Latest news with #AliSlagle
New York Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- New York Times
Let's Lentil
Not included in the job description for 'New York Times Cooking editor' is the responsibility of, essentially, acting as Food Google for the people in your life. (H.R., call me, let's get this in writing.) No one seizes upon this quite like my friend Scaachi. There are the near daily 'What should I make for dinner' texts, followed by more pointed inquiries: 'Does it have to be chunky peanut butter?' (No.) 'What if I can't find hoisin?' (You will.) 'I don't like bagged coleslaw, can I just cut vegetables?' (Yes.) 'Can I skip the shallots they seem fussy?' (Never skip crispy shallots — just buy instead of fry.) A few weeks ago, she texted me Ali Slagle's new-ish recipe for gorgeously green spicy miso lentil soup. 'I don't know what kind of lentils I have but I have so many kinds,' she wrote. 'I have French lentils I think? What are those.' French lentils, or Le Puy lentils, are a type of green lentil, and they are ideal for Ali's soup. Like brown or black lentils (such as Beluga lentils), their skins are intact, so they maintain their shape when cooked. 'Any differences in appearance, texture and taste among these three types of lentils are negligible enough that they can be used interchangeably,' Ali writes in this thorough explainer on all things lentil. 'Use whichever variety is available to you.' Case in point: Naz Deravian's mujadara, a hearty and cost-effective dish of lentils and rice topped with beautifully brown fried onions, calls for green, brown or black lentils. And this summery orzo salad from Ali, filled with raw zucchini, crunchy nuts, pickled pepperoncini peppers, scallions and herbs, takes well to either green or brown lentils. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Go With the Grains
Hi, everyone! Mia here, jumping in for Tanya today. Delighted to be with you. Not that anyone asked, but my very favorite grain will always be rice. Specifically the Calrose rice that my trusty Zojirushi rice cooker has prepared for me, hot and plush and ready to be draped with tofu rendang or soy-simmered mushroom and egg. But I also enjoy branching out; expanding my grain brain, as it were. White rice is many things, but it's not nutty, like farro or buckwheat. It's not bouncy-chewy, like wild rice or barley. And it doesn't pack a good amount of protein, as quinoa does. I wrote about Ali Slagle's quinoa salad for the New York Times Cooking newsletter back in January — you subscribe to that newsletter, yes? — and my craving still stands. I love how assertively seasoned and versatile this dish is. It's sort of a cross between tabbouleh and Greek salad, mixing quinoa with cucumbers, red bell pepper, olives, parsley and a confidently garlicky dressing. But, as Ali notes, you can add or swap in all sorts of vegetables, cheeses and herbs, and the reader comments are full of great suggestions. View this recipe. Before we continue, here's Ali's recipe for cooking pretty much any type of grain. I'll also pass along her one-pot greens, beans and grains, which is exactly what you think it is: A mix-and-match formula for making fluffy grains, just-cooked greens and tender beans, with only one pan to clean. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
A Tickle in Your Throat Calls for This Soup in Your Bowl
A tickle in your throat calls for this soup in your bowl By Mia Leimkuhler We're smack dab in the middle of May, which means it's time to play nobody's favorite game: Is It Allergies or Is It a Head Cold? If it's the latter, 1) I hope you feel better. And 2) here's Ali Slagle's chickpea noodle soup, which turns some crisper basics and pantry staples — carrot, celery and onion, as well as canned chickpeas, pasta and vegetable broth — into a soothing, there-there soup. You could of course make chicken noodle soup, but I never seem to have chicken on hand when the sniffles strike, and Ali uses a good scoop of nutritional yeast to give her soup that satisfying umami undertone. This recipe is easy, economical and 'perfect for a quick unplanned meal,' writes Brenda, a reader. Exactly what you need when a cold (or a nasty allergy attack) catches you off guard. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Chicken Milanese: I ordered chicken Milanese in a restaurant the other night, and as I sliced into crispy bite after crispy bite I wondered why I don't make it at home more often. Alexa Weibel's recipe will help me fix that. Scallops with bread-crumb salsa verde: Are scallops the prettiest seafood? They come in beautiful shells, are the creamy color of pearls, are both sweet and saline and take to butter like nobody's business. Christian Reynoso's deceptively simple recipe is inspired by a dish frequently served at Zuni Café in San Francisco, one of my most favorite restaurants in the whole wide world. Baasto iyo suugo tuuna (pasta and spiced tuna sauce): I'm always collecting midnight pasta recipes — fast dinners that make use of tinned (or jarred) oily fishes and a handful of other pantry staples. This Ifrah F. Ahmed recipe punches up canned tuna and your go-to marinara with xawaash, a seven-spice mix that includes turmeric, cardamom and cumin. Crispy coconut rice with tofu: Crispy rice is wonderful. Crispy coconut rice is especially wonderful. A vegetarian stunner from Hetty Lui McKinnon, naturally. Easy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting: No cake pans? No problem. Genevieve Ko bakes this cake in a half-sheet pan before slicing it into thirds and stacking the layers with frosting. To make that frosting extra tangy, she swaps the usual butter for sour cream. I've never met a Genevieve recipe I didn't love, so I'm really excited for this one.
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Best Turkey Meatballs I've Ever Made
I finally met a turkey meatball I love, after years of trying. Ground turkey is bland compared with beef and pork, which sets me up for a lackluster meatball. The texture is often problematic, too: dry, dense or both. But Ali Slagle, borrowing a trick from the cookbook author Julia Turshen, adds a good amount of ricotta cheese to the turkey mixture. The result is a pan of meatballs so tender that you can easily slice into them with a spoon as you scoop up saucy bites from your bowl. When I made these meatballs for dinner last week, it was far too hot outside for a buttery sauce and mashed potatoes on the side, as the recipe suggests — delicious, but wintry. So I tossed about a pint of halved cherry tomatoes into the pan and let them cook down along with the meatballs, and then served it all with toast. Light, bright: This is my summer 2025 meatball dinner. I will not be making meatballs this week, however — I'm heading to Chicago! Melissa Clark and I will be chatting about home cooking at the Chicago Humanities festival this Saturday, May 10, at the Ramova Theater at 11 a.m. Tickets are here. Chicagoans, I would love to meet you in person.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
All In on Asparagus
Happy Asparagus Month — known sometimes, to people who aren't me, as 'May.' The month officially kicked off this past weekend, when I laid eyes on the first purple-tipped local bunches at the farmers' market. Despite the fact that currently I'm dining out for all my dinners (and many of my lunches) as an interim restaurant critic, I still carried home a wheelbarrow's worth of the grassy green stalks. I've been enjoying them for breakfast, seared in butter and topped with fried eggs, which is also how I like to have them for dinner. Sometimes I can fit a few in as a midmorning snack. I take my work-asparagus balance very seriously. Asparagus with eggs is one classic pairing, and asparagus and pasta is another that I can't get enough of. Ali Slagle's lemony orzo with asparagus and garlic bread crumbs has legions of fans devoted to its tangy, crunchy, savory goodness, and it takes only 20 minutes to make. Does it live up to its hype? With five stars and over 11,000 ratings, signs point to yes. It's just science, people. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Grilled asparagus with burrata and furikake: More asparagus sorcery from Ali, this time paired with scallions and grilled until charred. Serve it as a show-stealing side dish (maybe with grilled chicken or fish), or with lentils or grains for a satisfying meal. Miso-honey chicken and asparagus: You knew there'd be sheet pans in this asparagus party somewhere. In this easy meal from Yossy Arefi, asparagus and marinated chicken thighs are broiled until speckly brown, and then topped with a miso-honey sauce liberally seasoned with garlic, chile and ginger. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
