As far as culinary staples go, fruit salad is an elder—it has been around for generations and it isn’t going anywhere. A fruit salad will always be easy, but a good fruit salad involves more than just a chop and a toss. At their best, fruit salads deliver an unexpected combination of color and contrast, … Read more
If you’re serving an array of Indian dishes, having a side dish of raita—right alongside the chutney—is nonnegotiable. A staple of many Indian cuisines, this cooling condiment is a refreshing yogurt dip or sauce that complements everything from weeknight kebabs and parathas to celebration-worthy dishes like biryani or pulao. This raita recipe gets its creamy … Read more
This simple tomato and cherry quinoa recipe—a seriously good celebration of high summer—deserves the very best tomatoes you can find. A mix of size, color and flavor works really well, but if you have a bowlful of one excellent variety such as Gardeners’ Delight or Honeycomb, don’t hesitate. The quick-pickled shallots are a wonderful thing: … Read more
When asked my favorite way to serve slicer tomatoes, I always reply, “with brown butter, black pepper, and salt.” There is something about the nuttiness of brown butter that takes peak-season tomatoes to a whole new level. Our favorite tomatoes to serve this way are classified as brown tomatoes, which tend to have a meatier, … Read more
Children of the ’90s: Rejoice, for bruschetta is due a revival. If you, too, grew up with parents piling carelessly cut tomatoes on any old piece of toasted bread and dropping it on the table with a flourish, this bruschetta is for you. But instead of the oft-abused balsamic vinegar of our youth (please, a … Read more
Zucchini can be a challenge to cook. It’s watery—and not in a refreshing way. It’s dense—but not sturdy like a carrot. It can be hard to properly brown or grill. But zucchini does have its positive attributes: It’s nutrient-dense, gorgeously green, and abundant at the height of summer. So instead of working against the inherently … Read more
Chinese home cooking is full of vegetarian fare that requires a quick toss in a hot wok, just like this sweet, savory, and slightly tart cabbage stir-fry. Green cabbage retains its crunch, while earthy black vinegar—a must-get for this recipe and a pantry all-star for those who love Chinese cooking—does the heavy lifting for flavor. … Read more
Tossed in a verdant sauce that recalls green goddess dressing, this striking herby spin on potato salad will have long-time skeptics reconsidering their stance. Tender herbs get blitzed into zingy sour cream and luscious mayo, with both lemon zest and juice to keep everything bright. The skins are left on the potatoes for texture. Feel … Read more
This ginger-scallion sauce uses jarred pickled ginger (gari) in place of fresh for a brighter spin on the good-on-everything staple. Usually served in a twisted heap alongside a platter of sushi, gari is meant to cleanse the palate between bites of fish and rice. It’s that same refreshing quality that works so well in this … Read more
Picking a perfectly ripe summer melon is like folding a fitted sheet—forever a struggle. Here’s a salad that can save even the most mediocre specimen. A simple combination of sharp shallot and hot green chile generously dressed with lemon, olive oil, and salt will transform that subpar fruit into something juicy and joy-inducing. Salty crumbles … Read more