Tag: Year-Round

Eggplant Parmesan

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Eggplant Parmesan is proof that restraint is overrated. Fried eggplant, tomato sauce, melted cheese, then more of all three stacked on top. It’s messy, unapologetically rich, and one of the great arguments for treating vegetables less like an obligation and more like an opportunity. (Don’t worry, the eggplant are oven-fried here so that counts for something.)

Ingredients:
  • 4 pounds eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch plants
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup pesto
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
  • Basil leaves, for serving
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease them.
  2. Place the eggplant in a colander and salt each side. Let it drain for 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, and the oregano. Season with salt.
  4. In a separate small bowl, stir together the ricotta, pesto, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
  5. Pat the eggplant dry. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and season with pepper. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets (it’s okay if the slices overlap a little). Roast, rotating the pan halfway through, until the eggplant is soft and beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
  6. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking sheet. Arrange 1/4 of the eggplant over the sauce, overlapping is needed to create an even layer. Dollop about half a cup of the ricotta mixture and spread it out evenly. Spread on another half cup marinara sauce. Repeat the layers twice more. Add the remaining eggplant, the remaining marinara, the mozzarella, and top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
  7. Cover with foil and bake until the mozzarella is melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the bread mixture over the top, and continue baking until the topping is golden, about 15 minutes more. Let stand for about 10 minutes, top with basil, and serve.

Cheeseburger Potstickers

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At first glance, cheeseburger potstickers sound like the sort of thing that should never have happened. Then you take a bite and realize it’s a perfectly logical collision of two great comfort foods. Inspired by a recipe from Shirley Chung, these crispy dumplings pack all the familiar flavors of a cheeseburger into a package that’s a lot more fun to eat.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/3 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • Potsticker wrappers
  • Thousand Island dressing, for serving (you can also make an easy version by combining 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup ketchup, and 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish in a bowl)
  1. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, cheddar cheese, red onion, and Worcestershire sauce together, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Put 1 tablespoon of beef filling in the middle of a potsticker wrapper and fold the potsticker. Repeat to make all the potstickers.
  3. After all the potstickers are folded, heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, line up the potstickers flat side down in a pan. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover it with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 minutes, then remove the lid. Increase the heat to medium and allow the bottom of the potstickers to crisp up, about 2 minutes. When they are golden on the bottom, the potstickers are done. Transfer to a serving platter and serve them alongside the dressing.

Sweet Potato Nachos

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Sweet potato nachos are what happen when you want something that feels a little virtuous and a little indulgent at the same time. Crispy roasted sweet potatoes piled high with all the usual nacho suspects, they strike that rare balance between comfort food and weeknight practicality. No one is claiming they’re health food, but they’re certainly easier to justify.

Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • Salt
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
  • 1 avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
  • Greek yogurt, for garnish
  • Sliced green onions, for garnish
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.
  2. In a baking sheet or cast iron skillet, toss together the sweet potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and season with salt. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer, being sure not to crowd the baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes are slightly softened, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil with the onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper. Drizzle the spice mix over the potatoes and toss to coat. Continue baking until the sweet potatoes are crisp on the outside and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, leaving the oven on.
  4. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a cast iron skillet if you haven’t already. Scatter the black beans over the sweet potatoes, then cover with the shredded cheeses. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice, and cilantro. Mash the avocado and add salt as desired. Remove the sweet potato nachoes from the oven and top with the avocado mixture. Top with dollops of Greek yogurt, green onion, and cilantro before serving.

Yakisoba

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Yakisoba is not health food, and it’s not pretending to be. It’s noodles, sauce, a little cabbage to make everyone feel better about their choices, a deeply satisfying flavor. This version isn’t particularly authentic, but it’ll still make you go for seconds.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons okonomi sauce
  • 2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

For the stir-fry

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 4 ounces turkey bacon, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 small carrot, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
  • 3 green onions, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 pound yakisoba noodles, rinsed under hot water to loosen them
  • Pepper
  • Ao-nori, for garnish
  • Beni-shoga ginger, for garnish
  • Kewpie mayonnaise, for garnish
  1. Make the sauce: combine the okonomi sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl and stir together until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Make the stir-fry: heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the turkey bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until it is starting to turn brown, about five minutes.
  3. Increase the heat to high, then add the onion, carrot, and cabbage and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, stir to combine, then transfer everything to a bowl and set aside, leaving some of the oil in the skillet.
  4. Reheat the skillet over high heat and add the noodles and cook, tossing, until hot, about 1 minute. Return the vegetables and turkey bacon to the skillet and toss everything to combine. Stir the sauce and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring until the sauce cooks everything. Season to taste with pepper. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with ao-nori and beni-shoga, drizzle with Kewpie mayo, and serve.

Hot and Sour Wontons

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Hot and sour wontons are one of those dishes that make it almost impossible to settle for a bland meal. Tender dumplings swimming in chili oil, black vinegar, garlic, and spice: sharp, rich, and unapologetically bold. Learning to make them at home felt less like a project and more like a necessity.

Ingredients:

For the wontons:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 green onions (or Chinese chives), minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
  • 40-50 square wonton wrappers

For the sauce:

  • 1/4 cup chile oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar or a mixture of 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

To serve:

  • 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
  • Small handful cilantro leaves, chopped
  1. Make the sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. Make the wontons: Combine the chicken, salt, sugar, pepper, green ionions, garlic, and wine in a medium bowl and knead and turn with clean hands until the mixture is homogenous and starting to feel tacky, about 1 minute.
  3. Fill the wontons, using a tablespoon of filling per skin. Use your fingertip to add a thin layer of water around all the edges of the wrapper. Pull two corners together and pinch them shut to form a triangle, then seal up the edges of the triangle, making sure to push out as much air as possible. Moisten the folded corners, then pull them toward each other, making them meet and cross in the center. Repeat until you’ve made all your wontons.
  4. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Cook about 20 wontons at a time until they are completely cooked through, about four minutes. Drain the wontons and transfer to a warm serving platter. Repeat with the remaining wontons and spoon the sauce on top of the cooked wontons. Sprinkle with peanuts and minced cilantro and serve.