Mushroom

Packed with a creamy cashew spread and plenty of hearty mushrooms, this rich, vegan dish will win over even the most passionate meat eaters.

Loaded potato soup served up with shredded cheese, chives, and bacon is very much a representation of my fused German, Scandinavian, British, and Irish family ancestry. I wanted to make this a new family tradition, with a Japanese spin utilizing purple potatoes, that I could enjoy tummy ache–free. Blending antioxidant-rich purple sweet potatoes with coconut milk makes this soup creamy, rich, and tasty without adding tons of extra fat, sugar, or heavy cream. The roasted salty mushrooms are a perfect replacement for bacon—drizzled with some olive oil, this combination makes for one satisfying soup.

To make this recipe ahead, let the tart cool in pan, then reheat over medium to soften glaze before inverting.

In this hearty, velvety stew, chicken slowly braises in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and a touch of enriching cocoa powder.

No squash? No problem. This rice bowl—which was developed for our #cook90 initiative—can be made with all sorts of roasted vegetables (and, for that matter, any kind of grain).

Using dried porcini mushrooms as the base of the rub for this dramatic centerpiece roast gives it a pleasantly funky, earthy flavor.

To mimic a traditional risotto, this grain-free version first simmers sunflower seeds to soften them to a rice-like texture, then purées a portion of them to create a creamy sauce. You can easily follow the sunflower cooking method for a basic go-to grain-free risotto, then swap in whatever seasonal vegetables you'd like to top it with.

There is no better use for leftover rice than chahan. A brief trip in a pan resurrects the grains and a few pantry ingredients—little more than eggs, oil, and salt—transform tired rice into a super-satisfying meal. To give the humble dish a little flair, I whip up a saucy broth filled with vegetables and shrimp and pour it on at the last minute. Of course, you can add any ingredients you like—peas or asparagus, kimchi or Japanese pickles, pork, or even, as I do at Morimoto Napa, duck confit.

This rich gravy gives a boost of extra flavor to vegetable broth thanks to an earthy thyme-garlic oil and umani-rich cremni mushrooms. Spoon it over #Vegducken, stuffing, or use it as a base for your next veggie pot pie.

Brushing the underside of the dough with egg wash for this pot pie recipe creates an airtight seal so that steam will push the pastry lids into a dramatic dome during baking.

In Hong Kong, where XO sauce was invented, dried shrimp or scallops and Chinese ham are combined with chiles to create a powerhouse condiment that is salty, spicy, and funky. This recipe uses mushrooms in place of the pork, a cheeky reference to green bean casseroles.

Toss leftover stuffing into a big pan with sautéed rice, eggs, mushrooms, and kale for a glorious carb-on-carb send-off to the rest of your post-Thanksgiving stash.

If you don’t have cinnamon and star anise in your pantry, don’t buy them just for this congee recipe. You can tweak the flavor profile by using black peppercorns and parsley stems, or fennel seeds and crushed red pepper flakes instead.

This easy slurry method takes polenta into weekday fare. And this recipe shows how to make a deeply flavored mushroom sauce with the simple addition of dried porcini. Both techniques are in my go-to repertoire.