fast easy fresh

We took the traditional Jamaican jerk spice and…simplified it. Before you call the authenticity police, give it a try on roast chicken legs.

Jerk Spice–Rubbed Chicken Legs

cinnamon stick

allspice berries

black peppercorns

whole cloves

brown sugar

thyme

cayenne pepper

olive oil

chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)

Kosher salt

Bon Appétit

Preheat oven to 425°. Whack cinnamon stick with the back side of a chef’s knife to break into small pieces. Toast cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns, and cloves in a dry small skillet over medium-high, tossing, until fragrant, about 2 minutes; let cool.

Grind spices, brown sugar, thyme, and cayenne in spice mill or with mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Mix oil and 2 Tbsp. spice rub in a small bowl (save remaining rub for another use). Rub chicken legs with jerk spice mixture; season with salt. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and cooked through, 30–35 minutes.

Do Ahead: Jerk spice can be made 3 months ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

These quick-cooking lamb chops make dinner feel instantly fancy.

Spiced Marinated Lamb Chops with Garlicky Yogurt

garlic

whole-milk plain Greek yogurt

lemon

black pepper

cumin

coriander

turmeric

allspice

rib lamb chops (about 1–1¼ inches thick)

vegetable oil, divided

Peel 2 garlic cloves, then finely grate with a microplane into a medium bowl.

Add 1½ cups yogurt to bowl with garlic. Cut 1 lemon in half crosswise and squeeze 1 half into yogurt mixture with one hand, using your other hand to catch seeds. Season yogurt mixture with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Transfer ½ cup yogurt mixture to a small bowl; set aside for serving.

Whisk 2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. coriander, ¾ tsp. turmeric, and ¼ tsp. allspice into remaining yogurt mixture; set aside.

Season both sides of 8 lamb chops with salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet or large plate.

Using your hands, evenly coat all meaty surfaces of chops with spiced yogurt mixture. Let chops sit at room temperature 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to 12 hours.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Wipe off excess marinade from lamb chops. Working in 2 batches, cook lamb until nicely browned, about 3 minutes per side (the yogurt in the marinade will help them take on color quickly).

Transfer chops to a plate. Pour off fat from skillet (no need to wipe it out). Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and chops.

Serve lamb chops with reserved yogurt mixture alongside.

The key to these sweet-salty pork chops is a genius Sriracha- and honey-laced homemade hoisin sauce—it's so good, you'll want to make a triple batch.

Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops

garlic cloves, finely chopped

vegetable oil

soy sauce

Tbsp. honey

Tbsp. white vinegar

Tbsp. tahini

Sriracha

pork rib

Why make your own hoisin? Because the addictively sweet-salty condiment will wake up just about everything you’re making this week.

Peel and finely chop 3 garlic cloves. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Add ⅓ cup soy sauce, 3 Tbsp. honey, 2 Tbsp. vinegar, 2 Tbsp. tahini, and 2 tsp. Sriracha and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; let cool.
→  BTW, you're going to want to make a triple batch of that sauce...

Season 2 1½"-thick pork chops all over with salt and pepper.

Place in a large resealable plastic bag and add half of hoisin sauce. Transfer remaining sauce to a medium bowl; set aside. Seal bag, pressing out air, and turn to coat pork. Let sit at least 20 minutes.

Preheat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium. Remove pork from bag with tongs, shaking off excess marinade. Cook pork chops until bottom side is golden brown, about 1 minute.

Turn and cook on other side about 1 minute, then turn again. Continue to cook, turning about every minute, until chops are deep golden brown and charred in spots and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°, 15–18 minutes (cooking time will depend on thickness of chops). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes (pork will come to 145° as it sits).

Slice along bones to remove, then slice chops into ½"-thick pieces. Serve pork with reserved hoisin sauce spooned over.

Do Ahead: Hoisin sauce can be made 4 days ahead; cover and chill. Thin with water if needed before using. Pork can be marinated 1 day ahead; keep chilled.

These dim sum–style shrimp toasts make a surprisingly simple—and utterly addictive—at-home snack. With this method, you don’t even need a deep fryer to pull them off.

Shrimp Toasts with Sesame Seeds and Scallions

shrimp, peeled, deveined

chili paste (such as sambal oelek)

lemongrass

fish sauce (such as nam pla

ginger

scallions, green and white parts separated, thinly sliced crosswise

white sesame seeds

white bread, ¼ inch thick, crusts removed

Vegetable oil (for frying; about 1 cup)

Pulse shrimp, chili paste, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ginger in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pulse again to combine. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in scallion whites.

Place sesame seeds on a plate. Spread shrimp mixture over bread slices, extending all the way to edges. Press bread, shrimp side down, into sesame seeds to coat evenly.

Pour oil into a large skillet to come ¼" up sides and heat over medium-high until a small pinch of shrimp mixture sizzles when added to oil. Working in 2 batches, fry toasts, shrimp side down, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes; turn and cook until other sides are golden and crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel–lined wire rack to drain.

Cut each toast diagonally into quarters and top with scallion greens.

There’s nothing like a moist, fluffy, berry-streaked cake to make any weeknight (or, um, weekday morning) feel special.

Raspberry-Ricotta Cake

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

all-purpose flour

sugar

baking powder

salt

eggs

ricotta

vanilla extract

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9”-diameter cake pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Then fold in butter, followed by ¾ cup raspberries, taking care not to crush berries. Scrape batter into prepared pan and scatter remaining ¼ cup raspberries over top.

Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.

Do Ahead: Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Is there any time of day when a pancake isn’t welcome at the table? What about a Savory Dutch Baby that mixes up in seconds? Didn’t think so.

Savory Dutch Baby

eggs, room temperature

¾ cup whole milk, room temperature

unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, divided

cornstarch

Don't be put off by the sugar in this Caramel Chicken recipe—it's balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce.

Caramel Chicken

chicken

garlic cloves,

⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar

(or more) unseasoned rice vinegar

¼"-thick ginger

chicken broth

scallions, thinly sliced

white rice (for serving)

Don’t be put off by the sugar in this recipe—it’s balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce.

Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and, working in 2 batches, cook until golden brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Add garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken. Pour off fat from pot.

Return pot to medium-high heat and add ½ cup water, scraping up browned bits. Add brown sugar; stir to dissolve, then cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Carefully add vinegar (it may bubble up; sugar will crystallize); stir to dissolve sugar.

Add ginger, broth, and soy sauce, then add chicken, skin side up, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Bring cooking liquid to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to pot; turn to coat. Top with scallions and serve with rice.

Crispy, salty, creamy, and full of protein (really!), these chickpeas should be a staple in your kitchen.

Herbed Chickpeas

15.5-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed, patted dry

garlic cloves, crushed

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

herbs

Place chickpeas in a large skillet or Dutch oven and add garlic and oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are crisped and some have split open (these will be the most delicious ones), 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs.

Top 8 fast easy fresh recipes from across the web

The most viewed fast easy fresh recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Jerk Spice–Rubbed Chicken Legs

Spiced Marinated Lamb Chops with Ga...

Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops

Shrimp Toasts with Sesame Seeds and...

Raspberry-Ricotta Cake

Savory Dutch Baby

Caramel Chicken

Herbed Chickpeas

Top 8 fast easy fresh recipes from across the web

The most viewed fast easy fresh recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Jerk Spice–Rubbed Chicken Legs

Spiced Marinated Lamb Chops with Ga...

Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops

Shrimp Toasts with Sesame Seeds and...

Raspberry-Ricotta Cake

Savory Dutch Baby

Caramel Chicken

Herbed Chickpeas

The most viewed fast easy fresh recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine