The Iranian festival of Yalda takes place on the winter solstice and is an evening spent sharing poetry and snacking on red fruits such as pomegranates, which symbolize the crimson hues of the sun rising after the longest night. Fesenjan, a sumptuous sweet-and-sour stew made with ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses, is often cooked for this celebration. It is cooked low and slow, and you can tell that it is ready when the nuts release their oils and you see a clear slick of oil sitting on top of the sauce. The timing is dependent on the variety of walnuts you use, so if you’ve reached the end of the suggested cooking time and the oils haven’t released yet, give it another 30 minutes to an hour until they do. Golpar is an earthy, citrusy spice you can source online or in Iranian stores, though you can also make the dish without.
Served at a luncheon for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, coronation chicken, or “Poulet Reine Elizabeth” as it was written on the official menu, is a dish of cold chicken coated in a creamy curry sauce. This is my textural vegan take, with cauliflower and chickpeas regally stepping in for the chicken. While classic recipes typically feature cream and mayonnaise in the sauce, I’ve lightened things up with coconut yogurt, which adds sweetness and a tropical tang that pairs well with the curry flavor. Greek yogurt works nicely, too, delivering more sour notes. Dried fruit is a common addition to “coronation-style” dishes, with some recipes calling for dried apricots or raisins; I’ve opted for the former (though you can use either), along with optional mango chutney for liveliness and subtle spice. This salad tastes even better the next day, so feel free to prep ahead; I recommend using leftovers to make a sandwich.
I've been experimenting with tempeh a lot this year—a plant-based protein made from fermented soybeans. The soybeans are formed into a firm, dense block and has a slightly nutty, earthy flavor with a hearty texture. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, and unlike tofu, tempeh retains the whole soybean, which provides more fiber and a meatier consistency. After much trial and error, I personally find that cutting the tempeh into small cubes and marinating it at least 2 hours before roasting really helps the flavor soak in In this dish, the marinade is spicy and savory, which I thought was great alongside rice, but I can also see myself enjoying this tempeh in summer rolls, salads, and more.
Maque choux is the Louisiana answer to succotash, marrying Native America, France, and West Africa. In Louisiana it is also known as “Indian corn.”
This is inspired by a Roman recipe called pasta e piselli. As is the case with so many Italian dishes, it is deceptively simple but packed full of flavour and is sure to please diners of all ages. Brodo – Italian for broth – is often made with meat stock, so do use a chicken stock here, unless you’re serving to vegetarians. This is a recipe that will welcome a spare Parmesan rind: it will impart so much flavour. Just add it to the liquid as it cooks and discard before serving.
Romans have been worshipping at the altar of cheese and pepper (aka cacio e pepe) for centuries. This simple, creamy, indulgent, delicious combo is a pillar of the four great Roman pastas. We haven’t messed around with it, simply swapping out pasta for Italian borlotti beans. Ready in just 15 minutes, this is comfort food at its best.
If you ask me what you should make for a vegetarian main, I will most likely suggest this whole roasted cauliflower. It’s hard for me to find more vegetarian-forward main dishes that leave me satisfied, but this one really delivers. Garlicky tahini is drizzled over soft and tender shawarma-spiced roasted cauliflower, then rounded out with crunchy quick-pickled dilly onions. It has the heat from the shawarma spice, the cooling effect from the tahini, and the crunch from the onions—quite literally an all-in one meal. Trust me, you will be comin’ back for seconds (and thirds).
Tigania, from tigani, the word for “frying pan,” usually refers to a dish of quickly seared small pork cubes finished with wine that is one of Greece’s favorite carnivorous mezedes. But vegetarians and vegans are having their day in Athens, too, and despite the incredible wealth of traditional plant-based dishes that are part of Greek cuisine, there’s also a move toward redesigning the classics to appeal to a growing audience of vegetarians. This dish in so many ways represents the new Athens: Greek but international, too, culled from tradition but changed, a mix of well-known Greek ingredients like honey, with newcomers like soy sauce, which would have been an unthinkable, even unknowable, addition a generation ago.
A happy marriage between a roulade and a quiche! Usually roulade is sweet, but the technique works well for a savory treat too. The creamy celery root and parsnip filling adds a touch of luxury and finesse. I usually serve this as an appetizer, but it also makes an ideal veggie entrée to feed 4 people.
This is a recipe for Sweet Corn Risotto with Chili Crisp that uses a smart technique to get the very best out of an ear of sweet corn. In this take from Jessica Darakjian’s new book One-Pot Meals, she grates all but one ear of corn on a box grater to get every last drop of milk and juice. Then, she cuts the kernels off the remaining cob to add some chunkiness to the finished dish. Imagine: creaminess without the cream.
— Sally Swift