Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

On her nights off, Amanda Cohen, the chef at Dirt Candy in Manhattan, uses up the white takeout containers full of rice that accumulate in her fridge by making vegetable fried rice (see the recipe here). To ward off blandness, she stocks her freezer in advance with flavor bombs: small, dark green ice blocks of garlic, ginger, cilantro, parsley and other ingredients, frozen in ice cube trays. When the rice and vegetables are hot in the pan and ready for a boost, you simply melt a flavor cube or two in the mix and let the rice take on a tasty coat of green.

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Most top chefs will tell you the same thing: When they finally escape from the elaborate labors they oversee in the kitchen, they crave late-night street food that’s poetically simple and satisfying: hot dogs, fried rice, a bowl of noodles. For Enrique Olvera, the chef at Cosme in New York and Pujol in Mexico City, that hand-to-mouth haiku can be found in avocado tacos, which he scarfs down around the clock. They serve as both “a comfort,” he said, and “a cultural expression.” In its most basic form, an avocado taco is like a two-bite couplet in praise of Mexican ingredients: a chewy corn tortilla enclosing creamy slices of the-butter-that-grows-on-trees. Spare additions elevate that avocado: a pinch of salt, a spray of lime juice, a sprinkle of chopped onions and cilantro. But the chef takes elevation one step further with a salsa made of pasilla chiles and tomatillos. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Adapted from John Martinez, Super Linda, Manhattan

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This recipe came to us from Bobby Flay in advance of the opening of his restaurant Gato. The chicken gets a jolt of flavor not only from the cheese but also from a honey and sherry vinegar gastrique, basically a sauce made from caramelized sugar or another sweet ingredient like the honey, deglazed with vinegar and then reduced. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Bobby Flay's restaurants have traditionally centered on the cuisine of the Southwest or of Spain. The menu of his new restaurant, Gato, will encompass regions around the Mediterranean — Spain, yes, but Italy, Provence, Greece, North Africa. “Lots of citrus," he said, like the Meyer lemon in this recipe for crushed potatoes. (The New York Times) Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Bread that slides out of a can? It might strike many Americans as a dubious culinary eccentricity, but throughout New England it is a staple, often purchased at the supermarket and served at home with a generous pour of baked beans. “I had this growing up,” said Meghan Thompson, the pastry chef at Townsman, in Boston, where the cylindrical brown tower comes to the table as something of a regional wink. Her version, commissioned by the chef Matt Jennings, dials down the cloying sweetness and amps up the flavor with a totally different manifestation of beans: doenjang, the funky Korean paste made from fermented soybeans.

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Wait a second. Brooks Headley, the pastry chef from Del Posto, is encouraging you to make an ice-cream sandwich with store-bought white bread and a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia? Indeed. And he’ll even make the cheeky argument that this quick treat has Italian roots. “A typical Sicilian breakfast is gelato on a brioche roll,” he said. “Ice cream for breakfast! Who isn’t going to love that?” Truth be told, for a dessert at Del Posto Mr. Headley would most likely use a preserved-cherry and stracciatella gelato, but its flavor and texture are not so far off from what you get with Ben & Jerry’s. So butter the bread, crisp it up in a pan, let it cool, then coat it with ice cream and smush it all together. “I finish it with olive oil because, in the words of the great chef Paul Bertolli, olive oil is the best sauce,” Mr. Headley said. He called the result “admittedly trashy, but wildly satisfying.” How could it not be? Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

New Nordic cuisine has spread far beyond Scandinavia in the last few years, and this dish goes a long toward explaining why. The broccoli, seared but still crunchy, is brightened by a beguilingly salty, savory and garlicky aioli, then finished with buttery seasoned panko. While the recipe requires multiple steps and some attention to make sure the bread crumbs and garlic are not overcooked, the preparation pulls together easily. This dish also lends itself well to situations where time may be limited, as both the aioli and bread crumbs can easily be prepared ahead of time. The result is a composed, umami-laden dish that is rich but balanced. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

At Ducks Eatery in the East Village, the chef, Will Horowitz, believes in the bar snack as a maximum-detonation flavor bomb. And he’ll go to great lengths to achieve that: Many of the dishes at Ducks, including the restaurant's wings, shown here, depend on labor-intensive rounds of fermenting and smoking. For our version of the recipe, though, we asked him to reel in the effort without cutting back on the flavor. Think of the result (which involves anchovy fillets, Thai fish sauce, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles and ground chamomile) as a stealth way to sneak ambitious gastronomy into your next Super Bowl party. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

To celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, a dish of cold poached chicken with a curry cream sauce was served at a banquet luncheon for 350 of the queen’s guests. That dish, originally called “Poulet Reine Elizabeth,” became known as coronation chicken, spurring a thousand variations in Britain and beyond. This one, from Tea & Sympathy in New York City, is closely based on the original recipe, and includes a mix of curry powder, red wine and tomato purée folded into a mayonnaise dressing. At the luncheon, the chicken was served alongside a rice salad studded with peas. But it’s also excellent piled on lettuce leaves or stuffed into sandwiches. For a meatless version, you can try these cauliflower salad sandwiches. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

For many Italian-American families, in New Jersey and elsewhere, the Thanksgiving smorgasbord doesn’t feel quite right without a little touch of red sauce. So you say: “Manicotti? That doesn’t really go with turkey and stuffing and cranberries.” What, you want to argue about it? Besides, Thanksgiving also represents an American expression of abbondanza, the Italian concept of too-muchness that makes a meal feel epic. Here, courtesy of Reservoir Tavern, which has been serving customers in the Boonton area since 1936, comes a recipe for baked manicotti that uses crepes in place of pasta. Nicola Bevacqua, a member of the family that owns the place, said that his own family digs into this melted-cheese masterwork each holiday, as do the New Jersey locals who drop by to pick it up. The crepes, he assured us, “are light and airy and will leave you plenty of room for the turkey.” Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Here is a granola recipe, adapted from the chef Anup Joshi, that is packed with protein and texture. It combines rolled oats, spelt, teff, amaranth and other grains into a healthy power punch. You may need to explore the bulk-food section of your grocery to gather these ingredients, but the extra shopping time will result in a sweet, salty crunch, laden with dried fruit. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jonathon Sawyer is no snob. Although he runs the kitchens in a slew of acclaimed restaurants in the Cleveland area, including The Greenhouse Tavern, the chef decided to honor Thanksgiving and his home state, Ohio, by sending along a personal recipe that calls to mind the processed-food delights that, for decades, characterized the cooking of the Midwest. “Think of this salad as a little slice of nostalgia from the canned-and-frozen households of the mid-20th century,” he wrote in an email. Mr. Sawyer recommends frozen peas (“I think frozen peas are magical,” he said) and organic eggs, but over the years he has seen the dish made with Miracle Whip, cubes of cheese from the deli, powdered Ranch dressing, French’s fried onions. “The real goal of having a salad like this on the holiday table is it’s a tart, sweet and delicious break from the overindulgence of roasted birds, velvety gravy and buttery potatoes,” he said. And hey, that break from the overindulgence happens to have bacon in it

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

A proper French omelet is all about (you guessed it) technique. Luckily, Jacques Pépin is the master. Note that Mr. Pépin cracks eggs on his cutting board, not against the rim of the mixing bowl. (This prevents any bacteria on the surface of the shells from getting into the bowl.) In the pan, Mr. Pépin maintains a kind of Tilt-a-Whirl shaking and spinning and scraping of the pan, keeping the eggs constantly in motion. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This gin and tonic is made with Fever-Tree tonic, Hendrick’s gin, a slice of grapefruit, a sprinkle of freshly grated cardamom and a leaf of basil that’s clapped between two hands to foster the release of flavor. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

These glazed carrots, from Karen and Quinn Hatfield of the Los Angeles restaurant Odys and Penelope, are caramelized and sweetened from a quick hot turn on the grill, then tossed in a salty dressing of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic and ginger. Turning the carrots often and moving them around on the grill keeps them from burning. And if your carrots are burning but aren't yet cooked through, transfer them to a baking sheet and finish cooking in a 400-degree oven. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Matthew Kenney, an acclaimed raw-food chef in California, has been creating dishes with fresh juices for years. Here, he offers up a recipe great for cleaning out your crisper. If organic produce is not available in your area, make sure to wash the ingredients well before using, to remove any residual pesticides.

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This recipe, from the chef Nick Anderer of Marta in Manhattan, pairs simply seasoned arctic char fillets (feel free to use salmon instead) with a bright, delicious crema with lemon and spicy horseradish. Make sure your grill grates are both clean and very hot before you put down the fish; that will help keep your fish from sticking. You'll also want a large grill spatula for flipping (not tongs) to get under the fish and help you carefully flip the fillets and keep them intact. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This astoundingly good recipe came to The Times from Nick Anderer, who made it over an open fire when he was the chef of Marta in New York. A sweet and sour puttanesca is draped over charred broccoli still warm from the grill, creating a dish that goes well next to a piece of grilled fish or meat. Do cut the broccoli into large florets; it makes them easier to manage on the grill. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Soup doesn't have to be loaded with meat to be deeply satisfying. This one from Mary McCartney, devoted vegetarian, cookbook author and a daughter of Paul, is proof of that fact. Quinoa adds a lovely bit of texture, and beans – practically any variety will do – add heft and a wonderful creaminess as they break down in the broth. This recipe begs to be tampered with, so feel free to add more beans, vegetables, quinoa or fresh herbs. One reader even added a few cups of cooked pasta. It's almost impossible to mess up, so don't hold back. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This recipe came to The Times from the chef Laurent Tourondel. The focus is on texture: rolled oats, corn flakes, steel-cut oats and sliced almonds combine for a hefty crunch, while honey, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest give it a golden warmth. The granola comes together quickly and will bake in 20 minutes or less. Store in an airtight container for a week, but you’ll probably run out before then. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

At WD-50 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the pastry chef Malcolm Livingston II specializes in building delicious and visually arresting desserts out of ingredients that seem to have been thrown together like strangers at a cocktail party. (A recent example: “verbena mousse, plum, buckwheat, camelina oil.”) But when it comes to the family meal, when members of the kitchen team meet up for a mass nosh, Mr. Livingston is known for baking something more traditional: chocolate chip cookies. “I think they stand out because of the texture,” he said, citing his blend of all-purpose flour, bread flour and melted butter. Pay attention to the process, though. “When making them at home, set aside enough time for your dough to be chilled,” he advised. “The cookies bake better when they are going straight from freezer or fridge directly into the oven.” Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Mofongo, which in its most traditional form is a fried-and-mashed fusion of plantains, pork rinds, garlic and peppers, is essential Puerto Rican food. For this recipe we went to the chef Jose Enrique and asked for a mofongo for the Thanksgiving table, standing at the ready to soak up gravy and meet your turkey on the tip of a fork. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

When it comes to pawpaw, accept no substitutes. Trust us; we tried. We went to a bunch of experts — scholars who specialize in fruit, plus chefs and cookbook authors who know all about the proud culinary history of Appalachia — and we asked them, “If a home cook doesn’t happen to have any pawpaw, what combination of other fruits and vegetables might work well as a replacement?” We picked up passing nods to sweet potatoes, bananas, papayas, avocados, really ripe mangoes. But in the end everyone came back with variations on “Forget it, there’s nothing like a pawpaw.” The goopy-textured, tropical-ish fruit whose name sounds like a punch line on “Hee Haw” can be found scattered all over the country, but recipes (for cakes, pies, puddings) abound largely in West Virginia and nearby states like Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. If you happen to secure some pawpaw, best to get out of its way, as is the case with this pudding. Pawpaw is a holiday guest who responds well to minimal interference. Jeff

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

In a lot of states, people don’t just eat food on Thanksgiving; they hunt for it. Lora Smith, a writer and farmer with roots in Kentucky, sends along a recipe handed down from her great-grandmother, for her family’s “pocket” dressing: a baked patty of dressing that slides easily into the pockets and knapsacks of rabbit and quail hunters. The Smiths also have the patties at the table, where they are passed around on a platter. Texture is key. The outside must be browned and crisp. Inside, softness comes from cornbread and biscuits, and chewiness from foraged mushrooms. A family member (traditionally, the oldest matriarch) leaves a thumbprint indentation on each patty before baking, so that a little gravy can settle and soak in. The hunt continued through Thanksgiving weekend. “They’d again take the leftover dressing wrapped in wax paper with them, and sometimes turkey sandwiches or turkey with fresh biscuits pulled out of the oven that morning,” Ms. Smith said. “My father always carried

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

In Park Slope, Dale Talde engineered one of the most hunted-down bar snacks of 2012, a beer-friendly, street-cart collision known as the “pretzel dumpling.” Inside, there’s some slightly cured pork. Outside, a process of boiling, brushing, pan-searing and baking creates a skin with the crust and chew of a hot pretzel. The dipping sauce echoes what you might get at a deli, or in a bag full of Chinese takeout: strong mustard. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Make some instant ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter. Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese. Scatter a bunch of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions across the top, if you want to. Hardly a recipe! But for the chef Roy Choi, who gave it to The Times in 2014, doctored instant ramen is a taste of Korean-American straight-from-the-bag soul food. The butter, egg and cheese help coat the ramen noodles and deepen their flavor. “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal,” Mr. Choi said. “It’s something that has been a part of my life forever.” Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This recipe came to The Times from the chef Steve Redzikowski of OAK fourteenth in Boulder, Colo., and moves granola out of the breakfast realm while still remembering its hippie roots. It is a savory mix, pairing rosemary and red-pepper flakes with a flourish of juniper berries. As with most granolas, simply mix the ingredients and toast them in a low oven until crisp. The result here makes for a substantial afternoon snack, but try it using it as a crust for red meat. It’s a surprising addition to dinner.

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This stuffing from the chef Suzanne Goin, a Los Angeles native, pays tribute to California, with nods to the sourdough that you associate with fog-strewn San Francisco and to the almonds and dates of the Central Valley. Turkey sausage, kale and sliced chiles are also tossed into the mix. As Ms. Goin explained, “There is no egg and no real attempt to emulsify it like your mom’s stuffing — it’s loose, laid-back and doing its own thing, California-style.” Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Stephanie L. Tyson, the chef at a Winston-Salem, N.C., restaurant called Sweet Potatoes, likes to blend one Southern staple into another: sweet potato cornbread laced with a holiday-friendly undercurrent of cinnamon and nutmeg. Ms. Tyson has said that the cornbread just clicks with a side of greens, but we have a feeling it will play well with cranberries and gravy, too. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Red cabbage slaw goes nicely with these burgers, either as a side or served directly on the burgers, as does julienned cabbage that’s been tossed in a bit of rice vinegar and salt. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Tita Em is a nickname for Zosima Arceo Phojanakong, also known as Emma, who happens to be the mother of King Phojanakong, the chef at Kuma Inn on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Her background is Filipino, and Mr. Phojanakong’s recipe for chicken wings is a spin on something that his mother used to cook every week for her family when the chef was a boy: a whole chicken simmered in a silky, peppery adobo gravy. In Mr. Phojanakong’s version, that sauce gets extra creaminess from coconut milk. At Kuma Inn, the wings have become a signature dish. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

An Italian restaurant standard is kicked up a few notches in this recipe from Mario Carbone, the chef at Carbone restaurant in New York. If you find it hard to track down Italian frisée or various types of radicchio, you can substitute the usual trio of arugula, endive and radicchio. A helping of poached tuna adds richness and a hint of a salade niçiose. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Amanda Cohen, the chef at Dirt Candy in Manhattan, loves how easy it is to make fried rice. “If you’re a chef, the idea of cooking at home on your one night off is like some kind of terrible nightmare,” she said. “Takeout becomes your best friend. but before long half your fridge is taken up by those little white cartons of rice.” At home, she digs into those cartons to make fast batches of vegetable fried rice, and she combats the threat of blandness by stocking her freezer in advance with her Secret-Weapon Stir-Fry Sauce: small, dark green ice blocks of puréed garlic, ginger, cilantro, parsley and other ingredients, which she freezes in ice-cube trays (they can be slipped directly into the hot pan). She uses brussels sprouts, fennel, chard and mushrooms, but this dish is the definition of flexibility. “As long as you maintain the proportions, this recipe can take any vegetable you throw at it,” she said. “Think of it as a chance to clean out your crisper drawer.” Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

In 2011, Jeff Gordinier wrote about Gradisca, in the West Village, where the owner Massimo Galeano wanted to serve the dishes of his Bolognese childhood. So he brought in his mother, Caterina Schenardi. This recipe is adapted from her and Daniele Boldrini, who grew up in Bologna. Ms. Schenardi is especially particular about the flour and egg in her tagliatelle, but here you can just use a store-bought version to go alongside, or use a noodle of your preference. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

It's hard to believe, but this rich soup hasn't a drop of butter or cream. It came to us from Jeremy Bearman, the chef at Rouge Tomate, a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York known for its healthy and sustainable menu options. Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

Jeff Gordinier

Jeff Gordinier · NYT Cooking

This recipe is from the British-born chef April Bloomfield, who says it dates back to an era when an English pub might cook a hunk of meat by dangling it from a hook above a roaring fire. The “pudding” emerged from a pan full of runny batter that would have been placed beneath the meat to soak up the juices. “The heat of the fire would make the Yorkshire pudding rise up, and all the fat would seep in,” she said. (Life back then was “nasty, brutish, and short,” as Thomas Hobbes once griped, but apparently there were upsides.) Of course, making Yorkshire pudding these days is a more domesticated undertaking. “Now what happens is you kind of recreate that,” said Ms. Bloomfield, who serves it as part of an order-ahead prime-rib feast at the Breslin Bar & Dining Room in the Ace Hotel in Manhattan. “It’s very soulful,” she said. “Give me 10 Yorkshire puddings and a thin sliver of beef, and I’ll be very happy.” Jeff Gordinier