Dairy

We’re all for a good store-bought marinara, but there is no substitute for homemade béchamel—of this we can be sure.

Here’s a riff on the traditional patty melt, with perfectly cooked chicken breast and a big pile of caramelized onions. This recipe calls for a mixture of yellow onions, red onions, scallions, and fried shallots, but you can use any onions you have on hand.

Start by serving this big pot of polenta as a soft, creamy side dish when it is freshly made, then divide the rest into baking dishes to use later in the week as polenta croutons and polenta crust.

This is my adult version of cheesecake, full of togarashi. I use it a lot in savory recipes to add spice, but here it gives the cake a sharp, spicy note that helps balance the denseness.

In this easy pantry pasta, make-ahead lentils add heft, while bacon lends a deep, savory flavor to the sauce. It’s a hearty and comforting dinner that's perfect for cool fall evenings.

The texture is delightfully soft, almost cake-like, and sweetened with a quick-and-easy lime glaze. These cookies make great holiday gifts.

We tend to favor pickles that are bright with acid and low on sugar; anything labeled “half-sour” usually fits the bill. If using sweeter pickles, add a bit more vinegar and salt.

The herbed sauce in this grain dish gets a double hit of punchy dairy: Not as sharp as other acidic ingredients, buttermilk lends a unique tang and yogurt brings body and richness.

The layer of streusel in this marbled loaf cake gets a complex punch of flavor from a coffee spice blend that includes dried orange peel, cardamom, and fennel seeds.

The salad works best with strips of Persian flatbread, but plain tortillas work just as well. The addition of golpar, with its citrusy aroma, really lifts this dish, accentuating the sweetness of the pomegranates and adding a wonderful depth of flavor, so try and track some down if you can.

This lovely, simple dish is great to have in your fridge at all times. It adds a wonderful, distinctive flavor to any dish it accompanies.

These hamantaschen are filled with a celebration of seeds set in chewy-soft caramelized honey. While poppy is traditional, we threw in sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin as well for variety and crunch.

The Italian word for the ideal risotto texture is all’onda—literally, “like a wave.” Risotto should spread and move and undulate. If you can stand a spoon up in it, it needs more liquid.

You may not mistake these jammy-crisp, slow-cooked onions for bacon, but they are truly exceptional as a stand-in, giving a huge blast of umami to create a truly satisfying breakfast sandwich.

Mashing some chickpeas into the sizzling chorizo adds heft while keeping this meal light on the meat

One bowl and one baking sheet is all you need to achieve sweet, creamy squash, crispy pita chips, and chewy, charred cheese. Fresh mint and a splash of vinegar perk up the final dish.

This may sound like some ancient Alpine classic, but it's rather more modern than you'd expect.

This simple appetizer is a hit every time due in large part to the vast appeal of warm cheesy things.