What to Cook

Spicy Seafood Pasta with Fennel

At its core, this is a light breezy pasta made with caramelized fennel and juicy, fresh tomatoes—already wonderful—but yes, there is also seafood.

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Lime, Herbs, and Lettuces

Directly inspired from the many variations of nuoc cham I had while in Vietnam a few years back, any combination of fish sauce and lime juice has become my absolute favorite way to dress grilled meats.

Tomato Tart with Garlic and Capers

I knew I wanted this to be a quick, throw-together affair. That meant no “salt the tomatoes to draw out the moisture,” no crust that needed to be chilled or rolled out, nothing to delay me from having crisp, cheesy crust with a simple layer of softened, jammy, garlicky tomatoes as soon as possible.

Spicy Shrimp in Harissa Butter

These shrimp are deceptively flavorful and complex: spicy (thanks to harissa paste), lemony (thanks to whole, sliced lemon caramelized in the pan), and buttery (thanks to butter).

Roasted Eggplant Pasta with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

This is not necessarily a quick recipe, because almost nothing involving eggplant is “quick,” but that’s okay. Some things, like a bowl full of pasta that tastes like Eggplant Parmesan, are worth it..

Polenta with Corn (Corn on Corn)

Close your eyes and you can see it now: a bowl of perfectly tender, creamy polenta with plenty of black pepper and just the right amount of Parmesan, topped with some buttery, lightly spiced, just-cooked corn.

Pork Chop with Capers and Caramelized Cabbage

This recipe is simple, really existing to make the case that high quality meat, seasoned sparingly with salt and pepper is a true luxury.

Luckiest Biscuits in America

Biscuit making is a practice, a recipe you begin to feel rather than follow. They’ll only get better every time you make them

Stovetop Jam

While jam often feels like sugar thickened with fruit, this here is a celebration of the fruit itself.

Cold Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This carrot cake, sans raisins and nuts (!!) is, to me, perfect. It’s perfect at room temperature, too, but refrigerating it gives it a dense, custardy, almost fudge-like texture that screams “mid-day snack.”

Baked Shells

Less intensely indulgent than classic Baked Ziti and a lot less fussy than lasagna, in my old age this is sort of the only baked pasta I’m making these days. It’s got all the hits: pasta, cheese, sauce, but feels casual in a way that makes it possible to throw together for dinner tonight.

Citrus Salad with Bitter Greens

The perfect way to use winter citrus. Arrange bitter leaves on a plate, layer with sliced citrus and onion and season casually with flaky salt, vinegar and oil.