Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Like marinara’s fiery cousin, this classic tomato sauce comes together in about 30 minutes with just canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper. Arrabbiata, which means angry in Italian, nods to the sauce’s spicy nature, but the aggressiveness of your sauce is up to you: Start with 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper for a noticeable tingle in the back of your throat, or double up for additional intensity. (One word of caution: It’s hard to reverse a sauce that is too spicy, so start small, then hit it with additional heat at the end, if desired.) Though dried chiles or crushed red pepper are traditional, feel free to experiment with what you’ve got and what you like: Any combination of fiery elements in the form of dried chile flakes, dried whole chiles, fresh chiles, chopped jarred Calabrian chiles, chile sauce or chile pastes (gochujang, Sriracha) liven up this elemental tomato sauce.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A vegetarian centerpiece inspired by baked Brie, this caramelized vegetable pie cuddles creamy, earthy molten cheese with a bevy of autumnal vegetables: roasted butternut squash, seared mushrooms, herbed brussels sprouts and tangy red onions, and enrobes the whole mixture in store-bought puff pastry. It’s significantly less work than this mushroom Wellington, but has a similar ceremonial pomp, with a delightful big reveal. Developed with ease in mind, this savory pie benefits from being prepared in advance: Cook the individual components at your leisure, even a few days in advance, and you’ll need only to assemble the pie and bake it off before dinner. This pie is relatively easy to engineer but it does require some patience. You’ll want to let it rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting, to allow the puff pastry to maintain its structure — and for the cheese to firm up a bit before carving.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

By creating a sauce from just broccoli, onions, olive oil and starchy pasta water, this recipe feels Italian in spirit but embraces an unexpected technique. Pulverize onion, broccoli and garlic in a food processor, then cook it in hot oil, much like sofrito, extracting as much flavor as possible. Add stock, orecchiette and broccoli florets, then watch the mixture go from soup, to stew, to saucy pasta. For best results, stick to the ingredients, measurements and temperatures listed in the recipe: Use a different pasta shape, and it will likely overcook; increase the amount of orecchiette, and there won’t be enough liquid; increase the heat and the liquid will evaporate before the pasta cooks through. But with attention, this recipe will yield a glossy pasta that makes cheap, accessible ingredients taste positively lush.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Simple yet surprising, this pantry risotto is a study in contrasts: Luscious, creamy risotto is topped with caramelized carrots that are roasted with spicy chile crisp while you make the rice. The risotto base — a classic approach using shallots, garlic and white wine — is the foundation for a cheap though lush meal that can be cobbled together with pantry ingredients. This one is subtly sweetened with freshly grated carrots, then topped with a pile of smoky roasted carrots. Don’t underestimate the versatility of chile crisp: This tingly, crunchy condiment can animate any number of rich dishes like risotto, pizza and macaroni and cheese with a robust dose of heat. In recipes, as in life, opposites attract.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

You might recognize this berry-laden, emoji-ideal cake from birthday parties, family gatherings or the shelves of supermarket chains selling copycat versions across the country — but this recipe has been perfected by its creator during the last 20 years. Invented by Chaya Conrad, the head chef and owner of Bywater Bakery in New Orleans, when she worked in the bakery department at Whole Foods, this newer version of her famed layer cake skips the traditional yellow cake for an almond-scented white cake base. Inspired by crème Chantilly (whipped cream), the frosting is thickened and stabilized with cream cheese and mascarpone, and has inspired Chantilly donuts, Chantilly king cakes and Chantilly ice cream. “To have something that you’ve made that has turned into such a big deal is pretty wild,” Ms. Conrad observed on the impact of her creation. “In New Orleans, when I pass, they’ll be second lining with Chantilly hats and things.” Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Inspired by Spanish ajo blanco soup — at its essence a creamy, dairy-free blend of almonds, bread, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and water or stock that is also known as white gazpacho — this recipe from Nina Compton, the chef of Compère Lapin in New Orleans, glorifies garlic. Rather than creating a chilled soup, she replaces the traditional almonds with cashews and boosts the flavor profile of ajo blanco with a hefty pile of blanched garlic cloves, for a surprisingly sweet, nutty sauce that softens the smoky, bitter notes of the charred broccoli rabe. This vegetarian side pairs with just about any protein, but it’s got enough complexity to work as a main alongside some toasted bread and perhaps some beans. Its garlic flavor will linger, but you won’t mind. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Chicken Milanese is a simple dish that makes chicken breasts seem positively lavish. Similar to Italian veal Milanese, this classic dish pairs hot and crispy breaded chicken with a cool and lemony salad. The recipe takes a little preparation, but the execution is easy: Pound lean chicken breasts until thin, bread them, then pan-fry until the bread crumbs are golden; the crust ensures that the chicken stays moist. While not traditional, this version adds onion powder, garlic powder and grated Parmesan to the breading. Experiment by adding spices, nuts and seeds to the bread crumbs, and cooked or raw fruits and vegetables to the greens. A swipe of mayonnaise on the plate? Unnecessary but sublime.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Vivid and bright, this traditional Bangladeshi shrimp dish, which was adapted from Nur-E Gulshan Rahman, the chef and an owner of Korai Kitchen in Jersey City, New Jersey, is stained with earthy turmeric, sweetened with onion and spiked with chile. In Bangladesh, Iran, India and in other parts of the subcontinent, dopiaza can refer to dishes that use a lot of onions. This recipe cleverly builds flavor using onions two ways: Some are sliced and cooked until softened, adding texture, while the remaining are blended into a purée that melds with turmeric, chile, oil and cilantro into a sauce that tastes as bright as sunshine. Ms. Rahman learned the recipe from her mother, and the dish is a popular staple at the restaurant, which she owns and operates with her youngest daughter, Nur-E Farhana Rahman. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

This traditional Turkish egg dish of garlicky yogurt with poached eggs and a drizzle of spicy butter is rich, luscious and faintly smoky. Typically served as a meze among a spread of other dishes, it makes a light lunch or brunch that comes together in the time it takes to poach eggs. For your base, opt for Greek yogurt to mimic the thicker yogurt common in Turkey. Next, bloom Aleppo pepper in butter or olive oil. Also known as pul biber, it delivers about as much heat as chipotle, with smoky notes and a fruity flavor. This version of çilbir is adapted from Özlem Warren, a cookbook author and blogger. Though the dish is traditionally served without herbs, she recommends dill or parsley for a modern flourish. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

This weeknight wonder is for those who delight in turning a modest can of beans into a spectacular dinner. Inspired by the flavors of red pesto, this recipe calls for simmering cannellini beans with staple ingredients like onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, tomato paste and heavy cream, as well as sun-dried tomatoes and salty Pecorino, until the results taste complex and rich. Top the beans with a lemony arugula salad that is peppered with fried bread crumbs for a dish that is crunchy, chewy, crispy and creamy in every bite.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

There are plenty of crispy tofu recipes, but few truly deliver on the promise, since tofu has a tendency to steam because of its high moisture content. But time can do the trick in the oven, creating brittle edges and a chewy texture with little effort. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can from your block of tofu, grate it coarsely, season it fearlessly, then roast it until sizzling. The key step is to drizzle the tofu with a combination of olive oil and tomato paste toward the end of cooking, which crisps the edges and lends a deep umami flavor, so much so that this tofu could almost be mistaken for seasoned ground beef. A swipe of avocado mayo, loosened with lime juice and electrified with zest, adds richness and tang, and quite literally holds the tacos together. Choose your mayonnaise and tortillas wisely and the whole dish is vegan.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A wildly popular novelty snack from Taco Bell, the Crunchwrap Supreme combines elements of a burrito with the tidier portability of a sandwich, in a stacked, layered and wrapped tortilla package. It delights for two practical reasons (low cost and convenience) and two culinary ones (crunch and cheesiness). An at-home version is a fun party trick — and it is endlessly customizable. Once you cook up the assertively spiced ground beef, the rest of this recipe is basically assembly: Start with the largest flour tortillas you can find, then layer on the meat (or crispy tofu, or refried beans), cloak it in queso, stack a tostada on top, pile on some chipotle sour cream, lettuce and pico de gallo, then fold and sear. Would you spend less buying just one at a Taco Bell? Yes, but your ratio of filling to tortilla will be paltry compared to this homemade version, which cheaply and happily feeds a crowd.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, this basic kombu and bonito dashi from “Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking” by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton (Ten Speed Press, 2015) is full of umami but made from just two ingredients: kombu (dry kelp) and katsuobushi (smoked, dried bonito flakes). It has smoky, salty, savory notes and tastes restorative on its own, but more often contributes depth to many traditional Japanese recipes, used as one might use any other broth to build flavor. After infusing the water with the kombu and katsuobushi, avoid the temptation to press the katsuobushi to extract as much liquid as possible — doing so would alter the equilibrium of this delicate dashi, which tastes oceanic but not overtly fishy. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Prized for its presentation, this fancy French potato dish dates back to the 1700s, when it was created — and given its aristocratic name — to help elevate the reputation of the humble tuber in France, where it had yet to be widely embraced by home cooks. It requires a little more effort than your typical potato side: You boil the potatoes, mix them with an extravagant amount of butter, cheese and eggs, pipe them onto parchment and bake until toasty. But it’s visually striking, and the results are too: Creamy potatoes enrobed in a delicate crust. Duchess potatoes are typically piped into dainty circles or baked in a casserole, but this version skews modern, with quirky squiggles inspired by the whipped ricotta crostini at Misi. Pipe them as you like, and cook them off as time permits; they can be prepared and refrigerated in advance, then baked off right before dinner.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

The majority of shortcut chicken soup recipes use rotisserie chicken. It’s a convenient hack, but cooked chicken doesn’t absorb flavors very well. On the other hand, sautéing ground chicken in olive oil with garlic, coriander and celery seeds (or fennel seeds and rosemary, or herbes de Provence) creates a deeply complex base. Add the vegetables, then the stock and the noodles for a complete meal that cooks in 30 minutes. You can use egg noodles, cavatelli or alphabet noodles, but you may want to adjust the amount of stock to taste, since they’ll each absorb a different amount of liquid.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A towering wedge salad is fun to look at, but the height and shape make it impractical for a couple reasons: Toppings tumble right off and dressings can’t permeate it properly. This recipe fixes all that by calling for thinly sliced wedges that are stacked on their sides. The toppings stay put, and the dressing can work its way into all the little nooks and crannies. This salad looks impressive, it tastes delicious and it’s actually quite no-fuss: You can make the dressing days ahead of time, and swap in whatever herbs, spices, seasonings you have and crave. The only tricky aspect is emulsifying your feta. The key is time: Scrape the sides as needed and keep blending. With some coaxing, it always gets there.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Salty, tangy and supremely textural, this dish from David Shim, the executive chef at Cote in New York City, harnesses the flavors of galbi, partnering marinated short ribs with crisp-tender tteok, spearing them on skewers and grilling them until smoky. It was served at the New York Times Food Festival in 2022, but Mr. Shim’s recipe delivers great results on any grill. “The strongest galbi flavors come from the sweetness of the marinade, which is especially a result of the Asian pears,” Mr. Shim said. The pear-and-soy marinade tenderizes the meat as it flavors it. Cut into small batons that readily soak up the seasoning, the boneless short ribs are well suited to grilling due to their high fat content. They even send a signal when they’re done: Once they’re grill-marked, they’ll be perfectly tender, juicy and medium-rare, as if by magic. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

While most winter squash recipes call for roasting the firm vegetable until nutty and caramelized, this recipe highlights the vegetable’s creamy texture and sweet notes by simmering it in ginger beer until supple. Like many glazed recipes, this one showcases the beauty of great timing: When the squash is done cooking, the liquid will have reduced to a glossy sauce (provided you’ve cut the squash into 1-inch pieces). Topping the mixture with a confetti-like gremolata of chopped ginger, garlic, parsley and orange zest turns this into a cold-weather side that sparkles.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Easy but exciting, this five-ingredient pasta dish is spiked with spicy gochujang, a Korean red chile paste that provides heat and complexity. Chopping the shrimp into bite-size pieces before cooking ensures that they will distribute more evenly in the finished dish, leaving you with perfect bite after perfect bite. Once that’s done, sear the chopped shrimp in olive oil, set them aside, then toss in scallions, halved cherry tomatoes, gochujang and a splash of pasta water for a supereasy pan sauce. Toss with your cooked pasta and shrimp until everything comes together and is slicked with vibrant sauce.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

This tuna melt, which was adapted from Sam Yoo, the owner and chef of Golden Diner in New York, is almost more about the textures than the tuna: Two slices of rye bread, crisped in butter and adorned with melted American cheese, sandwich a hefty scoop of tuna salad and a fistful of salt-and-vinegar potato chips. The sandwich will crunch, audibly, as you smash it together, and again between your teeth as you eat it. But the tuna salad is equally memorable: Reminiscent of the flavors of a Big Mac, its tangy, mayo-based sauce gets a hefty dose of acidity from minced bread and butter pickles, mustard, vinegar and Tabasco. This tuna melt eats like a tuna grilled cheese and proves that the best sandwiches are all about contrast: hot and cold, buttery and tangy, crispy and creamy. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A popular fast-food dish in Japan, gyudon is a quick-simmered mixture of thinly sliced beef and crisp-tender onions cooked in a sweet soy broth that’s seasoned with fresh ginger. It’s perfectly suited to weeknight cooking because it requires minimal prep, a short ingredient list and less than 30 minutes of active cooking. Gyudon owes its popularity to Yoshinoya, Japan’s first fast-food chain, which was founded in Tokyo in 1899 and became wildly successful in the 1960s serving just this dish. Variations abound — this recipe borrows heavily from the chef Ivan Orkin’s recipe, as well as one featured in “Simply Bento” by Yuko — and while some skip the use of dashi, a Japanese stock using bonito flakes and seaweed, the ingredient gives the dish a slight funk that offsets the sweetness of the mirin, sake and ginger. The flavor is subtle, but it’s missed when absent. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

In 2022, Jake Marsiglia and Costa Damaskos opened Baby Blues Luncheonette in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to honor the historic diners and luncheonettes that closed during the pandemic, while paying homage to Mr. Damaskos’s Greek roots. One of the best ways they’ve incorporated this history and culture into their menu is through their HLT sandwich, a play on the classic American BLT that replaces bacon with halloumi cheese, seared until golden and crisp. They replace BLT’s standard lettuce with an arugula salad seasoned with a bright Greek vinaigrette, and round out the sandwich with red onions, juicy heirloom tomatoes and a garlic-pepper mayonnaise. Alexa Weibel, Christina Morales

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Prized for their flavor — savory but sweet, even faintly fruity — Jimmy Nardello peppers are easy to spot because of their spindly shape and fire-truck-red hue (though they can also be consumed when green and at their most peppery). Named for Jimmy Nardello, whose parents imported the seeds from southern Italy in the late 1800s, the peppers were once mostly limited to farmers’ markets and restaurant menus. But now, they are popping up in supermarkets as supply rises to meet demand. For cooking, they don’t need much more than heat and a sprinkle of salt. Here, they are grilled until charred and slumped, then tossed with vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Enjoy them as soon as they soak up the marinade, served over grilled bread and cheese, or squirreled away in the fridge for later, to be tossed into salads, tucked into sandwiches or stirred into a pot of pasta.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

For the fastest path to deliciousness, select ingredients that punch above their weight. This weeknight recipe leans on just five primary ingredients — ground chicken, lettuce and rice form the foundation; kimchi adds depth and hoisin lends sweetness — for a fresh spread that cooks in just 15 minutes. Bracing and assertive, kimchi doesn’t slip into this dish; it dominates. Though each jar of kimchi is unique, its salty, spicy and tangy notes reign. You’ll cook off a portion of the chopped fermented cabbage with the chicken, taming its taste and texture, then use the remainder as a garnish. To offset kimchi’s assertiveness, the chicken is glazed with hoisin sauce, which adds sweetness, color and glossiness. Set the chicken mixture, kimchi, lettuce and rice in separate bowls for tableside assembly — less work for the cook, more fun for the guests.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Defined by the bright, citrusy flavor of fresh lemongrass, this 30-minute Vietnamese chicken dish is further complemented by punchy black pepper, spicy red chile, salty fish sauce and a dash of sugar for sweetness. The recipe builds intense flavor in minimal time, so using boneless chicken thighs is ideal because they’ll stay moist throughout cooking. This recipe is adapted from a dish by Vicky Pham, a blogger who writes about Vietnamese home-cooking dishes that aren’t typically found in Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. “I wanted to replicate those recipes with precise measurements instead of relying on the traditional ‘pinch of this’ and ‘just add enough until it tastes right’ so that one day my kids wouldn’t have too much trouble replicating their favorite childhood dishes,” Ms. Pham said. She whittled this dish down to three simple steps: Sear the chicken until golden, push it aside to make room to bloom the lemongrass, garlic, shallot and chile, then toss with fish sauc

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

This stunning vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish belongs at the center of any table. Beneath a crispy, wispy golden crust of store-bought phyllo lies a gratin with layers of creamy autumnal vegetables in a colorful ombré pattern. Slice the vegetables very thinly using a mandoline for safety and ease (see Tip), and they’ll bake up tender and creamy. Because each vegetable has varying densities and sugar levels, they benefit from individual attention: Salt each layer zealously, as the vegetables need a significant amount to offset their natural sweetness, and they really soak up the sauce. The sweet potatoes and squash may be sliced before you start cooking, but the potatoes should be done later, to prevent them from oxidizing, and the beets, to prevent them from falling apart. This creamy root vegetable gratin is exacting, and requires some effort, but its wow factor justifies the labor.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A bright tangle of greens that is sour, salty, spicy and sweet, this traditional Korean scallion salad pairs well with meat but is suitable for any banchan spread. This recipe comes from David Shim, the executive chef at Cote in New York City, who noted its versatility and its ability to team up with beef, pork, chicken or just about anything off the grill — including Mr. Shim’s galbi skewers. Though all you need to cut the scallions into thin slivers is a sharp knife and a little patience (you’ll need to position your knife at a sharp angle on the scallion to shave it into long strands), cheap bladed scallion cutters make fast work of the task. Plunging your sliced scallions into a bowl of ice water helps them curl while taming their bite. Dress the scallion curls just before serving, so you can pile them high. Frilly and fragrant, a little bite of this salad goes a long way. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

There are very few ingredients that can electrify a dish the way a spoonful of curry paste can. In this recipe, which is adapted from “Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand” (Penguin Canada, 2020) by Nuit Regular, store-bought red curry paste and lime leaves season sliced chicken and long beans in a salty-sweet dry curry. At her Toronto restaurant, Ms. Regular makes the curry paste from scratch, and in Thailand, you can purchase fresh curry paste by weight, but stateside, you’re more likely to find it in shelf-stable cans or jars. Salt and heat levels vary widely, so start with a little, then add more gradually, as desired. Citrusy, herbal Makrut lime leaves are essential to classic pad prik king (see Tip 2), but rest assured, this recipe is still delicious without them. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

In the long line of elaborate potato recipes like pommes dauphine, hasselback gratin and Jannsson’s temptation, the pavé feels uniquely party-worthy. While typically found on restaurant menus, it’s perfectly doable at home, with a little patience and effort (in the way of peeling and slicing five pounds of potatoes, but a mandoline makes it easy work). Prepare and chill the terrine in advance so you can simply sear the pieces when ready to serve. This pavé strays from tradition with the addition of cheese: Dip each piece in shredded Parmesan to coat on two sides, then sear until the cheese fuses into a salty frico crust. You could sear all sides, if desired, but two requires less energy — and also highlights the lovely contrast between the crunchy frico crust and the creamy center, which holds pure potato flavor.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

The concept here is simple, but the results are truly spectacular: Broccoli florets are tossed with olive oil and soy sauce, steamed in the oven until softened, then crowned with crunchy chile crisp bread crumbs. The broccoli is bundled up in aluminum foil, then cooked, so that it tenderizes swiftly and retains moisture. Meanwhile, chile crisp, panko, cashews and olive oil are toasted in a skillet until seasoned and crunchy. (This mix would also be stellar over peanut noodles, roasted vegetables or salad greens.) The optional base of two-ingredient cashew cream (tofu and cashew butter) adds lusciousness and protein. This dish has got heat, but it’s more about texture.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

For a spectacular vegetable side at home, try this tried-and-true formula: A swoosh of sauce on a plate topped with a cooked vegetable and a confetti of finely chopped garnish. For this iteration, blend the base (a cloud of yogurt, tahini, citrus and garlic) and chop your garnish (a pretty pile of pistachios, dill and chives) while the carrots roast. Set on a platter, served hot or at room temperature, it’s a special side dish that can also hold its own as a vegetarian main, supplemented with chickpeas, quinoa, couscous or toasted bread.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

With a flavor profile inspired by pasta e fagioli, this weeknight pasta recipe coaxes rich flavor out of simple ingredients while enlisting the oven to create a luscious sauce from roasted tomatoes and white beans. Essentially, the dish requires just three steps: Boil pasta, roast your sauce ingredients, then stir together until the pasta is glossy. When roasted in the oven, the beans become crispy, like croutons, and break down in a way that helps thicken the sauce. Though a flurry of freshly grated cheese would be welcome on top, this otherwise-vegan dish doesn’t need it: The roasted tomato sauce is rich and luscious, fortified by starchy pasta water, roasted beans and a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A traditional Scottish potato-cabbage mash, rumbledethumps is named for the sound a spoon makes as it rattles along the sides of the pot as you mash all of the ingredients together. This version is adapted from Ali Stoner (or “Roving Haggis” as she is known on Instagram and YouTube), who updates traditional Scottish recipes for the modern palate. She takes a few liberties, replacing cabbage with brussels sprouts and boosting flavor and texture with caramelized onions, fresh chives, punchy mustard and a crunchy panko topping. This humble mash invites variation, whether you prefer it chunky, creamy or topped with extra cheese and cream. It is complex enough to stand alone, with a sharp green salad, but it also pairs well with beef tenderloin, a simple roast chicken or a good pot of beans. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A stunning one-pot meal that cooks in just 15 minutes, this salmon dish creates a silky miso sauce that tastes lavish. The recipe comes from Naoko Takei Moore, who co-authored “Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking” with Kyle Connaughton (Ten Speed Press, 2015) and created Toiro, a Los Angeles shop that specializes in donabe and Japanese cookware. It’s intended to be cooked in a donabe, a Japanese clay pot prized for its ability to retain heat and cook evenly, but also works well in a Dutch oven or other pot. Once you’ve stirred together your miso sauce, seasoned your salmon and prepped your vegetables, the meal comes together with little effort, as you layer the vegetables, dashi, salmon and sauce in your pot then simmer until tender. Organize your prepped ingredients and the practice of cooking this dish feels as soul-soothing as the results. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

This satisfying weeknight meal involves three simple components — fish, kale and rice — and builds flavor from just one versatile element requiring a little labor: leek-infused cream. Sauté leeks, garlic and thyme in butter until softened, then simmer with heavy cream until thickened. Strain the mixture, saving the leeks to add flavor to cooked rice, polenta or pearl couscous, then combine the fragrant cream with blanched kale and a little mustard. Season the skin of your fillets early to help them develop a particularly crisp, crackly crust. If you can’t find fresh char, any mild fish fillets will work well in their place.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Built for a weeknight but worthy of company, this Greek dish coddles shrimp in a delicate tomato sauce that gains depth from olives, ouzo and feta. Its name is derived from sagani, a two-handled pan in which the dish is traditionally cooked and served. Garides saganaki can be an appetizer, mopped up with bread, or it can anchor a meal. Some versions might be flambéed, but this recipe, from “Salt of the Earth: Secrets and Stories from a Greek Kitchen” by Carolina Doriti (Quadrille Publishing, 2023), is sautéed, then baked, which is an easy way to ensure plump, pillowy pieces of shrimp. If you don’t have licorice-scented ouzo, Ms. Doriti suggests brandy or white wine as potential substitutes. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A grown-up version of grilled cheese’s best friend, this tomato soup is subtly complex thanks to the addition of ancho chile and smoked paprika, but it still has all of the nostalgic qualities of a really good tomato soup: It’s silky, robust and wonderfully tomato-y. Taking a cue from this classic tomato soup, this recipe calls for sweating the onion and garlic with a little flour to thicken the soup, which creates a velvety texture that doesn’t hide the pure tomato flavor. Simmering a whole ancho chile in the soup produces an undercurrent of heat; but if you prefer more spice, pluck off the stem and blend the chile into your finished soup rather than discarding it. Adjust the amount of cream and the level of heat as you like and the soup will taste just right to you.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Ask 10 people for a recipe for a particular dish, and you’ll probably get 10 different recipes. Mexican sopa de albóndigas is no exception. Most variations are likely to involve vegetables, rice, a tomato-based broth and, inevitably, meatballs. Wesley Avila, the chef of Guerrilla Tacos in Los Angeles, learned this recipe from his mother, who learned it from her grandmother. His meatballs are hefty in size but light in density, and follow his family’s tradition of adding uncooked white rice to the pork-beef mixture before shaping it into balls and cooking: “My mom always told me that when the rice is done, the soup is ready,” Mr. Avila said. “She used it almost as a timer.” The toppings — piled on as you would atop chili — skew cheffy, but they are entirely optional. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Luscious and glossy, this vegan broccoli rabe pasta makes the most of a restrained ingredient list and a classic technique of blending sautéed onions for a flavorful sauce, a versatile practice used in sunny Bangladeshi shrimp dopiaza and rich French soubise. Here, whizzing sautéed onions with miso and olive oil creates a silky sauce that adds umami — and a hint of sweetness — to the vegetable-packed pasta, which is really more greens than noodles. There’s plenty of texture in this dish, but if you’d like to fancy it up a bit, these nutritional yeast bread crumbs are a great addition, crisped in olive oil or butter. This recipe was created with vegans in mind, but it’s equally wonderful if you’re an omnivore who happens to be craving a delicious vegetable-heavy pasta on a weeknight.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

For those who love all things salty and sweet, Vietnamese tôm rim is an ideal dish, wedding fish sauce with caramel. Variations abound, but traditionally, tôm rim is made by marinating whole, unpeeled shrimp in fish sauce, palm sugar, pepper, garlic and shallot, then sautéing until the shrimp cooks through and the sauce becomes glossy and caramelized. This version, which is adapted from “Vietnamese Home Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2012) by chef Charles Phan, calls for weeknight-friendly peeled shrimp, and builds upon the dish’s classic flavor profile by introducing chile, lemongrass and ginger. Mr. Phan uses a homemade roasted chile paste that is heady with Sichuan peppercorns, ground bean paste and soy sauce, but he suggests store-bought roasted chile paste or chile-bean sauce for ease. You could swap in Sriracha, increase the garlic, apply these flavors to different proteins or even vegetables. Once you’ve understood the foundation of a dish, its potential is infinite. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

When it comes to savory tomato salads, the iconic Caprese salad feels unsurpassable because its formula is simple but sublime: sliced fruit, bright herbs (basil) and rich cheese. This salad started out basic as well, initially combining tomato with stone fruit and a spicy honey-jalapeño vinaigrette, but surrendered to Caprese’s gravitational pull to eventually include fistfuls of fresh herbs (basil, mint or cilantro) and cheese for richness. (Salty ricotta salata shavings stand up to the zippy vinaigrette without overpowering it.) Seasoning your individual elements to taste might seem excessive, but it builds better flavor. Some salads are built to tower, but this salad feels fancy, fresh and less fussy when layered directly on the platter, served flat.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

A celebratory French dish that likely originated in Paris in the 1920s, steak au poivre might be associated with white-tablecloth dining, but it is a recipe that you can easily make at home for a fraction of the price. It begins with a piece of beef that is crusted in crushed peppercorns, then topped with a silky, peppery Cognac pan sauce. In this version, using one large, well-marbled rib-eye steak instead of two individual filets means it’s more affordable, more flavorful and simpler to cook. (Preparing one perfect steak is easier than two.) Season generously, sear on the stovetop, then finish in the oven for even cooking. Let it rest while you prepare your pan sauce. Slice your steak into generous slabs and fan it out over your sauce, a move that makes the meat look more plentiful and the finished dish more lavish than if you drizzled the sauce on top.

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

Lotus root has a subtle flavor — mildly sweet, and vaguely reminiscent of fresh corn — but its striking appearance and singular texture distinguish it, with a crunch that is snappier than an undercooked potato but not quite as assertive as jicama. This speedy stir-fry adapted from M Shanghai, a Shanghainese restaurant in Brooklyn, celebrates the root vegetable and its unique texture. May Liu, the restaurant’s owner, wanted lotus root on the menu because it’s a traditional Shanghainese dish. “It’s light, it’s tasty, it’s delicious, it’s unusual. It’s not a dish you can find at every Chinese restaurant,” she said. Simply seasoned with salt, mushroom seasoning and just enough sugar to render its components glossy, the flavor of this dish is subdued, allowing the quiet lotus root to dominate. The ingredients, like mildly spicy bullhorn peppers (sometimes labeled as green long hot peppers), can be found in Asian markets. Alexa Weibel

Alexa Weibel · NYT Cooking

There’s hardly a definitive recipe for any dish, and certainly not kai yang, which is sometimes referred to as Thai barbecue chicken.