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For a totally different take on the basic roasted chicken thigh, enter Louisa Shafia's Turmeric Chicken with Sumac and Lime from The New Persian Kitchen. This super-simple braised dish is bright, tangy, and brilliantly yellow—it's a far cry from most muddled braised chicken dishes and even further from the typical roasted bird.

Turmeric Chicken with Sumac and Lime from 'The New Persian Kitchen' Recipe

turmeric

Sea salt and black pepper

chicken thighs

grapeseed oil

water

garlic,

limes,

Sumac,

In a small bowl, mix the turmeric with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with the spice mixture, turning to coat both sides. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Brown the chicken well on both sides, about 7 minutes per side. Pour in the water, then add the garlic, stirring it into the water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and cover. Braise the chicken for 25 minutes, until the inside is opaque. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, turn up the heat to high, and reduce the cooking liquid for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the chicken.

Dust the chicken with sumac and pepper, garnish with lime halves, and serve. 

Vegetarian Option: Use whole portobello mushrooms in place of the chicken, or use 1 pound firm tofu, well drained and cut into slabs 1 inch thick. You will need a little extra oil for searing than what is called for in the recipe.

Last summer, I worked for the nonprofit Wellness in the Schools, where I helped to develop a nutrition program for NYC public schools. One of the dishes we promoted was sweet potato fries—a really great alternative to French fries, for...

Oven-'Fried' Sweet Potatoes Recipe | Cook the Book

high-oleic safflower oil olive oil

sweet potatoes

Salt,

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking trays with foil and coat each with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.

Peel the sweet potatoes and use a very sharp knife to cut them first into thin slices (1/4 inch or less) and then into long batons at ¼-inch intervals. (These measures are all approximate of course.)

Arrange the batons in single layers on the baking trays and place the trays in the oven. After 10 minutes, use togs to turn the sweet potatoes over and let them back another 5 to 10 minutes on the second side until fork tender. (Careful not to let them burn! This will depend on the thickness of the pieces, so you’ll need to watch them.)

If you like softer “fries,” take them out of the oven now. If you prefer a crisper result, turn the oven down to 200°F and leave the trays in there for up to 20 minutes. (This will give the sweet potatoes a chance to dry out a little and acquire some texture. They will shrink somewhat in volume.) Remove the trays from the oven, salt the sweet potatoes lightly, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Tteokbokki is a Korean street food snack made primarily of chewy rice cakes and fiery, funky gochujang chili paste. In Lonely Planet's The World's Best Spicy Food, the cakes are tossed with slices of fried eomuk fish cake, cabbage, scallions, and garlic.

Tteokbokki From 'The World's Best Spicy Food' Recipe

Sauce

(750 mL)

gochujang (red chili paste)

gochugaru (red chili pepper chili pepper flakes

soy sauce, plus additional to taste

sugar, plus additional to taste

(1 lb) tteokbokki tteok (rice cakes)

(3 1/2 oz) eomuk (fish cake), sliced

(5 oz) cabbage, chopped

spring onions (scallions), chopped

sesame oil

sesame seeds (optional)

For the sauce: Pour the anchovy stock or water into a medium-sized pan. Add the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Make sure the paste is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium.

For the rice cakes: Add the rice cakes and boil them until soft (roughly 7 to 10 minutes). Reduce to a simmer to thicken the sauce. Keep stirring to prevent the rice cakes from burning at the bottom of the pan.

Add the fish cakes, cabbage, spring onions, and garlic. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

Season to taste with additional sugar and soy sauce, bearing in mind that the gochujang itself is spicy. Add the sesame oil, stir through and dish out into bowls. Top with sesame seeds if desired.

[Photograph: Caroline Russock] A few weeks back I decided to try my hand at making dumplings—long story short they didn't turn out that well. The filling was great but the dough for the wrappers was a doughy sticky mess. With...

Potsticker Dumplings Recipe | Cook the Book

For the Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

soy sauce

rice vinegar

sugar

scallion,

hot green chile, thinly sliced

For the Dumplings:

bok choy

ginger

garlic clove, minced

salt

dumpling wrappers

Peanut oil,

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, bok choy, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt.  Stir in the egg white.

Working with six at a time, lay down the dumpling wrappers on a work surface.  Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto each one.  Lightly wet the edge of each wrapper with water.  Fold the dough over and pinch around the edges.  This is easiest done by picking up each dumpling and pinching the edges with the thumb and forefinger.  Place on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to keep the dumplings from drying out.  Repeat until all filling is used.  (Freeze any dumplings that will not be cooked immediately.  After they are frozen, transfer them to resealable plastic bags or wrap in plastic.)

This utterly faithful recipe perfectly recreates a New York City halal-cart classic: Chicken and Rice with White Sauce . The chicken is marinated with herbs, lemon, and spices; the rice golden; the sauce, as white and creamy as ever.

Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice With White Sauce Recipe

For the chicken:

lemon juice

oregano

coriander seed

garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

olive oil

salt and black pepper

chicken

vegetable or canola oil

For the rice:

unsalted butter

cumin

rice

chicken broth

For the sauce:

mayonnaise

Greek yogurt

white vinegar

parsley

To serve:

iceberg lettuce, shredded

tomato,

Fluffy pocketless pita bread, brushed

Harissa-style hot sauce,

For the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season the marinade to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and add half of the marinade (reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator). Turn the chicken to coat, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade (see Note).

Remove the chicken from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Season with kosher salt and pepper, going heavy on the pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the center of each thigh registers 165°F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Using a chef’s knife, roughly chop the chicken into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the remaining marinade, cover loosely with plastic, and refrigerate while you cook the rice and prepare the sauce.

For the rice: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt.

To serve: Return the entire contents of the chicken bowl (chicken, marinade, and all juices) to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. To serve, divide the rice, lettuce, tomato, and toasted pita bread evenly among four to six plates. Pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with the white sauce and hot sauce. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce at the table.Note: Do not marinate the chicken longer than 4 hours or it’ll get a mushy texture. If you must delay cooking the chicken for any reason, remove it from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

The Easy Small Nemesis Chocolate Cake is simple to put together and the limited list of ingredients makes it a good option for a last minute dessert, assuming that you have the chocolate on hand. The batter is melted chocolate and butter with a little simple syrup mixed into beaten eggs and sugar. The batter is poured into a buttered and lined caked pan and baked in a bain-marie, or water bath, for an hour, just until the center is no longer liquid.

Easy Small Nemesis Chocolate Cake Recipe | Cook the Book

70% cocoa chocolate

eggs

Using extra butter, grease a 10-inch round cake pan and line with baking parchment.

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt with butter in a bowl over simmering water. Beat the eggs and 5 tablespoons of the sugar in an electric mixer until the volume quadruples.

Heat the remaining sugar with 7 tablespoons of water until dissolved into a light syrup. Pour the hot syrup into the melted chocolate and cool slightly.

Add the chocolate to the eggs and beat slowly until the mixture is combined. Pour into the pan.

Put a folded dish towel in the bottom of a roasting pan. Put in the cake and add enough hot water to come three-quarters of the way up the side of the cake pan.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour until set. Leave the cake to cool in the water before unmolding.

Simplicity is Mark Bittman's thing.  His recipes might not be ground breakingly new, but they work, and they're solid.  He doesn't over think it, case in point, his Roasted Salmon with Butter from How to Cook Everything The Basics is exactly what it sounds like: salmon, butter plus salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of parsley, if you're feeling fancy.

Mark Bittman's Roasted Salmon with Butter Recipe

(½ stick) butter

Salt and black pepper

salmon

parsley leaves

Heat the oven to 475°F. When the oven is hot, put the butter on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the pan in the oven for the butter to melt, about 1 minute. Watch it the whole time: As soon as the foaming stops, remove the pan.

Put the salmon in the seasoned butter, skin side down, and sprinkle the top with more salt and pepper. Return the pan to the oven.

Roast until the salmon is just cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. To see whether the fish is done, stick a paring knife between the layers of flesh; the center should be bright pink and still a little translucent. Garnish with the parsley and serve.

Before reading Amy Thielen's recently released cookbook, The New Midwestern Table, the one Midwestern dish I had heard of was the hotdish. Thielen's chicken and wild rice hotdish is a fairly simple version, elevated above the canned soup variety with a homemade mornay sauce filled with cream and aged cheese. Earthy wild rice is a welcome companion to the rich sauce, adding texture and color to the casserole.

Classic Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish From 'The New Midwestern Table' Recipe

natural wild rice

bay leaf

leeks,

celery,

all-purpose flour

milk

heavy cream

chicken stock, low-sodium store-bought or homemade

thyme leaves,

nutmeg

chicken meat

Gouda

buttery crackers,

Put the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cold running water, swishing the rice with your hand until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a medium bowl, and add water to cover. Pour off any black bits or floating kernels, pour the rice back into the sieve to drain, and then put it in a small saucepan. Add 1 1/4 cups water, a pinch of salt, and the bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Steam for 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated.(If liquid remains after the rice is done, drain it in a sieve.)

While the rice cooks, heat the butter in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and celery, and season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the flour to the vegetables and stir until well combined with the butter. Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking to prevent any lumps. Add the cream, chicken stock, thyme, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat until the floury taste dissipates, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked chicken, wild rice (minus the bay leaf), and half of the cheese, and heat until the cheese melts.

Put the crushed crackers in a heavy plastic bag and add 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the olive oil. Shake to combine, and set aside.

Rub a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of soft butter. Pour the hotdish mixture into the dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

Pull the dish from the oven, sprinkle the cracker mixture evenly over the top, and bake until the crackers turn dark golden brown and the hotdish bubbles in the center, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes: If you have leftover gravy on hand, by all means use it in place of the chicken stock in this recipe.You can use a supermarket rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken, but in that case, reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. If you have cooked wild rice on hand, use 2 cups for this recipe.

If you're anything like me, chances are you've never stopped to think about the history of fajitas.  This sizzling plate of meat and onions served with flour tortillas has always been a given, just like gravy-drenched enchiladas or the ubiquitous combo plates served in places specializing in Tex-Mex. But like any iconic food, there's a story behind that platter, and in this case a fascinating one that Robb Walsh has extensively researched for The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook.

Butterflied Tri-Tip Fajitas Recipe

tri-tip

Tex-Mex Fajita Marinade (recipe follows)

Salt and Pepper

Fajita Fixin's

flour tortillas

Guacamole

Refried beans

onions cilantro

onions

Grilled peppers

Salsas

tomatoes

Black olives

Lime quarters

For Marinade:

pineapple juice

(or one 500-milliliter bottle) soy sauce

limes

Rinse the roast and pat it dry.  The roast is triangular in shape.  Double-butterfly it in one thin piece. 

Put the whole piece of meat in a resealable gallon-size plastic bag with the fajita marinade and gently remove the air.  Place the bag in a bowl to catch any leakage and place it in the refrigerator  for a couple of hours.  

Light the grill (preferably with mesquite).  Put the meat on the hot part of the grill and cook, turning once or twice, until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F for medium.  Remove from the grill and salt and pepper to taste.

Cut a test slice to find the direction of the grain, then cut into this strips against the grain.  Squeeze lime over the meat and serve immediately with warm flour tortillas and other fajita fixin's.

Combine the pineapple juice and soy sauce in a large mixing bowl.  Wash the limes and zest them, adding the lime zest to the juice and soy sauce mixture.  Cut the limes in half after zesting and squeeze the juice into the bowl.  Throw the lime halves in the bowl, too.  Add the garlic.  Use as a marinade.

Lately I've been going through a ham-obsessed stage. Symptoms include: not being able to get enough Black Forest, prosciutto, and country ham amongst other cured pork preparations.  And within minutes of getting my hands on a copy of Deborah Krasner's Good Meat, I immediately decided that this Boston Butt Cooked Like Ham was a must-try recipe.

Boston Butt Cooked Like Ham Recipe | Cook the Book

pastured pork shoulder (Boston butt)

dark brown sugar

cloves

garlic, chopped

sweet red vermouth

Rinse the meat, blot it dry, and bring it to room temperature.  Take a good look at the meat, and if it is not compact and even, tie it into a neat bundle using kitchen twine.  Set it aside.  Choose a lidded container large enough to hold the pork and the brine inside.

Mix together the kosher salt, brown sugar, cloves, and just enough hot tap water to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Pour that liquid over the meat in the container, and add cold water to cover.  Let the meat sit, refrigerated, all day or overnight.  When you are ready to cook, remove the meat from the brine, rinse it well, and blot it dry.  Lightly salt and pepper the meat and place it on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up.

Melt the butter over low heat and gently cook the garlic until fragrant, but not colored.  Pour this over the meat and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Roast the meat for 30 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 300°F and begin basting the meat with the vermouth every 20 minutes or so.  The meat should cook for at least 20 minutes per pound, about 1 additional hour, or until it registers an internal temperature of 150°F on an instant-read thermometer.  

Let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it and serving it with the pan juices.

The Mejadra recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's Jerusalem: A Cookbook is Tamimi's take on the traditional Arab comfort food combination of rice, lentils, and onions. Here, the rice and lentils are steamed together with a plethora of spices, pilaf style, before adding the pièce de résistance--a smattering of freshly fried onions.

Mejadra from 'Jerusalem' Recipe

250 g green or brown lentils

onions (1 1/2 lb/700 g before peeling)

250 ml sunflower oil

cumin seeds

coriander seeds

200 g basmati rice

allspice

cinnamon

350 ml water

Place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite. Drain and set aside. 

Peel the onions and slice thinly. Place on a large flat plate, sprinkle with the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well with your hands. Heat the sunflower oil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan placed over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle vigorously. Reduce the heat to medium-high and carefully (it may spit!) add one-third of the sliced onion. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the onion takes on a nice golden brown color and turns crispy (adjust the temperature so the onion doesn’t fry too quickly and burn). Use the spoon to transfer the onion to a colander lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a little more salt. Do the same with the other two batches of onion; add a little extra oil if needed.

Wipe the saucepan in which you fried the onion clean and put in the cumin and coriander seeds. Place over medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with the oil and then add the cooked lentils and the water. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, lift off the lid, and quickly cover the pan with a clean tea towel. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes.

Finally, add half the fried onion to the rice and lentils and stir gently with a fork. Pile the mixture in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.

Chicken curry is an obvious choice when assembling an Indian menu: it is often fairly simple, the subtle flavors of the poultry take Indian spice well, and it's generally a crowd pleaser. But obvious doesn't have to mean dull or predictable. In fact, chicken curry is a good place to show off carefully layered spices and a rich, voluptuous sauce. Raghavan Iyer's version in Indian Cooking Unfolded is just the ticket.

Ultimate Chicken Curry (Tamatar Murghi) from 'Indian Cooking Unfolded' Recipe

Raghavan's Blend

mustard seeds

black peppercorns

Curry

canola oil

onion,

fresh ginger (each

Raghavan’s Blend (above) curry powder

half-and-half

cilantro leaves and tender stems

To make the spice blend: Place the coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and chiles in a spice grinder (you can also use a coffee grinder) and grind them to the consistency of finely ground black pepper. Stir in the turmeric, which will yellow the spice blend with its characteristic sunny bright disposition. Store the spice blend in a tightly sealed container, away from excess light, heat, and humidity, for up to 3 months.

To make the curry: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil appears to shimmer, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until the onion is light caramel brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the spice blend into the skillet and stir to mix. Let the spices roast in the onion medley until the aromas dramatically change, 10 seconds. Pour in the tomatoes and stir once or twice. Lower the heat and simmer the chunky sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato pieces soften, the excess moisture evaporates, and some of the oils in the spices start to dot the edge of the sauce, 5 to 7 minutes.

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