Recipes

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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).

The New York Times · NYT Cooking

Many sauces complement roasted cauliflower; this one, from Martha Rose Shulman, is included in her recipe for roasted broccoli. As a matter of inspiration, it comes full circle: Ms. Shulman says she got the idea from one of her favorite Middle Eastern mezes, in which garlic tahini is served with cauliflower — deep-fried this time, rather than roasted. The New York Times

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

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.