Recipes & Food

This light, summery Minimalist recipe for shrimp salad, from 1998, still carries a lot of heft Lightly sweet shrimp is enhanced by cayenne, paprika, garlic and a bit of lemon juice A bed of arugula and mint adds freshness to cut through the heat

Inspired by blanquette de veau, a classic French veal stew, this comforting braise unites pork, leeks, mushrooms and carrots in a creamy, rosemary-infused broth In this simple braise, nicely seared pork and softened veggies are combined with the broth and aromatics and simmered until the pork is tender and juicy The dish is finished with a beurre manié — a mixture of equal parts butter and flour — that gets whisked into the stew at the end of cooking to create a smooth, thickened sauce

Make smoked baked potatoes that will please your family and friendds! Get the key temps and tools for success in this post.

I’ve made salsa my whole life. These tips changed everything.

This is a simple salsa with a bright acidity, one that you could temper with some diced mango if you like I’ve called for a single jalapeño You could use two if you like

This fiery, minimalist salsa proves that even humble kitchen staples — like garlic powder and fresh jalapeños — can surprise you Simmered until tender, then mashed by hand or blended to a coarse purée, the chiles become the perfect backdrop for garlic powder, which deepens as it sits, taking on a warm, almost toasty edge you’d never get from raw garlic A short fermentation (if you let it) softens the salsa’s heat and introduces a subtle, tangy complexity (see Tip)

Inspired by traditional South Asian malai chicken, a warmly spiced, yogurt-marinated dish that’s usually tandoor-grilled or served as a creamy curry, this sheet-pan meal comes together in under an hour Here, the cream, or malai, is added just before serving, combining with lemon juice and water to create a silky, tangy sauce The yogurt marinade acts as a powerful tenderizer for the chicken, so  even a quick rest will enhance the flavors (if you have time for an overnight marinade, all the better)

Julia Turshen, the author of the cookbook “Small Victories” (Chronicle Books, 2016), cracked the code on turkey meatballs: Ricotta adds milky creaminess and acts as a binder Taking her lead, the first two steps of this recipe produce all-purpose turkey meatballs that are light in texture and rich in flavor, and the final step of basting the meatballs with an herb-and-garlic-infused butter turns them into a weekday luxury Eat with mashed or roasted potatoes or other root vegetables, polenta, whole grains, or a mustardy salad

Fans of garlic noodles and soy sauce noodles rejoice: Here is a new, weeknight-friendly noodle dish for your repertoire A staple Cantonese ingredient, thick and fragrant hoisin sauce is often used as a glaze for meat, but also serves as a robust, sweet and salty seasoning for these noodles The garlic is bloomed briefly in oil, which tames its pungency and unlocks a rich, nutty flavor

Basically a vegetable-studded potato salad with mayonnaise, Russian salad is hugely popular all over the world for family gatherings and festive events It’s a beloved, traditional party dish riffed on almost everywhere but my own home: I’d only ever seen pasty, congealed versions I would never wish to eat until I tried this one from Vladimir Ocokoljic, served at his Serbian restaurant Kafana in New York City While not quite as demanding as his aunt back in Belgrade, who used to slice even the peas in half, Mr

Many cucumber salads are dressed with some combination of salt, acidity (such as vinegar or lemon juice) and something tangy and creamy (Sour cream is commonly used in Germany, Scandinavia and the Midwest; buttermilk in the South; and yogurt in the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia and South Asia.) This recipe skips the first step of salting by instead substituting pickles — cucumbers fermented in salt and vinegar — in place of raw cucumbers They’re still crunchy, but also pack a fierce punch

This recipe is your invitation to the pasta and pickle party Dill pickles work double time here: The brine is added to the creamy dressing to bring acidity, while a generous amount of pickles are used in the salad, bringing crunch and saltiness The sourness of the pickles and the punch of the quick-pickled shallots really cut through the heaviness that is often found in creamy, mayonnaise-laden pasta salads

When dining out or ordering in, a vegetarian pad Thai can be hard to come by, as fish sauce is often used to attain the signature salty, savory flavors of this popular dish While the complex umami of fish sauce can be difficult to replicate, this combination of lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, miso and tamarind creates a comparable sauce that effectively delivers pad Thai’s balance of sour, sweet and salty notes The seasoning sauce keeps well, too, so it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days

This humble, bright yellow soup hails from Stone Town, Zanzibar, and is a popular street food known as Zanzibari Mix or Urojo It’s affordable, filling, and reflective of the island's cross-cultural history Traditionally served with various accompaniments like lentil fritters, cassava chips, chutneys, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs for protein, this dish has become synonymous with the island

You don’t need a thermometer to know when these chicken thighs are done You just need your ears In this recipe, chicken thighs are slow seared using a technique from the chef Paul Bertolli called “bottom-up cooking” where the chicken cooks almost entirely on the skin side over moderate heat, resulting in shatteringly crisp skin

Fans of garlic noodles and soy sauce noodles rejoice: Here is a new, weeknight-friendly noodle dish for your repertoire A staple Cantonese ingredient, thick and fragrant hoisin sauce is often used as a glaze for meat, but also serves as a robust, sweet and salty seasoning for these noodles The garlic is bloomed briefly in oil, which tames its pungency and unlocks a rich, nutty flavor

The velvety combination of beans and coconut milk is found in a number of African and Caribbean dishes, like Nigerian frejon and Haitian sos pwa nwa In this recipe, black beans are simmered in coconut milk with a healthy dose of fresh ginger, then finished with lime juice The result is a light vegan main or side dish

Convenient and tender rotisserie chicken, sautéed scallions and garlic, vinegar-soaked currants and a couple big handfuls of peppery arugula make up this simple yet very flavorful sandwich Inspired by the wood-oven-roasted chicken and bread salad from Zuni Café in San Francisco, this is a take on that famed dish in sandwich form Parmesan and toasted nuts add texture, depth and a hit of umami

The key to achieving the signature sweet-smoky-salty flavor of Indonesian stir-fried noodles is to let the noodles cook, undisturbed, over high heat until you see small wisps of smoke Javanese sweet soy sauce, also known as kecap manis, can be very sweet, so giving it a good cook will bring just enough of a bitter edge to its sweetness If you’re making this dish for a crowd, don’t prepare more than two servings at a time, otherwise the noodles will crowd the pan and not brown properly, and you won’t get that smoky wok hei flavor

Cooked ham lends a surprising amount of flavor to this simple, hearty soup Easy to put together using leftover ham or a ham steak, this recipe is perfect for a weeknight or a busy weekend The ham, joined by soft chunks of potato as well as soup all-stars carrot, onion and celery, is bathed in a creamy broth thickened with a quick roux made from flour and butter

For this recipe, you’ll want to grind part of the salmon in a food processor: It’ll bind the rest, which can be coarsely chopped to retain moisture during cooking Some bread crumbs keep the burger from becoming as densely packed as (bad) meatloaf This approach, along with a few simple seasonings, produces delicious burgers in not much more time than it takes to make one from ground chuck

In this weeknight recipe, perfectly browned chicken breasts are smothered in a creamy spinach sauce that comes together with ease, all in one skillet The highlight of this recipe is the buttery white-wine sauce, which is enriched and thickened with a secret ingredient: cream cheese The sauce nicely coats the wilted spinach, though you can use sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms or canned artichokes instead of, or in addition to, the spinach.  A side of mashed or roasted potatoes would round out this dish well, but some crusty bread to sop up every last bit is a must.

Smoked hamburgers are a great way to prepare burgers. By smoking, you get a juicy burger, and the smoke creates crispy, charred edges.

In this cozy, easy dinner, store-bought gnocchi, broccoli and little meatballs (made by pinching pieces of Italian sausage) roast together on a sheet pan When everything comes out of the oven bronzed and crisp, sprinkle it with Parmesan and stir: The heat from the sheet pan will help the cheese gloss the gnocchi Some lemon juice lightens the mix; for a little heat to balance the richness, use hot Italian sausage or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.

This nutty, spicy salsa with the tang of vinegar is from Veracruz, Mexico, where it’s called salsa macha It has long been a favorite of Pati Jinich, the Mexican-born chef who lives in Washington, D.C Her version comes together fast, and offers a lot of character and versatility

This classic carrot cake recipe is not overly spiced, and it has texture from the grated carrots, shredded coconut, chopped nuts and raisins. Discover more ideas for the big day at NYT Cooking.

Packed with an abundance of fresh herbs, kuku is a frittata-like Persian dish with many regional and household variations This version, kuku sabzi, is the most herb-forward, allowing the greens to take center stage While kuku is often flipped to brown on both sides, this version skips that step and allows the egg on top to set under the broiler, which helps retain its vibrant green color

For a spectacular vegetable side at home, try this tried-and-true formula: A swoosh of sauce on a plate topped with a cooked vegetable and a confetti of finely chopped garnish For this iteration, blend the base (a cloud of yogurt, tahini, citrus and garlic) and chop your garnish (a pretty pile of pistachios, dill and chives) while the carrots roast Set on a platter, served hot or at room temperature, it’s a special side dish that can also hold its own as a vegetarian main, supplemented with chickpeas, quinoa, couscous or toasted bread.

Lu rou fan—braised minced pork belly over rice—is a comforting and deeply flavorful Taiwanese classic. Traditionally, lu rou fan requires hours of simmering; this recipe from bestselling cookbook author Clarissa Wei reimagines it for a pressure cooker, making it possible to have dinner ready in half the time.

Make the most of spring produce with these light, refreshing salads.