Recipes

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

It’s hard to think of a more iconic West African dish than jollof rice, the red-tinged rice dish with depth, thanks to aromatics and spices that meld into a comforting tomato base. “Jollof is really a one-pot meal that is very adaptable,” says chef Isaiah Screetch, who adapted this recipe that plays with, but honors the Nigerian version of the dish, with plenty of heat from habanero and serrano chiles. Fit to feed a crowd, it makes a perfect base for skewers of grilled suya or a braised entree like Jamaican oxtail stew, partnered with a side of fried plantains. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Chef Isaiah Screetch was inspired by jam cakes from his native Kentucky when conceptualizing this recipe for spice cake that evokes warm West African flavors. The cake marries tart tamarind with the complexity and earthiness of calabash nutmeg (a nuttier, more fragrant nutmeg native to West Africa), ground cayenne and ginger. “The spice cake is primarily used for special occasions like birthdays and weddings,” he said. While it typically includes dairy to “create richness and keep the cake moist,” Mr. Screetch makes his cake using soy milk to keep it vegan-friendly. To save time, he recommends baking the cake the night before you plan to enjoy it and wrapping with plastic wrap to maintain moisture so it doesn't dry out. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

A beloved treat in Southern baking, these simple, dense, slightly sweet cakes moved to the North during the Great Migration, becoming part of the culinary traditions of northern Black communities like Weeksville in Brooklyn. Similar in texture to a British scone, and the perfect accompaniment to tea or coffee, tea cakes were made by enslaved Africans on plantations using easily accessible ingredients like eggs, baking powder, flour and sugar. Endlessly adaptable, the dough can be modified by adding more baking spices, such as clove or allspice. You also can use your preferred sweetener, whether it’s molasses or honey, in place of white sugar; just reduce the amount to ¾ cup. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Throughout the English and French-speaking Caribbean, homemade pepper sauce in glass jars or plastic bottles are an important part of the tablescape, kept within reach to add a burst of fruity, sharp heat to whatever is being eaten. This version, from cookbook author Lesley Enston, is earthy thanks to the addition of culantro, a fresh herb not to be confused with cilantro. From island to island, and even household to household, the recipe varies, but Scotch bonnets, the brightly colored bonnet-shaped chiles native to the region, are a must. Feel free to play around with this sauce to create one that matches your tastes, adjusting the seasonings or adding a pinch of a spice like clove or nutmeg. Keep a jar on hand to add a teaspoon or so to dishes from the Caribbean like braised oxtails or to serve as a condiment for dishes like fried snapper with Creole sauce. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

“Kilt, as in ‘killed,’ is how mountain folk describe once-lively lettuce that has been forgotten and left to wilt on the counter (or in the back of the fridge for the modernists),”the chef Ashleigh Shanti explains in her cookbook, “Our South” (Union Square & Co., 2024). This dish speaks to the resourcefulness of Appalachian cooks, who found a way to make delicious meals out of produce that may have been past its prime. With a few staple ingredients, a head of iceberg lettuce becomes a tangy and slightly sweet salad that pairs well with a simple roast chicken or mustard-glazed pork tenderloin, and can also serve as a main course with simply cooked rice or roasted vegetables alongside. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

This dish, inspired by the BBQ pepper shrimp at the Lobster Pot — the busy seafood restaurant in Provincetown, Mass., that the McNulty family began operating in 1979) — is a rich, satisfying shrimp dinner that comes together quickly. The chef and owner Tim McNulty came up with the idea for the dish after trying New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp. He blends those spicy flavors with the richness of beurre blanc, a classic French butter sauce. “It’s a big seller for us,” Mr. McNulty says of the dish, which has been on the menu for more than 10 years. The sauce is an ideal topping for pasta or crusty bread and is a perfect match for any seafood: “It's a great base recipe and you can add scallops or lobster to it instead of the shrimp.” The sauce also makes a luscious topping for steak, similar to an au poivre. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

When researching her family history, the chef Ashleigh Shanti found aunts and cousins that fried fish and sold it on the streets of Virginia Beach, yelling “Good hot fish!” to people walking or driving by. This recipe, from her book “Our South” (Union Square & Co., 2024), is Ms. Shanti’s version of fish sticks, featuring crunchy, savory and salty trout, fried until golden brown and served with the chef’s take on Alabama white barbecue sauce. Serve as part of a spread with salad or hush puppies as Ms. Shanti does at her Asheville, N.C., restaurant. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

In Boston’s North End, the pistachio martini is a common menu item, made with pistachio liqueur and vanilla vodka and then garnished with chopped pistachios. The origins are hard to pin down, but many believe the cocktail came about because of Boston’s strict liquor laws, which often inspire mixologists to get creative with flavored liqueurs. This recipe is based on the pistachio martini served at Caffé Vittoria, open since 1929, and it embraces the best parts of a pistachio dessert: rich and creamy, with plenty of bold pistachio flavor that’s accented by vanilla. Serve this at the end of a holiday dinner party as dessert in festive martini glasses that can hold at least 5 or 6 ounces. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Potlikker, the broth left over after cooking a pot of greens, makes a flavorful base for ramen in this recipe from the chef Rasheeda Purdie. Inspired by her grandmother’s collard greens, Ms. Purdie serves bowls of this ramen at her shop in Manhattan. It makes an especially filling and comforting meal when enjoyed alongside a cup of hot green tea or soba cha. This recipe will most likely yield extra potlikker, which can be served with cornbread or crusty white bread and a salad. Chile crisp, homemade or store bought, would also make a delightful addition to this ramen, adding both texture and heat. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

A favorite of the chef Elsy Dinvil, these tender fried beef meatballs were a common sight on her childhood dinner table in Jérémie, Haiti. Comforting yet complex thanks to epis, a Haitian seasoning blend made with herbs and spices, they’re a great addition to rice or even some crusty bread. You can enjoy them as is or with the piquant onion and tomato sauce below. If you like heat, be sure to break open the Scotch bonnet chile after it’s tender from stewing, and it’ll give the sauce a hot, fruity flavor. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Summery, tart and slightly sweet, this sauce ingeniously uses peach preserves to make a perfect pairing for pork chops. It also works as a tart dressing for a kale or chicory salad, highlighting the fruit at its peak while also adding richness thanks to butter and oil. In the mid-60s, Pamela Strobel served this condiment, her signature sauce, alongside dishes like fried chicken, black eyed peas and smothered pork chops at her restaurant, Little Kitchen. Princess Pamela, a moniker given to Ms. Strobel when she asked a printer what the name of her business should be, wore the title well: She ruled over her minuscule soul food spot underneath her apartment in New York City’s East Village, deciding who was let in (and who was kicked out). Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Conceptualized by the chef Lana Lagomarsini as a topping for her tamarind glazed oxtails, this chow chow is a punchy, textural showstopper that adds a vinegary backnote and brightness to anything you add it to. This recipe makes quite a bit of chow chow meaning you’ll have plenty left over to add to salads or as a topping for burgers or sandwiches. If you’d like it a little hotter, add an additional seasoning pepper or habanero. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Inspired by her time working at a restaurant on the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands, this recipe from the chef Lana Lagomarsini, pairs unctuous braised oxtails with the tart flavor of tamarind to create this hearty, luxurious braise. “We would pick tamarind fruit right off of the tree behind the restaurant and I fell in love with its flavor,” the chef remembers. It can be paired with Ms. Lagomarsini’s punchy chow chow recipe, and is also perfect atop a bed of rice and peas, or fungi, a Caribbean cornmeal and okra side dish. Any addition, really, makes this meal feel abundant and celebratory. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Tender greens make up the base of this bright, simple yet texturally complex salad adapted from “Turtle Island” (Clarkson Potter, 2025) by Sean Sherman. The chef created it to highlight seasonal foraging in North America. While wild dandelion greens or chickweed provide the full effect, mixed greens or even arugula also work, providing a peppery bite against the honeyed persimmon fruit. Great on its own, this salad can also be served alongside a hearty, braised main dish like Mr. Sherman’s bison pot roast with hominy. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Döner, a staple street food across the Middle East and beloved the world around, gets a home-friendly remix in this recipe, which cleverly uses scrolls of parchment paper and a hot oven to achieve the hearty browning and thin slices you’d get from carving meat from a vertical spit. This recipe is adapted from Michael Wilkes, who posts on TikTok under the handle MezeMike and learned the technique when cooking with his fiancée’s mother, Nefise Kansu, in Cyprus. The thinness of the meat mixture is key here, so take your time rolling it out between the sheets so the meat crisps evenly while baking. Many hands also make this recipe feel like a party, so invite guests to join in, rolling sheets and helping to break them up after baking. Korsha Wilson

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

“A busy day cake, or sweet bread as it was really called, was regular cake batter, measured out and stirred in a hurry while vegetables cooked on one end of the wood stove,” writes Edna Lewis in her 1976 cookbook and farm-to-table manifesto, “The Taste of Country Cooking.” Slightly sweet and crumbly, this cake, adapted from the 50th anniversary edition of her cookbook (Knopf, 2026), comes together quickly and is a great backpocket recipe for a simple dessert that can be adorned with any seasonal fruit compote, Ms. Lewis’s brandied peaches or even sweetened whipped cream. The cake has a beautiful rise but may sink a bit in the middle; that’s just part of its humble charm.

Korsha Wilson · NYT Cooking

Peaches occupy an exalted position in Edna Lewis’s seminal cookbook, “The Taste of Country Cooking.” First published in 1976, the book chronicles her upbringing, filled with seasonal recipes from rural western Virginia in the early 20th century. This recipe for brandied peaches, adapted from the reissued 50th anniversary edition (Knopf, 2026), combines the sweet, firm flesh of peak summer peaches with a brown sugar syrup spiked with brandy. To really experience its full complexity of flavor, you should source the fruit in the summer when they’re at their best. The original recipe calls for seven pounds of whole peaches stored in mason jars, while this version has been scaled down for easier storage in your fridge and calls for halved fruit instead. Delicious warm or chilled, brandied peaches make an elegant presentation served alongside vanilla ice cream or a simple vanilla cake like Ms. Lewis’s Busy Day Cake, still warm from the oven. Finish with an additional splash of brandy if desi

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

Chile verde is a classic Mexican pork stew with tender braised pork in a tangy sauce of tomatillos, green chiles and garlic. Tomatillos, poblano chiles, jalapeño and garlic cloves are broiled until nicely charred and deep golden, then puréed with fresh cilantro to create the vibrant smoky sauce. Choose tomatillos that are plump, unblemished and firm. (Soft tomatillos are overripe.) If poblano chiles aren’t available, feel free to substitute with Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers. Sweet onion (such as Vidalia) is called for here to start the stew, as the extra natural sugar in the onion helps balance the tart tomatillos. Tuck any leftovers into tortillas for fantastic tacos the next day.

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

This comforting chicken soup with orzo, cabbage and dill boasts tender chicken meatballs instead of the traditional shredded chicken. The soothing broth gets an extra flavor boost from kombu, which infuses the soup with a deeper layer of salty, briny notes. Seasoned with Parmesan and dill, bound with crushed saltines (which can be replaced with plain bread crumbs), and inspired by matzo balls, these juicy ground chicken meatballs come together quickly while the veggies cook. The meatballs can be made a few hours ahead and kept refrigerated. As they poach in the broth, they impart even more chicken flavor to the soup.

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

This weeknight sheet-pan meal takes just a handful of ingredients and turns basic chicken and broccoli into a zesty family meal. Chicken legs are coated in punchy Italian seasonings and roasted until fragrant, golden and crispy. The genius move here is tossing the broccoli in the chicken drippings, encouraging the florets to absorb all of the flavorful pan juices as they cook. A final shower of Cheddar and Parmesan creates a cheesy drape over the florets, and the errant cheese that hits the pan turns into crispy frico shards. If there are any leftovers, they can be chopped and tucked into rolls or tossed with pasta the next day.

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

Traditionally made with kabocha squash, this soothing porridge showcases the natural velvety texture of winter squash. Make this when squash is in season, as the flavor of the porridge will be best when the gourds are at their peak, both nutty and sweet; use kabocha, butternut or any orange-fleshed squash or pumpkin. Sweet white rice, also known as glutinous rice, becomes sticky and thickens the mixture naturally as it cooks. Typically topped with slivered Korean dates and pine nuts, a more modern, crunchier nut-and-seed topping contrasts this creamy, bisque-like soup. Leftovers freeze very well.

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

Korean sweet potatoes are full of surprises: Their gorgeous purple skin reveals not orange but white flesh underneath, which has a floral, honey-like sweetness and a supercreamy texture. (Japanese sweet potatoes can be used interchangeably, and even any supermarket sweet potato variety can be used for this recipe.) Wrap your sweet potatoes tightly in foil and roast until completely soft in the center, about 1 hour. While your oven works, make a quick scallion-and-miso compound butter that complements the sweet potatoes but can also elevate all sorts of roasted veggies like cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. Split open the hot potatoes and dollop with the compound butter and a spoonful of sour cream. Each bite has a wonderful balance of sweet and salty; the addition of sour cream introduces nostalgic sour cream and onion vibes.

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

These beef dumplings are packed with zucchini and tofu, which keep the filling tender and juicy. The ground meat is lightly marinated before mixing with plenty of buchu, a lovely allium with long flat leaves and a mild garlic flavor. (You can find these fragrant Korean chives in any Korean market). There’s a hidden surprise here, too: Buttery pine nuts get tucked into each dumpling before enclosing them.

Kay Chun · NYT Cooking

This deeply flavored saucy skillet meal comes together quickly thanks to rich coconut milk and fast-cooking ground chicken (though ground pork would also work well). Sweet potatoes get a head start in the skillet, where they’re speedily cooked until golden and tender; the simple act of covering the skillet with a lid expedites the process. The meat is browned with plenty of scallions, garlic and ginger, which impart lovely aromatic fragrance and depth to the dish. Coconut milk is added at the end to maintain its creamy texture and fresh flavor, while a finish of lime juice and chopped cilantro brightens and balances the sauce.