Recipes

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

The proven alchemy of a salt-and-buttermilk brine does wonders for the often-dry roast turkey breast. The recipe is so easy, the trickiest step will be pulling out your kitchen scale to weigh out the salt. But it's worth doing if you can in order to ensure a properly balanced brine. Emerging from the oven with a beautiful lacquered skin and an incredibly moist and tender texture within, this roast is ideal for a scaled-down Thanksgiving meal, a cozy family dinner or to generate a stack of unbelievably tasty sandwiches.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

With only two ingredients — buttermilk and salt — this might be the least complicated turkey brine recipe ever. The trickiest step will be pulling out your kitchen scale to weigh out the salt, but it's worth doing if you can to ensure a properly seasoned turkey. The acid in the buttermilk leads to moist, tender meat throughout, while the sugars result in a gorgeous golden-brown skin. This turkey is spatchcocked, which might sound like a lot, but it’s just another way to simplify the recipe: By removing the backbone before brining, you’ll be able to fit the turkey, placed in a 2-gallon plastic resealable bag, in the fridge more easily. And you’ll get a lot more of that beautiful lacquered skin in about half the cooking time. It’s a total win-win situation. Just make sure you don’t skimp on the brining time; 48 hours is essential to make sure the bird gets seasoned through and through. (Watch the video of Samin Nosrat preparing the turkey here.)

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This recipe, adapted from Samin Nosrat's "Salt Fat Acid Heat," is inspired by the Southern grandma method of marinating chicken overnight in buttermilk before frying it. You're roasting here, but the buttermilk and salt still work like a brine, tenderizing the meat on multiple levels to yield an unbelievably juicy chicken. As an added bonus, the sugars in the buttermilk will caramelize, contributing to an exquisitely browned skin. Be sure to leave 24 hours for marinating the chicken. While the beauty of roast chicken is that you can serve it anytime, anywhere, try serving it alongside panzanella, which plays the role of starch, salad and sauce.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Every step and ingredient adds something important to this recipe from the Puerto Rican-born chef and writer Reina Gascón-López. Annatto seeds steeped in oil give the rice its signature marigold hue. The banana leaf imparts a subtle tropical aroma to the rice as it cooks. Olives, ham, beer and peppers with their brine offer salt, fat, acid, umami and a bright pop of color. The sheer number of flavors layered into this dish make it a delight to unpack. The most exhilarating layer is the last one: pegao, the crisp, glassy shards of rice at the bottom of the pot. Gandules (pigeon peas) make this version of rice and beans distinctly Caribbean. Ms. Gascón-López prefers to start with dry gandules, which her family sometimes ships to her from Puerto Rico, then flavors the pot with some sofrito, a bay leaf or two and a smoked pork neck. If you have trouble finding dry pigeon peas, they are often labeled as toor at Indian grocery stores. Samin Nosrat

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Layered with savory, satisfying flavors, this one-pan recipe was inspired by a dish Earlonne Woods regularly prepared for himself while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Mr. Woods, a co-host of the popular Ear Hustle podcast, generally relied on kitchen connections to secure a raw chicken hindquarter. He’d boil it in a hot pot with whatever seasonings he had available, then use the resulting broth to rehydrate some instant brown rice. Offered as a cooking lesson to Mr. Woods, who is now an amateur home cook, this version instead relies on chicken legs browned in butter, a vibrant mix of spices and aromatics, and rich, homemade broth to pack in flavor. And just as the dish did when Mr. Woods served it, it may prompt your diner to compliment the meal: “You put your foot in it!”

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Use whatever variety of beans and chiles you’ve got in your pantry to make this recipe, which is inspired by the silky, lard-fried, pinto bean version available at nearly every Southern Californian taqueria. Eat these however you like, whether alongside rice and greens, smeared onto garlic-rubbed toast or spread onto a warm tortilla and with a perfectly fried egg on top. The overnight soak allows the time for both water and salt to penetrate the beans, cutting down the cooking time and leading to better seasoned, more evenly cooked beans. But if you’re short on time, you can skip the presoak; the beans will just take longer to cook through, and might not cook as evenly, which isn’t the end of the world if you’re mashing them up. You can also skip simmering altogether and use the drained, rinsed beans from two (15-ounce) cans and begin with Step 3.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This recipe is inspired by sarde in saor, a classic Venetian dish of fried sardines topped with sautéed onions, pine nuts, saffron and wine-soaked raisins balanced with a little sugar and vinegar. The saor, or sweet and sour topping, makes an ideal accompaniment to roasted brussels sprouts — served either hot or at room temperature — though it would work equally well on any vegetable side, be it green beans, cauliflower or broccoli. With lemon, vinegar and wine among its ingredients, this dish brings a welcome vividness to the Thanksgiving table — or any meal — where bright, acidic offerings are few and far between.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Inspired by two classic Parsi recipes from the chef and anthropologist Niloufer Ichaporia King, this sauce introduces the toasted cumin and medjool dates from her date and tamarind chutney into her classic green chutney, full of fresh ginger, jalapeño and lime. The ginger and the sweetness of the dates echo many of the flavors already present on the Thanksgiving table, and the cilantro, chiles and lime bring a much welcome vividness. It’s a delight! This sauce is also fantastic on leftover turkey sandwiches, and, other times of year, it makes for a great condiment on rice, fish, chicken and vegetable dishes alike.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

A quick pass through hot oil transforms sage leaves. No longer leathery, they’re perfectly aromatic, ready to crumble into a simple combination of parsley, oil, shallots and vinegar. This fried sage salsa verde, which is adapted from "Salt Acid Fat Heat" (Simon & Schuster, 2017), can be drizzled over turkey, roasted vegetables, stuffing, casseroles or anything else that needs a little perking up.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Gently bitter, yet fresh and crunchy, chicories are the perfect canvas on which to create a Thanksgiving salad. With a single anchovy fillet, mustard, vinegar and lemon juice at its base, this light, vibrant dressing is surprisingly refreshing and flavored with a faint rumor of umami that will make you reach — over the stuffing — for seconds. If you don’t have, or don’t like, pears, substitute Fuyu persimmons or a crisp, tart apple variety such as Fuji or Honeycrisp. If you don’t like pecans, use walnuts. If you can’t find Roquefort, use another sheep’s milk blue, such as Oregon Blue or Ewe’s Blue, both of which are American-made in the Roquefort-style.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This recipe begins with shallots fried Southeast Asian style, starting in cold oil, with a method so simple you’ll never do it any other way. You don’t need a thermometer or any other special equipment — just patience and a careful eye. In exchange, you’re rewarded with caramel-sweet shallots that crunch, then melt between your teeth. Next, rosemary, sage and stale bread crumbs take turns in the oil, crisping as they cool. Then, they’re tossed with chopped parsley, thyme and a little flaky salt. From the moment the mixture is done, you won’t be able to stop eating it. But if you wait, it makes the perfect topping for green bean casserole, potato gratin, or macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle it atop mashed potatoes doused with gravy, or just put a bowl of it on the table and let people do with it what they will — they’ll probably end up putting some on every bite.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

If I were a singer-songwriter, I would write a power ballad about my love for Kismet Rotisserie in Los Angeles. The shoebox-size, mostly takeout restaurant serves the kind of food I’d eat every day if I lived in the neighborhood: golden roast chicken, fluffy pita and perfectly seasoned side dishes piled high with vegetables. But what I love most are its sauces and dressings. Especially its miso-poppy seed dressing, which I set out to re-create a couple of years ago. At some point, though, my journey took a detour, landing me here with this recipe from my book, “Good Things” (Random House, 2025), at what just might be my new favorite all-purpose dressing. Tangy, sweet, creamy and rounded out with umami, it manages to hit every note you could want in a dressing without being cloying. Add some poppy seeds for classic flavor or leave them out to make the dressing more versatile for drizzling over roasted vegetables, in potato salad or anywhere else you can imagine.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This is the recipe that inspired my book, “Good Things” (Random House, 2025), and my entire palate still puckers with pleasure every time I make it. After I’ve balanced and adjusted the flavors and dipped a bit of lettuce or cabbage into the dressing for a final taste, I always marvel at the way it manages to take every element — salt, acid, umami, fiery ginger, garlic and spice — right to the edge . . . without stepping over.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

This perfect vinaigrette recipe comes from Via Carota, the charming West Village restaurant run by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. Since I first wrote about this recipe, it’s become indispensable not only for me but also for my entire Culinary Brain Trust, who now simply call it House Dressing. This version comes from my book, “Good Things” (Random House, 2025). The warm water in this recipe might surprise you. “We add warm water to make it more palatable,” Ms. Williams said. “Pure vinegar is just too strong — it assaults the taste buds. We want a salad dressing so savory and delicious that you can eat spoonfuls of it. We want you to be able to drink it!” Drizzle this liberally over everything: boiled asparagus, farro salad, steak, fish or roast chicken. And if you don’t have both types of mustard on hand, just use twice as much of whichever you do have.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

A few small tweaks to the classic sour cream and onion number yield this truly exceptional dip, adapted from my cookbook, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share With People You Love” (Random House, 2025). A little miso paste and vinegar take caramelized onions — already rich in character — to a whole new level. The salt, sweetness, umami and acid balance out the onions’ earthiness and dark caramel notes. Labneh offers a welcome tangy counterpoint to the robustly flavorful onion mixture without sacrificing creaminess. And though it’s best served with potato chips, this dip also works beautifully as a sandwich spread or alongside steak, roast chicken and roasted vegetables.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

You might skim this recipe and think it looks anything but lazy. But compared to the way Samin Nosrat has always made Bolognese, this sugo is a piece of cake. This recipe, adapted from my cookbook, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share With People You Love” (Random House, 2025), there’s no soffritto to chop and fry, no endless browning of the meat and no deglazing. You just get everything into the pot with minimum hassle and simmer it until it’s tender, occasionally giving it a stir. The only real effort involves taking the cooked meat off the bone and shredding it, but even that’s a small price to pay for three glorious quarts of rich, meaty sauce.

Samin Nosrat · NYT Cooking

Nigella Lawson has mastered the art of creating recipes that balance comfort and appeal — especially when chicken is involved. This recipe, adapted from my cookbook, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share With People You Love” (Random House, 2025), is a play on her essential one-pot chicken with orzo. It’s a do-it-all dish that’ll make you feel both satisfied and cared for, whether you prefer dark or white meat; the sweetness of Medjool dates or the funk, salt and acid of preserved lemon; an abundance of braising juices or the playful chewiness of pearl couscous.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

This basic pumpkin roll hits the spot. The cinnamon-scented cake has a soft, airy texture that works well with the decadent American buttercream filling. It’s simple and satisfying as is, but could also be a great jumping off point for experimentation: Fold a bit of chopped chocolate, toasted coconut, raisins or your favorite nuts into the cake batter, or flavor the buttercream with bits of spicy candied ginger, earthy molasses, maple syrup or floral honey. You could even swap the buttercream altogether and fill the cake with your favorite cream cheese frosting or a simple whipped cream. The possibilities are endless.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

Cookies artfully decorated with royal icing are a holiday classic, but their fine details and beautiful colors can take hours to achieve. Not with these gorgeous cookies. Once the icing is made and stained, it takes only a few minutes to decorate. The icing is simply poured over the cookies, a technique inspired by the one used to pour swirly colors of mirror glaze over smooth cakes. (For a quicker alternative to royal icing, simply dip or drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate.) No two cookies will be the same, and that’s a big part of the charm. Underneath the exterior is a crisp, satisfying shortbread flavored with heaps of bright orange zest and quintessential winter spices.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

Slathered in a creamy horseradish mayonnaise, salmon fillet is a weeknight winner. (You can cook smaller fillets or one larger center-cut piece, whichever you prefer.) The key to moist, flavorful salmon is to roast it at a high temperature for a short length of time. Here it’s baked alongside tangy mustard potatoes, but asparagus, broccoli or even green beans would be nice, too. If using less hearty vegetables, just cut the initial bake time down to 5 to 10 minutes.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

Making a cake in the microwave may not be traditional, but it makes the whole process easy and superfast — and this recipe produces a warm, gooey, pudding-like dessert. Simply mix the cake ingredients together, top with the cocoa, sugar and boiling water, and microwave on high. (Don’t forget to take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften slightly while the cake cooks.) In the microwave, the bottom sets into a supermoist chocolate cake while the topping transforms into a rich chocolate sauce. As microwaves and dish size can vary, knowing when to pull the cake out is the only tricky part. It’s done when you can see a firm cake start to bubble to the surface. Don’t worry: A little underdone is just fine, too. This dessert will continue to set a bit while it cools. The instant coffee is optional but it really does add depth to the chocolate flavor.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

Flavorful and quick-cooking pork tenderloin is a great choice for a weekday dinner. Here it’s paired with a nutty tahini and citrus slaw to cut through some of the breaded pork’s richness. In this recipe, the finely chopped parsley stems, which can take a bit more heat than the leaves, are added to the breading for color and freshness. Use pre-sliced red cabbage to cut down on the prep work, if you like. And, you can swap the pork out for chicken breast tenderloin or even your favorite white fish fillet.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

Preserved lemons are lemons that have been packed in salt and spices and allowed to ferment in their own juices. The resulting fruit softens and becomes even tangier with a satisfying salty pucker. You can rinse them before chopping and adding them to soups, stews and dressings, or you can use them as is. Here they add an unexpected zing to a simple buttermilk-based potato salad. Look for them in the international aisle at the supermarket or make your own.

Samantha Seneviratne · NYT Cooking

This beauty has all the beloved flavors of the classic Black Forest cake — cherries, chocolate and cream — re-assembled into a casual sheet cake perfect for summer picnics and birthday parties. To make the process even simpler, you can make and refrigerate the cherry jam up to 3 days in advance. Feel free to use fresh or frozen fruit (and there’s no need to thaw first, if using frozen). You can make this cake in the summertime, when fresh cherries are at their peak, or in the dead of winter, when you need something fresh and fruity to brighten your day.