Author: chefalice
For easy, authentic-tasting sesame noodles, we turned to everyday pantry staples to deliver the same addictive flavor. Grinding chunky peanut butter and toasted sesame seeds together made the perfect stand-in for hard-to-find Asian sesame paste. Garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and brown sugar rounded out the sauce. For flavorful, tender chicken, we browned and then poached boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then shredded them. Scallions, shredded carrot, and red bell pepper lent the dish fresh flavor, color, and crunch. We prefer the flavor and texture of chunky peanut butter here; however, creamy peanut butter can be used. If…
Cold soba noodles are traditionally served with a dipping sauce that offers a delicate balance of Japanese flavors. For a fork friendly take on this simple yet satisfying dish, we decided to turn the dipping sauce into a dressing. Soy sauce, mirin, and wasabi provided a flavorful base. Ginger added some heat, and thin slices of nori (dried seaweed) sprinkled over the top offered subtly briny, grassy notes. Peppery radishes and thinly sliced scallions added freshness and crunch. To prevent the cooked soba noodles from sticking together while we prepped the dressing, we tossed them with vegetable oil. To give…
To give this fresh orzo salad a variety of balanced flavors, we included broccoli, bitter radicchio, salty sun-dried tomatoes, and crunchy pine nuts. Cooking the orzo in the same water that we used to quickly blanch the broccoli imparted a delicate vegetal flavor throughout the dish and helped streamline the recipe. To ensure that the orzo was tender even when served cold, we cooked it al dente. To bring together all the flavors of the dish, we made a bold dressing with balsamic vinegar and honey. Toasting the pine nuts intensified their nutty flavor and brought further dimension to the…
Pasta salad from the deli counter might be convenient, but that’s about all it has going for it the heavy dose of mayo, mushy pasta, and dull, overcooked vegetables translate into a disappointing dish. For a bold and satisfying pasta salad that wouldn’t taste like a last-ditch dinner, we were inspired by traditional antipasto flavors. Thickly cut salami and provolone added a salty, savory bite and richness, and a handful of sliced kalamata olives added a brininess that helped to punch up the flavor. With several rich ingredients already in the mix, a mayonnaise-based dressing was overkill, so we swapped…
For a super-easy pasta salad that would impress any picnic crowd, we paired convenient store-bought cheese tortellini with crisp asparagus and a dressing inspired by the flavors of classic pesto. First, we blanched the asparagus in the same water we later used to cook the tortellini, which instilled the pasta with the asparagus’s delicate flavor. Once the tortellini were cooked, we tossed them in a bold dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, and garlic. To finish the salad, we tossed in some bright, juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, grated Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts along with the blanched…
Our creamy macaroni salad wraps pasta elbows and chopped celery and onion in a creamy dressing. We cooked the pasta until tender not just al dente and left a little moisture on it. The pasta absorbed the water rather than our creamy dressing (which could have left our salad dry and bland). We added a fair amount of lemon juice to the salad to balance the richness of the mayonnaise. This was one of the rare occasions in which we preferred garlic powder to fresh garlic because the flavor wasn’t as sharp and the powder dissolved into the smooth dressing.…
More light and refreshing than a cream-based sauce or a chunky ragu, pesto makes for an excellent accompaniment to pasta during the hot summer months. It couldn’t be simpler to make; just process fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, salty Parmesan cheese, and extra-virgin olive oil together in a food processor. However, a few challenges arose when we tried to transform the simple sauce into a cold pasta salad topping. When we tossed the pesto directly with hot pasta the sauce became separated and greasy as the pasta cooled. We found that spreading the pasta on a baking sheet for about…