Vegetarian

These pan-fried quinoa cakes can be served with a side dish or made into sandwiches by tucking them into buns with toppings. To cook enough quinoa to make the cakes, in a large saucepan bring 1½ cups water and ½ cup quinoa (rinsed and drained) to a boil. Stir in 1 teaspoon kosher salt, then cover, reduce to low, and cook until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, drape a towel across the pan, re-cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cool to room temperature.

Ají amarillo, an orange-yellow chili with a fruity yet earthy flavor, is ubiquitous in Peruvian cuisine. The fresh chilies are difficult to find in the United States, but ají amarillo paste, sold in jars, is available at well-stocked markets and specialty stores. The paste is key to the deep, spicy flavor of this chowder. If you can’t find it, use 1 or 2 minced jalapeños instead (if you like, seed the jalapeños for milder heat). The soup is especially good made with fresh, in-season corn but frozen corn kernels can be substituted.

Piccata sauce — that buttery, briny combination of lemon, butter and capers, silky in texture and tart in flavor — is not just for chicken or swordfish. It’s also a zesty anchor for roasted vegetables. Here, cauliflower is roasted at high heat, which concentrates the flavor, adds nuttiness and encourages caramelization, before being doused with the sauce. Chickpeas make this a fuller vegetarian meal, but leave them out if you’d rather.

To elevate our tart to entrée status, we wanted a crust that was delicate, sturdy, and flavorful, with a filling to match. To increase the flavor of the crust and keep it tender, we swapped out part of the white flour for nutty whole wheat, and we used butter rather than shortening. To punch up its flaky texture and introduce more structure, we gave the crust a series of folds to create numerous interlocking layers. 

This is a classic French way to cook lentils, and it’s very easy. Aromatics are sautéed and then simmered with French lentils, also known as Le Puy lentils, for 20 to 25 minutes. It is an easy side dish, redolent of a Provencal feast.

You haven’t tasted chickpeas until you’ve tried them roasted. Trust us, the delicious crunch is absolutely worth the time they spend in a hot oven. In this recipe, they’re tossed with bubbly Israeli couscous, roasted veggies, and smoked paprika for a mishmash of savory Mediterranean flavors. You likely won’t have leftovers, but if you do, they’ll taste even better the next day. 

Frozen puff pastry sheets make this elegant and impressive vegetable tart fromBeirut easy to pull together. We use za’atar, a Middle Eastern herb blend, to add a perfect flavor accent for the vegetables. Poking holes in the rolled-out pastry helps it rise evenly, but leave a 1-inch border around the edges so the pastry forms a light, crisp outer crust.

Khatta chana, stewed chickpeas in a tart tamarind sauce, is a popular street food in the Punjab region of northern India. We learned to make it from Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dhalwala adds heft to the chickpea curry by spooning it over sautéed brown sugar greens, a nontraditional side dish. Our version combines chickpeas and collard greens in a delicious one-pot braise that dials down the sweetness and uses canned chickpeas for convenience. If you prefer kale, it’s a fine substitute for the collards.

Eggah often is referred to as an Egyptian omelet or frittata. It can be basic and egg-centric or dense with vegetables, herbs, or even meat. Spices often are included in the mix, as well as baking powder to give the eggs a little lift. In this vegetarian version, crushed cumin seeds provide contrast in both texture and flavor against the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potato, and ground turmeric accentuates the golden color of the egg yolks and earthiness of the vegetables. As a final flourish, we make a tangy yogurt sauce to round out the dish.

Traditional risotto is made with starchy medium-grain Italian rice. This “risotto,” modeled on a dish we had in Tel Aviv, uses pearl couscous (which actually is a pasta) and a cooking technique similar to the classic risotto method to produce “grains” with a rich, creamy consistency. The wheaty flavor of pearl couscous (sometimes called Israeli couscous) is nicely complemented by the salty, nutty notes of Parmesan cheese and the grassiness of fresh parsley.