Air Fryer Baba Ganoush

Yield:

• 1 pint

Time:

• 90 minutes

Difficulty:

• Medium

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants [about 2 lbs.]
• 4 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 2-3 T lemon juice
• 3 T tahini
• 1/4 t salt or to taste
• Liquid smoke [optional]

Instructions

1. Preheat air fryer.  Prick and oil eggplant and roast at 425°F for 12-15 minutes.
   
2. Remove from basket, slice in half lengthwise, return to basket and add garlic cloves.  Roast for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove garlic cloves. Change setting to broil and cook for another 6-8 minutes.
4. Put eggplant in large colander in sink and let cool. When ready to handle, remove charred skin,  scraping off all the browned flesh adhering to it. Cut eggplant with sharp knife, and mash with fork, letting juices run through holes.
5. Transfer to bowl, squeeze out roasted garlic, and mash into mix.  
6. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and tahini,  and check seasonings.  Add 1-2 drops of liquid smoke, and/or additional salt or lemon.  Add dash of cumin and dash of paprika if desired, and serve.

Notes:

• For best smoky taste, check periodically in last 8 minutes to make sure eggplant flesh is well browned, but not blackened.   Also make sure to scrape all the browned flesh off the charred skin  before mashing.

Nutritional information: 

Variations:

Source: 

Macerated Lemonade

Yield:

• 1.5 quarts

Time:

• 3 hours

Difficulty:

• Easy

Ingredients

• 12 medium lemons
• 2 cups sugar
• 24 oz cold water

Instructions

1. Juice lemons and refirgerate juice
2.  Cut rinds into 1-inch pieces and toss with sugar.  Cover and let stand for at least 3 hours, stirring once every 45 minutes.
3. Add water and 8 oz of juice.  Stir well and strain.
4. Concentrated lemonade can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. When ready, pour over ice and adjust to taste with additional water, sugar, or juice.

Notes:

•  

Nutritional information: 

Variations:

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/best-fresh-lemonade-recipe

Moroccan Bread (Khobz)

Yield:

•  Two 8" loaves.

Time:

• Prep Time 15 minutess
• Cook Time 20 minutess
• Rising Time: 1 hr 15 minutes 
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 minutes 

Difficulty:

• Easy

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour - 2.5 bread flour, 0.5 whole wheat, 1 semolina 
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 2 tbsp oil 
• 1 1/4 cups warm water 
• Semolina or cornmeal for dusting
• Sesame seeds 

Instructions

1. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper OR lightly oiling it OR dusting it with semolina or cornmeal. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast.
3. Add some of the water to the yeast in the well and lightly stir with your fingers to dissolve the yeast (see Recipe Notes below). Add the rest of the water and oil to bowl and stir to combine all ingredients. 
4. Knead the dough (in the bowl if it's large enough or on a floured work surface) for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. While kneading, work in a little flour or water as needed to ensure the dough is soft and pliable but not sticky.
5. Divide the dough into two smooth mounds and place well apart on the prepared pan. Cover with a towel and leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. After resting, pat the mounds of dough into flat, round loaves about 1/4" thick. Cover again with a towel and leave to rise for about an hour (longer in a cold room), until the dough springs back when pressed lightly.
7. Preheat your oven to 435°F (225°C). When the oven is hot, lightly score the top of the bread with sharp knife or poke in several places with a fork. 
8. Bake the khobz in the preheated oven, rotating the pan if necessary, for about 20 minutes or golden brown. The loaves should sound hollow when tapped.
9. Transfer the khobz to a rack or towel-lined basket to cool.  

Notes:

•  The seeds can be pressed into the top of the dough when shaping the loaves (first brush the dough with water to help the seeds adhere) or added just prior to baking (gently brush the risen dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame).
•  435°F might be a bit hot.  Watch to ensure bread does not overbake.

Nutritional information: 

Variations:

Source: https://tasteofmaroc.com/moroccan-bread-khobz-recipe/

Dry Mix for Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Time: 35 minutes including prep
Difficulty: Easy

Basic Dry Pancake Mix:

• 10 ounces (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

For Each Batch of Pancakes

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups (about 12 ounces) buttermilk
• 1 cup (about 8 ounces) sour cream (see notes)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for serving
• Warm maple syrup

Instructions

1. For the Dry Pancake Mix: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until homogenous. Transfer to an airtight container. The mix will stay good for 3 months. 
2.  For each Batch of Pancakes: Place one batch of dry mix in a large bowl. In a medium clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, and sour cream until homogenous. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter while whisking. Carefully fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula until just combined. Pour the mixture over the dry mix and fold until just combined (there should still be plenty of lumps).
3. Heat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes (or use an electric griddle). Add a small amount of butter or oil to the griddle and spread with a paper towel until no visible butter or oil remains. Use a 1⁄4-cup dry measure to place 4 pancakes in the skillet and cook until bubbles start to appear on top and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook on the second side until golden brown and completely set, about 2 minutes longer. Serve the pancakes immediately, or keep warm on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet in a warm oven while you cook the remaining 3 batches. Serve with warm maple syrup and butter.

Notes:

•  Pancake dry mix can be scaled up as many times as you'd like. Each batch of pancakes takes 11 ounces of dry mix to make (about 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons). The sour cream can be replaced with more buttermilk.
• Very gentle spreading within the first couple of seconds after putting the batter in the pan makes for thinner, wider pancakes.

Nutritional information (per serving): 407 Calories, 18g Fat, 52g Carbs, 10g Protein

Variations:

• Buckwheat pancakes: substitute ⅓ buckwheat flour for all-purposes, and add 1T sugar to counteract bitterness.
• Substitute yogurt for buttermilk

Source:  https://www.seriouseats.com/easy-homemade-pancake-mix

Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Under A Brick)

Yield:

• Serves 4

Time:

• 1 hour, plus 20 minutes resting

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 1 small chicken (4-4.5 lbs), giblets discarded
• 4 t kosher salt, divided
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1½ t grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice, plus extra juice for seasoning
• 1 T minced fresh parsley
• 1½ t minced fresh rosemary
• 1½ t Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ t red pepper flakes
• ¼ t pepper

Instructions

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Individually wrap 2 bricks tightly in aluminum foil and set aside.
   
   
2. Spatchcock the chicken: place chicken breast side down on cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut through bones on either side of backbone. Trim off any excess fat and discard backbone (or use for stock).  Flip chicken over and press down hard on breastbone to flatten. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
   
   
3.  Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin covering breast and legs. Rub ¾ teaspoon salt under skin of each breast, ¾ teaspoon under skin of each leg, and 1 teaspoon salt onto bird’s cavity. Tuck wings under chicken and turn legs so drumsticks face inward toward breasts. (Chicken can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 24 hours. Pat dry with paper towels before cooking.)
   
   
4. Heat oil in 12-inch oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Swirl skillet to coat evenly with oil. Place chicken in skillet skin side down. Place bricks on top of chicken, making sure they are in even contact with breasts and legs, and press chicken firmly into skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Transfer skillet, with bricks still on chicken, to oven and roast for 20 minutes.
   
   
5. Remove skillet from oven and remove bricks. Using tongs and thin metal spatula, flip bird so it is skin side up (if necessary, run spatula under chicken to loosen from bottom of skillet). Return skillet to oven and continue to roast chicken (unweighted) until thickest part of breast registers 150 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes longer. 
   
   
6. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, parsley, rosemary, mustard, garlic, pepper flakes, and pepper in bowl.
   
   
7. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add any fat and pan juices to lemon mixture. Carve chicken and whisk any accumulated juices into vinaigrette. Season vinaigrette with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Serve chicken, passing vinaigrette and lemon wedges separately.
   

Notes:

• Ideally, use a weight that’s at least 8 pounds (two standard-size bricks, a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, or a Dutch oven), but one as light as 4 pounds will work. 
• We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt; if using Morton kosher salt, use only ½ teaspoon on each breast and leg. 
• It’s important to remove the chicken from the oven when it registers 150 degrees and rest it the full 20 minutes before serving; the chicken will continue to cook as it rests (a probe thermometer is ideal here). 
• Use an oven mitt or dish towel to safely grip and maneuver the hot bricks in step 4. If the skillet setup is too heavy to safely maneuver in steps 3 and 4, remove the weight just before transferring the skillet to the oven and replace before roasting, then remove it again before taking the skillet out.
  
• To make sure the chicken crisps on both sides, use ridged skillet or roasting rack to allow liquid to drain from chicken instead of puddling in skillet.  Alternatively, finish the bottom in a hot frying pan with a thin layer of oil. [Elwin Greenwald]
   
   

Source: Cooks' Illustrated, March-April 2026

Braised Tofu

Yield:

• 4 portions

Time:

• 50 minutes

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 14 ounces firm tofu
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
• ½ cup broth or water 
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying
• 4 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1½-inch pieces
• 1 (1 by ½-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced on bias ¼ inch thick
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
• 3 ounces snow peas, strings removed
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. Cut tofu in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise into ½-inch-thick squares. Spread tofu on paper towel–lined plate and let drain for 10 minutes, replacing towel and flipping tofu halfway through draining. Meanwhile, whisk ½ cup water, broth, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, sugar, and white pepper in small bowl; set aside.
2.  Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add tofu in single layer and cook until bottom is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Using 2 thin spatulas, carefully flip tofu and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate lined with fresh paper towels. 
3. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons oil from skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add scallion whites and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture then tofu in single layer. Bring to simmer; cover; and cook for 5 minutes, adding carrots and mushrooms halfway through cooking. 
4. Uncover and add snow peas and scallion greens. Increase heat to high and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is just covering surface of pan and has begun to thicken, about 3 minutes. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon water with cornstarch in small bowl. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Serve.

Notes:

• Add any vegetables you want.  Trimmed green beans are nice.
• Could be nice with fish chunks instead of tofu.  Coat with light coating of cornstarch before frying.
• If you find it a bit on the bland side (I did), increase the chili and the garlic.

Variations:

• If desired, garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with rice. To serve two, halve all of the ingredients and cook in a 10-inch skillet.

Source: Cooks' Illustrated, March-April 2026