3garlic cloves, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cupsYukon Gold potatoes, peeled, medium dice
2 1/2 cupsbroccoli florets, no stems
3 1/2 cupsstock, chicken or vegetable
6 smallish fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 cupParmesan, grated
In a 3 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed pot, combine the olive oil and half the butter. Place the pot over medium heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the onions. Season them with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Saute the onions until they become golden. Don’t rush this step and adjust the heat as necessary to keep them from browning too fast. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the potatoes. Stir them to coat with oil and let them sizzle away for a minute or two. Add the broccoli and do the same as you did with the potatoes. Add the stock.
Bring the stock to a boil. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning. Go easy on the salt though because the Parmesan has lots and will act as seasoning as well.
Simmer the soup until the broccoli and potatoes are tender. The broccoli is not going to remain vibrant green, but if it is good broccoli it won’t be olive drab either.
Once the potatoes have cooked through, add the parmesan, the remaining butter, and the basil. Stir to combine and serve with more black pepper.
½ cup chopped fresh mint (or use parsley, basil or dill), for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.
As the pasta boils, slice asparagus stems into ¼-inch-thick pieces; leave asparagus tips whole.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, peas, scallions and red-pepper flakes. Cook until vegetables are bright green and just tender (but not soft or mushy), 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with the salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; pour mixture into a large serving bowl.
To the same skillet, add the heavy cream, ½ cup grated Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer until reduced and thick, about 2 to 3 minutes. Return vegetables to the skillet and toss with the sauce to reheat.
When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain well.
Immediately put the hot pasta in the same bowl you used for the vegetables and toss with remaining ¼ cup grated Parmesan, lemon zest and mint. Add vegetable-cream mixture and the juice of half a lemon, and toss well. If the mixture looks thick, add a little pasta water to loosen it; it should be saucy. Taste and season generously with salt, pepper and more lemon juice as needed; it should taste bright and lively. Serve, topping each bowl with more Parmesan, mint and a drizzle of olive oil.
2 medium globe eggplants (about 2½ pounds), stems trimmed
Salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
4 pankcups 10½ ounces panko bread crumbs
Olive oil
2(24-ounce) jars store-bought marinara sauce (or use homemade; see Tip)
Fresh basil
2 cups 8 ounces shredded low-moisture mozzarella
½ cup 2 ounces grated Parmesan
Step 1 Arrange two racks on the top third and bottom third of the oven. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2 Cut the eggplants lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices. Salt both sides and let sit across two sheet pans to sweat for 10 minutes.
Step 3 Prepare a breading station with three wide, shallow bowls. Add the flour to one bowl, the eggs to another and the panko to the third. Pat the eggplant slices dry, dip each in the flour, then the beaten eggs and finally the panko, really packing on the bread crumbs with your hands.
Step 4 Generously grease the two sheet pans with olive oil and place the breaded eggplant in a single layer across both pans. Bake until crispy, switching the positions of the pans halfway through, about 30 minutes.
Step 5 Meanwhile, to a large saucepan, add the marinara sauce and a sprig of basil. Fill one of the empty marinara sauce jars with ½ cup water, swish around, then pour into the second jar and swish again; pour this tomatoey water into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt if desired.
Step 6 Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or casserole dish (and set it on a sheet pan, if desired, to catch any potential spillover). Put down half of the baked eggplant in a single layer, cutting any pieces to make them fit. Cover with half of the sauce (about 2½ cups). Then, sprinkle over half of the mozzarella, followed by half of the Parmesan. Add a few basil leaves over the top. Top with another layer of the remaining eggplant, followed by the remaining sauce, then the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake on the bottom rack, uncovered, until browned on top and bubbly at the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 7 For clean slices and distinct layers, let the pan cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it. Before serving, top with more basil leaves.
TIP
To make a homemade marinara sauce: While the eggplants are baking, heat a saucepan over medium-high and add enough oil to generously coat the bottom. Stir in 7 chopped garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons dried oregano and ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Purée two (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, and add to the pan, along with ½ cup water swished around both cans to catch any clinging tomato. Season with salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, lid ajar and stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt as desired and a pinch of sugar if needed. Makes about 5 cups.
About ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
5 garlic cloves
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 sprigs oregano
3 sprigs basil, plus 5 large leaves
5 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
⅓ cup ricotta
2 ounces fresh mozzarella
Step 1 Place the eggplant slices in a colander over a bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain and pat slices dry with a paper towel. Season with pepper.
Step 2 Working in batches, heat some of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you will need about ½ cup total for frying, less with a nonstick pan). Add as much eggplant to the skillet as fits comfortably in a single layer. Cook, without moving, until undersides are dark golden, about 4 minutes; flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant.
Step 3 Let the skillet cool for a few minutes. Return it to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons oil. Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves and add them to the skillet; cook until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano. Cook, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spatula, until tomatoes start to form a sauce, 15 minutes. Add the basil sprigs and 4 tablespoons Parmesan; simmer 5 minutes longer.
Step 4 While the sauce simmers, in a small skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil. Mince 1 garlic clove and add to the skillet with the bread crumbs. Toast, stirring, until bread crumbs are just golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon Parmesan and a pinch of salt.
Step 5 Arrange eggplant on a large platter. Spoon dollops of ricotta over the eggplant and top with sauce. Scatter bread crumbs over sauce. Top with mozzarella and garnish with torn basil leaves. Drizzle with oil and serve.
Step 1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil, and place in a single layer on two or more baking sheets. Bake until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, then turn and bake until other sides are lightly browned. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Step 2 Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add onion. Sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and dried oregano and sauté another 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and their juices, breaking up whole tomatoes with your hands. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 3 Add vinegar, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Into a 9-by-9-inch, 10-by-5-inch or 10-by-6-inch baking pan, spoon a small amount of tomato sauce, then add a thin scattering of parmigiano, then a single layer of eggplant. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a little sauce and a sprinkling of parmigiano. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and oregano, if using, with just enough olive oil to moisten. Sprinkle on top. If desired, recipe can be made to this point and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.
Step 4 Bake until eggplant mixture is bubbly and center is hot, 30 to 45 minutes depending on size of pan and thickness of layers. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Recipe can also be reheated.
2 pounds eggplant, cut into generous 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
8 ounces grated or thinly-sliced mozzarella
Prepare the eggplant: Arrange eggplant slices on a large (half-sheet) baking pan in one layer. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons kosher salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat oven: To 425°F (220°C) degrees.
Roast eggplant: Transfer eggplant slices to paper towels and blot them of as much excess water as possible. Dry the baking sheet, too, and coat it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the oil with several grinds of black pepper. Arrange eggplant slices in one layer. Drizzle with 2 more tablespoons of oil and more grinds of black pepper. Roast until nicely browned underneath, 20 to 25 minutes. Use a thin spatula to turn eggplant slices over and roast until browned underneath on the second side, another 10 minutes. It’s okay if they’re not cooked through yet. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (175°C).
Meanwhile, make sauce: While eggplant roasts, open your can of tomatoes and use kitchen shears or very well-washed scissors to chop the tomatoes into small bits. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium/large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and cook until it softens, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook another minute. Add tomatoes (beware the splatter!), oregano, and season with 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste. Let mixture simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’d like the sauce smoother than it is now, you can mash the tomatoes further with a potato masher as it cooks, or use an immersion blender for a completely smooth sauce. Stir in basil then taste the sauce; adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble: In a 1.5- to 2-quart baking dish (holding 6 to 8 cups; I’m using this), spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Arrange about half of the eggplant slices, slightly overlapped, in one layer. Spoon another 1/2 cup sauce over and spread it evenly. Arrange remaining eggplant slices, then ladle more sauce over it so it’s as saucy as you like. [Keep unused sauce in fridge for another day; it will keep for 4 to 5 days.] Sprinkle top with mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake: For 30 minutes, until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling all over. For more color on top, you can run it briefly under your oven’s broiler.
To serve: Once baked, let the eggplant parmesan rest at room temperature, if you can bear it, for 15 minutes before digging in — this helps the ingredients settle and come together more. .
Do ahead: Eggplant parmesan keeps fantastically in the fridge for up to 5 days. Rewarm in a 350-degree oven, covered for the first half of the time, for about 25 to 30 minutes. You can also freeze it, well wrapped, for a few months.
Place the garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and add enough oil to cover (at least 3 tablespoons). Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat, stirring and microwaving in 30-second increments until the garlic begins to brown. Then repeat, stirring and microwaving in 15-second increments, until the garlic is deep gold. (This could take between 2 and 4 minutes total, depending on your microwave. In a sieve set over a bowl, drain the garlic, reserving the oil. Transfer the garlic to a plate lined with paper towels and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Set aside to cool.
12 oz. mixed mushrooms (such as maitake, oyster, shiitake, and/or crimini), trimmed, torn into 1″ pieces
1½ tsp. tsp. kosher salt, plus more
2 Tbsp. thyme leaves
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2¾ cups whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
⅓ cup crème fraîche or thinned sour cream
8 oz. regular lasagna noodles, broken in half
4 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large high-sided ovenproof skillet or small Dutch oven over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; mix in thyme.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
Add milk, pepper, 1½ tsp. salt, and 1¾ cups water, then finely grate zest of ¼ lemon into pan. Stir to dissolve flour, increase heat to medium, and cook until gently bubbling. Reduce heat to low, whisk in crème fraîche, and stir to combine. Add about one third of noodles, pushing down into sauce to submerge, followed by a third of mushrooms. Repeat with half of remaining noodles and mushrooms. Top with another layer of noodles. Set remaining mushrooms aside. Cover with a lid or foil and cook 15 minutes. (If lasagna threatens to boil over, use very lowest heat and/or prop open the cover.) Uncover; cook, gently lifting and separating noodles occasionally with tongs or a spatula to let sauce flow around, until sauce is thickened and noodles are cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Mixture should be bubbling gently; adjust heat as necessary. Remove from heat.
Heat broiler. Top lasagna with mozzarella and reserved mushrooms. Broil until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Finely grate more lemon zest over. Sprinkle with Parmesan; season with pepper. Let sit 5–10 minutes. Cut lemon into wedges and serve with lasagna.
1 ½ pounds baby zucchini or summer squash (or use regular zucchini on the smaller side), ends trimmed and halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese
¼ cup torn basil or mint leaves, or a combination
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes. (This will help you get a good sear.) Heat the oil, and when it shimmers, salt the zucchini and add it cut-side down in one layer (you will need to do this in two batches), and cook, undisturbed, until it begins to turn golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more on the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside on a serving plate; repeat with remaining zucchini.
While the second batch cooks, add the pepper to a small saucepan and toast over medium heat until it becomes fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the butter (it will quickly foam), and stir until the butter melts and the foam subsides. Remove from heat. Quickly add the grated cheese and stir vigorously to prevent the cheese from sticking to the bottom of the pan. It will melt in spots, it will crisp in spots and it will form frico-like clumps.These are all good things!
Spoon the butter over the seared zucchini, making sure to catch all the black pepper and fried cheese bits, and shower with the herbs. Season with flaky salt, if you please.
4 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick planks
Fine sea salt
½ cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 garlic clove, finely grated or mashed to a paste
½ teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried oregano
Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
4 ounces mozzarella, grated (about 1 cup)
Black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped, pitted black or green olives
2 tablespoons torn basil or parsley leaves
Lemon wedges, for serving
Heat broiler. Brush a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil, then lay the zucchini out in an even layer. Brush zucchini with more oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
Broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and broil until golden in spots, 4 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss together bread crumbs, Parmesan, anchovies, garlic, herbes de Provence or oregano, red-pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add 2 tablespoons oil and use your fingers to rub oil, garlic and anchovies into the crumbs.
When zucchini is browned on both sides, turn off broiler and set oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle zucchini with mozzarella, then bread crumb mixture; generously drizzle with oil. Bake until cheese melts and bread crumbs turn golden, about 4 minutes.
Grind black pepper over top and drizzle with more oil, if needed. Top zucchini with olives, basil and additional red-pepper flakes, if desired, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
