Recipes

Margaux Laskey · NYT Cooking

Fudgy like a brownie but slightly cakey (and light) from the pumpkin purée, these delightful blondies are the ultimate fall sweet treat. They’re a riff on a Martha Stewart recipe, tweaked by Annie Marshall of Everyday Annie to include butterscotch chips and white chocolate. (If white chocolate’s not your thing, don’t worry: It’s not cloying, but adds perfect little pockets of sweetness.) Add nuts or don’t, but do chill a bit before cutting if you have the time, as it helps ensure clean, even squares. Margaux Laskey

Margaux Laskey · NYT Cooking

This classic Shanghainese dish, adapted from “My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water” by Betty Liu (Harper, 2021), features pork belly braised in light and dark soy sauces, Shaoxing wine and rock sugar until it’s deeply flavored, caramelized and glossy, a popular method called “red cooking.” There are endless variations of this dish throughout Shanghai: Some include hard-boiled eggs, tofu knots or salted yellow croaker fish. This one is gently seasoned with whole star anise and ginger. While the recipe suggests three hours’ braising, heed Ms. Liu’s advice: “The longer the better. My husband’s grandfather makes this dish as well, and he just lets it simmer over a small flame all day, filling the kitchen with the most tantalizing aroma.” Begin tasting the braising liquid at the 2-hour mark; if it’s too sweet or salty, add more soy sauce or rock sugar until the flavor makes you do a little dance.

Amanda Hesser · NYT Cooking

Amanda Hesser

Amanda Hesser · NYT Cooking

Amanda Hesser

The New York Times · NYT Cooking

Quinoa “might be the new kale,” said Marcus Samuelsson, the chef and owner of Red Rooster in Harlem. The ancient grain is the star of this quick one-bowl dish, which Mr. Samuelsson created to be an easy weeknight meal. Quinoa, steeped in coconut milk, becomes a rich canvas for vegetables and bold flavors like ginger and Aleppo pepper. The New York Times

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

President Obama’s first state dinner at the White House, just before Thanksgiving in November 2009, honored Manmohan Singh, then the prime minister of India, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur. The chef for the dinner was Marcus Samuelsson, who decided to incorporate some Indian touches into the menu. Both naan and cornbread were served, and the dessert for each of the 400 guests was a pear Tatin and a pumpkin pie tartlet. “I flavored what I consider a very American pumpkin pie with a staple of Indian cuisine: garam masala,” Mr. Samuelsson wrote in his new cookbook, “Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook At Home,” where he gives the recipe, but as a large tart, not an individual tartlet. It adds a worldly touch to an American tradition, ideally suited to Washington. Florence Fabricant

Nancy Harmon Jenkins · NYT Cooking

Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Florence Fabricant

Molly O’Neill · NYT Cooking

Molly O'Neill

Amanda Hesser · NYT Cooking

Amanda Hesser

Alex Witchel · NYT Cooking

Alex Witchel

Paul Greenberg · NYT Cooking

Ask your fishmonger to debone and butterfly the fish for stuffing, keeping the head and tail attached. If wild striped bass or branzino is not available, any meaty, white-fleshed fish may be substituted. Paul Greenberg

Henry Alford · NYT Cooking

Henry Alford

Paul Greenberg · NYT Cooking

Paul Greenberg

The New York Times · NYT Cooking

After the death in 2013 of Marcella Hazan, the cookbook author who changed the way Americans cook Italian food, The Times asked readers which of her recipes had become staples in their kitchens. Many people answered with one word: “Bolognese.” Ms. Hazan had a few recipes for the classic sauce, and they are all outstanding. This one appeared in her book “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking,” and one reader called it “the gold standard.” Try it and see for yourself. The New York Times

The New York Times · NYT Cooking

When Marcella Hazan died in 2013, The New York Times invited readers to share their favorite recipes from her books. While her tomato sauce with butter and onion was the clear favorite, this astonishingly simple roast chicken and her Bolognese sauce were close runners-up. The New York Times

Mark Bittman · NYT Cooking

Orange cake is a terrific dessert to serve after the rich, meaty stews of winter: boeuf bourguignon, short ribs, lamb tagine. The method that Marcella Hazan uses here — poking holes into the cake and letting orange syrup seep in — has a similar effect to brining: what would otherwise be a dry cake becomes flavorful, fragrant, and juicy. And it’s even better than brining, because it always works, takes no time, and also makes the cake last longer. Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman · NYT Cooking

Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman · NYT Cooking

This dish comes from the celebrated Italian cook Marcella Hazan. She showed me how to pound lamb chops for her splendid dish, and teased me for not doing it thoroughly enough. Mark Bittman

Ali Slagle · NYT Cooking

This classic Neapolitan dish involves poaching fish in a liquid that Marcella Hazan explained as being “denser than a broth, looser, more vivacious and fresher in taste than any sauce.” It’s made by simmering chopped extra-ripe tomatoes with water, garlic, chile and other flavorings. Once the water tastes like tomato, fish fillets are poached in it. This foolproof method prevents overcooking, so it’s ideal for all kinds of delicate seafood. Some think “crazy” refers to the broth’s spiciness, while others think the name comes from the fact that fishermen made the dish with seawater (but it could also simply reflect that water is the key ingredient). Ali Slagle

Pete Wells · NYT Cooking

This recipe is featured in a four-part series about creating healthier eating habits. This hearty broccoli soup, adapted from Marcella Hazan’s recipe in “Marcella Cucina” (HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), comes from Friuli, a region in northeastern Italy where barley is a favorite grain. It is Ms. Hazan’s version of a recipe traditionally made with cauliflower, and it is good that way, too, or made with romanesco. The high fiber quotient of the vegetables, beans and grains make it filling enough to serve as a light meal on its own. Instead of pearl barley, you can use hulled barley, which is even higher in fiber but takes longer to cook. Pete Wells

Robert Farrar Capon · NYT Cooking

Robert Farrar Capon

Elaine Louie · NYT Cooking

On the hottest days, Indians forgo iced tea (“too American”) for fresh limeade and perhaps mango lassi, which combines fresh mango with yogurt and cardamom. This recipe comes from the cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey, who said, “Mangoes are supposed to be good for the eyes.” This recipe calls for fresh or canned mango pulp. Ratnagiri Alphonso mango pulp, available in Indian shops in New York City and online, is what Ms. Jaffrey recommends. Elaine Louie

Molly O’Neill · NYT Cooking

Molly O'Neill