Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over by Alison Roman

    • Categories: Dips, spreads & salsas; Entertaining & parties; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: scallions; dried red pepper flakes; cilantro; labne cheese
    • Accompaniments: Sausage party
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Notes about this book

  • DKennedy on February 25, 2023

    This was our supper club selection for February 2023. Menu: Summer Squash p. 108, Melon with Crispy Ham p. 114, Seeded Breadsticks p. 66, Rib Roast p. 218, Carmelized Leeks p. 140 and for dessert, Crispy Chocolate Cake p. 288.

  • Indio32 on October 20, 2019

    Did the 'Ferro with Toasted Fennel, Lemon & Basil' on page 164. Really enjoyed it.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Halibut with asparagus and brown-buttered peas

    • krista_jo on February 09, 2022

      This came together very quickly though our halibut fillets were very thick and took almost double the time. A good easy tasty weeknight dinner but not the best way to showcase an expensive piece of fish whatever the author says.

    • anya_sf on February 18, 2020

      I roasted 2 bunches of asparagus on a separate sheet pan; the stalks were medium thickness (I don't like the super skinny asparagus), so I put them in the oven 8 minutes before the fish. Although the green onions weren't super thick, I halved them as I worried they wouldn't be done otherwise (they cooked with the fish); they were flavorful, but difficult to cut and chew. The fish was relatively lean local halibut, which still turned out fairly moist. The peas were plenty buttery with 2-3 Tbsp butter. Overall, everything was delicious, and my family of 3 finished it all.

    • Hansyhobs on June 14, 2022

      This is so simple and easy, great for a quick dinner. The brown butter peas omg so good!

  • Buttered salmon with red onion and dill

    • Jane on January 11, 2020

      I also needed to cook it an extra 5 minutes. 15 mins at 325 is really not enough for a large piece of salmon. Delicious. A lot of butter and oil but you can leave that in the dish. I think I’d half it next time. Lovely flavors from the lemon, red onions and dill. I served it with Crushed baby potatoes with scallion, celery and lots of dill.

    • westminstr on October 04, 2021

      This salmon cooking method has become my go-to. I often skip the dill & sesame seeds & just brown the butter, cook the onion & lemon slices, then pour that over salmon & bake as directed. This makes it more of a pantry dinner w frozen salmon.

    • TrishaCP on December 27, 2020

      I liked the flavors but it didn’t need all of the butter in my opinion. The red onions were particularly good. My salmon was perfectly cooked but it was half of the size that the recipe called for.

    • meggan on October 25, 2021

      I let my 7 yo make this and it was delicious.

    • KarinaFrancis on August 30, 2020

      Absolutely delicious! Like previous reviews I cooked it a little longer (closer to 25 minutes) but it was still soft and luscious. As I was clearing up I squeezed a bit of lemon into the leftover butter in the dish and swiped a piece of bread through, cooks treat and so good.

    • stef on March 03, 2020

      Made this with white fish. It cooked in 15 minutes and was delicious.

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      This reminded me of our family's favorite salmon dish from Genius Recipes (salt roasted and topped with a pickled onion relish). I think I like that version better than this one. This fish was a bit too greasy. I found myself wanting the salmon from Genius Recipes instead.

    • lou_weez on July 14, 2023

      This was delicious! The salmon needed longer than the recipe stated, and I didn't bother with the dill or sesame at the end.

    • anya_sf on December 04, 2019

      I preferred to cook the salmon an extra 5 minutes; it was still very moist. My salmon was 1.5 lbs, so I reduced the butter to 4 Tbsp and the oil to 2.5 Tbsp, but used the full amount of onion (cooking most of it), lemon, and capers. The salmon was delicious; I especially loved the lemon slices. As suggested, steamed broccoli was a great accompaniment.

    • Lsblackburn1 on April 04, 2020

      Despite getting green peppercorns instead of capers and somehow the dill not making it home (social-distancing-grocery shopping is hard!), this was delicious. Had leftovers this evening turned into sandwiches with toasted hoagie rolls, left over green goddess dressing and chopped romaine. Fantastic!

    • Mlr5 on April 27, 2021

      Yum! This was super tasty...even my “sick of salmon” husband really liked it and went back for seconds! I added more capers than called for because capers are the best. It’s so bright and balanced. Will definitely be making this again. Made it again...first time I used smaller filet pieces, second time used a large filet (1.5 lbs). Both times required longer cook time than called for. Closer to 20 minutes.

    • djnielsen64 on January 28, 2024

      Simple and excellent! Will def make again!

  • Farro with toasted fennel, lemon, and basil

    • Jane on January 23, 2020

      This was a quick side dish - though in fact I had it as a vegetarian main. The farro gets a good flavor boost from garlic, fennel and lemon. I found the uncooked lemon added at the end a bit dominant though leftovers the next day were less so. When I make this again I’ll add all the lemon with the fennel to cook down.

    • anya_sf on November 25, 2019

      As the recipe indicates, this will never be a "wow" dish, but it's certainly a nice side. It tasted great alongside the frizzled chickpeas. The basil was a bit strong; other herbs, such as mint, would work, and I'd use less next time. The slices of caramelized lemon were also rather bitter for my taste. I didn't add the raw lemon slices and am glad I didn't. Leftovers tasted good cold from the fridge, especially with some feta cheese.

    • Skamper on August 29, 2021

      I made a half batch and debated adding the whole fennel bulb rather than half. I went with only half and regretted it. It's pretty meh but could be dressed up by increasing fennel:farro and adding more herbs, pine nuts, feta, etc.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      Personally I enjoyed the simplicity of this dish but everyone else thought it wasn't memorable. I think it works well as a side but probably lacks something as a main.

  • Frizzled chickpeas and onions with feta and oregano

    • Jane on January 06, 2020

      This is a good standby for me as I always have these ingredients (well maybe not fresh oregano but I think any herb would work). My chickpeas didn’t ever get as crispy as hers look in her photo but it still tasted good. I liked the combo of caramelized onions and chickpeas with the salty cheese and pops of fresh herb.

    • KarinaFrancis on January 17, 2020

      Like other reviewers I didn’t get my chickpeas to go very brown or crispy, but I don’t think that stopped me enjoying them! I actually used them as a topping to add excitement to a chicken salad and they were the best part of the dish. I’ll make this again for sure, and soon. Next time I’m thinking of trying her marinaded feta (from the same book) instead of plain as a topping.

    • lou_weez on March 16, 2020

      I'm in love with this dish - a little bit of heat, salty and sweet, creamy and crunchy. I think it's important to cook the chickpeas at a high heat to achieve the colour and crunch.

    • anya_sf on November 24, 2019

      I initially sauteed the onion over medium-low heat so it wouldn't burn, then turned the heat to medium-high after adding the chickpeas. The chickpeas weren't exactly crispy, but did brown. We liked a generous amount of fresh oregano and doubled the feta. My family really enjoyed this.

    • pattyatbryce on December 09, 2019

      Wonderful. Cook at a higher heat to get it browned/crispy. It ends up with almost a meaty taste and can stand alone for dinner with a salad.

    • Skamper on February 27, 2020

      I love a chickpea but this wasn't a favorite for us. The chickpeas never really got browned or crispy, despite drying on a dish towel for nearly an hour. The onions had a tendency to clump together. Decent flavor but I don't think I'll repeat.

    • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

      My chickpeas also didn't end up super crispy but they did go nice and brown. Loved the combination of flavours together. Really delicious.

    • Anneherzberg on November 13, 2019

      This was a bit of a fail for me, could chalk it up to “user error” perhaps. My chickpeas never got crispy, just got smushed and oily. The onions burned a bit as well. Not sure if I will attempt again.

  • Lemony white beans and escarole with anchovy and Parmesan

    • Jane on January 09, 2020

      I made 1lb of dried cannelini beans in the IP which may be more than 2 15oz cans ( I should have weighed them after draining). It felt like more “garlicky business” was needed to flavor the beans so I added the rest of the can of anchovies, including the oil. The beans had good flavor plus extra from the mint, parsley, Parm & lemon. This was a lovely combination with the escarole/frisée. I had it for dinner on its own but it would be a good side for any protein.

    • anya_sf on December 15, 2019

      I wanted more greens relative to beans, so I just used one can of beans. The beans got mushy during cooking, so dried beans would work best here, but the canned ones still tasted good. The recipe doesn't say whether to chop the anchovies, but I did. I used half the red pepper flakes so it wouldn't be too spicy. We really enjoyed the flavors in this dish.

    • Skamper on August 10, 2020

      We both liked this. I made a half batch, which was more than enough for two as a side for steak (him) and lamb chops (me). Due a miscommunication about timing, the beans heated a few minutes longer than suggested and were, I think, a little dryer than it should have been, but still a very nice side to the meat.

  • Crushed peas with burrata and black olives

    • Jane on January 11, 2020

      This was a lovely appetizer and very quick to make. Just some thawed frozen peas in a lemony dressing with torn up burrata and olives, herbs and greens. So delicious. One annoying thing though is the book photo - no way those olives are whole and no way there is 3 cups of greens on that dish. I do wish stylists would follow recipes!

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      Very nice! Refreshing! Had some snow peas so added those as well.

    • VineTomato on April 19, 2020

      Lovely salad. We couldn't get hold of burrata during lock down so we substituted yogurt with a sprinkling of feta and fried halloumi on top. Looking forward to making this again with the appropriate cheese. I used rocket, but I imagine mustard greens must make the salad a little extraordinary. Perhaps a note to myself to get some mustard greens in Tooting when we can next go venturing out for non-essentials.

  • Just-cooked cabbage with butter, anchovy, and lemon

    • Jane on January 03, 2020

      This was a good, quick side and could even make a lunch or light supper. I served it with leftover sausages, sliced and reheated in the same pan. There was lots of flavor from the caramelized cabbage, butter, anchovies and lemon.

    • jenmacgregor18 on November 08, 2019

      Since I'm usually cooking ahead to take meals to work--and this isn't a cook ahead cabbage dish--I used Deborah Madison's wilted cabbage salad recipe for the veg, which is great prepped ahead. But I used Alison's dressing of butter, anchovy & lemon from this recipe. It was really good. Not too strong on the anchovy. Pretty mellow in the butter, but a lot of flavor. Excellent option.

    • anya_sf on February 02, 2021

      Using savoy cabbage, this turned out great, although not especially healthy with all that fat. The anchovies didn't melt into the butter (too hot), but rather fried - still good though. The cabbage got so dark it looked burnt and I worried it would be horrible, but it was delicious. Cabbage-hating son even liked it because "it didn't have the flavor or texture of cabbage".

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      Even Alison Roman won’t make me an anchovy fan. But I subbed capers and otherwise made the dish exactly to the recipe. A nice alternative to the standard cabbage recipes I’m used to.

    • Skamper on March 28, 2020

      We both really liked this. I used regular green cabbage since that's what I had and can see how it'd be even tastier with a more delicate cabbage. Used half batches of everything else, subbing 1 tsp anchovy paste for the fillets.

    • Nityanukala on January 07, 2021

      I felt that this recipe really just makes you think you're eating a fish. It is a perfect accompaniment to a meal. Adds a veg and goes in pretty easy.

  • Roasted squash with yogurt and spiced, buttered pistachios

    • Jane on January 04, 2020

      This was delicious though quite sweet (at least with butternut squash) so be careful what you serve it with. The combination of caramelized squash, browned butter, spices and pistachios is almost dessert-like. The lemon yogurt cuts through that though. Will definitely make again and maybe try a less sweet squash next time.

    • tarae1204 on January 16, 2020

      Overall this is delicious and "make again" worthy. I made this with a kabocha squash. Roman says you can peel the squash or leave unpeeled, remove seeds or leave in, as you prefer. So neither peeled nor de-seeded my squash, which felt sort of daring and exciting for a regular Tuesday night...but I lived to regret it. I found some of the bites with skin were good, others tough. Some of my pepitas achieved a wonderful crunch, others did not. Spiced brown butter with pistachios - very good but I had too much. Lemony yogurt - good, again I had too much, for my one kabocha squash. Know that you may have extra of these dressings.

    • anya_sf on November 24, 2019

      I'd never cooked red kuri squash before, but now I have my go-to recipe. You could maybe skip the yogurt, although we did enjoy it mixed with the spiced butter, but definitely don't skip the browned butter pistachios. Delicious!

    • Tweedles81 on November 16, 2019

      This was really delicious - the sweetness of the squash married perfectly with the acidic yogurt dip and the salty, buttery, crunchy, and spicy sauce. We used acorn squash and didn’t like the seeds so would remove them before cooking next time. Also, I doubled the recipe, using a squash that had been sitting on my counter for some time and then a brand new squash. The difference in taste was noticeable, so learn from me and use recently purchased squash!

    • pattyatbryce on March 06, 2022

      Fantastic. Served with cedar-planked salmon and it was a meal to remember. So easy and so much flavor on the plate. Definite make again.

    • Skamper on March 28, 2020

      I've made this twice now, once with delicata and once with acorn, both unpeeled and both delicious. With the delicata, I left the seeds in half and I didn't mind them but Mark did. Prefer the yogurt spooned over rather than spread under, and it requires less. Prefer regular consistency yogurt for this over Greek, and a quarter batch is enough for 2.

  • Crispy chocolate cake with hazelnut and sour cream

    • Jane on January 11, 2020

      A lovely gluten free dessert. Served it with the Nutella cream and blackberries.

    • KarinaFrancis on February 22, 2020

      I’m not generally a chocolate cake fan so believe me when I say this cake is outstanding! Dense yet light, sweet but not too sweet and deliciously chocolatey. My niece said “best cake I’ve ever eaten”. I think the family will demand I make it again. Agree there is too much cream accompaniment but we ended up using it with some berries and granola as a parfait of sorts the next day.

    • tarae1204 on January 16, 2020

      I can't believe this incredibly rich and chocolate-y cake is gluten free. (And this important fact is not emphasized by Roman). I truly can't wait to make this for my gluten-free friends on their birthdays - no more sad gluten-free boxed cake mix. Notes on recipe: Used almond flour. Had too much sour cream frosting and I actually felt like the sour cream frosting was too rich. I would try the cake with simple whipped cream, lightly sweetened, maybe a little Grand Marnier or hazelnut liqueur to flavor it.

    • Lepa on September 07, 2021

      Adding to the enthusiastic praise of this incredible cake. I don't love chocolate desserts but made this for my son's birthday and we loved it. I especially loved the whipped cream, which includes sour cream and Nutella (!) This is one of the best desserts I have ever made.

    • anya_sf on February 15, 2021

      Absolutely delicious cake with a moist, slightly fudgy, but not too dense, texture. I expected the topping to hold peaks like whipped cream, but after adding the Nutella (mixed rather than folded in - think it is too stiff to readily fold), all definition was lost and it was a sauce. Maybe that's how it's meant to be. Anyway, the topping was delicious too, and would've been good without the Nutella as well.

    • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

      Wow. This cake is definitely one of the best desserts I have ever made and I am not a huge fan of chocolate or Nutella. It's very easy to put together and looks impressive. After my husband and I eat took the first bite, we looked at each other and simultaneously said "This cake has got to go!" No lie. We finished our plates, packed up the rest of the cake and drove it 20 minutes to drop it off at my mom's house. We could not be trusted not to finish the cake that night between the two of us! Rich but light. Not too sweet. Perfection.

    • Pimlicocook on September 17, 2023

      This is really very good. My oven bakes hot, so I baked the cake for around 30 minutes, rather than 35-40min as per recipe, and it was perfect (at 25m I felt it jiggled a bit too much). The cake doesn't taste of Nutella, but is rich and moist and delicious - and surprisingly easy to make, too. As other suggested, I made just half the amount of the cream/sour cream/Nutella mix to eat on the side and it was ample.

    • jenburkholder on May 23, 2022

      Like everyone else, we enjoyed very much. Well, except for my younger son who said it was okay but too rich. I just whipped cream and added a small bit of sour cream and Nutella, don’t need to overthink that part!

    • skvalentine on August 29, 2023

      Very rich, very tasty! Was enjoyed by my family for a birthday celebration. Finally found a use for the jar of Luxardo cherries I bought on a whim!

  • Celery and fennel with walnuts and blue cheese

    • mllamas on November 10, 2019

      I subbed feta for the blue cheese and thought it worked great.

    • jenmacgregor18 on November 08, 2019

      When I attempted this, my intense blue cheese overwhelmed everything else. I like the crunch of it. I think I'd enjoy it more with a milder blue cheese,

    • Barb_N on January 13, 2020

      Always in search of crunchy veg in winter, this has the right balance of salty, sour, bitter and cool. I cut back on the blue cheese and wish I had upped the shallot (half of a small but in the photo it looked larger than mine). A great back pocket recipe.

    • Skamper on March 15, 2020

      We both liked this. A half batch was more than enough for 2. Taking a tip from another reviewer I subbed feta for the blue cheese, since I had some on hand and it seemed a better match for the Milk Street Moroccan chicken.

  • Sticky chili chicken with hot-and-sour pineapple

    • vickster on May 04, 2020

      Delicious! The roasted pineapple is a real treat.

    • kari500 on February 02, 2023

      A hit with my family (more than with me, to be honest). I did it with drumsticks since it's what I had, but I'd like this much better with boneless skinless thighs. The skin doesn't stay crispy, so it's not fun to eat - might as well just have the sauce coat the chicken pieces. I also cut my pineapple into bite sized pieces, so cooking time was shorter - maybe 40 minutes. Very much like sweet and sour chicken.

    • ShefsKitchen on February 02, 2020

      Excellent easy recipe. no changes on the recipe at all.

    • KarinaFrancis on January 05, 2020

      Hot, sticky and delicious! The marinade is easy to put together and then you just pop it in the oven. I used just chicken thighs and they were cooked in 45mins, I also halved the marinade and it was more than enough (it didn’t really reduce as much as I hoped, but lots of sauce is no bad thing). I’ll make this again for sure, maybe not using a sambal rated “extremely hot”. Another winner from this book.

    • stockholm28 on January 27, 2020

      Very good and quite easy. It does need a 30 minute marinade. I cut the recipe in half and used all thighs and they were done in 40 minutes. It does have some heat. Definitely a repeat.

    • Zosia on January 31, 2020

      Quite easy to put together and very tasty. I didn't have time to marinate the chicken but made sure to baste it several times during roasting and served each piece with a drizzle of sauce at the end. Good though the chicken was, the pineapple, which absorbed all of the flavours, was my favourite part.

    • tarae1204 on January 20, 2021

      What I thought were 4 pounds of chicken thighs in the back of my fridge turned out to be 4 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast. But I had already decided upon making this recipe and proceeded! It worked out fine. Started roasting pineapple by itself first for a head start. Then added to marinated breasts. Cooked at 400, flipping breasts halfway through. Took around 20-25 min to cook the meat to 185. I should’ve brushed them with some oil but they’re ok. Raw shallots on top are nice and they cook and pickle a bit in the sauce. Cilantro gets icky as leftovers so just add to each serving. My dish wasn’t sticky or caramelized but still delicious.

    • anya_sf on May 08, 2020

      I wanted to make this with thighs, but the store only had chicken breasts, so I used those. They were enormous (1 lb each) so I cut them in half - maybe I didn't need to since an hour would have been long enough to cook them through (and they did get kind of dry, but I wanted the sauce to caramelize), but it did mean more of the meat was exposed to the delicious sauce. The chicken marinated 2 hours. I omitted the red pepper flakes (my son doesn't like them) and thought it still had enough kick from the sambal. My pineapple was small so I cooked all of it. I can't imagine I'd enjoy raw shallot on top, but green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds were nice. My husband loved this, my son not so much.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I had wings on hand, so I made it with wings. It did not need quite as much cooking time, which I expected. I also set aside some of the marinade beforehand to baste them as I knew pouring it over would burn with wings.

    • Skamper on February 11, 2020

      This was good but not amazing. However, I absentmindedly bought chili garlic sauce, so used that. Marinated all day in the fridge. I used two breasts, each cut in half, and a half batch of marinade. Only took about 30 minutes for the chicken to roast, but this wasn't long enough for the pineapple to caramelize. Not sure the shallots at the end add anything.

    • Lsblackburn1 on October 09, 2020

      Nice! Mine did not turn out sticky like in the picture, but I loved the flavors. Didn’t add the chili flakes because I was afraid it’d be too spicy and that was a good call.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      One of my favourite recipe from this book. I used 4 chicken marylands and they were cooked perfectly. Wish I left the pineapple out to ripen longer but it was still very tasty.

    • tdimond on November 25, 2021

      Delicious! I marinated boneless/skinless chicken thighs all day, then BBQ’d chicken and pineapple, basting with reduced sauce. Served over brown rice with a sprinkle of cilantro.

  • Beets with buttermilk and walnuts

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      Such a lovely dish!

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I had to use red beets but this was amazing! I love a good beet salad and this is a great beet salad!

  • Long-roasted eggplant with garlic, labne, and tiny chile croutons

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      Added French lentils on top of the yogurt to make it dinner. This was an unbelievably excellent dish!!

    • AndieEats on May 06, 2021

      The soft creaminess of the eggplant contrasted with the slightly crisped skin was excellent! I baked mine on a foil lined pan, and next time would lightly oil it first (or try parchment] because it stuck a bit. Turns out I don’t enjoy the flavour of raw preserved lemon, but husband liked it a lot. The croutons were fantastic for the crunch factor - no bread, no problem. Substituted in a frozen homemade yeasted waffle. Would definitely make this again.

    • Huongey on May 20, 2020

      This is my go-to method for cooking eggplant now. The texture comes out perfect and it’s so easy.

  • Sticky roasted carrots with citrus and tahini

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      OMG!! So good! Only had a navel orange yes it took longer for everything to caramelize, but the end result was amazballz!

    • KarinaFrancis on January 13, 2020

      Loved it, totally delicious and perfect with simply bbq chicken (or lamb, or beef, or ....) The carrots took 35mins, tossing every 10 mins. I took some of the oranges out after 20mins as they were starting to over caramelise, but boy were they good! Will make this again!

    • infotrop on March 15, 2020

      Fun to see everyone's different photos of this tasty dish. I agree it takes a bit longer to caramelize the carrots than the recipe says. I used blood oranges (delicious & you can pop them right in your mouth, peel and all) & pickled my onions in lime juice for several hours, which added some tartness. The tahini isn't really needed, but does add another layer of flavor.

    • anya_sf on January 20, 2020

      My carrots were mostly thin, so I only halved them, unless they were very wide. For the citrus, I used a mandarin orange; I think a sweeter orange is better here than lemon. The carrots did need an extra 5 minutes to caramelize, perhaps since everything was rather crowded on the pan, but I think that helped keep the citrus from burning. I really loved all the flavors together. My son did not like the red pepper flakes, so I may leave those out next time, as I don't think they're critical. You could also omit the tahini, although it's nice.

    • pattyatbryce on January 07, 2020

      Took a bit longer to roast than said, but turned out wonderfully.

    • Skamper on February 27, 2020

      Not our favorite. Watch it carefully; by the time the carrots were caramelized, everything else was burnt. I think pomegranate molasses would be a better fit here than maple syrup.

    • Anneherzberg on November 13, 2019

      This turned out nicely, though my carrots took much longer to caramelize. I just had a lime, so I used lime juice and roasted lime slices which were intense but tasty. I imagine the orange slices would be a bit sweeter.

    • halfasleep on February 21, 2021

      It actually didn't take me that long to caramelize the carrots, though I ended up leaving them in a few moments longer anyways because of all the reviews. I'd just follow the recipe next time. Also I found the tahini sauce took a little more water than listed to make it spreadable. Overall still pretty tasty though.

  • Spicy red cabbage with sweet onion and lime

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      Love this alternative to mayo’d cole slaw. So refreshing the Sumac is awesome!

    • bernalgirl on April 19, 2024

      I unthinkingly added the full teaspoon of chile flakes before checking the jalapeño but it worked out, especially with a grated carrot thrown in. This is a very zippy cole slaw that went beautifully with salmon and smashed baby potatoes.

    • jenburkholder on March 07, 2022

      Good red cabbage slaw, nicely vibrant. We omitted the pepper flakes because we had a fairly spicy red pepper to start.

    • snackbaby on July 11, 2023

      excellent recipe to riff on, based on what you are having with it. the sumac is indeed a great addition!

  • Mustardy green beans with anchovyed walnuts

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      I’ve made this multiple times and absolutely love it more each time! I grill the beans, add chickpeas to make it our dinner and have never added the dill.

    • KarinaFrancis on December 21, 2019

      I’ve made a few green bean salads in my time, but nothing like this! The dressing was so flavourful and really lifted the beans to something special. I had some brocollini that needed using up so I gave that a 3 minute head start before adding the beans. Outstanding!

    • Lepa on July 01, 2021

      I love the flavors here but I do not think I like the texture of roasted green beans. Also, there is way too much oil here (and I'm not usually one to cut oil or butter). Finally, I cooked the anchovies and garlic for a minute or so because as much as I adore anchovies, I didn't want big hunks in the salad. This recipe is promising but, for me, wasn't successful.

    • khopkins1012 on January 14, 2020

      I loved these and they reheated well as leftovers. I followed the roasting instructions. I did however make two deviations from the written recipe. First, I left out the dill because I didn’t have any. The depth of flavor from the anchovies and the brightness of the acids still made this dish sing. Second, I used considerably less mustard. I’d recommend adding the mustard bit by bit and stopping when your dish reaches your personal sweet spot.

    • anya_sf on March 04, 2020

      Am I the only person who didn't love this? I was roasting other things at 425 so I used that for the green beans as well. They were a bit crowded and needed twice as long to roast (I wanted some blistering). The lemon probably added some flavor to the beans, but we didn't care to eat bites of it. My anchovies didn't melt, but I cut them into pieces and did enjoy the bursts of flavor, but would try paste instead. The dressing was too oily and mustardy; I'd use half the oil in the walnuts and half the dressing (or maybe half the mustard). With those changes, I think I would have liked this dish better.

    • mjes on July 29, 2021

      I see others have made notes on this recipe. I happen to like my green beans roasted, From reading other's responses I was very careful to make sure the anchovy disolved. I used a Meyer lemon ... and I loved the results

    • Skamper on February 27, 2020

      These were very good. I made a half batch, and used 1 tsp of anchovy paste rather than fillets because, lazy. I used mint rather than dill since my husband doesn't care for dill. Next time, I don't think I'll serve the lemon slices with, as they became a bit bitter, but I'd still roast with them.

    • Lsblackburn1 on November 29, 2019

      What a beautiful dish! The flavors were awesome, but I wish I’d roasted my green beans longer. I like them softer but I was running behind so just took them out of the oven and tossed them in the dressing without checking on their doneness!

    • AlineLorieri on June 20, 2024

      We've made this recipe over and over, it's a go to side dish whenever we have someone over and it's always popular with our guests!

    • snackbaby on July 11, 2023

      love love love these beans, which I grill in a grill pan instead of roasting. they are salty and bold!

  • Seeded breadsticks with Parmesan

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      Outstanding as crackers!

    • DKennedy on February 25, 2023

      We made these for supper club 2/23. Amy was in charge of this recipe. Outstanding results.

    • averythingcooks on January 04, 2020

      I'm really sad to say this , but this didn't work at all for me. The lump of dough that resulted didn't rise AT ALL even after 2.5 hours. And yes, I had used the yeast a few days ago AND then later in a different recipe today. I have made lots of different yeast doughs for different end products over the years & am now suspicious of recipes that don't ask you to bloom the yeast first, don't give it some kind of sugar for food, that have you add the salt early and that have NO kneading step at all. I was leary but went ahead and ended up throwing out the remains of my sesame & poppy seeds in a hard lump of dough before trying a different recipe.

    • ChefBeccs on May 24, 2020

      My attempt was a huge success. Although my dough did not increase in size by 50%, I went ahead anyway and it worked. I also could not manage to make them as thin as Alison recommended but they were still excellent. Perfect for drinks. Be aware though, it was a little time consuming. Well worth it though.

  • Slightly sticky walnuts with sesame and sumac

    • Foodo on July 05, 2020

      Very good, very easy. Not too sweet.

  • Harissa-rubbed pork shoulder with white beans and chard

    • Mrs. L on December 07, 2019

      Loved this recipe. I thought the dish was going to be too salty as my preserved lemons were really salty, but when you took a bite of everything with the lemon it was fine.

    • Astrid5555 on February 29, 2020

      So, so good, whole family loved it, just perfect! Added my chard already with the beans, used rose harissa for the rub, and did not include the preserved lemon, because we don’t care that much for it.

    • bernalgirl on February 11, 2023

      I had high hopes for this one but the brown sugar created more of a baked beans profile than I or my family prefers. I’d consider making this without the beans.

    • KarinaFrancis on August 15, 2020

      Oh wow, this was great! The pork was tender and the beans soaked up all the delicious juices. A few little tweaks, I used the chard stalks as well as the leaves and added 2 tins of beans.

    • stockholm28 on February 16, 2020

      I liked this, but actually preferred the pork as leftovers, shredded on a sandwich with cole slaw. Next time I will cook it a bit longer with the intent to shred it rather than slice it.

    • Zosia on December 23, 2019

      As delicious as others have noted. I made this over 2 days, cooking the pork in an instant pot one day (55 minutes high pressure with natural release), roasting it with the beans on the second. I added baby spinach just before serving (in place of chard). Everyone enjoyed the pork but absolutely loved the beans.

    • averythingcooks on January 12, 2020

      Rave reviews from this household! My roast was just under 3 lbs so I cut the paste rub in 1/2 (and used a 50/50 mix of hot & mild harissa - we find our jar of hot to be VERY powerful). I also used 1 19 oz can of navy beans. I have always either avoided recipes which call for wilting in fresh greens (or at least just skipped that step) but T talked me into using fresh spinach and I'm so glad I did - this is not a step I intend to skip in any dish again! Lastly, I made my own preserved lemons last weekend especially for this and they were delicious. Mine are sliced in the jar and I used 2 slices - I just need to be sure to mince them very finely - there was an occasional big hit of lemon in some bites. We absolutely loved this dish!

    • leighwhit25 on November 13, 2019

      Incredibly good and easy! I used some cooked Rancho Gordo white beans that I had and pork stock instead of water. That said, I imagine it would be just as good as written. The preserved lemon was a nice addition.

    • anya_sf on March 18, 2021

      I had an 8 lb bone-in pork shoulder which I baked at 325 for 4.5 hours, then chilled overnight, skimmed some of the fat, then reheated for an hour the next day before adding the beans. The amount of harissa rub was ample for the larger roast; I used rose harissa as it's milder, but there was still a definite kick. I used 2 bunches of chard and would do so again. Note that if you're serving a crowd, you'll have plenty of pork but probably not enough beans and chard - we just had enough for 4 (but tons of leftover pork). This was really good.

    • pattyatbryce on January 07, 2020

      Great flavors and very easy. It makes a lot, so perhaps cut in half for a small family.

    • AndieEats on October 10, 2021

      Smaller hunk of meat definitely recommend, so that each bite has some of the rub for flavour. Beans were absolutely delicious, and we wished we had double the amount!

    • Lsblackburn1 on November 24, 2019

      Absolutely delicious! I had escarole that needed using up so I used that instead of the chard. Used 2 cans of great northern beans but may throw in an extra can tomorrow to stretch out the leftovers. The addition of the lemon peel really takes this to the next level!

    • ChefBeccs on May 14, 2020

      I subsititued the silverbeet for cabbage (which I cooked for a little longer). It was lovely. My family are a big fan of crackling so I sliced off the sheet of pork fat at the very end and popped it under the grill.

    • Running_with_Wools on December 04, 2020

      This is a flavor bomb. So good.

  • Creamy sesame turmeric dip

    • mlbatt on February 27, 2020

      Made with labne, thought I'd burned the turmeric, but it was fine. Make sure to add plenty of salt. The flavor improved after sitting out for a while. Great with celery and Ak-Mak crackers.

    • Astrid5555 on February 22, 2020

      Made with cream cheese as written. A delicious surprise, used as a dip for home-made focaccia bread.

    • bernalgirl on July 22, 2021

      I made this for a weekend gathering, subbing labne for sour cream and using both black and white sesame seeds. I think with the labne it needs a bit more tahini and other flavors — and more salt as noted. But it was great with pita chips, and a beautiful and easy addition to pre-dinner apps. I tried the leftovers under an olive oil poached egg, which was nice, but it was absolutely delicious served cold under roasted tomatoes and fennel with beets — thank you Ottolenghi for the inspiration. I was sad when I ran out and had to find something else for breakfast. Will definitely make this again.

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      I made this with ricotta (an option in the recipe) and it was watery and flavorless. I am guessing it would be totally different - and better - with cream cheese as they don't seem similar in texture or flavor at all. I may try it again with cream cheese but I'm not sure.

    • AndieEats on April 28, 2021

      Made with ricotta and Greek yogurt. The texture was nicer (firmer) after being in the fridge overnight. Definitely second the reminder to thoroughly salt it. Adjusted the topping with more sesame seeds, turmeric, some ancho chile, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I’d consider adding a little spice to the dip the next time in the food processor too.

    • Ehcoggin on November 12, 2019

      I made this with a combo of greek yogurt and sour cream and it was still so rich even without the cream cheese. It initially was the underdog of dips in this book but now it is my front runner!

    • RightHemisphere on August 11, 2021

      Made the ricotta version, but I would like to try it with whipped cream cheese too. Lovely, flavorful, and made a great addition to our snack spread on two occasions. Loved it with the Ak-Mak crackers, and thought it was especially good with roasted beets. Lesson learned: maybe skip the light-colored linens with this drippy turmeric dip when hosting guests. Ha.

  • Sweet and salty cream cheese tart

    • mlbatt on February 27, 2020

      Baked in a springform pan and the filling stuck to the side, so the cake cracked quite a bit despite slow cooling. Next time I'll try a tart pan. Used blood orange juice and luckily had lots of blood orange slices to cover up the cracks. Everyone loved it (used the labne and sour cream options).

    • anya_sf on August 16, 2020

      I made 1/2 recipe in a 7" tart pan, using Ritz crackers, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and lime. The filling didn't seem quite set after 30 min, but maybe it was, as the tart cracked and slightly browned after 35, but it was fine anyway. The unbaked filling didn't taste that sweet, so I added an extra tablespoon of sugar, and would add more next time to balance the salty, tart flavors. This was definitely best as a thinner tart since the filling was quite dense. Overall, we liked it, and it was easy to make.

    • Lucylew on December 21, 2019

      This was good for what is essentially a fuss free cheesecake.

  • Tiny, salty, chocolatey cookies

    • fprincess on June 24, 2024

      In short, it's a cookie where the sugar is 100% confectioners' sugar, and the flour is replaced with sugar. This results in a brownie-like texture which is very pleasant. She uses browned butter for extra flavor, and a combo of cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate. Nuts optional - I used walnuts. I loved the intense chocolate flavor and the fact that it's very easy to make. However we struggled a bit to finished the entire batch as they were quite sweet (my yield was 48 cookies vs. 24, which means mine were on the smaller size). Good in small doses only! :) Note: the recipe is by volume which is rather annoying (her most recent books have weight measurements).

    • meggan on May 11, 2020

      I love chocolate but these were a little too sweet for me. Confectioners sugar is too cloying and that is the main ingredient.

    • Wende on November 14, 2022

      These may be the best cookies I've ever made. I took a batch to a large party and couldn't believe the number of people (mostly strangers) who came up to me, raving about the cookies and literally pleading for the recipe. The key to the level of sweetness is using very dark chocolate with an absolute minimum of 65% cacao. Mine were not tiny at all, so I was concerned that I had done something wrong, but if I did, I couldn't tell from the taste. These were super moist when baked for the shorter amount of time as per the recipe. When baked for the longer amount, they were a great mix of crispy and chewy - just like the edges of brownies, as the recipe itself notes. Either way, I suggest putting cut pieces of parchment under each cookie if the are going to be stacked or overlapped on a plate for serving.

    • raybun on November 12, 2019

      Just like eating a brownie in cookie form, fantastic! Used chopped almonds.

    • khopkins1012 on January 02, 2020

      I really like these cookies. They took ~8 minutes in my oven. I left out the nuts.

    • anya_sf on December 03, 2019

      Quick and easy to make. Mine took about 8 1/2 minutes to bake. I skipped the nuts this time. The cookies were mostly lightly salted dark chocolate, barely held together with chewy brownie batter. How could that be bad?

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      These are the best cookies ever! I too skipped the nuts, I was sharing them and wasn’t sure about allergies. They are amazing!

  • Lemony turmeric tea cake

    • fprincess on May 01, 2024

      Another winner. I enjoyed the texture which has a very fine crumb thanks to the sour cream / yoghurt in the recipe (I used a mix of both). The lemon flavor really comes through (I liked the technique of rubbing together the lemon zest with the sugar before adding the wet ingredients), and the caramelized lemon slices on top are delicious. Favorite part - the browned exterior. For the inside to be fully cooked, I needed to cook it 15-20 minutes more than the 50-60 minutes the recipe called for. I didn't like the fact that the recipe was by volume, next time I will use an online version that has weight measurements.

    • TrishaCP on March 05, 2022

      This had a gorgeous color from the turmeric and tasted great. I removed my cake at 45 minutes since it was cooked through by that time. I used candied lemon peel on top after reading about the bitterness of the lemons, and I was really happy with that choice.

    • Astrid5555 on November 10, 2019

      Did not have enough lemons so used only half the quantity called for in the recipe, finished cake was still lemony enough for my taste. The loaf has a lovely yellow color from the turmeric in the batter, which was a bit of a surprise for the rest of the family. Topped the cake with thinly sliced limes not lemons, which became quite bitter, so would not do again even though recipe calls for it. All in all a definite repeat!

    • SugarTreeBaking on April 22, 2020

      Other than the addition of the turmeric, which creates a lovely yellow color, this was just an normal lemon tea cake. 2 tablespoons of zest from one lemon? I needed an extra half lemon.

    • KarinaFrancis on July 31, 2021

      Lovely, like a sunshine cake. The lemon flavour shone through and the texture was soft and delicate. I used the yogurt substitution. Will make this again

    • raybun on November 12, 2019

      What a spectacular colour! The adults loved this, Fussy Child didn’t. A very different lemon cake, that I’ll make again.

    • khopkins1012 on May 16, 2020

      I halved the recipe and baked it in a 5x3 mini, bread pan. I’ve noticed that I dislike the use of whole lemons in other Roman recipes so I left those off the top. I baked it at the same temp and time listed in the recipe.

    • leighwhit25 on November 13, 2019

      Beautiful color but I found the taste to be a bit bland. My husband didn't like the texture of it - called it gummy - I didn't really have an issue with that. I've got other lemon tea cakes i like better - I might steal the turmeric idea though!

    • Tweedles81 on December 09, 2019

      Baked using the yogurt substitution. Though I used regular lemons for the zest and juice, I sliced Meyer lemons on top, and I think that helped temper any bitterness that regular lemons might cause. We’ll be making this a lot in our house!

    • Lsblackburn1 on February 17, 2021

      I loved this. I found mine needed closer to 70 - 80 minutes in the oven, but the result was so moist and lemony. I liked the lemons on top a lot, but they did make the cake hard to cut neatly.

    • MollyPellecchia on June 24, 2023

      Made 2 loaves. Baked for 55 min. Soaked the lemon slices in some sugar while I made the loaves. Metric conversions in NYTimes cooking site. Can’t wait to slice.

    • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

      I really loved this cake - full of lemon flavor and absolutely beautiful color. It was really quite lovely to look at but the thinly sliced, sugar laced lemons on the top of the cake initially taste great but then go bitter quickly. Also, even using a sharp knife, the lemon on top does not allow pretty slices - they rip up the cake. I'll make again without the lemon on top.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      Beautiful, moist cake with the best sunny yellow colour. My favourite dessert recipe in this book. I've made it at least 5 times and it's good every time. I used a mandolin for the lemon slices. Beware that the slices shrink a lot after being baked.

  • DIY martini bar

    • fprincess on March 26, 2024

      Good recipe, great idea for a cocktail party or potluck. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/157248-cooking-from-dining-in-by-alison-roman/?do=findComment&comment=2419785

  • One-pot chicken with dates and caramelized lemon

    • fprincess on February 12, 2024

      Video of Alison making the recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl8GK7tjqOU Recipe: https://anewsletter.alisoneroman.com/p/onepotchicken?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fchicken%2520dates&utm_medium=reader2

    • fprincess on February 16, 2024

      I used chicken legs and aleppo pepper. Cooked uncovered. This was simple and totally delicious. I could not get enough of the chicken, lemon, and date combo, and the juices are just lovely. Lemon and chicken has always been a favorite, and the dates add another dimension. I have added this recipe to my favorite recipes! :) https://forums.egullet.org/topic/157248-cooking-from-dining-in-by-alison-roman/?do=findComment&comment=2416275

    • blintz on January 21, 2020

      Delicious. Made this with four thighs. The shallots and dates got nice and jammy and next time I'd add more of both. The lemon slices never caramelized in all that delicious chicken fat but were soft and sweet. Definitely going on repeat. Might try a whole bird next.

    • chawkins on November 22, 2021

      Wonderful dish, simple 6-ingredients and easy. I used about 2 lbs of chicken thighs and the skins were so crispy, I was worried that the sauce might be greasy but it wasn’t, and it was not too sweet either even though I put in all the dates I had (6).

    • raybun on November 12, 2019

      Absolutely fantastic! Loved the mix of sweet, caramelized & sour in this dish. If you can track down the urfa chilli it’s worth it. Definitely making this again, a one pot wonder!

    • grindabod on November 15, 2021

      Awesome recipe, loved the sauce. I will always be grateful to Alison Roman for teaching me about using whole lemons. I made this with chicken, and made it again another time with rabbit (cut into pieces) and it worked so great you'd think that was the original intent.

    • lou_weez on March 16, 2020

      Delicious!!! I made this with a whole chicken (1.8kg) and reduced the cooking time by around 10min which created perfectly cooked, succulent meat.

    • anya_sf on January 10, 2020

      My chicken weighed 5 lbs, so I cooked it for 30 minutes initially (covered), then another 30 uncovered. That was probably too long, as the breast was definitely overcooked and dry. The chicken overall needed more seasoning. However, the sauce with the dates, shallot, and lemon tasted wonderful. Next time I will use chicken legs, which don't dry out, and/or salt the chicken in advance to boost the seasoning.

    • anya_sf on July 06, 2021

      Made this again with chicken thighs and it was absolutely delicious, much better than the whole chicken version.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I loved this dish - we served it over Israeli cous cous. Next time, I’ll use way more dates, though. I liked the punch of sweet in the dish and wanted more of it!

    • Churchim808 on December 31, 2022

      I made this and although I had a 3.5 lb chicken, I ended up with way too much liquid. Next time I’ll use far less than the 1 cup of water it calls for.

    • AnnRHubbard on February 01, 2021

      I made this with 3.5 lb. chicken thighs (10), added and extra lemon and an extra shallot. I served it with M'Hamsa (the best) couscous (the recipe that comes with the jar which calls for sautéed finely chopped onions) and an arugula salad with pomegranate molasses-lemon vinaigrette). I did not have the Urfa chili and substituted Aleppo pepper. I only used one teaspoon, being cautious about spiciness. Next time I will use two teaspoons of the Aleppo or Urfa chili powder. Drizzled the delicious sauce all over the couscous and chicken. Everyone loved it.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      Agree with everyone else - it is a DELICIOUS dish. Easy yet tastes gourmet. Made with the chickpeas and herby salad.

    • AllieTaylor on May 04, 2023

      Seriously delish.

    • Running_with_Wools on April 20, 2023

      I wasn’t expecting this to be as good as it was because it is very simple. Great depth of flavor, tender and juicy chicken. I recently bought fresh medjol dates in Palm Springs and did a search of recipes and this one came up. A keeper.

    • ethedens on January 26, 2024

      Added some lemon juice on top which took it from 4 to 4.5/5. Was very good. One taster suggested increasing the number of dates by 50%, note that the other taster disagrees

  • Soy-braised brisket with caramelized honey and garlic

    • fprincess on June 28, 2024

      The flavors reminded me a bit of Vietnamese caramel sauce, especially with the caramelized honey which was a nice touch. A bit on the salty side for me, but quite good overall. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/157248-cooking-from-dining-in-nothing-fancy-and-sweet-enough-by-alison-roman/?do=findComment&comment=2428155

    • TBackman on February 28, 2021

      My husband treated me to dinner and served it over rice and peas! The savory, rich sweet yet tangy flavors wowed us both ! I definitely give this dish a 5 star rating?????

    • Lsblackburn1 on February 12, 2021

      Delicious- really tastes like pho. Served this over rice noodles with lots of the broth. For tomorrow’s leftovers I’m going to get a lime, which will make it even more like pho.

    • taste24 on November 02, 2020

      I did not prepare this dish, but was the beneficiary of being able to consume it since my mom made it for Sunday dinner. Absolutely outstanding - the flavor of the broth and brisket were so delectable and served over rice noodles was perfect. YUM!!!

  • Harissa-braised green beans with herbs

    • mcvl on March 13, 2022

      Good. The result depends, obviously, on the quality of the harissa. The fellow who used to make my old kind died, and I haven't yet found a worthy replacement. I supplemented the beans with some quartered crimini mushrooms; worked well.

    • bernalgirl on July 24, 2021

      What a great way to cook romano beans! I knew my family couldn’t tolerate the whole amount of harissa so I replaced half with tomato paste and used black garlic instead of fresh. Will be making again.

    • alex9179 on May 13, 2020

      A handy recipe for a stove-top side. A surprise hit with my kids who prefer al dente green beans. They thought it was very flavorful.

    • jenburkholder on September 19, 2021

      This was very tasty! Followed the recipe although I didn't measure the harissa - just used the rest of the tube, likely a bit scant of the amount called for. Our tomatoes from the garden were small so just quartered a bunch and tossed them in. Lovely way with the romano beans that we so rarely find at the farmer's market here in MN. Used just chives and parsley as the herbs since they were the best in the garden.

  • Iceberg with pecorino, crushed olives, and pickled chile

    • Apollonia on September 27, 2020

      Enjoyed this a great deal. Lovely summer salad and very easy.

    • bernalgirl on September 30, 2023

      Lovely salad with a host of flavors. I used oil-cured black olives, jarred pepperoncini left over from a Six Seasons recipe, and feta cheese. The dressing is absolutely lovely and I’d happily make this salad again.

    • stockholm28 on January 27, 2020

      Chock full of olives, this reminded me of a Greek salad. I liked this. It is pretty quick to put together and is a great side for pizza or pasta.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      A perfect lunch salad! Agree that it’s very reminiscent of a Greek salad.

    • Churchim808 on December 31, 2022

      Made this for dinner with my girlfriends. Everyone raved and it couldn’t have been simpler or more beautiful. The vinegar and honey really tamed the onion and jalapeños.

    • jenburkholder on October 06, 2023

      Definitely bastardized this recipe. Used romaine, Castelvetrano olives, marinated the onion far longer to make sure it wasn't TOO sharp. Realized my homegrown chile was SPICY and picked out much of it. Mixed all the toppings together in advance, and subbed feta instead of pecorino. Decided that the white wine vinegar wasn't quite pungent enough so added another splash of distilled vinegar. Discovered my son hates olives (he's so wrong!). It was delicious in all respects and a definite repeat.

    • jimandtammyfaye on July 02, 2022

      A loved recipe often repeated. Made as written, using Castelvetrano olives instead of black olives. The Castelvetrano don't have the sour brininess that some find off putting in Kalamata.

  • Labne with sizzled scallions and chile (almost ranch)

    • Apollonia on April 24, 2022

      I've made this a couple times and always enjoyed (I always have the ingredients) but never been wildly blown away. I made it recently for a dinner party for which I fried a number of onions, and using that oil instead of the olive oil brought it to a new level.

    • bernalgirl on February 21, 2024

      If you are going to make one thing for a cocktail party or gathering, make this. It is ridiculously simple and so delicious.

    • KarinaFrancis on April 13, 2020

      Quick, easy and perfect to throw together at short notice because I generally have all the ingredients on hand. I did have a bit of time so I made labne, but you could get away with plain Greek yogurt. Will make again!

    • Lepa on December 22, 2019

      This recipe is brilliant. It is quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious. I didn't have labne so I used whole milk Greek yogurt. We ate it with wasa crackers, which was my favorite combination, and cucumbers, peppers and carrots.

    • averythingcooks on January 04, 2020

      I made a smaller portion of this for us tonight as a "test batch". I used 1/3 cup Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup sour cream but made 1/2 of the chili oil mixture. However, as soap tasters I did not use use cilantro (but used more green onions, chives, parsley and some minced garlic with the dried chili flakes). Yes, we really liked it with Canadian Living's version of crispy breadsticks!

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      This dip is so good! And I love that she includes options for the base!

    • Lsblackburn1 on February 08, 2021

      Loved this! I used yogurt and I was skeptical that it would live up to its hype, but it did! Even my son admitted it made a tasty dip for his tater tots.

    • Jviney on January 01, 2020

      Made for a New Year’s Eve appetizer. I’m not sure I loved it but received several compliments, and a friend said it got better through the evening. My olive oil never acquired the “fiery red” color the red pepper flakes were supposed to impart...I was kind of looking forward to it...

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      Love this!! Definitely best with Labneh but it can be hard to find.

  • Black lentils with crispy garlic and labne

    • rittingerv on March 09, 2023

      This was fantastic. Used leftover lentils, added a little lemon pepper, served with warm pita bread.

    • meggan on November 08, 2019

      Pretty yummy but my lentils were old and needed to cook forever. Labneh should be everyone's BFF.

    • khopkins1012 on July 29, 2020

      I made this with a full fat, Greek yogurt but forgot to garnish with cilantro/parsley. It had a delicate flavor that I enjoyed. A half recipe served 4 as a side dish.

    • Skamper on January 30, 2021

      My shallots didn't crisp but this was very tasty. Half batch was more than enough for two. Used cilantro.

    • AllieTaylor on May 04, 2023

      This was great! I had a half packet of black lentils kicking around but decided to use all new (didn’t want half to be cooked and half not!). Made enough for about 8 servings; ate it over a week. Just as good day 7 as day 1, well, almost!

  • Garlicky broccoli and greens with hazelnut and coriander

    • rittingerv on December 18, 2022

      Roasted instead of grilled. Recommend dividing the kale on one baking sheet and the broccoli on another. Kale took about 14 minutes to get charry and crispy, and the broccoli a little over 20 minutes. I did cut the broccoli into long ‘spears’, and removed the tough stems from the kale.

    • tarae1204 on December 28, 2021

      I made this with one bunch broccolini and two heads of broccoli - no kale. Roasted all on one pan which was fine. Delicious dressing with toasted hazelnuts and crushed coriander seed.

    • lou_weez on April 25, 2020

      This is fantastic and packs a garlicky punch. I used smoked almonds instead of hazelnuts and 2 bunches broccolini instead of broccoli.

    • anya_sf on April 04, 2020

      I roasted the vegetables, which required 2 sheet pans. Since they didn't have to hold up on a grill, I removed the tough stems from the lacinato kale. I also peeled the broccoli stems and would do so again. Otherwise, I think diners would need to cut those parts away. The kale roasted faster than the broccoli; some of it got crispy, which ended up being the best part, as the other parts were quite chewy and hard to cut. I was out of coriander seeds, so I used 1/2 tsp ground coriander. One clove of raw garlic was plenty for me. I absolutely loved the garlicky, nutty, lemony dressing with the vegetables. Next time I'll skip the kale.

    • mbean on January 30, 2022

      Ambiguous instructions on cutting the broccoli-I divided into skinny florets rather than cutting the whole head into 4 quarters. I’d anticipated cooking up extra broccoli and kale, but ran out of room for more veggies, even with two sheet pans. Beware overpowering with too much garlic. My cloves were extra large and garlic overwhelmed the dish. But given the ease of advance prep, I would repeat the recipe to see if I can improve.

  • Slow-roasted oregano chicken with buttered tomatoes

    • Emily Hope on October 07, 2021

      As others have said, this is truly delicious. Had a bunch of tomatoes from the garden that needed using, so I at least doubled the tomatoes. They ended up releasing a lot of liquid (and I may have put them back in the oven after the chicken was done, at a higher temp, to reduce them a bit?), but we mopped it all up with some homemade sesame bread.

    • chawkins on September 15, 2021

      I made half a recipe using 4 chicken thighs weighing about 2 lbs, used Roma tomatoes from the garden, roasted at 300 degree F for 2hours. Very easy and very delicious.

    • PinchOfSalt on June 02, 2023

      Made this in my Anova Precision Oven and found that it cooked much faster than expected. I suspect that was because the settings I used included having the fan on high. (At first I also had the steam on at 20 percent but when I noticed how fast the cook was moving along I upped that to 100 percent.) Bottom line the chicken was delicious with the breast meat a bit overcooked after only one hour. I made one ingredient substitution: all of the tomatoes from a 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes, minus the juices. That seemed to work nicely. Don't overlook the deliciousness of the roasted garlic. Squeeze out every bit of goodness and enjoy! This recipe is definitely worthy of being tried again with some adjustments to the APO's settings (lower fan, 100 percent steam, perhaps breast-down, maybe even lower temperature). Or maybe just use my regular oven (no convection).

    • PinchOfSalt on June 02, 2023

      This book recipe is the same as this online recipe www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/2307361/slow-roasted-oregano-chicken-with

    • KarinaFrancis on February 01, 2020

      Holy smoke this is so damn good! I even managed to get some crispy skin on the breast thanks to basting with the pan juices every 30 mins. I cooked it at 150deg C for 2 hours and the meat was juicy, the tomatoes were jammy as promised and the pan juices outstanding. Note to self: double the tomatoes!

    • Zosia on December 23, 2019

      I used chicken thighs and baked them on a sheet pan. I omitted the butter and oil but the tomatoes were still very flavourful thanks to the juices from the roasted chicken (and garlic and oregano) and became "jammy" in the time it took for the chicken to cook. Family enjoyed this.

    • lou_weez on June 06, 2021

      Delicious!!! The salty, anise-flavoured chicken paired with the sweet jammy tomatoes is a real win.

    • averythingcooks on January 05, 2020

      This made a wonderful Sunday dinner! I made it as written (using the tips from anya_sf's comments) with a 4 lb chicken and broiled some buttered ciabatta bread to eat along with it. I ate my portion as a knife & fork open faced sandwich as follows : toasted bread smeared with roasted garlic topped with chunks of chicken followed by the lovely "herby jammy" tomatoes sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese. Just delicious and an absolute make again!

    • anya_sf on March 26, 2021

      Made again. Rosemary worked well in place of oregano, underneath the tomatoes so it didn't dry out completely. Grape tomatoes (uncut) also worked well. 4.5 lb chicken cooked 3 hours (salted 1 hr ahead) was falling-apart tender and still very moist with crisp-ish skin.

    • anya_sf on December 23, 2019

      Roasted for 2.5 hours (4.5 lb chicken), the chicken was tender and juicy. I didn't have time to salt the chicken ahead. Some additional guidance would have been helpful. I left the garlic cut side up, but think the cloves would have softened more cut side down. The oregano was strewn on top and dried out, when I should have made sure it was under the tomatoes. We mopped up the tomatoes and juices with bread. Delicious and easy, as long as you have plenty of time. My mother-in-law said it was the best chicken she'd ever eaten.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      My oven probably runs hot because I found the chicken slight overcooked at the end. Very tasty flavour though and ample sauce.

  • Low and slow rib roast with rosemary and anchovy

    • DKennedy on February 25, 2023

      We made this for our supper club entree 2/23. We made a 3 rib roast for 8 guests. We salted it two days before our dinner but, in my opinion, did not season it sufficiently, and we kept it covered til day off. Next time I will season WAY MORE HEAVILY and let it sit uncovered in back of fridge til day off, allowing it to pull out the excess moisture and concentrate flavor. We are doing a re-do of this dish next week to see how much difference this will make. this time we are getting a 4 rib roast. The low and slow technique is interesting. Note that it took longer than expected to reach the optimal internal temperature in Susan's steam oven. The anchovy sauce is a keeper.

  • Melon with crispy ham and ricotta salata

    • DKennedy on February 25, 2023

      Starter for our supper club 2/23. The standout dish of our meal. Stunningly good. Would make a perfect light meal with a baguette and butter and a crispy glass of white. The technique of crisping the prosciutto was brilliant.

    • Lepa on July 05, 2022

      This was okay but the melon wasn't great and that surely impacted this simple dish. The crisped prosciutto was amazing- we couldn't stop eating it. I will definitely use that trick again!

    • Rutikazooty on July 10, 2023

      This is the kind of perfect dish that epitomizes why I am such a Roman fan! After we made this at supper club, I would dream about it. It’s one of those simple brilliant bringing together of taste and texture that frizzles your insides. We did source ricotta salata (which is possible in LA) which I had never had before. Omg—make this. (And I’m in the supper club with DKennedy).

    • pattyatbryce on July 31, 2024

      Nice take on a classic. The crisping boosted the dish. Super simple to put together.

  • Summer squash with basil, Parmesan, and toasted buckwheat

    • DKennedy on February 25, 2023

      Supper club menu 2/23. Very nice presentation. Requires last minute prep.

  • Spicy caramelized leeks with fresh lemon

    • DKennedy on February 25, 2023

      Supper club side 2/23. We made two versions of this dish, one with the harissa, one without. I only ate the non harissa version which was very good. Both sides were visually stunning.

    • blintz on February 19, 2020

      This is very fun and easy to make (massaging harrissa into the layers!) and you can't stop eating it — even the burnt parts. The diced lemon and sea salt at the end are important. The next day we added the leftover leeks and lemon to a green salad and it was a wonderful addition. I'll double the recipe next time.

    • Skamper on July 15, 2020

      I love leeks, and these were tasty, but they were very hard to cut and eat. Not sure I'd make again.

  • Spicy pork meatballs in brothy tomatoes and toasted fennel

    • TrishaCP on June 11, 2023

      These were good with tweaks (reduced the water by a cup and the vinegar by a tablespoon). The flavor greatly improved after a day. I used all pork and the meatballs were very very soft and did require a lot of attention to keep from breaking-per Allie Taylor.

    • Zosia on February 12, 2020

      I liked the idea of this dish and perhaps it was just user error but the meatballs were dry, though quite delicious, and some family had issues with the acidity of the broth and the number of tomato skins in it.

    • unterekless on January 16, 2020

      Shocked the stars for this are low. We did it with 100% pork and absolutely loved it. Definitely wanted to drink all of the broth.

    • lou_weez on July 09, 2020

      I used a pork/veal mince for the meatballs and found they were a bit dry. Used beef stock instead of water and the broth was very tasty.

    • averythingcooks on January 02, 2020

      I made this using a 50/50 beef / pork mix, a combo of red & yellow grape tomatoes and beef broth in place of water. I sliced yesterday's focaccia horizontally and broiled it slathered with a garlic, parsley & Parmesan butter and then cut it into "fingers" to dip in the flavourful sauce. I found it spicier than my husband did but overall it was a very tasty dinner!

    • Skamper on July 09, 2020

      Delicious. I used half ground pork, half ground Turkey. Served with crusty bread to go with the delicious broth.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      Wayyyyy too much broth. It was too liquidy and the meatballs fell apart. I don't know how others had such dry meatballs? Mine were wet.

    • AllieTaylor on May 04, 2023

      Super! I used half lamb (500g) then 500g of pork (70%) and beef (30%). Really good. The meatballs are very tender so lots of care needed to cook them.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      Easy to put together but doesn't stand out

  • Torn plum browned-butter cake

    • TrishaCP on August 06, 2021

      I love marzipan but I didn’t like this cake. Didn’t like the honey, and didn’t like that my cake got singed on the edges in order to cook through the middle.

    • Astrid5555 on September 27, 2020

      Not my favorite plum cake but quite ok. Had a real marzipan-y taste to it from the almond flour.

    • meggan on August 29, 2020

      Mine took a long time and the middle still didn't set - next time I might try a pie plate or something more shallow. It was easy and delicious though.

    • raybun on November 12, 2019

      Mine needed longer in the oven and my fruit sunk. I used fresh figs instead of plums, it tasted amazing!

    • ChelseaP on July 07, 2022

      Same issues as everyone else with timing and I sadly ended up pulling it out too early so it was a bit undercooked in the middle. Flavours were great though.

    • Samallyn6 on August 22, 2020

      Easy but delicious, perfect to take to a small gathering.

  • Wine-roasted artichokes

    • blintz on November 15, 2019

      Fun, different way to cook whole artichokes. The outside leaves are blackened in the roasting process, but still edible. A bit oily to pick up and eat, but oh! that winey oil is delicious!

  • Tiny peppers with yuzu kosho

    • Astrid5555 on December 04, 2021

      Quite spicy, but totally addictive, will be my new go-to way of cooking shishitos.

    • bernalgirl on July 23, 2021

      A lovely way to cook shishito or padrón peppers, the yuzu kosho adds depth and complexity even if you think none is needed. I went light on the lime and passed additional wedges at the table. I’ll be making this all summer long.

    • Skamper on June 26, 2020

      These made a tasty snack. I only made 15-16 peppers, so eyeballed the amounts of everything else. I've always made shishitos this way, but without the yuzu kosho, which was a terrific addition. I used green yuzu kosho. Will definitely make again.

  • Spicy tomato-marinated feta

    • Astrid5555 on February 29, 2020

      Made as part of an aperitivo spread, perfect effort to outcome ratio!

    • abrownb1 on November 08, 2019

      Easy to make and tastes better the longer it marinates. I found myself sneaking bits for breakfast the whole week long! I used more juicy tomatoes so never really got a thick sauce but was still very good.

    • KarinaFrancis on December 28, 2019

      For 15 mins work this is makes impressive addition to a mezze platter or casual aperitivo spread I’ll be making this again over the summer. Update: I've made this 3 times in 3 weeks, and planning my next batch

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I love feta and this is an excellent way to jazz it up. It went great on some toasted rye bread I had on hand.

  • Coconut-braised chicken with chickpeas and lime

    • Astrid5555 on December 12, 2021

      Just let me have the sauce with chickpeas over rice, again and again please! This was extraordinary. I used bone in chicken thighs and they were delicious, but as mentioned before not really necessary, I would have been happy with just the sauce and chickpeas over rice, just to repeat myself.

    • KarinaFrancis on August 17, 2023

      Bloody delicious! Like a previous reviewer, I thought there was twice as much sauce as needed, but it was so good I ate it like a soup. Next time I’ll use boneless thighs and have some rice for all that sauce.

    • Rinshin on January 25, 2022

      Skipped chili pepper altogether to keep the spiciness down for my husband. Mine had lots of oil floating on top that needed to be removed. Added baby pak choi few minutes before ready to serve. I think this dish would please most people.

    • VineTomato on April 19, 2020

      I'm eating mostly veggie these days and didn't feel like substituting with a mock chicken so just used chickpeas. This curry was outstanding - I absolutely loved it. Alison Roman would say without chicken it is a different recipe! But one worth trying if you are veggie. There were two ingredients that elevated the whole thing, Brindisa Navarrico chickpeas (the most amazing chickpeas I have ever eaten) and fresh turmeric (delightful). The raw onion on the top is wonderful.

    • julesamomof2 on June 10, 2022

      As written, this recipe did not work for me. I pretty much knew going in that if I braised chicken breasts for over an hour they would be dry, so I removed them from the pot after about 25 minutes and then had to boil the sauce until it reduced to a stew like consistency, putting the chicken back in at the end to warm through. I would say I could have used 1/2 the liquid and gotten similar results. I used very large bone in chicken breasts and thighs and the dark meat was better. She does say in the recipe header either will work, and by the end the meat should be falling off the bone. If I make this again (big if, but I might) I would use all thighs and about half the liquid. I would also pour off the chicken fat after browning as it was a little greasy. All that said, it did have nice flavor and was salvaged with alot of tweaking.

    • clcorbi on January 21, 2022

      Agree that this was excellent.

    • khopkins1012 on August 20, 2020

      This was a hit! Working off of previous comments, I used 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Instead of canola oil, I used 2 TB chicken fat to replace lost fat from a skin-on cut of chicken.

    • averythingcooks on July 26, 2023

      I used 4 boneless, skinless thighs with 1/2 the sauce and then to make it a more complete bowl, added broccoli, sweet red peppers, extra chickpeas and then wilted spinach in at the end. I used a 50:50 mix of gochujang & tomato paste & cut back the red pepper flakes, knowing I could dial up the heat later if necessary (which I did do). The big squeeze of lime at the end certainly brightened it up and I also thought it benefitted from a shot of honey. We ate this with naan for dipping and both quite liked it.

    • anya_sf on January 14, 2020

      I took pattyatbryce's suggestion to use boneless, skinless thighs (1.5 lbs) so the meat could easily be shredded in the sauce. Even after reducing, there was a lot of sauce, but it was so tasty, we certainly didn't mind. I added 8 oz baby spinach at the end. Not wanting it to be too spicy, I used mild gochujang and only 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, which was a pleasant level of spice my son could tolerate. This was just delicious, and we enjoyed it with lime, cilantro, and peanuts, but next time I'll skip the raw onion.

    • pattyatbryce on January 07, 2020

      Very nice, but surprisingly mild. My husband loved it. If you use boneless/skinless thighs and cook long enough, you can pull the chicken meat in the sauce. Yum.

    • Skamper on June 13, 2020

      This was delicious. The headnote points out that it can be made in the instant pot, but she begs you to try the stovetop method at least once to smell the wonderful aromas as it cooks. I had really intended to do that, but then work, life, blah, blah, and it was almost 7 pm so instant pot it was. I made a half batch with 4 bone-in, skin-on thighs. I browned them as directed and cooked on high pressure for 6 minutes, reducing the broth to 1 cup and adding half the coconut milk before cooking and half after. After, I removed the skin and cut the chicken from the bone into chunks and returned it to the pot. From that perspective, it seems like it makes more sense to use boneless, skinless thighs as others have pointed out, though I'm sure that lovely fond and chicken fat also helped the sauce. I used yellow onion but skipped the raw onion in the finished dish. Served over rice. Will definitely make again.

    • ripleypickles on October 15, 2021

      Tons of umami. Add mushrooms. Eats like soup, so served over rice.

    • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

      This was phenomenal! It really blew me away. I served it with rice and it was just perfection. The leftovers were even better the next day. Because I am cooking for two, I find that cutting the recipes for the salads and mains work well for us.

    • Pimlicocook on August 29, 2021

      Delicious: exactly what I felt like eating on a cool, grey day. Loads of flavour and easy to make (just takes a bit of time). Followed the recipe (halved), just removed some of the fat after browning the chicken and turned up the heat at the end to thicken the sauce a bit. Definitely will make again.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      This was an ok recipe for me. Nothing spectacular but easy to assemble and harmonious flavour.

  • Any excuse to make shrimp cocktail

    • abrownb1 on December 26, 2019

      Only made the cocktail sauce but it was easy and delicious. Simple to make with ingredients in the house and the harissa is a nice little spin that makes it a little more special but doesn't stray far from the classic

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I too enjoy any excuse for a shrimp cocktail! The sauce was divine, definitely going into heavy rotation at my house!

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      Beware that the recipes makes way more cocktail sauce than needed. I used yuzu kosho and it was very nice (but so much sauce! SO MUCH).

  • Crushed baby potatoes with scallion, celery, and lots of dill

    • eliza on July 05, 2021

      I made this potato salad based on her YouTube video using potatoes from my garden. I liked the idea of crushing the potatoes, and loved the tang of the acid and grainy mustard along with the dill. Will definitely repeat.

    • KarinaFrancis on August 30, 2020

      I’m a big fan of all kinds of potato salads, mayonnaise or not and this is no exception. I loved the tang from the lemon, the crunch from the celery and the zest from the herbs. Like Lepa I served this with the buttered salmon from the same book. Winner!

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      I was skeptical about this salad because, unlike AR, I like potato salad with mayo but this combination was a winner. We ate it with the Buttered salmon with Red Onion and Dill (also in this book) and it was a great foil to the rich fish dish. The recipe notes that one can add fish (like sardines) to the salad and I think that would be even better.

    • meginyeg on July 23, 2023

      This was delicious. Excellent way to use up garden potatoes and dill.

    • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

      I served this with Alison's pork chop recipe from Dining In and it made for a great date night dinner. It was definitely a fresh take on potato salad and my husband, who is normally vegetable adverse, had three servings. I didn't add the anchovy but did munch on a couple while putting the salad together. Somehow I think Alison would still approve. Will definitely make again and again.

  • Scallops with spicy beans, tomatillo, and citrus

    • chefmichael on July 12, 2021

      My wife and I DEMOLISHED this. Absolutely loved it. Started with 1lb of scallops and kept the rest of the ingredients as specified in the recipe, right down to the aleppo pepper on hand in my pantry. The raw tomatillos were a revelation and a treat. I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe except perhaps to make it regularly with other seafoods also like shrimp.

    • anya_sf on February 28, 2020

      Disappointing. There were 3 of us, so I used 1 pound of scallops but the full amount of other ingredients. I still had to cook the scallops in batches (in cast iron) and the scallop juices ended up caramelizing too much (i.e., burning) so the beans acquired an off flavor. Overall, we thought this dish was less than the sum of its parts. We had it with basmati rice. We did enjoy the citrus and tomatillos, so perhaps I'd try it without the beans (but with the rice).

  • Tomato-y beans with preserved lemon and bread crumbs

    • bernalgirl on August 08, 2023

      A very nice side dish, not off the charts enough to stand alone as a main but great with the rest of a Mediterranean-inspired meal. Maybe needs more preserved lemon. I used Ranch Gordo white limas.

    • VineTomato on March 22, 2020

      I've cooked a few of Alison Roman's recipes recently and they have all been packed full of flavour, so was expecting the same from this dish. It was good, but did not pack her usual flavour punch. I used Rancho Gordo corona beans, and served it with grilled cabbage wedges with lemon and Parmesan. Overall not a big hit with Mr VT. With so many other bean recipes to try I doubt I will come back to this one.

    • Skamper on January 08, 2023

      I love beans but found these to be pretty meh. I used dried great northern beans and tried to amp the flavor by adding 1 T of BTB chicken broth to the water.

    • Running_with_Wools on July 30, 2021

      I thought these were really delicious. I actually skipped the preserved lemons, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Used gluten free bread crumbs, too. But I crisped them in the olive oil as directed and they tasted great. I used canned cannelini beans.

  • Salmon with soy and citrusy charred scallions

    • bernalgirl on April 12, 2021

      Straightforward and delicious, the charred scallion sauce is wonderful on the salmon. Add the raw scallions at the last minute for textural interest, or about 10 minutes before serving if you want to tone it down a bit.

    • chawkins on June 25, 2022

      Delicious and easy. Great use of my garden scallions.

    • KarinaFrancis on January 30, 2020

      There was just the 2 of us so I cooked individual pieces instead of a large piece. The charred shallots in the dressing was the best bit and I’m going to use that idea again.

    • julesamomof2 on December 11, 2019

      The preparation for this salmon dish is standard slow roasting; what made is special was the idea of aggressively searing the scallions (mine were charred in places) and adding those to a citrusy soy 'dressing'. To make it a more complete dish I stir fried mushrooms and asparagus and added them on top of a bed of brown rice, all drizzled everything with the soy mixture. We like this a lot.

    • Zosia on January 07, 2020

      Great flavour, good texture and very easy to make. The dressing was also delicious on the accompaniments of stir fried bok choy and brown rice I served with it. The salmon took double the time in my oven to reach "medium", the way we prefer it.

    • Barb_N on February 04, 2020

      It took 20 minutes for my fish to reach medium. A nice dressing, though it could have worked with less oil.

    • Lepa on October 09, 2023

      I made this for a dinner party and served it with rice and the turmeric cucumber salad in the book. It was a great combination of flavors. The salmon needed twenty minutes and was tender and delicious with the scallion sauce.

    • anya_sf on December 27, 2019

      I just had one bunch of scallions, so I sliced one raw and charred the rest, and skipped the red pepper flakes as some family members don't like spicy food. We preferred our salmon less rare, so it roasted 15 minutes. Served over herbed basmati rice, the salmon was absolutely delicious and moist.

    • Baxter850 on May 25, 2021

      Great dish. Bright with the citrus and deeply flavored with the soy. Don’t overcook the salmon!

    • dbruijn on August 08, 2020

      Ammmmmmaaaaazing.

    • snoozermoose on August 28, 2022

      I was worried this would be too citrusy but the sauce was perfect. Very balanced and just tart enough to cut through the richness of the salmon. The charred scallions were a lovely touch.

  • Swordfish with crushed olives and oregano

    • bernalgirl on August 07, 2023

      Very straightforward and very good. The olives are a beautiful compliment to the fish. Will happily make this again next time I can get good swordfish.

    • anya_sf on December 15, 2019

      I cooked 2 swordfish steaks, each about 12 oz. They ended up more medium to medium-well done, but that was fine with us, as they were moist and flavorful. I just had a few Castelvetrano olives left and had to supplement with "regular" green olives, which were quite briny, rather than buttery. My husband and I enjoyed the flavor anyway, but our son thought the brine was too strong. I do think it's worth seeking out Castelvetrano olives for this dish. This recipe was quick and easy to prepare; I'd definitely make this again.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      So easy and so delicious! Makes me want to cook and eat swordfish more.

    • jenburkholder on September 19, 2021

      This was absolutely delicious. Swordfish was the special at Whole Foods - fresh and in season. Used a 6 oz drained weight packet of Castelvetrano olives that were already pitted, so I just tore them into halves/pieces with my hands. It was just the right amount, and everything just worked together beautifully. So easy and very very good. Even my husband who rarely comments on food said he really liked it.

    • Running_with_Wools on June 24, 2022

      I made this using cod instead of swordfish and it was fantastic. Fresh, bright, easy and delicious.

    • rachelleg88 on October 22, 2021

      Fast, easy and delish!!

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      Super easy weeknight dinner. Flavour works well as I normally find swordfish pretty boring.

  • Vinegared apples with persimmon and white cheddar

    • bernalgirl on November 25, 2023

      I riffed on this recipe, using the mixture as the “frosting” on a basic little gem and radicchio greens base for Thanksgiving dinner. The vinegared fruit offered a refreshing palette cleanser with the meal, with the cheddar giving some needed heft.

    • lou_weez on April 25, 2020

      Amazing!!! Crunchy, sweet, tangy, creamy cheese...ooohhh so good.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I made this with the Asian pears she recommended as an alternative to the persimmons. It was great! The horseradish provides just the right amount of tang but isn’t overwhelming my toddler even ate it!

    • Lsblackburn1 on December 14, 2020

      Excellent side dish for a very rich quiche. Loved the horseradish in this.

    • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

      I added arugula to make a salad. This was absolutely divine! I loved the combination of the sweet and tangy apples and persimmon (my new favorite salad fruit!) with the spicy horseradish and the rich and creamy cheddar. I used Trader Joe's unexpected cheddar which was brilliant in this application.

  • Pot of pasta with broccoli rabe and chorizo bread crumbs

    • wcassity on April 29, 2020

      Tasty. Good weeknight pasta. I used rabe, rigatoni, and made an improvised chorizo with ground pork and fresh bread crumbs.

    • Zosia on January 21, 2020

      Very flavourful and fairly quick to make. I didn't have tomato paste so cooked down half a large can of plum tomatoes. I also substituted broccoli for broccoli rabe which made this dish more family-friendly in my home. Out of habit, I added it to the pasta pot during the last few minutes of cooking rather than cooking it with the tomatoes. The crumbs added delicious crunch.

    • averythingcooks on May 28, 2021

      I took some liberties with the sauce based on comments here, my pantry/fridge and versions we have liked (looking at you SFAH) ie hot Italian sausage, broccoli, some aromatics etc. BUT a huge shout out to Alison Roman for the idea to cook/toast the breadcrumbs in the fat rendered from the spicy sausages - a DELICIOUS topper for a bowl of pasta served out of the pan.

    • anya_sf on February 16, 2020

      I only had 1 cup panko, but that was enough for the topping. After cooking down the broccoli rabe, I decided I wanted more veg (for a one-pot meal), so I added a pound of frozen chopped spinach, which fortunately cooked quickly. Next time I'll double the broccoli rabe. I loved this, but my son found the chorizo a bit too spicy and the broccoli rabe a bit too bitter, so for kids maybe use mild Italian sausage and regular broccoli.

    • dprostrollo on December 13, 2019

      This was really good. Used fusilli instead of rigatoni because it's what I had, and green beans in place of the broccoli (also because it's what I had to hand). Definitely a repeat recipe.

    • jhallen on March 20, 2021

      I really thought I was going to like this, but in the end of the day, I just didn’t. It was not that flavorful and the texture wasn’t great.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      It was tasty but nothing noteworthy. Sausage & bitter green pasta is kind of generic to be honest.

    • snoozermoose on October 12, 2022

      This was fine. I'm not convinced it's better than the classic sausage and broccoli rabe pasta. We liked the breadcrumbs, but they did make the pasta feel drier.

  • Creamy goat cheese with lemony za'atar

    • scritchley on January 28, 2020

      Really good! We ate it with ak-mak crackers for some extra sesame.

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      If you really like lemon (I do!) this is a nice dip. Beware, it makes a lot!

    • snackbaby on July 11, 2023

      really tasty, lovely combination of flavors. I did not use the entire lemon, just the zest and flesh, but skipped the rind. made for a potluck, was a hit.

  • Creamy cauliflower and onion gratin

    • chawkins on October 09, 2023

      Very easy and delicious. I made a quarter of the recipe with about 12 oz of cauliflower and used the no-breadcrumb variation. I did not find it too rich as noted by some other commentors.

    • VineTomato on May 31, 2020

      Amazing! So unhealthy but so, so, so good. Served with the chicory and preserved lemon salad.

    • lou_weez on June 06, 2021

      Paired with the chicken from the same book this was a creamy, crunchy and totally yummy side dish.

    • leighwhit25 on November 19, 2019

      I’ve never made cauliflower gratin before so I don’t have much to compare it to but this was really delicious. I chose the non breadcrumb option but I think it would be delicious either way. It looked dry after the first 20 min so I added more cream but it ended up being too much so next time I will stick with proportions given. Single handedly ate 1/3 of it all by myself. Oops. (Edit-ate the entire dish myself over 4 days. It’s even good cold. So good.)

    • anya_sf on December 25, 2019

      I baked this in a round, high-sided casserole. The cauliflower needed an extra 10 minutes covered to become tender. In hindsight, the sides of the casserole were probably too high, as the cream did not fully reduce, so the breadcrumbs ended up rather soggy. This dish was rather too rich, but definitely delicious.

    • pattyatbryce on January 07, 2020

      Very good, but rich. Definitely a good one for vegetarian company.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      So delicious with roasted chicken and a green salad!

    • Mlr5 on May 10, 2021

      Good. Not amazing. I didn’t use breadcrumbs so maybe they'd have made it next level. Good for keto without the breadcrumbs.

  • Casual apple tart with caramelized buttermilk

    • Wende on February 15, 2023

      I have made this so many times. It's really good and hard to mess up. The pastry recipe used for this always turns out perfectly - it makes enough for two tarts, so I use one and freeze the other for later. My favorite combo is a mix of Honeycrisp andPink Lady apples with all three of the spices. I've made it with the apples neatly shingled and just piled up. Piled is easier, but I don't notice the apples shrinking as much when they are shingled - I'm sure they do, it's just not as noticeable. I've gotten so many compliments whenever I've served this to guests that it has become my go-to dessert when I have people over.

    • raybun on November 10, 2019

      This was delicious! I alternated Granny Smiths & red apples so they wouldn’t collapse after reading a comment by another baker. I definitely didn’t use a whole 1/3 cup of buttermilk either, maybe a tablespoon. Divine served with vanilla ice-cream .

    • bwhip on December 25, 2021

      Delicious! Crust (from the same book) was delicate and flaky. I used Granny Smiths, with cinnamon. I’ll make this again for sure.

  • Grilled lamb shoulder over fresh garlicky tomatoes

    • KarinaFrancis on December 21, 2019

      In a word, delicious! We used a butterflied leg instead of shoulder and we’d do that again. Took the advice to serve it with a salsa verde, which paired perfectly. Will do this again, it’s a great summer dish

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      I made this whole menu and IG'd Alison Roman to tell her it was a hit! She replied :) Highly recommend for a summer dinner with friends.

  • Smashed sweet potatoes with maple and sour cream

    • KarinaFrancis on January 15, 2020

      I liked this but probably not enough to make it again. I used walnuts for crunch instead of the buckwheat. I don’t think it’s necessary to roast them directly on the oven racks (I’ve got nuggets of caramelised sweet potato juice to deal with) a tray would work just as well.

    • Zosia on December 23, 2019

      This is a great method of preparing sweet potatoes producing a crisp exterior with a creamy centre. I omitted the butter and sour cream to keep it vegan and used only 2 tbsp maple syrup and lots of lime. Good enough to almost convert the sweet potato hater in the family.

    • leighwhit25 on November 18, 2019

      I found some small sweet potatoes at the farmers market so I had to try this. Smashing and crisping the sweet potatoes in butter is genius. I didn’t think the other components elevated the dish though. I prepped half of my sweet potatoes without the sour cream, buckwheat, maple and half with and we preferred the simple ones. Oh well.

    • ChefBeccs on May 14, 2020

      Kids loved this

    • taste24 on June 11, 2020

      I was a little skeptical of the lime sour cream against the sweetness, but these were delicious. I did not have any buckwheat so did not include it.

  • A very good lasagna

    • stockholm28 on February 16, 2020

      This is a very good lasagne and individual pieces freeze and reheat nicely. I used a 1 lb box DeCecco lasagne noodles and came up a couple noodles short so finished the top layer with a couple of no boil noodles that I had on shelf; they worked fine. Next time I will buy another box of lasagna noodles. It would have been much more manageable if I’d made the sauce the day before. The cheese kind of melded in to the sauce as the layers were fairly thin.

    • Lepa on June 07, 2020

      This is my family's favorite lasagna and I've previously reviewed it but would like to add that this recipe works well with homemade lasagna noodles without any adjustments at all and it was lovely.

    • Lepa on November 16, 2019

      My family loved this lasagna - my kids said it was the best I have ever made. We like anything with anchovies and I think that's what put it over the edge for us. I will certainly make this again.

    • raybun on November 12, 2019

      Excellent for a meatless lasagna! I appreciated not having to make a béchamel and the anchovies in the sauce went undetected by the Fussy Child. Leftovers were not so good the next day so l’ll scale down for the 3 of us next time.

    • anya_sf on January 21, 2021

      It was good, not super exciting - I think I prefer meat and/or veggie lasagnas more than plain cheese. Using 1 lb DeCecco lasagne, there were just enough noodles for my dish. There was barely enough sauce for the top, but it still worked out. Fresh mozzarella is hard to shred, so I used 1 lb pre-sliced fresh mozzarella, half of which I chopped and mixed into the ricotta (I had 20 oz and used it all), the rest of the slices placed on top. For the other 8 oz mozzarella, I used part-skim (not fresh) as I had it on hand.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      This is such a good lasagna!

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      I'm not sure if being meat-free made it better but it was very tasty. Leftover froze well.

  • Chicories with preserved lemon, yogurt, and mint

    • VineTomato on May 31, 2020

      I really enjoyed this strange salad, served alongside Alison's cauliflower cheese

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      This hit all my favorite flavors: radicchio, preserved lemon and yogurt. The result was a sparkly, delicious salad.

  • Hard-roasted spiced cauliflower

    • unterekless on February 23, 2021

      Really one of the best preparations of cauliflower. A little more chili pepper than needed in general (kind of overpowered other stuff) but I've clearly been roasting my cauliflower at too low of a temp this whole time.

    • anya_sf on December 03, 2019

      My cauliflower was huge, so it barely fit on the sheet pan, which probably caused it to steam a bit, but I left it in the oven long enough to char a bit, which is critical. I used half the red pepper flakes for less spice. Feta cheese was very nice with the cauliflower, but it would be good on its own. Everyone loved this dish.

    • AndieEats on April 28, 2021

      Absolutely delicious and made for a satisfying meal. Threw in a little cumin seed as well. Served half a head of cauliflower with leftover creamy sesame tumeric dip (same book) and some falafel, for 2.

    • Jviney on January 20, 2021

      Wow, was this excellent. Perfectly spicy and crispy and my husband and I ate it all.

    • snoozermoose on November 06, 2022

      I accidentally crowded my pan due to my cauliflower being quite big, so my cauliflower steamed rather than roasted, but the spice mix was really tasty and not too strong. The red chili flakes give this quite a kick (a little too much for my taste), so I would cut that down next time, but everything else was perfect.

    • Soulkitchenjen on November 07, 2022

      Very good. Requires more salt than the recipe suggests. Definitely use less red pepper flake or it would take over. Might benefit from a squeeze of lemon.

  • Smashed cucumbers with sizzled turmeric and garlic

    • Barb_N on February 04, 2020

      I did not taste the garlic oil and felt the turmeric added a bitter note. I prefer Fuchsia Dunlop’s recipe from Every Grain of Rice.

    • Lepa on October 09, 2023

      This is good and a great accompaniment to the salmon with soy scallions in the same book.

    • Skamper on June 30, 2022

      We both liked this. I made a half batch. Served with the citrus salmon from the same book.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      This is too good! Addictive. I ate almost half of the bowl before serving it :-/

  • The greatest creamed greens

    • tarae1204 on December 28, 2021

      This rich, easy stovetop recipe made a wonderful holiday side. I used a large bunch chard and one of spinach. This was delicious and I cannot wait to make it again.

    • anya_sf on July 15, 2020

      I used 1 bunch lacinato kale and 1 bunch chard. The kale took much longer to cook to an edible state and I had to add extra water to the pot. I also ended up chopping it much smaller. After tasting the cooked greens, I thought this was going to be awful, but the cream transformed the greens into something delicious. I didn't know whether to remove the garlic; I removed the larger chunks and smashed the smaller ones. The greens cooked down a lot - next time I will use 3 bunches. I only needed half the creme fraiche. I would definitely make this again, but only with tender greens like spinach and chard. I made the bread crumbs (with less oil) and enjoyed the crunch with the super rich greens.

    • Lsblackburn1 on April 26, 2022

      So simple, but delicious. I used collard greens and chard and cooked them down with a little chicken stock to help them soften up. The next day leftovers were even better since the cream had thickened more.

    • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

      I had a pound of spinach that needed to be used so I made this recipe and served with eggs over easy topped with guanciale breadcrumbs (also from Nothing Fancy) - it was the most decadent and delicious breakfast I've had in ages! I will definitely make again!

  • Salted honey panna cotta with crushed raspberries

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      My family loved this. The panna cotta is made with buttermilk and sour cream and it has a lovey tang. It's not too sweet. The raspberry/apple cider mixture is a lovely accompaniment. Please note that while the recipe says it needs at least an hour to chill, we found that it was still pretty watery after two hours. I think 4 hours or more would be ideal.

    • anya_sf on January 14, 2021

      I made 1/3 recipe for 3 relatively light portions. I may not have used enough gelatin as the panna cottas did not fully set, even after several hours (and 1 hour would certainly not be long enough). I made 1/2 the topping (which wasn't that much) using thawed frozen blackberries and raspberries and lime juice. Despite not fully setting, this dessert was delicious.

    • pattyatbryce on March 01, 2024

      Great way to use up buttermilk and cream. Very nice flavor, but makes a TON. I also had trouble with getting it fully set, but I did use some creme fraiche that was thinner than commercial sour cream and that might have been the problem.

  • Celery salad with cilantro and sesame

    • Lepa on March 01, 2020

      I made this because I didn't want to leave the house and needed something green to serve with a rich dinner. I only had celery and some herbs and I remembered this salad but had low expectations. We ended up loving it! It is refreshing and tasty and has completely changed my mind about celery salads! Highly recommend!

    • khopkins1012 on January 09, 2020

      This bright and crunchy salad paired well with roast chicken and potatoes. The recipe was flexible enough to accommodate 2 handfuls of salad greens and thinly sliced, half moons of cucumbers.

    • Skamper on February 11, 2020

      This was a tasty accompaniment to sticky chili chicken (p. 196). A half batch was just enough for two servings. I used a bit more celery (3 stalks), a bit less jalapeno (a bit less than half), and a generous cup of cilantro, per personal taste.

    • Xyz123 on October 24, 2021

      Absolutely delicious! I add a lot more celery to this because there’s enough juice to accommodate.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      I made this salad for my dad because he had leftover celery and it blew his mind LOL. Very delicious and refreshing! Especially if you're eating something more meat-y.

    • ellwell on January 19, 2024

      Everyone liked this salad a lot and even asked for the recipe. I was underwhelmed, perhaps because I was disappointed by my pairing with lamb burgers and roasted squash. It would have been better with chicken or maybe something with Asian flavors.

  • Overnight focaccia, tonight

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      This turned out very badly. I don't know why. It was hard and flavorless. We ate a bit and threw most of it away.

    • averythingcooks on January 02, 2020

      I was certainly not as excited by the outcome as I expected to be. I did cut the recipe in half (easy based on quantities and it fit perfectly in my small PChef stoneware bar pan). I expected a "chewier" result but it really is "breadier" (if that makes sense). I also think the dough itself needed more salt and the top even more oil than I used - which seemed to be a lot at the time!

    • Lnbrittain on February 20, 2022

      Used this for the Pizza Night recipe. It was easy to make but made a fluffy pizza dough instead of a regular one. I like focaccia that has developed its flavor longer, like overnight in the fridge. This didn’t have a lot of flavor. Loved the creativity in the pizza night instructions, though.

    • snackbaby on July 11, 2023

      was very excited when I put this in the oven, a little less excited when it came out as it looked rather dry. however, I was very pleasantly surprised by it when I started eating it; very crunchy and soft inside. I was especially impressed by the bottom, which was very crunchy but also a little greasy. I think the top perhaps could use more olive oil; the instructions regarding this are rather vague in the recipe. I also agree it could perhaps use a bit more salt. in short, not a perfect recipe, but also not a fussy one, and I'll be making this one again with some adjustments!

  • Tangy roasted mushrooms

    • Lepa on November 09, 2019

      I liked this. It's good on crackers with some goat cheese or labne.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I made these to go with the marinated feta as snacketizers one evening. I loved the flavor but wish I’d eaten the mushrooms closer to when they came out of the oven. They lost some of their crispy texture marinating.

    • RightHemisphere on August 11, 2021

      So delicious! Love having these on hand for cheeseboards, snack spreads, and for those days when your salad or dish needs a little something special. I prefer using a mix of smaller mushrooms for visuals, but have also used oyster mushrooms.

  • Crushed blackberry and cornmeal cake

    • Lepa on December 04, 2019

      The corn/blackberry taste was nice but we didn't like the gritty texture from the medium-grind cornmeal (and the blackberry seeds!) This won't be a repeat in our house.

    • ripleypickles on May 29, 2021

      Delicious and not too sweet, especially served hot with vanilla ice cream. If you don't like a lot of texture, use finer ground cornmeal. I'd also skip the folding in of the blackberries and instead layer cornmeal mixture on the bottom, top with half the blackberries and then repeat so it looks prettier.

  • Escarole with mustard and spicy guanciale bread crumbs

    • lou_weez on July 05, 2020

      This is a delicious salad. I used baby gem lettuce as that's all I could find and omitted the chilli as I wanted the kidlets to eat it. Will definitely make this again.

  • Grilled carrots with limey hot sauce and cotija

    • lou_weez on April 27, 2020

      I loved these!! Carrots aren't in my top 5 vegetable list, but dressing them in this tangy sauce made them amazing. I can't wait to do these again.

    • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

      Love these! So easy but elevated. Good at any temperature. I had to leave my carrots in the oven a little longer, but that can be somewhat typical in Alison’s recipes. The hot sauce is sweet, tangy, and spicy and the cotija is salty and delicious. Add that to already delicious roasted carrots and you’ve got a winner!

  • Steamed broccoli: a love letter

    • EmmaJaneDay on April 17, 2022

      Nice and simple. Sprinkled with Aleppo pepper. Used to accompany Sabrina Ghayour’s tray baked lamb chops.

    • anya_sf on December 04, 2019

      This recipe is really just a basic method to steam broccoli. I followed the suggestion to squeeze a whole lemon over the broccoli and sprinkle with flaky salt and the result was very good.

    • Beebopalulu on June 09, 2020

      Good instructions for preparing broccoli. The lemon juice and salt does make it a nice complement to most meals.

    • mbean on February 12, 2022

      Simple, yet somehow I’d never done broccoli this way before. Delish!

  • Spicy marinated anchovies with potato chips

    • khopkins1012 on May 05, 2020

      I ate this at one of Alison Roman’s book tour stops. It was savory, succulent and surprised me in a good way. If I hadn’t been served this, I would’ve never found this sophisticated chip dip.

  • A very fine spritz

    • averythingcooks on June 19, 2022

      I used Aperol and I always have the small (200 mL) bottles of dry Henkel Piccolo on hand as I do love my bubbles! Garnished with frozen slices of both lemon & orange, this was a lovely drink to sip away at during a summer get together on the deck. With a bottle of Aperol now on the bar, I'll be making it all summer :)

    • anya_sf on January 17, 2020

      I used Suze, cheap TJ's sparkling rose, and sparkling mineral water with an orange slice. The orange slice actually boosted the flavor more than expected. It was very fine and very easy to make.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      My go-to summer drink

  • Sumac croutons

    • averythingcooks on August 22, 2023

      These crispy croutons seasoned with sumac (and this time also with some ground Calabrian chiles) were an excellent addition to a cherry tomato feta salad. Note that this is a variation for what she titles "Salad Bar Croutons" and although she says leftover focaccia is an excellent choice, she adds that "nearly any loaf of bread will work" (I used a large whole grain ciabatta bun from Costco that we like). It is also worth noting that the majority of the ingredients listed here (including yeast, bread flour etc) are actually needed to make her focaccia recipe located on page 70.

  • Crispy vinegared potatoes with dried chile

    • averythingcooks on September 06, 2021

      I cut this in 1/2 using some larger fingerlings from the garden sliced as instructed. The 2 of us devoured them...the only thing is I think I'd like an even bigger hit of vinegar. I will try Nigella Lawson's version to compare (distilled white vinegar used here vs Nigella's cider vinegar).

    • ginger2212 on October 16, 2022

      These are good when you want a spiced potato fairly quickly but not my favorite potato dish of Alison's.

    • djnielsen64 on February 07, 2024

      Loved these, will def make again. Be sure to slice on the thinner side. The thinnest slices were the best and crispiest.

  • Little gems with garlicky lemon and pistachio

    • leighwhit25 on November 19, 2019

      Wow, great salad. Used preserved lemon bc my lemons went hard.

    • anya_sf on December 03, 2019

      I was skeptical about using a whole, chopped lemon, but the flavor combination was very good. I used Meyer lemon, which is less sharp. The only quibble we had with this salad was that, since the various dressing components are drizzled on top of lettuce wedges, bites without much dressing are bland. Next time I might try chopping the lettuce and tossing everything together, possibly using less dressing.

    • pattyatbryce on December 09, 2019

      Really easy little side-salad. It could go with just about anything.

    • ChefBeccs on May 14, 2020

      Surprising flavour and texture

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      Very refreshing and delicious! I use a Meyer lemon because I find it to be a little more gentle. Definitely wait until the end for the garlic and lemon bc it does get bitter.

  • Upside-down apricot tart

    • bwhip on July 19, 2020

      Easy and delicious. Really maximizes the apricot flavor. Great warm with vanilla gelato.

    • anya_sf on June 09, 2020

      Super easy to make. I used 1 Trader Joe's puff pastry sheet (9 oz) which was hard to roll out much bigger than 10". For a 9" tart, it would have been better to have the pastry 11" around to account for shrinkage. I baked it a few hours ahead but didn't unmold it until right before serving, as instructed. I thought it would make a big mess since the pastry shrank a lot, but it was fine. There was a lot of liquid, though, so the pastry does get soggy quickly. The flavor was delicious and it was a nice, relatively light summer dessert. We just had it plain, but I'm sure pistachios and/or whipped cream would be great.

  • Ricotta-stuffed shells with burrata, mushrooms, and herbs

    • anya_sf on January 22, 2020

      I'm too lazy to stuff shells, so I followed the suggestion to use rigatoni (the whole 1 pound box) and just mixed the cooked pasta with the ricotta mixture. Using a mixture of hedgehog, trumpet, cremini, and button mushrooms, a lot of liquid was exuded during the roasting process, so I had to drain that off for the mushrooms to brown. I roasted the mushrooms a day ahead so this recipe was actually doable on a weeknight. I love mushrooms and cheese and thought this was just fabulous. The herb topping really brightened the flavors.

    • pattyatbryce on December 09, 2019

      Definitely takes some time, but not very hard at all. The tip about olive oil on pasta after draining was a good one. I made it with burrata, but fresh mozzarella would be an adequate swap.

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      These were delicious but very rich. I'll probably never make again but enjoyed eating.

  • Coconut banana cream pudding

    • anya_sf on April 05, 2020

      I made 1/4 recipe, which just fit in a 1 quart bowl, using slightly fewer graham crackers but 2 small bananas. That served 4 people, so a full recipe could potentially serve 16. Although the pudding was super smooth when warm, it became somewhat grainy when chilled, as if tiny droplets of coconut oil had solidified. Fortunately, my husband and son didn't seem to notice. Next time I would try light coconut milk and either half-and-half or whole milk in the pudding. Everyone enjoyed this.

  • Sungold pasta with lemony shellfish, garlic, and pistachios

    • anya_sf on February 13, 2020

      I used grape tomatoes, as they looked best this time of year. For the seafood, I used a 1 lb bag of small frozen mixed shellfish (shrimp, bay scallops, squid). I used a whole pound of spaghetti and added a pound of frozen haricots verts with the seafood for a one-dish meal - it made a ton. My son doesn't like things too spicy, so I reduced the red pepper flakes by half - he still complained, but I enjoyed the slight kick of spice. My husband and I loved this with both the chopped pistachios and some pecorino on top, our son not so much.

  • Grilled trout with green goddess butter (a whole fish! yes, you can!)

    • anya_sf on May 02, 2020

      I grilled 3 trout (1 per person); cooking instructions were spot on. There was plenty of green goddess butter for the fish and some roasted vegetables as well. The trout skin did not stay crisp, so spooning the butter onto the skin didn't really make sense, as we wanted it on the meat, so I won't bother with that again, but will just serve the butter on the side. The fish and butter were just delicious.

    • pattyatbryce on August 17, 2024

      This was the recipe that tempted me to try. We now love grilled whole fish. My grillmaster husband even asked that we buy a fish basket after our first try. This is an excellent recipe and wouldn't bother with the butter on the skin - just serve with the fish fillet!

  • Chicken and mushroom skillet pie with greens and tarragon

    • anya_sf on January 12, 2020

      The chicken rendered a lot of fat, even though the skin was trimmed, so the butter was not really needed (I did add 1 Tbsp). Since my puff pastry was rectangular, I put the filling in a rectangular casserole, rather than baking it in the skillet. The partially-cooked chicken meat (I used thighs) was a bit difficult to remove from the bone; fully cooked chicken would be easier. My pastry got overly brown and burnt on the edges, which I had to cut away, but we enjoyed the rest of it. The filling was absolutely delicious, although thinner than traditional pot pie filling, so we had it in bowls. This only served 4 in our house.

  • Citrus chicken rested in herbs

    • anya_sf on February 10, 2020

      Amazingly, I found yuzu kosho at TJ's. I used chicken thighs and marinated them 24 hours. Per the suggestion, I roasted sliced fennel and quartered radishes alongside the chicken. The marinade was quite zesty and really made everything taste delicious.

    • Skamper on January 15, 2020

      Gave the chicken - skin especially - gorgeous mahogany look and good flavor. I used about 3 lbs of thighs and a full batch of marinade. I used red yuzu kosho that is quite spicy so only used 1 T. Marinated 24 hours. I blanked on buying parsley and cilantro, so didn't rest it on herbs - curious how much this adds. I rested the chicken on a layer of sliced lemon and orange as it roasted, then poured the reserved marinade over the chicken in the roasting pan and let it rest for 10 minutes.

    • rachelleg88 on February 19, 2021

      Aaaabsolutely delicious. Even after accidentally setting it on fire on the barbecue.

  • Buttered turmeric rice with crushed almonds and herbs

    • anya_sf on August 11, 2021

      I won't rate this since I made significant changes, but I wanted to note those for future reference. I used half the oil and butter, which seemed like a generous amount relative to the amount of rice, but may have affected crust formation. I also used half the almonds (again, seemed like plenty) and the only herb I had was dill. A 12" cast iron pan worked well, but I worried about burning, so turned the heat to low so it didn't get quite so crusty. I fluffed everything together at the end. It was an enjoyable side dish.

  • Roasted radishes with green goddess butter

    • anya_sf on May 02, 2020

      I made the green goddess butter in the food processor, so I didn't bother chopping the herbs, etc., much (if at all) by hand. I just had one bunch of radishes, but also roasted 2 bunches of baby carrots as well. After 15 minutes, the vegetables weren't fully tender or very brown; I ended up roasting them 25 minutes. They were delicious with the green goddess butter (and there was plenty of that for both vegetables and fish).

    • pattyatbryce on August 21, 2024

      Made the butter to go with the whole fish in this book and then used the leftover to go on the radishes later in the week. A winner.

    • jenburkholder on March 07, 2022

      We only made the butter, and it was very tasty. Omitted anchovies to personal preference. Served with salmon.

    • djnielsen64 on June 09, 2024

      The butter is good enough to eat with a spoon!

  • Sheet cake with mascarpone and coffee

    • anya_sf on March 19, 2020

      This final instruction is missing from Step 2 of the recipe: Fold the cream mixture gently into the egg mixture.

    • anya_sf on March 21, 2020

      Better if made a full day ahead. We had it on the first night, but the coffee mixture hadn't soaked much into the cake (almost angel food). The second night, the cake was mostly moistened through, although even then the edges were dry in places. It was delicious, creamy, and not super sweet. Half the recipe served 6.

    • stacymarkow on December 26, 2021

      It's a good thing she doesn't call this a tiramisu, because it was more like a tiramisoup for us. The technique is off here, when I immediately added the mascarpone to the cream it became a lumpy broken mess. Even after the second store trip the filling was way too thin. Cake is good though, would make that again, but filling is off.

    • skvalentine on October 01, 2023

      Made this for my brother's 40th birthday dinner. I put it together (used ladyfingers) around 10 AM and served it around 6 PM. I felt there was a little too much liquid-- next time I would try 1.5 cups of espresso. I also had the issue of the cream mixture turning lumpy, but it didn't seem to effect the finished cake when served. I loved the flavor (used whiskey we had, but would try rum next time).

  • Almost angel food cake

    • anya_sf on March 20, 2020

      Error: 1 cup butter does not 1 stick, it's 2 sticks. Since angel food cake traditionally does not have fat, I assumed 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter was correct. I made 1/2 recipe (using 1/2 stick butter) in a 9"x13" sheet pan and it turned out fine. I used it in the "tiramisu" recipe, but think it would be great in trifle or strawberry "shortcake".

    • Lsblackburn1 on April 13, 2020

      I also used one stick of butter, so only 1/2 a cup. This worked great! Served with whipped cream and strawberries.

  • Tomatoes dressed in toasted fennel and anchovy

    • MADCH82 on July 07, 2024

      delicious. love the sauce. fresh.

  • Lemony aioli

    • Baxter850 on January 08, 2022

      Super easy and super tasty. Just okay as shrimp dipping sauce. Mixed with red remoulade for a killer dipping sauce.

  • Fancy citrusy olives

    • Baxter850 on January 08, 2022

      Great for a party snack. Pull out the citrus slices after a bit. Olives became too bitter but rinsing them and then tossing in olive solved the problem.

  • Smashed eggs and fancy fish on crackers

    • pattyatbryce on March 09, 2024

      More of a suggestion than a recipe, but well worth making. I used toast as the base and it was perfect.

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      This was so easy and super good! She suggests it as a snack, but it’s perfect for brunch too!

  • Vinegar-marinated butter beans

    • pattyatbryce on January 07, 2020

      These were a big surprise for me. I didn't expect to enjoy them as much as I did. Simple nibble to whip up.

    • Longtallfran on May 16, 2023

      I liked these at first but found they suddenly became a bit too vinegary for me after a while. Would make a smaller batch next time and maybe try white wine vinegar (used red this time). Will try again as they are inexpensive and easy to whip up.

  • Spiced and braised short ribs with creamy potatoes

    • pattyatbryce on February 26, 2024

      A hit in our house. Very easy with lots of flavor.

    • Jviney on January 01, 2020

      This recipe was finicky at the beginning - I felt I had to adjust the heat of the burners way down to avoid burning, I didn’t have enough fat in the pan to complete the process, the ribs weren’t submerged in the braising liquid. The house began to smell amazing, however, and when we sat down to dinner we loved it. My potatoes never crisped up, but the tenderness of the meat and the flavor were wonderful. I used water instead of broth and worked just fine.

    • AlineLorieri on May 16, 2021

      We made this last night and it turned out incredibly delicious. So many layers of flavour coming through the entire meal. I love Alison's flavour combos!

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      Alison has a video of this on Youtube but the recipe is pretty straight forward. I enjoyed it but it wasn't the most exciting thing in history. Potato was the best part.

  • Tiny creamy pasta with black pepper and pecorino

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      Creamy enough to be a good alternative to mac and cheese, if you need a little shake up in your standard pasta picks.

  • Trout roe on buttered toast with lemony herbs

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I made one of her suggested variations - using smoked salmon in place of the roe. Amazingly I had some on hand and I loved the combo with the herbs and lemon!

  • Crispy haloumi with honey and pistachio

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I’m a big fan of anything haloumi! I was impatient, probably could have let the cheese go a little longer, but this was still great!

    • Jviney on February 06, 2021

      Super quick and easy, and a fun surprise for guests. Loved this one. Maybe next time, rather than slicing the cheese, I would cube it to make it a little easier to eat with toothpicks...

  • Garlicky beet dip with walnuts

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I love beets and this made for a tangy and tasty dip!

    • Lsblackburn1 on December 02, 2019

      Easy to make and very delicious! I was thinking it’d be hard to match Ottolenghi’s beet spread, but this was equally yummy.

    • mdagl on February 04, 2024

      I thought I hated beets before making this. Turns out, I don’t! This was so good!! Used almonds, red wine vinegar, and sour cream.

  • Citrusy cucumbers with red onion and toasted sesame

    • BeckyLeJ on April 30, 2020

      I am a little bit of a tahini convert. I was never a huge fan before, but fresh tahini in a salad like this one is actually really good!

    • Skamper on June 09, 2020

      I didn't soak the onions and simply mixed the tahini dressing in, rather than pooling it on the plate.

    • amandaeats on July 11, 2022

      excellent!!! fresh, creamy, and herby. I think it would be great with grilled chicken or chickpeas to make it a full dinner

  • Salted citrus salad with fennel, radish, and olive

    • Skamper on April 17, 2023

      I quite liked this. I used a golden mandarin, which was quite sweet enough, so didn't add any honey. The fennel needs to be sliced very thinly.

  • Lemony watercress with raw and toasted fennel

    • Skamper on January 03, 2023

      A nice bright salad that's a good complement to a richer main. I served with the swordfish from the same book. One bunch of watercress is more than enough for two servings. I could see arugula being a good sub.

  • A better garlic bread (caramelized garlic on toast with anchovies)

    • Skamper on January 03, 2023

      We enjoyed this. Made a half batch, which was more than enough for a half a baguette.

    • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

      This is now my go-to garlic bread recipe (which, admittedly, isn’t something I make often). It’s a delicious, salty, garlicky umami punch of flavor. The first time we made it, it was better as the baguette was better and absorbed the liquid more easily.

  • Kimchi-braised pork with sesame and egg yolk

    • Skamper on June 12, 2022

      Very good. I used baby back ribs and the instant pot. I browned the ribs, but not sure this is necessary. Used 5 c of water and cooked at high pressure for 30 minutes.

    • Lsblackburn1 on March 10, 2021

      This is a great version of this stew - almost the same as the Milk Street recipe that I love (maybe spicier and more porky?). Served with tofu, radishes and soft boiled eggs.

    • CheesyKranskyLove on October 03, 2022

      This is basically an easier version of kimchi jigae. I normally make my own achovy broth/dashi for korean stews but using water in this recipe went fine. I used baby back pork ribs and it was done at 2 hr. Watercress added a nice peppery crunch to the dish. Next time I will serve the radish/apple on the side rather than top the stew with it.

  • Lamb chops for the table

    • RachaelHeath09 on August 09, 2024

      this recipe is the most simple, fool proof way to make lamb chops. i keep coming back to it for how quick and easy and tasty it is. 10/10

    • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

      These are the best darn lamb chops I've ever had. I made these with a potato/asparagus tangle from Sprouted Kitchen. Perfect spring dinner.

    • GHolland on July 05, 2021

      Delicious, remember to have some crusty bread to dip in the juices on the serving platter….

  • Yogurt-marinated leg of lamb with spicy fennel and sumac

    • Lucylew on December 01, 2019

      I didn't love this recipe. Too much yogurt in the marinade, no directions on what to do with the roasted fennel and the sumac seems like an afterthought. A rare miss for Alison.

  • Your very own marinated artichoke hearts

    • Laurag29 on March 05, 2021

      Fantastic technique. Super flavor in 30 minutes. Use nice hearts, cut those chewy leaves off. Add a sliced red chili for heat.

  • Baked potato bar

    • ginger2212 on February 15, 2022

      The best way to make a baked potato!

  • Pan-fried sardines with fried and salted lemons

    • Pimlicocook on July 08, 2023

      Though it's grey, rainy day in London, this looked and made me feel like I was at the seaside... Made with good sardines from my fishmonger, and although I worried I'd over-browned the butter, it turned out to be perfect. Served with tomatoes, fennel and anchovies from the same book.

  • Perfect herby salad

    • orangesandlemons on January 20, 2024

      Herbs used: tarragon, dill, parsley, basil, green onions

    • katmagdunn on May 28, 2024

      this is one of my 2 go-to salads now, i make it all the time and people generally find it addictive

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Reviews about this book

  • Kitchn

    This one might be a notch up from beginner (I’m looking at you, whole grilled trout). But if you know a cook who can handle the basics, and is new to entertaining, it’s spot on.

    Full review
  • Kitchn

    ...is a plea for home cooks everywhere to stop using the word “entertaining” altogether, and we can’t wait to read it.

    Full review
  • Food52

    Roman gives us mini-cooking lessons and little reinforcements...Good advice whether you're inviting 12 people for dinner, or two.

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 0451497015
  • ISBN 13 9780451497017
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Oct 22 2019
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 320
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Clarkson Potter

Publishers Text

It’s not entertaining. It’s having people over. The social media star, New York Times columnist, and author of Dining In helps you nail dinner with unfussy food, unstuffy vibes, and the permission to be imperfect.
 
NAMED ONE OF FALL’S BEST COOKBOOKS BY The New York Times • Food & Wine • Eater • Food52Bon AppétitEpicuriousChowhoundForbes Grub Street
 
Nothing Fancy delivers what those of hoping to up our dinner party game are looking for: It’s utterly current and distinctly doable.”—Eater

 
An unexpected weeknight meal with a neighbor or a weekend dinner party with fifteen of your closest friends—either way and everywhere in between, having people over is supposed to be fun, not stressful. This abundant collection of all-new recipes—heavy on the easy-to-execute vegetables and versatile grains, paying lots of close attention to crunchy, salty snacks, and with love for all the meats—is for gatherings big and small, any day of the week.
 
Alison Roman will give you the food your people want (think DIY martini bar, platters of tomatoes, pots of coconut-braised chicken and chickpeas, pans of lemony turmeric tea cake) plus the tips, sass, and confidence to pull it all off. With Nothing Fancy, any night of the week is worth celebrating.

Advance praise for Nothing Fancy

“Ms. Roman offers recipes in Nothing Fancy that are crunchy, cheesy, tangy, citrusy, fishy, smoky and spicy. . . . They work, and not only for company . . . squash scattered with spiced pistachios or pasta with chorizo bread crumbs and broccoli rabe could appear anytime. For dinner parties, she provides cocktail recipes, extra snacks and pep talks so urgent and encouraging that having people over for leg of lamb and tiramisù suddenly seems like a bucket-list event.”—Julia Moskin, The New York Times


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