Sweet potatoes drizzled with a tahini-spiked dressing. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

One of our readers was inspired to request the recipe for the miso-glazed sweet potatoes served at Teaism—and apparently a lot of others are enamored with the side dish, too. Michelle Brown, co-owner of the trio of teahouse/cafes, says the Penn Quarter location goes through about 200 pounds of it every day. The recipe, an adaptation of a classic Japanese dish, was developed ten years ago by longtime chef Arpad Lengyel. To give it a twist, he adds tahini, which is traditionally used in Middle Eastern cooking. Its nutty flavor paired with sugar and sweet mirin wine is something we’re now enamored of, too.


Serves 8 as a side.

Bake the sweet potatoes:

4 large sweet potatoes
Canola oil, as needed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 1½-inch chunks. Toss with enough canola oil to coat the potatoes lightly but evenly. Add the potatoes to a small baking pan; you want to crowd the potatoes in the pan to help them steam. Bake for 25 minutes, then let cool.

 

Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Art and Soul, chef Art Smith’s restaurant on Capitol Hill, greets every table with a warm welcome—a deep cast-iron pan of skillet bread. The recipe for the buttery, dangerously addicting pull-apart rolls comes from Smith’s 91-year-old grandmother Mabel—he’s just added butter and a sprinkle of chives—and is a reminder of his childhood. “Growing up in the South,” Smith says, “every table of my family was graced with homemade yeast rolls and biscuits. It’s not about being fancy; it’s about tasting good.”

Makes two skillet breads or 12 rolls

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
¼ ounce active dry yeast (one package)
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil, plus a little more for brushing
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 teaspoon kosher salt

 

One of the most popular dishes at Zaytinya, José Andrés’s Mediterranean mezzeteria in DC’s Penn Quarter, is the garides me anitho—shrimp with dill—so it’s no surprise that a reader requested the recipe. Andrés took inspiration from traditional Greek flavors: According to chef de cuisine Mike Isabella, dill is the most widely used herb in Greece. Isabella, currently a contestant on Top Chef, says the kitchen turns out nearly 50 plates of the buttery shellfish everyday. Slow-poached in a pan sauce with a dash of mustard and lemon juice and garnished with piquant white pepper, the shrimp take on a lot of flavor. How can you be sure your version is as good as Zaytinya’s? “Fresh dill is essential,” Isabella says.

A Maryland corn pudding recipe with Texas kick.

Although outdoor-barbecue season is coming to an end, we couldn’t help obliging the reader who asked for Rocklands’ Texas-corn-pudding recipe. After all, says proprietor John Snedden, the creamy stuff is popular year-round: On Super Bowl Sunday, the company’s four locations collectively mix up about 30 gallons. Snedden says lots of customers requested the pudding when Rocklands opened in 1992, and Stephen MacLeod, the second manager at the Glover Park outpost, offered his family’s recipe. But MacLeod is from Salisbury, Maryland—how did Snedden give it a Texas flair? After testing lots of barbecue—and sides—in Houston and Austin, he decided jalapeños and extra onions would do the trick.

Look for creamed corn that’s low on sugar—Snedden suggests Bird’s Eye or Green Giant—and, to achieve a fluffy, soufflé-like texture, mix the batter just before you’re going to bake it. Here’s another secret: “Put a lot of love in it,” says Snedden. “Did I include that in the recipe?”

 

Looking at a counter piled with tomatoes? This summertime soup, which a reader requested the recipe for, could be the answer. A fixture on the menu at the downtown DC Nuevo Latino restaurant Ceiba, the bright gazpacho itself is easy to make and tasty on its own. But if you’ve got a little time, the restaurant’s garnishes make it really stand out.

What’s crunchy, creamy, citrusy, and herby? This week’s Recipe Sleuth request: The Majestic’s fennel salad. Chef Shannon Overmiller says the classic Mediterranean salad, traditionally paired with tuna, works nicely with any fish (she’s currently serving it with grilled whole orata). She encourages home cooks to adjust the recipe according to their personal tastes. For variations, try substituting grapefruit for one of the citrus juices, using different types of olives, or adding pine nuts.

While many restaurants use leftover bread to make their bread pudding, the sleek Asian-fusion restaurant Oya uses croissants. The result is a rich and moist dessert that two of our readers told us they would LOVE (yes, their caps) to learn how to make. “It’s one of those comfort foods that everyone knows,” Oya chef Eddie Marine says. “Bananas are foods of all countries, so it fits the restaurant.” The $10 bread pudding, which the restaurant serves with rum-raisin ice cream, caramel sauce, and coconut, has been a favorite at Oya since its opening. Marine says the recipe is easy to make—just make sure the oven is not too hot so that the bread pudding cooks slowly.