Cookbookin’: Ali Slagle’s I Dream of Dinner (so you don’t have to)

Ali Slagle’s recipes are often minimalist with the ingredients, but maximalist with the flavor. Her unfussy take on food has saved me from haunting the cabinets in my kitchen moaning, “What’s for dinner?” numerous nights of the week. Many of the recipes she’s done for New York Times Cooking are treasured staples: Cheesy Black Bean Bake, Roasted Broccoli with Vinegar Mustard Glaze, Lemon Orzo with Asparagus and Garlic Bread Crumbs...honestly, the subscription to NYT cooking is worth it for her stuff alone.

I received her cookbook, “I Dream of Dinner (so you don’t have to)” for Christmas and it’s been such a joy to read and cook through. It’s organized by main ingredients (eggs, grains, meat, etc) and each recipe maxes out at about eight to ten ingredients and clocks in at about an hour and under to prepare. I never shy away from an involved recipe, but I know not everyone has my free time! This cookbook is super user friendly for those who aren’t kitchen savvy or those who have very busy lifestyles.

Two of my favorite recipes from the book right now are Lemon-Pepper Chicken & Potatoes and Coconut-Ginger Rice & Lentils. They both have bold flavors that are welcomed in the gloominess of a New York winter and they’re both easy.

For the first dish (if you love Greek lemon potatoes, you’ll adore): you crush or grind whole fennel seeds and combine that with freshly ground black pepper, salt, olive oil and the zest of four lemons - this is going to coat your chicken thighs. You want the bone in and skin on for this since you’re gonna be roasting them.

On a sheet pan, you mix the juice from the lemons, more olive oil, salt and toss cut up potatoes in the liquid.

The key move - you’re gonna rest the chicken thighs (skin up) on top of the potatoes! That way the skin stays crispy and the fat renders all over the potatoes.

Plus, the taters can drink up all the flavorful liquid uninterrupted. One of the notes at the end of the recipe suggested that I add some slabs of halloumi or feta cheese in the last 15 mins of cooking. Cheese as seasoning? Don’t mind if I do.

In the book, Slagle refers to the recipe for Coconut-Ginger Rice & Lentils as “Cuddly but not snoozy”, which is very accurate. It’s basically a dal (cooked down lentils) combined with a congee (rice porridge) to make one very comforting bowl of Asian-inspired goodness. The original recipe calls for onion, ginger, turmeric, ground coriander, coconut milk, brown rice, and lime. In the notes below the recipe, she suggests swapping the red lentils for green and the brown rice for long grain white. She also says you can add some red or green curry paste for another layer of flavor. As I usually always have dry white rice on hand and red curry paste in my fridge, I added those and kept the red lentils.

You chop the onion and fry that down with grated ginger with coconut oil (or any neutral oil). Add your dry spices (along with your paste if you’re using that), and let those bloom and toast in the hot fat with salt and pepper.

Then, add the rest of the ingredients, plus water and salt and just cook it down. That’s it. You can add more water to make it more soupy, or leave it if you want it thick and stew-like. I added a little fish sauce at the end for a little funk (the red curry paste I use doesn’t have fish sauce in it - I like adding it to taste) along with the recommended lime zest and grated ginger. I often throw in some baby spinach or any baby greens I’ve got in the crisper right at the end of cooking for extra veggies, too. Toast up some garlic naan on the side, and you have the most cozy and belly-warming supper.

There are tons of recipes in “I Dream of Dinner” for every taste, and I’m quite happy for Ali Slagle to do the dreaming - I’ll be in my kitchen eating it all.