Recipes

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Beloved by many for good reason, the flavors and textures of a bánh mì are the inspiration for this recipe. Crisp quick-marinated vegetables, tender herbs and lettuces, spicy jalapeño, creamy avocado and sweet ham are dressed in a version of tangy nước chấm and then topped with buttery crackers instead of the bread that gives the Vietnamese sandwich its name. While the ingredient list might seem long, there’s no cooking involved and this salad comes together in about 20 minutes. Any type of ham will work, but if you buy a roast, you’ll be able to carve the ham as thin as you'd like. For a different take, cooked bacon, rotisserie chicken or tofu make excellent options, too.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This chicken takes a cue from piccata then heads in a decidedly summery direction: A quick pan sauce of butter, shallots, tomatoes, capers and a splash of red wine vinegar turns rich, juicy, and bright — just the thing to spoon over the top. A handful of fresh basil at the end wilts gently in the heat of the sauce. No lemon here, but the vibes are still tangy, savory, and buttery. There’s plenty of sauce, so pair with bread or rice to help soak it all up.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Vibrant, refreshing, juicy and crisp, this salad is perfect for warmer days or any day when you need just a little pick-me-up. Coming together quickly, the combination of mango, cucumber and romaine is simply dressed with fresh lime and cilantro. Tajín, a popular Mexican seasoning made with chiles, lime and salt, adds a tangy and mildly spicy flavor, contrasting nicely with the sweetness of mango.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This salad is all about contrast: sweet, juicy melon (honeydew or anything similar), a sharp lime dressing with garlic and shallots, and a good hit of spice from serrano and red pepper. It’s finished with roasted peanuts for crunch and lots of fresh basil to keep it bright and herbaceous. The flavors are bold, tangy and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for another bite. It’s great as a side, but also can be lunch and pairs well with a hot day, crispy tofu, noodles and pork, grilled meats or any light sandwich or lettuce wrap.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Resembling an endless summer sunset, this pasta’s sauce is golden and warm and packed with flavor from just a handful of ingredients: Rich butter, citrusy turmeric, sweet tomatoes and zesty garlic. The sauce comes together simply, too. Sizzle turmeric, garlic and black pepper in butter until the aroma fills the air, then simmer cherry tomatoes until they start to burst, sweetening and brightening the sauce before tossing with pasta. That’s it. To finish, feta cheese is highly recommended to add bursts of tangy richness. For added heft, stir in chickpeas or other beans, or serve with grilled chicken.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Umami-rich rich steak and mild yet hearty zucchini are paired with a simple sauce that works to enhance both. First the steak is sliced thin, then cooked hot and fast. One side is cooked a little longer to brown and caramelize, while the other has just brief contact with the skillet to keep the steak medium-rare. The zucchini is cooked similarly, steaming in its own moisture until tender yet still somewhat firm. A bright, slightly spicy, tangy sauce is drizzled over, with a handful of refreshing mint to finish. Serve as is, or pair with chunks of baguette, roasted potatoes or a lightly dressed green salad.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This roasted vegetable salad combines caramelized, smoky vegetables with a simple, punchy sauce made of green olives, lemon, shallots and olive oil. The vegetables develop deep, rich flavors, while the bright, tangy sauce and feta cheese ties everything together. The salad is great on its own as a vegetarian main, or alongside some pan-roasted sausages if you want to make it a little more hearty. If you’re meal prepping, keep the sauce separate and drizzle it on last so that the vegetables stay vibrant and fresh.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Saucy, rich and creamy, this one-pot meal is for those who adore tender gnocchi. Sautéed cremini mushrooms, shallots, garlic and mustard form an umami-rich base, while the gnocchi simmer in cream and stock, creating a rich and abundant sauce. To keep things vibrant and fresh, peppery arugula is stirred in just before serving. This meal stands on its own, but you could brighten it up with a few splashes of hot sauce or serve it with a crusty hunk of bread to make it properly comforting.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

From stovetop to oven, this vegetable lasagna comes together quickly compared to a classic meat and tomato version and serves a smaller, more intimate group. While the lasagna sheets are boiling, make the streamlined vegetable filling: Sauté leeks, garlic and thyme in butter before tossing the fragrant mixture with béchamel sauce and some smoked mozzarella. Layered together in a skillet, the lasagna bakes up creamy and smoky, with crisp golden edges. A comforting meal on its own, it doesn’t need any side dishes, but a simple green salad would pair with it well.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Super adaptable and elemental, this pasta offers rich comfort from butter, autumnal sage and creamy white beans. In this recipe, butter is swirled into water to create a sauce called beurre monté. It’s a delicate sauce, but sturdy enough to bloom the flavors of the sage as well as the garlic and lemon peel. The strips of lemon peel give up their fragrant citrus oils to the dish and provide an attractive garnish, but are not meant to be eaten. Canned beans can be bland, so taste your beans and salt them as necessary before cooking — like you would chicken or steak — so the flavors stick. Beurre monté adds lushness and seasoning, but rich sauces like these don’t penetrate as well as salted water or broth, so don’t skip salting early. Grated Parmesan is a welcome topping for the final dish, and a side of roasted broccolini would also do well here.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This quick and buttery pasta, with bright lemon and briny capers, capitalizes on the flavors of an Italian-American classic. It starts with browning chicken in bubbling butter, then deglazing the pan with chicken stock before adding more butter, lemon, garlic and capers to create a silky sauce. Bow tie pasta (farfalle), with its pinched centers and flared edges, soaks up the sauce especially well, but any noodle works. Tossing the chicken in flour before it hits the pan enhances browning, deepens flavor and thickens the sauce to that iconic velvety consistency. All you might want to complete the meal is a side of dressed peppery greens and a glass of something cold.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Simmering boneless skinless chicken breasts in a spicy-sweet tomato stew is a reliable and delicious path to a quick chicken dinner. Here, the chicken is cooked in a flavorful base of tender vegetables, savory chicken broth, spicy hot paprika and, of course, tomato. Taking cues from chicken paprikash, it's at once comforting, warming and lively. Fresh dill and sour cream are optional, but they add a cool, tangy lift and herbal brightness, softening the heat and rounding out the stew.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Like a chile verde with a more rustic flair, this vegetarian bean stew is satisfyingly rich, hearty and tangy, with just a kick of heat and spice. It all cooks quickly and efficiently: While tomatillos, peppers and shallots roast and become tender, the beans simmer. Eventually, everything comes together into a single pot of stew, ready for lime, sour cream and cilantro. Warm tortillas are optional, but are handy for dipping into the stew.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This soup — which embraces the ethos of cucina povera to use a multitude of vegetables to create a filling meal — is chunky with cabbage, carrots and daikon radish, but also tender and refreshing with bites of silken tofu all in a warming, gingery broth. Chopped cilantro adds a citrusy brightness, although basil or dill are great too. You could use bok choy instead of cabbage, and if you want some heat, try stirring in a serrano chile along with the garlic and ginger.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This tender, rich pork has a caramelized crust that’s tangy and sweet. To create it, the pork is coated in a mixture of mustard, vinegar and sugar, simmered in a covered pot until soft, then cooked uncovered at a higher temperature to create a browned exterior. The concentrated, flavorful gravy in the bottom of the pot can be slathered on toast. Serve the pork with anything from roasted potatoes and sauerkraut to rice and beans or even a simple green salad.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Nutty, umami-rich and filled with protein, this noodle dish is light, yet satisfying and filling, just the thing for dinner in minutes or a great pack-and-go lunch. Crisp cucumber works great here, but other crunchy veggies like cabbage, snap peas or grated carrot are all good substitutions.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Simmering smoky, rich bacon in tangy tomatoes helps the bacon become tender and nearly unctuous, its flavor infused into the garlicky tomato sauce. If you happen to have an open bottle, a small splash of red wine in the tomatoes can deepen things nicely. It’s not quite amatriciana, but it borrows some of the best parts (cured pork, tomatoes). Both bright and comforting, this simple pasta might beg to be made on the regular. The bacon is cooked first, releasing flavorful fat which you can drizzle, if you’d like a flavor boost, over the finished pasta. Black pepper is welcome at the end, and Parmesan would work well, too.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

This pasta is a simple luxury: rich and satisfying after a busy day and even ideal for brunch on the weekend. It starts with a glossy, buttery tomato sauce, punchy with capers, that clings to the pasta and feels indulgent. Eggs are poached right in the sauce until just set, adding a velvety richness to every bite. The sauce is tossed with steaming spaghetti, then finished with a handful of torn basil and a splash of lush olive oil for a meal that’s elegant in its ease.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Sweet, spiced, garlicky and soothing, this simple pasta showcases juicy chicken and vibrant bell peppers that are cooked until silken. The addition of one spicy chile adds a mellow, flavorful heat. There’s another pepper too: Paprika is cooked with the chicken and vegetables to add a deeper smoky pepper flavor. A dollop of yogurt tops the pasta: mix it in so each bite is as lively as it is comforting.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Pure and light with a tender buttery crunch, this delicate breakfast or lunch starts with some pretty hearty ingredients. Salted cabbage is gently sautéed in butter until it softens and becomes glossy while keeping its color, then dill is stirred in for its gentle perfume. The eggs are cracked in and steamed, covered, until the whites are just set and the yolks are still somewhat runny, begging for buttered toast. If you want this to serve 4, double everything. If you only want to cook 1 egg, halve the recipe and use an 8-inch skillet.

Christian Reynoso · NYT Cooking

Cheddar and broccoli are a classic for a reason: the rich, tangy cheese makes this often underappreciated vegetable sing. Here, tender white beans turn the duo into a protein-forward, stewy bowl that’s cozy but lively. To finish, Cheddar croutons add a deeper cheesy crunch, ideal for dunking into the creamy broth.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Florence Fabricant

Molly O’Neill · NYT Cooking

Schlesinger, this paste is wonderful with steaks or chicken. It also adds a husky note to veal chops. Rub four 8-ounce veal chops with the spice paste and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours before grilling. Grill over hot coals until medium rare, about 4 minutes per side. Molly O'Neill

Sam Sifton · NYT Cooking

The chef and barbecue madman Chris Schlesinger sold the East Coast Grill, his restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., in 2012. But his recipe for pulled pork, which adorned the restaurant’s menu from its opening in 1985, lives on in this excellent version he gave to The Times in 2003: a tangle of soft, vinegar-scented pork that pairs extremely well with coleslaw on top of a cheap hamburger bun. Cooking the dish can be an all-day or an all-night affair, the meat luxuriating in a bath of hardwood smoke, but it is hardly taxing for anyone with a kettle grill and 12 hours on hand. “Barbecue is such a typical guy thing to do,” Schlesinger said at the time. “Much ado about nothing.” But the results put the lie to the time spent spacing out, watching the smoke curl up into the sky. Schlesinger agreed. “It is intense,” he said. Sam Sifton