Martha Rose Shulman

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

The key to success with angel food cake is not overbeating the egg whites, which means you should never go above medium speed, and the peaks should fold over when you lift them with a spatula or beaters. If the meringue is too stiff, the cake will not maintain its height once baked. You should be able to pour the batter into the pan. Make sure that the egg whites are at room temperature before you begin. Use an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, preferably one with a removable bottom (even better if it has feet, for air circulation when you cool it upside down). Once baked, let it cool completely in the reversed pan.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This is a version of a classic French tourte aux blettes, a Swiss chard pie made with abundant chard, raisins, pine nuts, Parmesan or Gruyère, sugar and apples. But here, the usual olive-oil crust has been swapped for a flaky butter-based pâte brisée.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This baked rigatoni is a grown-up version of macaroni and cheese. The tomato sauce, judiciously spiced with hot red pepper flakes and embellished with diced bright yellow bell pepper and pungent black olives, is easy and straightforward. It keeps for three or four days in the refrigerator, so you can make it ahead, or you can toss it right away with the al dente rigatoni and cheese. Spread the mixture in an oiled baking dish, cover it well and refrigerate. It will be fine there for a day, ready to transfer to the oven when the hungry troops begin to ask what’s for dinner. Bake the rigatoni until bubbly, make a green salad to serve alongside and everybody will be happy.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Pears and walnuts complement dark black and pale brown rice in this sweet and savory mixture. Make sure you don’t overcook the pears; they need only a quick sear in the pan. The cooked grains will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen. The stuffing benefits from being made a day ahead. The optional red lentils or cranberries add some color to the mix.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

I always include at least three elements in my grain bowls: the grains, the topping and something to garnish the topping, usually a protein, often a poached egg. I wanted some contrasting crunch as well as some cheese, so I made Parmesan crisps, also known as frico, one of the easiest, best-kept secrets in the Italian repertoire.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Like slow-cooked onions, slow-cooked cabbage takes on color, becoming meltingly tender and sweet. Because of the bulk of the potatoes, this gratin makes a satisfying vegetarian main dish, though it certainly works just as well as a side.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This is the template that I use for most of my main-dish vegetable gratins. I like gratins hot, warm or at room temperature. I fold the aromatic vegetable filling into a mixture of eggs beaten with milk, salt, pepper and cheese, usually Gruyère, and then add rice or, in this case, corn.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Cooked figs go beautifully with meat, especially a griddled or pan-cooked chicken breast. I always seem to circle back to feta when I’m working with figs in a savory dish. I love the flavor of the earthy, salty cheese against the subtle, sweet fruit.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This savory side takes the classic French grated carrot salad and adds depth of flavor, with capers, red onions, curry powder and cumin. It keeps well, so make a large batch and keep it in the refrigerator for several not-sad desk lunches.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

These will seem soft when you remove them from the oven, but they will stiffen as they cool. Ms. Luchetti recommends Ghirardelli 60 percent chocolate chips or Guittard Extra Dark, and likes Valrhona cocoa powder.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This is a thick, hearty Tuscan-inspired potage with farro and beans. Red, kidney, pinto or borlotti beans (or a blend) most resemble the beans used in Tuscany. The farro and beans are soaked together, then cooked with aromatics, tomatoes and pancetta. The pancetta can be left out for a perfectly delicious vegetarian version.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Fig jam is a perfect way to preserve a surfeit of this seductive fruit. The added touch here, beyond the fruit, sugar and lemon juice, is the small amount of balsamic vinegar, which intensifies the sometimes elusive flavor of the figs. This jam is wonderful stirred into plain yogurt.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

The photogenic tart will make you look like a pastry chef, though it's no more difficult than baking a pie. A sweet tart crust is layered with almond cream, fig jam (homemade is nice, but store-bought works well, too) and fresh figs. The key to success is superb figs. They can’t be so jammy that they collapse when you cut them into quarters or sixths. But they should be sweet and ripe. The dough recipe below makes two crusts, one for now and one for later (store extra dough, well-wrapped, in the freezer).

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This is Italian country cooking at its best, a simple dish that requires few ingredients and very little time. Use the same pot of water that you use to cook the broccoli for the pasta. Then finish the broccoli and anchovy mixture in a pan while the pasta is cooking, and toss the pasta with the sauce right in the pan.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This garlic soup, which is based on a Provençal recipe, requires a minimal number of the staples that I always have on hand. It calls for garlic; eggs; some sort of pasta; a green vegetable that can be as simple as the limp bunch of broccoli in my crisper or, as I use in this recipe, frozen peas; and Parmesan or Gruyère for the garnish.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Quinoa that is toasted until the seeds begin to pop is crunchy, but not hard, with a flavor both grassy and nutty. They enrich this granola in the nicest way, adding texture and flavor, as well as a bit of “stealth health” — the popped quinoa bumps up the protein content.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Green beans are one of many vegetables that both Greek and Turkish cooks stew with abundant olive oil in dishes known as ladera. This recipe is inspired by one of them, but it’s a far cry from the authentic version, which requires three times as much oil and simmers for a longer time. Don’t be put off by the faded color of the beans; they’re comforting and delicious.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This comforting Mexican dish is made with fried tortillas and salsa. Frying tortillas is easy, but you can use store-bought chips if you’d like; just be sure that they are thick, the type sold in bags at Mexican groceries or tortillerías.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Halloumi is a firm, white, brined cheese traditionally made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk. (Though today, cow’s milk is often used.) Like other low-fat cheeses, it is perfect for grilling. It sears and colors quickly when it hits the hot grill. The interior softens, but the cheese doesn’t melt; it just warms up invitingly.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

I toasted the rolled oats called for in Ms. Fields's recipe, just to get a little more texture out of them. Make sure the mixture is hot when you drop the cookies or the texture will be too crumbly.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

The ingredient that makes this marinade both spicy and sweet is adobo sauce from canned chiles in adobo, a useful sauce that I had not thought to use in marinades until I was introduced to the idea by the cookbook author and television host Pati Jinich. The sauce has enough heat, so I don’t use the canned chipotles, though you could add one if you wanted. I hold back a couple of tablespoons of the marinade and use it to finish the vegetables and deglaze the pan.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This lighter, vegetarian version of hot borscht has the depth of flavor that a meaty backdrop provides, without overpowering the winelike, heady flavor of the beets.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

To make the salad, I steam the potatoes first and, as soon as they’re done, season them and toss them with a portion of the lemon juice and vinegar dressing. Then, I briefly steam and slice the trimmed okra and toss everything together. It tastes like a creamy potato salad with a garlicky Mediterranean accent.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This cool-weather panzanella trades tomatoes for caramelized roasted squash. It is a great salad for a buffet, but you can also make a meal of it. Martha Rose Shulman

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

A ragout is the perfect vehicle for sturdy greens, which stand up to gentle simmering and sweeten as they cook. I usually take a simple Mediterranean approach and simmer the greens with olive oil, tomatoes, onions and garlic. The result is a savory ragout that begs to be tossed with pasta.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

When you make these baked Greek phyllo bites, you have to take care that the pastry does not dry out, which will cause it to crack when you fold the triangles. Keep the sheets and strips you are not working with covered with a damp towel to avoid this. If you do have a problem with cracking, wrap each triangle in another strip of phyllo.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

In France this simple, nutritious soup is made with wild greens that you might forage on an afternoon’s walk, such as nettles, watercress and dandelion greens. If you must use one green, make it Swiss chard. The soup can be prepared through step 1 several hours before serving.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Here the tawny hue of the cooked lentils blends well with the sweet yellow-orange winter squash. If you’re looking for Halloween colors for a dinner main dish or starter, look no further.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Keep this easy recipe in your back pocket for when you want to add crunchy, zingy punch to whatever you're serving. The flavor of the rice vinegar creates a pickle that goes particularly well with Asian dishes. Martha Rose Shulman

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This slaw, a mix of very thinly shredded red cabbage, cilantro, julienned radishes and walnuts, is a perfect sweet-nutty-salty-sour mix. Pair it with dumplings, or other dim sum, and it holds its own.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Hang on to those Parmesan rinds because they make excellent stock. Simmer them in water for a couple of hours with some aromatics, then strain and chill the liquid. I recommend that you make it a day ahead so you can remove the waxy layer of fat that settles at the top once the stock has chilled.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

The vegetarian cookbook author Lukas Volger has a way with Asian condiments and flavors. In this recipe for bibimbap, the egg-topped Korean rice bowl, he roasts squash, shiitakes and broccoli rabe in a sweet and spicy mix of soy, chile paste, sugar and oil. Mr. Volger crisps cooked rice in a skillet to get the characteristic crunch of bibimbap; you can prepare the rice up to three days ahead, but be sure to crisp it just before serving. If you want to skip that step, use freshly cooked rice instead. Martha Rose Shulman

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This quick fresh tomato salsa will always be best when tomatoes are in season. But you can pump up the flavor with a little lime juice if the flavor of your tomatoes is a little dull. Juicy tomatoes will yield a more watery salsa than pulpy roma tomatoes.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

I call these seared ruby red grapefruit rounds “pancakes,” not because there is any batter involved, but because I serve them warm, with maple syrup that I spike with fresh ginger juice.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Shell beans take less than half the time to cook than their dried counterparts. Look for varieties such as mottled pink and white cranberry beans, also known as borlotti beans; large scarlet runner beans that are mottled and purple, despite the name; and pale yellow cannellini beans.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Shrimp fajitas are quickly thrown together. The shrimp are tossed in a mix of lime juice and zest, adobo sauce from a can of chipotles, olive oil, cumin and garlic, and don’t need to be marinated for longer than 30 minutes. I use just enough adobo sauce in the marinade to obtain its spicy and slightly sweet essence without overpowering the shrimp.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

There are only three basic steps to making green mole: Whip up a purée of toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatillos and chiles in a blender; sear the purée in oil and cook it until it thickens slightly; then add chicken stock and simmer until the mixture is creamy. Once the sauce is done, you can poach shrimp right in it; it only takes five to eight minutes to cook them in the simmering mole. Better yet, you can make the sauce up to three days ahead and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to use it, or freeze it (whisk or blend to restore its consistency after thawing).

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

I like to serve this with baby potatoes or fingerlings, which I cook in salted boiling water before I begin the fish, then drain and keep warm in the covered pot.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This lighter take on ramen, with snap peas and shaved asparagus, comes from the vegetarian cookbook author Lukas Volger. The flavors are perked up with pounded or grated ginger and lemon zest. You can skip the frizzled scallion garnish, but it does add nice texture to the finished bowl. Martha Rose Shulman

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Skirt steak is the traditional cut used for fajitas. It used to be inexpensive, but now it's not so cheap; oftentimes flank steak costs less. Either will be a good choice.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Romanos hold up to longer cooking, as you’ll see when you make this dish. Even when they soften, after 20 minutes of braising or stewing, they still have plenty of texture, their color remains good and they become somewhat juicy. If you can’t find romano beans use regular green beans. Just reduce cooking time to 15 minutes.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

The green beans should remain crunchy in this dish, which is adapted from Grace Young’s recipe in “Stir-Fry to the Sky’s Edge.”

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

For a full meal in a bowl, serve this deeply flavorful soup with warm brown rice or noodles.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

I make this tangy, versatile tomatillo salsa to accompany a range of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. It’s always great with shrimp and fish, and it’s my go-to salsa for tacos with chicken in the filling, and with vegetables like potatoes and greens, summer squash and corn. I roast the tomatillos under the broiler before blending them to get a deep, toasty flavor. You can also roast the chiles if you want a deeper roasted-spicy flavor, as opposed to grassy-spicy flavor. If you wish to roast the chiles alongside the tomatillos, place the whole chiles on the baking sheet, too; they will be done faster than the tomatillos, only a minute or two on each side. Once they're cool enough to handle, peel and stem them, and coarsely chop, then proceed with the recipe.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

This is adapted from a recipe by the food writer Clifford A. Wright. If you forget to soak the dried favas, or if you don't have the time, simply cover them with boiling water and soak 1 hour, then drain and proceed.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

Call this savory mix of wild rice, quinoa, mushrooms, walnuts and greens a stuffing or a pilaf. It’s not meant to go inside a turkey but it's imbued with the definitive flavors of Thanksgiving. Kale or chard add some color; if you’re trying to find a place for greens at the table but don’t want to deal with massive amounts to stem and cook for a crowd, this is a great place for them. The result is substantial, and will satisfy everybody at the table – vegetarians and vegans, and those who avoid gluten. If you're feeding omnivores and wish to add even more flavor, crumble browned Italian sausage into the pan alongside the grains and greens.

Martha Rose Shulman · NYT Cooking

I use the food mill instead of a blender — immersion or regular — because I love the texture of the soup when it’s put through the mill’s coarse blade, resulting in a flavorful, colorful mixture that you can almost chew on. But you can use a blender to purée the soup. The texture will be coarsest — which is what you want — if you use an immersion blender.