a dutch oven, brown onions, garlic, and chicken in 3 tablespoons oil. Add salt and pepper. Pour in 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Slice mushrooms and sprinkle with flour and saute in 2 tablespoons oil.

3. Add mushrooms, lime juice, and saffron water to the meat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes over low heat.

4. Taste the stew and adjust seasoning. Add beaten egg. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat, gently stirring.

5. Serve warm with basmati rice.