Cauliflower Shwarma

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:2 servings

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER

• 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1¼teaspoons ground cumin
• 1¼teaspoons sweet paprika
• ¾teaspoon fine sea or table salt, plus more as needed
• 1teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of ground cayenne
• 1large head cauliflower (about 2½ pounds), trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
• 1large red onion, cut into ¼-inch wedges
• Pita or flatbread, for serving
• ¼cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus more for serving
• Chopped tomato, cucumber and olives, for serving

FOR THE SPICY TAHINI SAUCE

• 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1 to 2teaspoons harissa paste or other hot sauce, or a large pinch of Urfa or Aleppo pepper, plus more to taste
• 1fat garlic clove, finely grated, passed through a press or minced
• ¼teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• ⅓cup tahini
• ⅓cup ice water, plus more as needed
• Step 1

  Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

• Step 2

  Prepare the cauliflower: In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, coriander, turmeric, black pepper and cayenne. Add cauliflower and onion, and toss until well coated. Spread mixture in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

• Step 3

  Roast vegetables on the top oven rack until they are golden brown, slightly crisp and tender, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice. If the vegetables look dry as they roast, drizzle with a little more olive oil.

• Step 4

  As they cook, prepare the tahini sauce: Whisk together lemon juice, 1 teaspoon harissa, garlic and salt in a small bowl, and let sit for a minute or two to mellow the garlic. Whisk in tahini. Whisk in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. You may not need all of the water or you may need to add a little more: Tahini brands vary a lot. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more harissa, lemon juice and salt if you like. The sauce should taste zippy and creamy.

• Step 5

  Warm the pitas or flatbread by placing them directly on the bottom oven rack during the last 5 minutes as the vegetables roast. (Or you can warm the bread on another baking pan if that’s easier for you.)

• Step 6

  Scatter parsley on top of the roasted vegetables and serve with warm pitas, tahini sauce, chopped tomato, cucumber and olives.

Chicken Stroganoff

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:4 servings

• 4tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1pound button mushrooms, wiped clean and cut into quarters
• Kosher salt
• 1large yellow onion, finely diced
• 4garlic cloves, minced
• 1fresh or dried bay leaf
• 1cup heavy cream
• 1pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1cup tomato purée or passata
• 1tablespoon ketchup
• 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ⅓cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Cooked white rice, for serving
• Crispy potato sticks, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Place a medium pot over medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter has started foaming, add the mushrooms, toss to coat and season with a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and are a deep mahogany brown, about 15 minutes.

2. Step 2

   Add the onion, garlic and bay leaf and cook, stirring frequently, until onion and garlic are fragrant, softened and a little brown along the edges, about 5 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Add the heavy cream, scraping off any stuck-on bits with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the chicken, tomato purée, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until flavors meld and chicken is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Take the pan off the heat, remove and discard the bay leaf and stir in the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve on top of white rice and garnish with a handful of potato sticks.

Crispy Artichoke Pasta

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:4 servings

• Salt and black pepper
• 1pound short cut pasta, such as rigatoni or gemelli
• Two (14-ounce) cans whole or quartered artichoke hearts
• ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• ⅓cup finely chopped parsley

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then season generously with salt. Cook the pasta until a bit firmer than al dente, about 2 fewer minutes than listed on the package. (It’ll finish cooking in the sauce.) Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain.

2. Step 2

   While the water comes to a boil, drain the artichokes and place on a clean kitchen towel (or paper towels). Cover with another kitchen towel (or paper towels), and gently press down to remove the excess water. Give the artichokes a rough chop.

3. Step 3

   Line a plate with paper towels. Set another large pot over medium-high heat, and pour in ¼ cup oil. When the oil is hot, after 1 to 2 minutes, add one-third of the artichokes and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply brown and crisp in most spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the artichokes, transfer to the lined plate and season with salt.

4. Step 4

   Adjust heat to medium, add the remaining ¼ cup oil and the remaining artichokes to the pot, along with the garlic and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to soften and everything smells very good, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Step 5

   Add the drained pasta and 1½ cups of the pasta water and bring to a simmer, still over medium heat. (This may seem like a lot of liquid, but it will thicken when the remaining ingredients are added.) Add the butter and sprinkle in the Parmesan and continue to cook, tossing vigorously, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce looks too thick, add more pasta water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Step 6

   Divide among bowls or plates. Sprinkle the reserved crispy artichokes and more Parmesan on top before serving.

Chewy Brownie Cookies

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:18 cookies

• ¾cup/113 grams finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• ½cup/42 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1teaspoon espresso powder
• ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter
• 2large eggs, at room temperature
• ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
• ½packed cup/107 grams dark brown sugar
• 1teaspoon kosher salt
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾cup/90 grams all-purpose flour
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Step 2

   Put chocolate, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a small heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup. Melt butter in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbly but not browned, about 3 minutes, then pour over the chocolate mixture. Without stirring, let the mixture sit so the residual heat can melt the chocolate thoroughly while you whip the eggs and sugar.

3. Step 3

   Put the eggs, both sugars and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (If using a hand mixer, a large bowl will do.) Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is pillowy and the sugars have begun to dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Stir the chocolate mixture until glossy and smooth. (If any solid pieces of chocolate remain, you can microwave the mixture in 10-second bursts until everything is melted.)

5. Step 5

   With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla extract and then the chocolate mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed, then add the flour and mix on low speed until only a few streaks of flour remain. To avoid overmixing, use a spatula to finish folding in the flour. The dough should be glossy and resemble a very thick brownie batter.

6. Step 6

   Using a 2-tablespoon/1-ounce scoop, scoop a heaping amount of the dough into mounds directly onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, with each portion at least 2 inches apart, yielding about 18 cookies. Work quickly to ensure the cookies stay shiny once baked.

7. Step 7

   Bake for 8 minutes until the cookies have started to spread and take on a shiny outer surface, then remove the pans from the oven and whack them on the countertop a couple times to create a cragged top. (This also helps create a fudgier consistency.) Top with flaky sea salt and return to the oven to finish baking, for another 2 minutes until shiny and slightly puffed. Cool for a couple minutes directly on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Plum Torte

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:8 servings

• ¾ to 1cup sugar
• ½cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1cup unbleached flour, sifted
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 2eggs
• 24halves pitted purple plums
• Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Step 2

   Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.

3. Step 3

   Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.

4. Step 4

   Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

TIP

• To freeze, double-wrap the torte in foil, place in a plastic bag and seal.

Pasta With Garlic, Anchovy, Capers and Red Pepper

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:2 servings.

• ½pound spaghetti
• Salt
• 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4anchovy filets, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1tablespoon capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
• ½teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2tablespoons chopped parsley, optional
• Parmesan for grating, optional

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Put the spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted rapidly boiling water and cook only until firmly al dente. (Depending on the brand of pasta, this will be 8 to 10 minutes, but check frequently to see. )

2. Step 2

   While the pasta is cooking, warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, without letting it brown. Stir in the anchovies, capers and red pepper and cook for a half-minute more, then turn off the heat.

3. Step 3

   Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour in the garlic mixture, add the parsley, if using, and toss well to coat. Serve with grated Parmesan if desired.

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:4 servings

• 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾pound bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)
• 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1teaspoon dried oregano
• ½teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
• 1(14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes
• 2bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• 12ounces dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta
• 8ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces
• 6ounces whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup)
• ⅓cup grated Parmesan
• ¼cup basil leaves
• Black pepper, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Step 2

   Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

3. Step 3

   Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.

4. Step 4

   Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.