Maybe it’s impolite to call people names, but as regular readers of these missives will have noticed, I’ve given “Sobriqu’Hetty” Lui McKinnon quite a few of them. I do it out of love and admiration, of course. Hetty’s wide-ranging, vegetable-focused brilliance is so delightful that the nicknames seem to write themselves.
I’ve put in a full year of weekly monikers, so I feel it’s probably time to let Hetty have her name back. But not before I get in a few more.
Hetty made her name with dishes just like this sheet-pan coconut curry with squash and tofu. Easy to make, dazzlingly flavored and filled with marvelous vegetables, it’s a recipe only Hetty “Curry Up and Eat” Lui McKinnon could have thought up. Using thin-skinned (but mild-mannered) winter squash means you don’t have to peel it, saving you a step. Then, instead of making a sauce on the stove, Hetty simply drizzles the half-roasted vegetables with a mixture of curry paste and coconut milk, which reduces into a thick, sweet sauce that you can make as spicy as you like. Serve this dreamy, weeknight-friendly dish over rice with lime wedges.
Featured Recipe
Sheet-Pan Coconut Curry With Squash and Tofu
While you’re making that rice, cook up some extra for Hetty’s basil and tomato fried rice. It’s on the pungent side of fried rice dishes, laced with bird’s-eye chiles, plenty of garlic and herbal, peppery notes from the handful of fresh basil stirred in at the end. Got Parm? Throw some into the pot as well to add a buffer of umami to this sparky, summery dish.
On the gentler side, Hetty’s miso leeks with white beans draws inspiration from classic French leeks vinaigrette. But a dash of miso paste in the dressing, along with the usual red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, lends a saline complexity to the creamy white beans and melting leeks. For a crunchy contrast to all that heady Hetty richness, serve it with toast or a baguette.
Tinted gold with turmeric and scented with loads of fresh ginger, Hetty’s broccoli and quinoa soup is a colorful vegan delight. The broth is enriched with coconut milk and spiked with chile oil, which makes it a warming, bracing elixir to get us through these cold February nights.
No list of Hetty “Udon Juan” Lui McKinnon’s triumphs would be complete without one of her seductive noodle dishes. There are so many to choose from, but I especially adore her five-star honey-glazed mushrooms with udon. It’s the caramelized mushrooms that get me — the way the shiny glaze of soy sauce, honey and butter envelops the creminis and makes these earthy mushrooms sweet and almost candied. Find fresh or frozen udon if you can, so the thick, springy strands will have the best texture to carry the sauce. But any noodles will do the trick in this irresistible 20-minute dish.
And for dessert, you could hardly do better than Hetty “Chewy Lui” McKinnon’s mochi brownies. These fudgy treats, speckled with chocolate chips, are made from mochiko, or sweet rice flour, which gives them lightness and bounce. Quickly whisked together in a single bowl, they’re exactly the kind of low-effort, high-reward deliciousness that Hetty is famous for. They’re a fitting finish for a fabulous meal.
I think I can give the nicknames a rest now. After all, her food speaks for itself. From now on, she’ll simply be Hetty “Hetty Lui McKinnon” Lui McKinnon.
Of course, you’ll want to subscribe to get these and all our other tens of thousands of smart recipes (and thanks to all of you who have already subscribed!). If you slam into any technical issues, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi.
That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
