Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Here's a treat for the vegans in your life. Adapted from the cookbook “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar,” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, these cookies, which are chunky with chocolate chips, walnuts and rolled oats, are best when they are completely cooled, so their exteriors can crisp up. They do not taste strongly of banana — it's just a hint. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

The men who ruled the world in the late 1950s, or at least six of the men who ruled publishing, rejected Peg Bracken’s manuscript, “The I Hate to Cook Book.” It would never sell, they told her, because “women regard cooking as sacred.” It took a female editor to look at the hundreds of easy-to-follow recipes and say, “Hallelujah!” Since its publication in 1960, Bracken’s iconic book, which celebrated the virtues of canned cream-of-mushroom soup and chicken bouillon cubes, has sold more than three million copies. This simple chicken dish, adapted from Ms. Bracken, is as no-fuss as one would expect. Just sear the chicken in a bit of butter and transfer it to a baking dish. Scatter artichoke hearts (from a can, of course!) across the top. Make a quick sauté of mushrooms, flour, broth and a little sherry and pour it over the chicken. Slide it into the oven and bake for about an hour. Ms. Bracken recommended serving it with baked potatoes, but we like it best with a pile of rice to soak up

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Kale: The ubiquitous dark and leafy green that people either love or love to hate. If you fall into the latter camp, this recipe for a savory-sweet variation adapted from North Pond, a restaurant in Chicago, might change your mind. It requires a bit more work than a typical garlic and olive oil sauté, but it's well worth it. Start with blanching the kale in a pot of boiling water (skip this if you don't mind your kale a bit more toothsome). Sauté some onion, carrot and celery in a little oil, then add ⅓ cup sherry vinegar and reduce. Toss in the kale with a little honey, chicken broth and salt and pepper, then cook until the leaves are tender. At this point, you can either go ahead and eat it, or do as they do at the restaurant: strain the liquid and reduce to make a flavorful sauce to pour over the greens. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

These pickled jalapeño peppers are stuffed with chunky peanut butter, dipped in flour, egg and bread crumbs, then fried. Carlos Jacott, El Parador’s owner and maître d’hôtel, is said to have created the dish when, as a college student, he only had jalapeños and peanut butter in his refrigerator. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Adapted from a recipe by the Indian chef, cooking teacher and cookbook author Julie Sahni, this pilaf is an excellent accompaniment to a vindaloo or other Indian main dish. In addition to the coconut milk, it’s flavored with cardamom and ginger. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This elegant riff on a childhood favorite came to The Times in 2009 by way of Jamie Oliver, the British chef and cookbook author. It was featured in his cookbook “Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals," and it's a favorite of his daughters, Poppy and Daisy. It's wholesome (no powdered cheese!), and it can be ready in about 15 minutes. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This recipe by Edna Lewis, which was featured in a Times article about her in 2009, is an easy one, a classic light cake that is delicious topped with fruit, glazed with lemony sugar, turned into a summer parfait, or eaten all by itself. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites, and bake it until it springs back to the touch. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

These brownies must sit for some time before they reach their deeply fudgy peak. They are a perfect midweek recipe to yield a weekend's dessert, though in truth they'll be ready after only a night's rest. Once they've matured, you end up with a mystifying brownie that is firm to the bite yet melting in the mouth. Walnuts contribute crunch if you like that sort of thing. They are entirely optional. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

In the 1940s, Robert E. Rich, an independent-minded son of a successful dairyman, introduced RichWhip, the first nondairy topping, to the world. It took off. This recipe can be made using RichWhip, which is still available at many kosher supermarkets, or heavy cream.

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This recipe is adapted from the “I Hate to Cook Book” by Peg Bracken, the 1960 iconic bestseller that had the nerve to say then what so many women felt: They liked cooking fine, as long as they didn’t have to cook all the time. As her recipes were meant to do, this bread comes together fast, and you don’t need to make a special trip to the grocery store for it. It will also keep for a long time, especially if it is soaked with a little whiskey every now and then. The first step is up to you.

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Here's an absolutely lovely weeknight pasta dish that's a triple threat: It's easy, it's quick and it's delicious. Here's what you do: As the spaghetti boils, simmer some green peas with a little water until they're hot (or just dump the frozen peas in with the boiling pasta a couple minutes before the timer is set to ding). Drain the pasta and return to the pot with a button of butter. Add peas, prosciutto and cream and toss to coat. Season well with salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Toss some more. Serve and swoon. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This burger recipe comes from the chef Tadashi Ono's 2011 book, “The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood and Vegetables,” written with Harris Salat. The writer Alex Witchel raved about it in The Times that same year: “Half beef, half pork, it stayed uncannily moist despite being cooked through. Perfection.” Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This recipe is adapted from the great Chinese-American chef Ken Hom, for a Sichuan stir-fry is made with chunks of boneless chicken (breasts or thighs, though we prefer thighs), peanuts, chile peppers and plenty of garlic, scallions and ginger. Making it is not at all difficult, but it does require one fussy step: The chicken takes a dip into a combination of egg white, salt, sesame oil and cornstarch before it goes into the hot wok. This step creates a lovely crust on the chicken that sears in moisture and later serves to hold onto the savory-sweet soy-sesame sauce. The dish is quite spicy, so serve it over rice or plain pasta to foil the heat, alongside an ice cold beer. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alice’s Tea Cup, which is owned by the sisters Haley Fox and Lauren Fox, is known for its scones, but the chainlet of teahouses in New York also makes pastries, cakes and other treats. This recipe is an adaptation of a chocolate chip cake with mocha frosting that originated with the Fox sisters’ mother. The cake has a tender crumb, and the frosting is silky and rich. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Chicken, that old weeknight standby, can get pretty boring day after day. This dish, adapted from "Mediterranean Cooking" by Paula Wolfert, is almost as easy as a few pan-fried chicken breasts, but its flavors – ginger, turmeric, cumin, Spanish sweet paprika, briny olives – are far more exciting. If you have the time, brining the chicken thighs for a couple of hours in a salt-sugar-water solution before cooking will yield supremely tender meat, but if you're in a rush, skip it. You're still going to fall in love with this dish. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

One-Hour Texas Chili can be used for Frito pie. You top either a small open bag of Fritos, or a pile of Fritos on a plate, with this beef chili, grated Cheddar cheese and chopped onions. When served on a plate, some people call it a Straw Hat. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

A deep-dish cousin to quiche that's packed with Italian deli meats and cheeses like prosciutto, pepperoni, soppressata, mozzarella and provolone, this rich pie, also called Easter pie, is traditionally made on Good Friday and served on the holiday to celebrate the end of Lent. This version came to The Times from Carlo's Bakery, in Hoboken, N.J., of “Cake Boss” fame, and it is the only savory item the bakery makes. It's typically eaten at room temperature, but the staff at Carlo's enjoys it warm right out of the oven. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel brought this recipe to The Times in 2008. Bigos is the sauerkraut stew that many consider the national dish of Poland. The author Louis Begley calls it Polish choucroute. With a pot of coarse grain mustard on the side and boiled potatoes topped with dill, the overall effect is a grown-up’s version of a child’s dinner party. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Cooking Indian food at home for the first time isn’t easy. You may not have Indian red chile powder, Kashmiri red chile powder or tamarind pulp on hand. But a trip to a specialty market, or some time spent online, will yield the pantry basics. This fiery vindaloo is an interesting and not very difficult place to get started. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This dish is a midwinter night’s dream come true. It looks like a thick pancake of hash browns, crusty on the outside, almost pudding-like inside, using potatoes both diced and mashed. Though it is liberally studded with perfect bits of prime rib, it is unabashedly potato-based, unlike other steakhouse variations, which go heavier on the meat. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Supplì al telefono are rice balls stuffed with ground meat and mozzarella, then breaded and fried. They are a classic Roman snack. Serve them as an appetizer, and pair them with an aperitif like Prosecco or Campari. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

This bright yet rich treatment for scallops came to The Times in a 2009 article about Kevin Zraly, the wine director of Windows on the World from 1976 to 2001. Mr. Zraly turned the restaurant into an international wine mecca: at the time it was destroyed, when the World Trade Center fell, its cellar held close to 100,000 bottles of 1,500 labels. Mr. Zraly and Michael Lomonaco, the chef at the restaurant (both of whom were not at work on Sept. 11 when the planes hit), worked together on hundreds of wine and food pairings throughout the years. This was Mr. Zraly's favorite of Mr. Lomonaco's creations. With it, he recommends a Puligny Montrachet, Olivier Leflaive.

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Here is an adaptation of the lobster Cantonese served at the eminent Shun Lee West restaurant in New York, which Alex Witchel captured for us in 2009. “Nostalgia deluxe,” she called the dish, totally accurately. It seems complicated to prepare. It is not. Set up all your ingredients beforehand, and the process moves quickly and is not at all difficult. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

The recipe for these superb biscotti came to The Times in 2009 from Union Square Cafe, the Manhattan restaurant. Wrap a few of these up as a parting gift for dinner guests, or eat a few and stash the rest in the freezer for a treat any time. Alex Witchel

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Craving a good old-fashioned cake, a tall, frosted showgirl, preening on a high crystal stand? This yellow cake with chocolate frosting and a macaroon crunch is just the ticket. This recipe is adapted from one made at Junior’s in Brooklyn. The cake is moist, and the frosting sweet. Quite sweet, actually. Just right. Alex Witchel