Who doesn’t love an easy meal you can whip up after a long day with ingredients you already have in your kitchen? This saucy, comforting bean dish stew is just that. In a world where beans become brownies, pastas, and burgers, serving them whole with a pasta sauce feels rebellious. And don’t skip the garlic-rubbed toast! It really ties everything together. Whether you’re sharing this or not, I love making a whole batch. The simmered leftovers topped with a fried egg are really something to look forward to the next day.
The classic tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce gets a wafu kakushiaji (“secret umami enhancer”)—sake, miso, mirin, and kombu dashi. For an even deeper layer of umami, make this sauce with chicken dashi or chintan dashi. What’s not to love? Serve this sauce over traditional pasta or udon noodles, or use it to make a wafu-ed lasagna
Maybe a lentil loaf doesn’t sound that thrilling, but you haven’t had this one yet. It has so much flavor and texture, I think it’s more satisfying than a real meatloaf. Even carnivores will ask for a second slice.
I give you the perfect kofte. I was given the recipe by a friend who lives in Tunis and it’s a cracker. The minced lamb must be left well alone after the pine nuts and other flavourings are added to allow the spices to infuse and develop. Cook over a barbecue on skewers or under a kitchen grill. Serve with warmed pitta breads, Greek yoghurt and the dazzling pickled red onions perfected by my wife, Nykeeta. A tomato salad is a good accompaniment, too.
To say that something is “a la Mexicana” means it is prepared “Mexican- style,” which typically means that the dish has tomato, serrano pepper, and onion, all core ingredients in Mexican cooking—also, fittingly, representing the red, green, and white colors of the Mexican flag.
When I moved out of my parents’ home at 23 years old, one thing I knew I would miss deeply were mornings with my dad. We both are morning people, so it would often just be us two in the kitchen. We sipped on coffee, and he prepared breakfast as we shared the latest chisme (gossip). One of those typical weekday breakfasts was his huevos a la Mexicana, always prepared with lots of intention and love.
I was never able to fill the void left by losing those mornings with my dad, but I did set out to fill the void of his huevos a la Mexicana. Tofu makes an exceptional substitute for scrambled eggs, and when prepared “a la Mexicana,” it transforms into the most flavorful scramble I’ve ever had. The addition of black salt (also known as kala namak) is optional but highly recommended to add an egglike flavor. Only the slightest bit is needed as it has a powerful taste and smell.
This is a great one-skillet meal that you can endlessly customize with vegetables and spices. Silky zucchini, briny capers, and salty Parmesan cheese is my current go-to-but feel free to swap in broccoli or bell peppers for the zucchini, or, if you crave heat, sub pickled pepperoncini and a teaspoon of chili flakes for the capers and oregano. We love eating this dish over rice, tossed with cooked pasta, or all on its own.
This salad just screams summer, with its bright colors and many textures. We always have some version of a squash salad at Cured during the summer, because at a certain point we inevitably have more squash than we know what to do with. And I don’t think people know how good raw summer squash can taste!
Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free
In the debate over rice or noodles, I choose noodles. Dishes like this remind me why. Noodles come in so many shapes and sizes and textures. The type of noodle can make one dish feel entirely different from another one. A big favorite is udon, a thick, extra-chewy noodle. The first time I had udon was in Japan, and it was in a noodle soup that was perfectly rich and salty. I ate it so fast. My friend the cookbook author Hetty McKinnon had a similar experience in Tokyo, and this is her ode to that life- changing udon. No exaggeration: this is one of my favorite noodle dishes I have ever cooked, and I think it might be your new favorite dinner, too.
Throughout the Caribbean and American South, African slaves transformed the tails of oxen or other cattle, the discards of wealthy plantation owners, into a delicacy by slow-braising them in rich, fragrant stews. In Haiti, oxtail is served with pikliz, an intense peppery and sour slaw tart enough to make your jaws clench, similar in taste and texture to the Southern condiment chow chow. Pikliz is most often made with green cabbage, but I use red cabbage, which is prettier and slightly sweeter, and brussels sprouts, which have a hint of nuttiness. Serve with your favorite white rice.