Recipes

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

This quick, easy-to-put-together chicken comes from Paul Kahan of The Publican, a restaurant in Chicago. The ingredient list is short, and may include much of what you already have on hand. But the flavor it yields is paramount: Serve it with wedge fries and a frosty beer for a meal that will lift the most flagging spirits. Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni, a former restaurant critic for The Times, came up with this drink at Ward III, a lounge in Tribeca that lets you choose the ingredients and qualities you want in a drink that's then custom-made for you. It's a lightly-sweet strawberry-tequila cocktail that gets a flicker of heat from the addition of jalapeño. It's got summer written all over it. Keep in mind that some jalapeño is hotter than others: it’s impossible to give a measure that will assure a specific degree of heat. So if you make the following recipe, go especially light on the jalapeño the first time around, and don’t overdo the ice in the shaker. Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

This is a project recipe, to be sure. But the result? An impressive, delectable mountain of perfectly cooked pasta, tender meatballs, egg and salami, swathed in a rich ragu and folded all together in a lissome dough. It is an excavation to eat this, and one to be undertaken slowly, carefully, so as to catch every prism of flavor. The vivid compliments given to this in the film “Big Night” are unrepeatable here, but we are sure you’ll find some choice adjectives of your own. (The New York Times) Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

This fast recipe for meatballs came to The Times from the actor and director Stanley Tucci, who compiled his Italian-American family’s recipes into “The Tucci Cookbook” in 2012. Make sure the bread for this is really dry -- it will improve the meatballs’ texture. And if they are to be used in sauce, undercook them slightly before adding them to the sauce. (The New York Times) Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni · NYT Cooking

This recipe, a contemplation on classic Italian cooking, is adapted from “The Tucci Cookbook,” a book of recipes from the actor and director Stanley Tucci’s food-obsessed family. It will take some time, so set aside an afternoon, say, a Sunday in the fall, when browning meat and listening for the correct simmer are exactly what you want to do. (The New York Times) Frank Bruni

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

This recipe for kottu roti, a popular Sri Lankan street food, comes from Sanjeewa Gooneratne, who prepares the dish at events around New York on a griddle the size of a sled. A flaky flatbread is stir-fried with eggs and spices and finished with a curry sauce. Don't let the long list of spices deter you from making the dish. You can omit a few and still experience its fantastic depths of flavor. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

This recipe for embutido, a festive Filipino meatloaf featuring ingredients that appeared in the Philippines during the American occupation, is adapted from Emma Phojanakong. She often prepares it as a stuffing for chicken; inspired by that, this recipe features a simple citrus-and-soy-spiked chicken sauce to go alongside. Serve it with watercress and steamed white rice, but it also makes great next-day sandwiches.

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

Often served alongside pupusas, curtido is quick to assemble, but aged over three days so the shock of pink cabbage can develop high notes and deep flavor. Transfer your finished curtido to clean jars, which make it easy to store and give away to friends.

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

Cheese pupusas — stuffed, griddled masa cakes — and their accompanying slaw, curtido, are quintessential Salvadoran street foods. This recipe is adapted from Janet Lainez, who has been making them for homesick Latinos every summer at the Red Hook Ball Fields for nearly 25 years. She likes to use mozzarella rather than Salvadoran cheese — preferably Polly-O, established in Brooklyn, 1899. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

This recipe is an adaptation of the smoky spinach stew served at Papaye, Samuel Obeng's restaurant in the Bronx. Built on a base of onions and ginger sauteed in palm oil, made fiery with habanero, and thickened with ground pumpkin seeds and tomatoes, the stew calls for African smoked, dried shrimp powder; its flavor is amazing. (Asian versions are typically unsmoked and chewier.) But smoked paprika and fish sauce make a serviceable substitute. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

This traditional Montenegrin dessert, adapted from Jasmina Bojic, is a kind of open-faced marshmallow sandwich. The syrup from the meringue seeps into the cake as it rests, befitting Montenegro's position between layer-cake-loving Central Europe and the syrup-soaked pastry traditions of the Mediterranean. Serve with strong coffee to balance the sampita's rich sweetness. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

Homestyle Bangladeshi chicken korma is likely more aromatic, flavorful, and deeply chicken-flavored than the heavy, creamy versions served in Indian restaurants. This recipe, adapted from Shama Mubdi, is also incredibly easy to make: You just stir everything together in a pot and turn on the heat. A last-minute addition of butter-fried onions adds sweet complexity. Serve with basmati rice and salad or South Asian pickles. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

Unlike slow-cooked southern American treatments of this vegetable, this version retains the collards’ vibrant color and satisfying crunch. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

Manioc flour can be found in Brazilian stores. It resembles a light bread crumb, but do not confuse it with tapioca flour or starch. Once toasted in fat — here, bacon, but other kinds may be used — the manioc flour can serve as a crisp topping to the feijoada, or served alongside to soak up the juices. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

The mix of meats is personal to each cook. Have your butcher cut the feet and tails for you; they’re highly recommended for their rich gelatin and ‘‘piggy’’ flavor, but if you prefer, you can use more sausage, fresh pork belly or other cuts instead. Don’t be tempted to use too many smoked meats, though; the feijoada’s flavor should be beany and porky, not smoky. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

Fany Gerson makes her paletas, Mexican fruit ice-pops, the traditional way: with real fruit for intense flavors. Although this flavor isn't traditional, it was inspired by esquites, a favorite Mexican street food of corn dressed with sour cream, lime and chile. To make it, infuse milk with fresh sweet corn and chile, and then blend it into a smooth base. Fold in some lime and sautéed corn for texture, and freeze for a rich, sweet-savory treat. Francis Lam

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

This gently-fried topping takes a little patience, but leaves you with sweet, aromatic, crunchy bits that will elevate salads, sandwiches, pasta or noodles. And the oil you fry it in also takes on terrific flavor — also great for drizzling on most anything you can think of.

Francis Lam · NYT Cooking

This “tofu” comes together fast; it’s essentially a quick chickpea flour porridge that you cool and slice. The tart, savory tamarind dressing and crispy shallots and garlic with oil give the dish tons of flavor. As an untraditional addition, you could also add corn and diced tomatoes for a fresh summer meal. Francis Lam