My Favorite Alison Roman Meals

For the sake of efficiency and the allure of the challenge, I chose to tackle multiple recipes in a single meal throughout this project. I called these, “All-Out-Alison Meals.” Here are my favorites.

Some of the dish pairings were suggestions from Alison herself in her cookbooks. Some pairings were based on the seasonality of key ingredients. Other pairings were based solely on what sounded good to me in the moment. All of them took at least 4+ hours of cooking (active and inactive time included) to complete, so be sure to carve out enough time in your day leading up to these meals. 

“Lamb and All the Fixings” 

  1. Salad: Apple and Endive with Parsley and Salted Almonds

  2. Side: Sour Cream Flatbread

  3. Entree & Veggie: Turmeric-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Carrots and All the Fixings

  4. Accoutrement: Another Salsa Verde 

Notes: She’s a perfect fall or winter evening meal. I began my preparation in the morning - see post for timing details. Make more, not less, of the salsa verde. You’ll want it on everything, with leftovers too. Dessert - keep it simple, or better yet, ask your guests to handle it. Our friends brought over a lovely apple crisp. 

“The Colors of Summer” 

  1. Appetizer: Spicy Marinated Anchovies with Potato Chips

  2. Side Dish: Tomatoes Dressed in Toasted Fennel and Anchovy

  3. Side Dish: Baked Summer Squash with Cream and Parmesan Bread Crumbs

  4. Main Dish: Scallops with Corn, Hazelnuts, and Brown Butter Chermoula

  5. Dessert: Upside-Down Apricot Tart

Notes: This meal elicited plenty of ooo’s and ahh’s from the orange and yellow pickled chiles adorning the anchovies and potato chips, to the platter of bright red tomatoes, from the smell of charred, bright yellow corn, to the caramel-like surface of the poppy-orange apricot tart. I loved using all kinds of in-season produce in this summertime meal. Just be sure to choose sea scallops instead of bay scallops. I made this mistake once, but I won’t do it again. 

“Trivoli Tavern” 

  1. Salad: Little Gems and Cabbage with Pickled Turnips and Lemony Tahini

  2. Side Dish: Baked Potato Bar

  3. Entree: Low and Slow Rib Roast with Rosemary and Anchovy

  4. Dessert: Sheet Cake with Mascarpone and Coffee

Notes: On a snowy December evening in Chicago, my sister, mom, and I stumbled (literally) upon an outwardly quaint, inwardly grand restaurant called Trivoli Tavern. We wandered inside to find oak-panelled walls, plush crimson booths, waiters wearing red suits and garlands draped from the ceiling. The menu held everything a steakhouse would offer, but somehow a bit more home-y, suggesting notes of comfort food - though still just as expensive. We didn’t eat there - just stood at the bar and sipped on hot toddies and negronis. This meal reminds me of something I could order at Trivoli Tavern. Rich, savory, relying heavily on salt and pepper, with an Italian-esque dessert to close out the evening. 

Notes: This meal stands out to me as one of the most visually appealing spreads I’ve ever made. We ate this dinner on my in-laws deck one early August evening with an air of leisure, taking our time. Alison’s Grilled Branzino with Lemons All of the Ways would also work well. I substituted branzino for trout here, since that’s what I could find at the store. Branzino tastes less fishy, which worked well in my opinion. The crushed baby potatoes are essentially a superior way to think of potato salad - more fresh, more tang, less (aka no) mayonnaise in sight. The peaches a summertime dream.

“All in the Details”

  1. Aperitif: A Very Fine Spritz

  2. Salad: Summer Squash with Basil, Parmesan, and Toasted Buckwheat

  3. Entree: Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Spicy Radishes and Green Romesco

  4. Dessert: Double-Crusted Peach Pie with Honey, Ginger, and Lime

Notes: A hint of amaro underscoring sparkling white wine. Toasted buckwheat groats nuancing a platter of straightforward squash. Acidic and herby romesco pooling the base of a crisped fish filet. A zing of ginger meeting you in the middle of a bite full of sugar-encrusted peach. The delight is in the details, my friends. Also - I originally made this meal with Alison’s Farro with Toasted Fennel, Lemon, and Basil. That salad didn’t do much for me. Her summer squash, on the other hand, is fantastic. 

“Relax, it’s Saturday!” 

  1. Salad: Crushed Peas with Burrata and Green Olives

  2. Entree: Pizza Night 

  3. Dessert: Coconut Banana Cream Pudding 

Notes: Having friends over to watch a game or a movie? Feel like making crowd-favorites with a twist? Then this meal is for you! Alison’s pizza is no ordinary homemade pizza. Between the focaccia-like crust, the toasted red onion slices and lemony ricotta topping, her pies just hit different. Peas don’t have to be boring! Pair them with arugula, burrata and plenty of lemon juice, and you’ve got yourself a hit. And homemade coconut banana pudding… What could go wrong? 

Runner-ups

“A Different Night at Trivoli Tavern” 

  1. Side Dish: Seeded Breadsticks with Parmesan

  2. Side Dish: The Greatest Creamed Greens

  3. Main Dish: Spiced and Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Potatoes 

  4. Dessert: Casual Apple Tart with Caramelized Buttermilk

Notes: If I wanted to go back to Trivoli Tavern but try something else off the menu, I’d order this meal. See “#3 Trivoli Tavern” above for context. 

  1. “Summer Soiree”

    1. Appetizer: Fancy Citrusy Olives

    2. Salad: Spring Peas with Anchovy, Lemon and All the Radishes

    3. Entree: Clam Pasta with Chorizo and Walnuts

    4. Dessert: Torn Plum Browned-Butter Cake

Notes: I really loved the clam pasta and the plum cake. The olives were too citrusy and the salad was too bland for my taste. However, the dinner items complimented one another nicely, creating a cohesive meal when served with sourdough bread for dipping. The cake doesn’t totally fit here, but it’s in my top 5 Alison desserts, so it really can go anywhere in my opinion. 

“Welcome to my Luau” 

  1. Appetizer: Crispy Haloumi with Honey and Pistachio

  2. Side Dish: Perfect Asparagus with Garlic and Salted Olive Oil 

  3. Entree: Sticky Chili Chicken with Hot and Sour Pineapple

  4. Dessert: Blueberry Cake with Almond and Cinnamon 

Notes: Pineapples, Blueberries, Chili’s, Asparagus, Pistachios, Spicy, Sour, Sweet, Salty, Crispy, Crunchy - this meal is full of fun produce, flavors, and textures that keep guests on their toes. It elicits a tiki torches and plastic-flamingoes-in-the-yard kind of vibe. So I suggest leaning into it - call it a luau from the start! 

My Favorite Breakfasts by Alison Roman

One question I receive frequently is, “what is Alison really good at?” My answers always include a rambly list about things like roast chickens and middle eastern spices, before I usually arrive at “breakfast!” 

She’s really good at breakfast. Like me, she prefers savory over sweet. No pancakes or waffles (I know she released a pancake recipe in a newsletter recently, but her cookbook has none of that). I find myself craving and returning to her breakfasts almost more than any other type of recipe. And no one seems to mind. 

All of her breakfast recipes (found in Dining In) are worth making. I plan to eat all of them again. Some of them I've even made three or four times each in the past year. While every breakfast recipe deserves its moment in the sun, these three are bound to show up in my kitchen many more times in the years to come. 

  1. Baked Eggs with Crushed Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Bread Crumbs. I’ve tried it with chorizo and spicy italian sausage, and chorizo easily wins the day. Or should I say the dish. Spicy sausage is just a little too spicy. Chorizo hits the perfect balance of salt to spice. There’s a lot more I have to say about this recipe, but I’ll just leave you with the link to my blog post about it (above). 

  2. Crispy Kimchi and Cheddar Omelette. It’s as simple as a scrambled egg omelette with cheddar and kimchi (don’t you love obvious recipe titles?). But who else has thought to put kimchi in an omelette? Right. Exactly. 

  3. Matzo Brei. Matzo crackers come in a box of 10, which left me with a pleasant dilemma after my first go at matzo brei. What to do with the leftover 8 crackers? More matzo brei, of course! I haven’t strayed from the matzo breaking and soaking methods I tried initially (read more in the link), but I continue to turn the heat down more and let the onions spend even longer time over the stove to truly caramelize. The reward is absolutely worth the wait.  

My Favorite Weeknight Dinners by Alison Roman

You worked really hard today. You attended back-to-back meetings, wrote countless emails, and got interrupted more times than you thought you could handle. After you finally make it home from the office (or, if you’re working from home, you finally shut your laptop), you’re in the mood for a tasty dinner. But the last thing you feel like doing is standing by the stove for an hour or more. And you can’t stomach one more frozen meal…

You need a compromise. Something that takes 30 minutes or less and still delivers results. You need to make these fabulous, under 30-minute recipes by Alison Roman…

  • Cold Soba with Cucumbers, Watercress, and Sesame. You probably have most of the ingredients on hand already, since it calls for shelf staples like soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. There’s room for creative substitution too. Soba noodles or another kind of spaghetti. Watercress or arugula. Throw in some snow peas or shredded carrots on the side. Serve with fried tofu squares. The list goes on…

  • Vinegared Romaine with Sour Cream, Bacon, and Herbs. I’d eat this for dinner, lunch, and on certain mornings, even breakfast. The world’s your oyster when it comes to variations (sometimes I use cucumbers or cherry tomatoes or goat cheese or crumbled potato chips), but whatever you do, do NOT skip the crispy bacon and herbs. 

  • Tomato-y White Beans with Breadcrumbs and Preserved Lemon. Another quick meal that relies primarily on kitchen staples like beans and tomato paste. If you really want to make this low maintenance, you can skip the breadcrumbs (though that should not be a hasty decision - consider what you’re giving up). I’ve made this dish many times, and sometimes add harissa paste to up the spice levels. I’ve also experimented with goat cheese. 

  • Halibut and Asparagus with Brown Butter Peas. Halibut is not your typical weeknight dinner protein, especially when considering the price. But if you’re one of those special people who don’t mind splurging on your fish, then this recipe will deliver a most satisfying, healthy, and flavorful meal. No need to add anything else to the menu. 

  • Spelt with Crispy Sausage, Flowering Broccoli, and Green Garlic. On nights when I have little energy for cooking, I often find myself cooking up some Italian sausages and combining them with whatever vegetables and grains I have on hand. I consider this Alison’s version of my go-to low-energy dinner.  

  • Black Bass with Salty, Spicy Celery. Again, another slightly expensive fish option, but wow. What a combo. The beauty of the foil packet method makes this meal prep fly by. 

  • Cumin Lamb Chops with Charred Scallions and Peanuts. From start to finish, these lamb chops take no time at all. The most labor intensive task involves crushing cumin seeds. Don’t skip the peanuts. I served this with a kale salad. Sweet potatoes would have been nice, too. 

  • Tiny Creamy Pasta with Black Pepper and Pecorino. aka fancy mac ‘n cheese. It’s not as simple as adding cheese powder to milk, but it’s only 30-minutes of stirring and doesn’t even require boiling water for your noodles! 

Spicy, Giant Crunchy Corn by Alison Roman

I truly can’t believe I’m writing this. The final recipe. 

There were days when I wished time would speed up so I could arrive here. There have been far more days when I wished time would slow down to delay things a little longer. I wish I could go back and taste certain dishes for the first time, feel the rush of those small victories all over again. I wish I could relive all of the conversations and community shared around those meals. 

For a whole year, my social life has primarily revolved around a cooking project. For a whole year, I’ve filled moments of solitude, of dreaming about the future, of rest, of worry, of exhaustion - with cooking and writing. It would be impossible to count the hours spent on this project, but there’s really no need to do that. I would do it all over again. 

It feels sort of odd to end such a journey with a recipe as simple as spiced corn nuts. Somehow this one slipped through the cracks till the very end. Yet, after what’s felt like a marathon of the past month, perhaps it’s fitting to end with a snack that only requires baking corn nuts in oil, then tossing them in nutritional yeast and aleppo pepper. What results are highly addictive and oddly irresistible toasty corn kernels - perfect for a party or sharing with coworkers the next day. A dish meant to be shared. (I couldn’t for the life of me find quicos, so I used the Love Corn brand of corn nuts, which are less salty).

This project started out of a desire to reincorporate my artist-self back into my daily life. After years of studying theater and making art all the time, the years since have felt drier, lacking. This project changed that by providing an outlet for self-expression and personal growth all in one. I don’t want to go back to my old way of being. I’m ready to keep going. 

This is not the end. I believe it’s only the beginning.

225 recipes cooked, 0 to go. Goal: Complete.