Recipes

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

This is a truly glorious one-pot weeknight meal. Feel free to experiment with the garnish, adding dried cranberries, hazelnuts, pine nuts or your own favorites. Ghee adds a nuttiness to the dish, but if you cannot find it, you can make it with unsalted butter using the chef Asha Gomez's method. Simply melt the butter in a pot over low heat. Let it simmer until it foams and sputters. Once the sputtering stops and the milk solids in the pot turn a khaki color, remove it from the heat and skim off the foam with a spoon. Strain remaining butter into a container, leaving behind any solids in the pot. Ghee keeps for up to six months in the refrigerator. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

This is not your corner takeout's moo shu pork, but it is popular in China, where its northern origins are debated, according to the author Carolyn Phillips. The egg is thought to resemble the flowers of the sweet olive (osmanthus fragrans) shrub, hence its Chinese name, muxi rou, or osmathus blossom pork. The ingredients are stir-fried in batches to cook evenly and retain the vibrancy of the colors. The sauce is intentionally salty, so underseason the stir-fry and add just a dab of sauce to each wheat wrapper. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

The New York Times food editor Jane Nickerson first published this recipe in 1957 as part of an article on New Orleans-style Creole cooking. Adapted from Brennan’s restaurant, this recipe is meant to be a showstopper. But it’s deceptively easy. Be sure to have a lid at the ready to extinguish the flame in case things get out of hand. If you cannot find banana liqueur, just add a teaspoon more rum.

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

This is a composite sketch of the perfect cherry pie. The buttery, well-seasoned crust is adapted from the Cherry Pie That’ll Kill Ya at Butter and Scotch, a bar and bakery in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, that holds an occasional Twin Peaks Tuesday, with cocktails and diner foods named after the characters in David Lynch’s quirky 1990s television show. It uses a mock buttermilk crust, meaning that you curdle regular whole milk with apple cider vinegar instead of having to buy buttermilk. Instructions are given for a lattice top, but you could make it with a double crust or the chevron shown here, depending on your mood. The filling is all about maximizing the flavor of pure sour cherries (sometimes labeled pie cherries). This is the pie to make at the height of sour-cherry season, or using a bounty you freeze yourself (see the tip below). Frozen sour cherries are also available online. The pie will keep for up to five days, refrigerated and wrapped in plastic. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

There may be no more perfectly satisfying treat than a Canadian butter tart. It is small and sweet, bracingly so, with hints of butterscotch and caramel. And each bite delivers three textures: flaky crust, chewy top, gooey center. While its exact origins may never be found, the tart became popular in Ontario in the early 20th century and spread across Canada thanks to its inclusion in the 1913 “Five Roses Cook Book.” Today there are numerous variations. Runny or firm? Raisins or plain? This recipe can be adapted to please all partisans.

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

The Junior League of Toronto called this recipe “a ‘no fuss’ treat for butter tart lovers.” Canadian butter tarts are gooey, sugary delights enjoyed year-round. For these squares, rather than make individual pastry shells, you simply pour the butter tart filling over a shortbread base. Once baked, it can be cut into squares like a bar cookie. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Dirty rice gets its color from caramelized sirloin and the roux — flour browned (but not burned) in oil. The New Orleans-based chef Isaac Toups offers a 15-minute roux shortcut in his book “Chasing the Gator,” but you may find your roux browns more quickly in the smoking hot oil. Be sure to stir, stir, stir once you add the flour. You cannot walk away from the pot while making this roux. Prep the “trinity” — bell peppers, onion and celery — in advance as you won't have time to do it while the roux cooks. When the roux turns the color of milk chocolate, toss in the chopped vegetables to stop the roux from cooking any further. Instead of adding rice and the serving components, you could do as Mr. Toups suggests and use the meat gravy as a base for a lasagna ragu. Just throw in some fresh tomatoes and cook it down “until it’s nice and tight” and make it your lasagna filling. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

The Nanaimo bar is a tremendously sweet, no-bake layered bar cookie from Canada made almost exclusively of packaged ingredients. The buttercream layer gets its yellow hue from custard powder, a vital ingredient that makes this a true Nanaimo bar. Use an offset spatula to give the chocolate top a surface as smooth as freshly Zambonied ice. The novelist Margaret Atwood included this recipe, from the chef Susan Mendelson, in her “Canlit Foodbook,” a fund-raising book that featured food from literature, as well as author recipes. Ms. Atwood prefers walnuts in this recipe, but any combination of walnuts, almonds or pecans will do. We’ve added a smidge more cocoa and the optional addition of salt — but leave it out for the true Nanaimo bar experience.

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Many Mexican moles require hours of cooking and a laundry list of ingredients, but this green mole does not. This vibrant vegan version is made with herbs, baby spinach and pistachios, and the sauce comes together in about 30 minutes. This recipe calls for zucchini or summer squash, but feel free to swap in another roasted vegetable, depending on the season. The chef Enrique Olvera included it in his “Tu Casa Mi Casa” cookbook to show how fresh and seasonal a mole can be. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

The Hot Brown was invented in 1926 at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky., by the chef Fred Schmidt. The open-faced turkey sandwich, smothered in Mornay sauce and topped with bacon, was served to customers at late-night dances, while the band was on its break. The dish has become a Louisville staple, one well suited for Derby Day or after Thanksgiving, when roast turkey is plentiful. Thick slices of bread, sold as Texas Toast in some parts of the United States, do not get lost under the meat and sauce. Hand-carved turkey is best for the dish; deli turkey slices do not deliver the same Hot Brown experience. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

This drink is inspired by the frozen Irish coffee served at Molly’s at the Market in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where it’s served from a frozen daiquiri machine. Freezing milk in an ice cube tray gives you a similar creamy consistency to the version at Molly’s, which contains no ice. Brandy provides a mellower flavor than Irish whiskey, but feel free to substitute whiskey for the brandy if you prefer.

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Found throughout West Virginia, the pepperoni roll was born in the early 20th century in the north-central part of the state as a convenient lunch for Italian coal miners. Giuseppe Argiro is credited with first selling the rolls commercially, sometime between 1927 and 1938, and his Country Club Bakery, in Fairmont, W.Va., still uses his recipe, the standard by which all other rolls in the state are judged. The recipe remains a secret, but this version — from the chef Travis Milton and featured in Ronni Lundy’s cookbook, “Victuals” (Clarkson Potter, 2016) — is a close approximation. Look for a hunk of pepperoni to slice into sticks, as it gives the roll more chew. Many West Virginians add cheese to their versions, so feel free to experiment once you’re comfortable with the recipe. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Owens doesn’t know where her mother, Frances, first found the recipe for these ham buns, but they have been a part of her life since childhood in Easley, S.C. It may have come from relatives in Tennessee, as a similar recipe appears as “Hallelujah Ham Loaves” in “Dinner on the Diner,” a 1983 cookbook from the Junior League of Chattanooga. The warm appetizer has won fans wherever Ms. Owens goes. Her mother’s original formula called for raw onions, but Ms. Owens now sautés them. Use good smoked ham, either holiday leftovers or from the deli counter. As the buns bake, the butter pools at the bottom, toasting up the base of these irresistible bite-size sandwiches. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Sprinkles always bring joy to a cake, but add Pop Rocks and you have a celebration, complete with a mini fireworks show. This recipe from the chef Sheldon Simeon and Garrett Snyder’s 2021 book, “Cook Real Hawai‘i,” takes chocolate butter mochi to the max with a creamy peanut butter topping and lots and lots of candy. Add the Pop Rocks just before serving; the candy has a tendency to ping off as it reacts with the moisture in the frosting. The butter mochi is best the day it is made, but will keep a couple of days covered in the refrigerator. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Butterhorns fall into two camps: savory or sweet. These are the latter, filled with a tender mince of nuts and topped with an almond-flavored frosting. Sweet butterhorns are a favorite of the in-house bakeries at the Bavarian Inn and Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, the two big all-you-can-eat chicken dinner restaurants in Frankenmuth, Mich. This recipe comes from Dorothy Zehnder, a founder of the Bavarian Inn. Tucking in the corners of each butterhorn before rolling helps contain the filling during baking. Sara Bonisteel

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

In 1954, what was then called the Food News Department of The New York Times released a pamphlet, simply called “Soups,” which had 20 recipes for soups “thick and thin, hot and cold,” including those for minestrone, shrimp bisque and this French onion soup. We’ve updated the recipe adding sherry and wine to layer in more flavors. The bulk of the time is spent on caramelizing the onions, a process that always takes longer than it seems it should. But it’s worth the wait. Why You Should Trust This Recipe Sara Bonisteel caramelized nearly 10 pounds of onions to achieve this, the ideal soup. Discover more ideas for warming dishes in our collection of cozy soups our readers love.

Sara Bonisteel · NYT Cooking

Tangy and salty and colorful, the scuttlebutt sandwich vibrates with flavor: hard-boiled egg, pickled beets and carrots, olives, capers, herbs and feta mingle on pillowy focaccia. “The word ‘scuttlebutt’ is sort of like what’s the gossip, what’s the story, what’s the deal or the chitchat, you know, the chatter,” said its co-creator Caroline Fidanza, who devised the sandwich at her Brooklyn restaurant Saltie in 2009 with the chef Rebecca Collerton. Inspired by Ms. Collerton’s practice of cobbling together sandwiches with whatever was in the fridge, they intended the sandwich to change with the seasons, but once patrons got a taste of the pickled beets, the lineup was set in stone. Saltie closed in 2017, but Ms. Fidanza brought the sandwich back at Marlow & Sons in 2020, when it became a best-seller once again. Ms. Collerton, who died of cancer in 2018, was not able to see its comeback. There are many components, and many shortcuts: Use store-bought pickled vegetables and focaccia; docto

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

In New Orleans, a seafood boil, the Southern tradition of gathering around a newspaper-lined table to eat large amounts of boiled shellfish with your bare hands, is all about salt and spice. In the words of Jared Austin, a Mississippi riverboat pilot and seafood-boil master, ‘‘Nothing about any of this is subtle — people standing around the pot should sneeze and cough.’’ The key to a successful shrimp boil is layering ingredients into the pot so that everything is done cooking at once: First add the potatoes and sausage, then the shrimp, then the frozen corn to bring the temperature down and prevent overcooking. Let it all soak to absorb the salt and spice, then dump it out onto the table and eat with copious amounts of rémoulade. While this recipe can easily be halved, it’s a simple — and extraordinarily fun — way to feed a crowd. Just remember to heed Austin’s advice: ‘‘Don’t be afraid of cayenne. Don’t be afraid to let your nose run.’’

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This tangy, well-spiced sauce starts with mayonnaise and ends with a horseradish kick. It comes together quickly and is the ideal accompaniment to Jared Austin’s Cajun shrimp boil. It’s also pretty tasty served with steamed or fried fish, crab cakes or fritto misto. A full batch of this recipe makes enough sauce for a 12-person seafood boil, so for everyday home cooking, make half a batch.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

In Sonora, a Northern Mexican region where wheat has been cultivated for more than 400 years, tortillas are typically made of flour rather than corn. But unlike the generally lackluster store-bought wrappers most Americans are familiar with, handmade flour tortillas are pliable, chewy, fragrant, and dotted with mahogany blisters. While this recipe, adapted from Teo Diaz and Julia Guerrero of Sonoratown taqueria in downtown Los Angeles, isn’t complicated, it does require allowing some time for the dough to rest. But the investment is worth it. Once you roll out the tortillas and set them on the hot griddle, they’ll begin to puff with steam as they start to brown. When you take a bite, the aroma of sweet flour enveloped in fat will fill your nose and mouth. Finally, you’ll understand that a tortilla is meant to be an essential component rather than just monotextured wrapping paper for tacos, burritos, or chimichangas. Samin Nosrat

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Teo Diaz grew up eating chivichangas, or small burritos typically filled with stewed meat, almost every day in San Luis, Arizona, just miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. His single mother would prepare a dozen or more of them early each morning before heading out to pick and pack produce in the fields of nearby Yuma, wrapping them individually in aluminum foil and leaving them on the counter for her six children to eat throughout the day. Now the chivi, as he calls it, is one of the most beloved items on the menu at his tiny downtown Los Angeles taqueria, Sonoratown. The kitchen is too small for a stove, so he simmers brisket in an industrial-sized rice cooker before shredding it and cooking it a second time with fire-roasted chilies, tomatoes, and heaps of grated cheese. The result, wrapped in a fragrant, chewy handmade tortilla, is perfectly spiced and mouthwateringly unctuous. Everyone will want seconds. Samin Nosrat

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Though pesto means “pounded” in Italian, the rush of modern life has taken the recipe out of the mortar and into the blender (or food processor) for most of us. This version, adapted from a Ligurian woman, Lidia Caveri, gently encourages (but does not require) a return to the mortar. The constant rap of the pestle will jostle the nuts, basil and garlic into an emulsified base. Add the oil and cheese to get an impossibly thick, creamy sauce that clings to pasta unlike any machine-made counterpart could. Though you might think otherwise, the pesto will come together before the pasta water has a chance to boil. And as a bonus, there'll be no blender to wash up afterward. Samin Nosrat

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

According to legend, when his Ark made landfall, Noah’s family threw whatever was left in the larder into a pot and transformed it into ashure, a celebratory pudding of grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. The cereal is eaten throughout the Middle East, but especially in Turkey, where the dish somehow transcends typical religious tensions and holds significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. But according to Sarit Packer, co-chef of London’s Honey & Co. restaurant, “It’s actually quite disgusting.” Ashure is essentially a porridge, so when it cools down, it gets stiff and gloopy, like cold oatmeal. Guided by her memory of the sugary, crisp grain cereals she tasted when she first visited the United States as a child, Ms. Packer tweaked the recipe. She made a honey syrup spiked with all of the classic ashure flavorings, including cinnamon, cardamom and a spice called mahaleb (available at your local Middle Eastern grocery store or online). She drizzled the syrup over a mixture

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This one-pan dinner is ugly — rustic, if we’re being kind — but good. Or as the Italians say, “brutta ma buona.” Truly, though, it’s everything you could ask for in a rich, comforting meal. As it cooks, the chicken, brined in stock and cider, drips its flavorful juices onto the bread. The bread absorbs every drop, turning into a chewy, savory nest cradling the tender, perfectly browned chicken. Each bit of stuffing offers a different surprise — sometimes the sweet-and-sour zing of a prune, other times the faint rumor of Thanksgiving whispered by celery and thyme. It’s as satisfying as you could ever hope, even if it isn’t particularly attractive.