Simple Cooking

This popular Thai dish has been cooked regularly in our kitchen ever since we first tried it in Bangkok. The first time we made it at home, we stayed true to the original recipe by stir-frying rice noodles in a sweet and a slightly spicy sauce, but through the years, it has slowly transformed into something new. Instead of stir-frying rice noodles, we now simply peel a daikon radish (courgette/zucchini also works fine) into thin strips that we toss with carrot strands, tofu and fresh herbs and cover with a peanut butter and lime dressing. Even though we have changed both cooking method and ingredients, it still has that wonderful flavor combination of sweet, nutty, tangy and a little spicy and the experience is light, fresh and, in our opinion, even tastier.

Mmm. Fried dough. On a trip to Rimini, a resort town on Italy's Adriatic coast, I had a memorable fried pizza topped with cheese and ham. To re-create it, I came up with this shallow-fry method in which you fry the dough, then flip it, top it with mozzarella, and cover it with a lid to melt the cheese. In honor of Rimini, I've topped this one with the region's famous squacquerone cheese, which is as deliciously soft and runny as it is difficult to pronounce. If you can't find it, you can use crescenza (also known as stracchino). It goes on after frying and quickly melts on the hot crust. I also add thin slices of the cooked ham sold in Italian delis as prosciutto cotto. Not to be confused with prosciutto, which is cured but not cooked, this is what we know as ham, but it's a bit paler, less smoky, and more delicate than typical American deli ham. For this method, it's really helpful to roll your dough out as close to the stove top as possible and to have everything set up before you start cooking: your skillet on the stove top, a lid within easy reach, your cheeses and toppings measured out, and a plate lined with paper towels right next to the stove. Keep a close eye on the heat as you fry and adjust it as needed so the dough cooks all the way through without burning on the outside.

Swap in veggie stock and make all your vegetarian relations happy.

Brighten up simply broiled salmon steaks with an unexpected salsa of poblano chiles, capers, and lemon.

Prettiest when not piled too high; divide the salad over two platters and put one at each end of the table.

Warm spices and sweet dried fruit are a perfect pair for rich turkey meat.

Choose a country-style sourdough, preferably not too tangy, and if you prefer hot Italian links, go for it.

If you like stuffing with smoked oysters, you'll like it even more with tart lemons on top.

Too-cold doughs can crack and split when rolled; let this sit at room temperature for five minutes first.

This is our hands-down favorite way to make mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.

Tart, sour, and just as refreshing as ye olde cranberry sauce.

Vibrant greens, handfuls of fresh herbs, nuts for crunch, and horseradish for bite. Ingredients are suggestions; feel free to mix it up.

Two Halloween favorites—candy corn and pumpkins—meet in these irresistible blondies.

Don't have a spice mill? You can use a blender or food processor for this one.