Pasta e Ceci Salad
Olives and parsley are great here, but in the spirit of this sort of fridge-clean-out, do-less-with-more, accidentally fabulous recipe, I kept them optional.
Alison Roman
recipes, stories and unsolicited advice from alison roman.
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Pasta e Ceci Salad
doing more with less
Sorbet in Grapefruit Cups
I was so wildly impressed with this dessert that it truly rocked my world when I started to hear from other members of the family that “Grandma wasn’t a great cook.” Not a great cook? Hello! Have you even had those orange cups?
Anchovy-Butter Chicken with Chicken Fat Croutons
I have a strict “no truss, no fuss” policy.
Bacon-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Caraway’d Cabbage and Apples
While wildly versatile, and I shouldn’t pick favorites, cabbage when roasted in lots of garlicky pork fat until lightly charred around the edges might be my favorite way to eat it. Don’t tell kimchi.
Hanger Steak with Dandelion, Arugula, and Grana Padano
This salad has spicy, bitter, sturdy leaves that won’t wilt like some mixed greens out of a plastic clamshell.
Lamb Stew with Fennel, Preserved Lemon, and Crispy Fried Bread
Dollops of sour cream and sprinkles of herbs are great, but never underestimate the power of salty preserved lemons and spicy, crispy bread.
Pork and Red Chile Stew with Tomatillos
While this may not be a true posole you can, and should, still garnish it like one, piling your bowl high with shredded cabbage, coins of thinly sliced radish, and tons and tons of fresh lime.
Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Garlic, Citrus, and Cilantro
Because I don’t really love braised, shredded meat, I think this large, flavorful, fatty cut of meat is best slow cooked, then sliced when it’s just tender enough.
Crispy Chicken Legs with Rosemary, Tiny Potatoes, and Sour Cream
As the chicken slow cooks, the fat melts into the oil and infuses with garlic and rosemary, leaving you with something so delicious that it’s basically worth its weight in gold.
Paprika-Rubbed Sheet-Pan Chicken with Lemon
The low-and-slow treatment ensures that none of the spices or bits of garlic burn, while giving the chicken fat plenty of time to render out slowly and evenly.
Cumin Lamb Chops with Charred Scallions and Peanuts
While I’d be perfectly happy with this plate of lamb chops for dinner, serving it alongside some steamed rice or a few pieces of flatbread to sop up all the juices would also be a good idea.
Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress
“This chicken-in-a-bag is so good, she should sell it on the street.”
Perfect Steak with Buttered Radish Toast
A pretty good (dare I say mandatory) move here is to take any remaining radishes and dip them into the meat juices from the pan. This is called “a radish snack”
Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two
Larger chops, whether pork or steak, are fattier and richer in flavor than thinner chops and are also nearly impossible to overcook.