Anna Mintz is a Senior Publicist for Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, and is an editor for The Recipe Club. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in New York City and loves exploring NYC’s restaurant scene and trying out new recipes in her own kitchen.

My fellow Recipe Clubber Allison and I were so excited yesterday afternoon when we received our ingredients from Plated to make Sambal Shrimp for two! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Plated process, listen up: You visit their website and take a look at the upcoming week’s menus. Decide which recipe appeals to you, select how many plates you’d like (2, 4 or 6), and place your order! All the ingredients to cook a delicious meal will be delivered to your doorstep in time for dinner.

Last night, we made Sambal Shrimp. The recipe contained a fair number of ingredients that I don’t normally keep in my pantry (Sambal Oelek — AKA ground fresh chili paste, mirin, fish sauce, etc), so it was a great choice for us to get from Plated, as they send the exact amount you need for the dish!

After making the flavorful — spicy with a touch of citrus and sweetness — marinade and letting the shrimp sit in it for about 30 minutes, we put the shrimp on the grill pan while our jasmine rice rested. The shrimp cooked up in just a few minutes, and the dish was tossed with cilantro and mint and plated (pardon the pun) in less than a minute! The shrimp were perfectly plump and juicy, with a spicy-sweet Asian flavor that was the perfect complement to the jasmine rice. We loved our first Plated experience and can’t wait to try it again!

Erica Gelbard is the Assistant Director of Publicity for Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House. She lives in New Jersey and loves baking, entertaining, and channeling her inner Martha. She is always on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.

This past Memorial Day weekend, I had some friends and family over to my house for a BBQ. The sun was shining, the grill was hot, and the drinks were icy cold. Everyone gobbled up the food and I realized I was left with a ton of half full bags of potato chips and pretzels. For a second, I thought about polishing them off while catching up on Mad Men, but I came to my senses and remembered that Momofuku Milk Bar dessert wizard Christina Tosi has come up with THE perfect way to use up leftover potato chips and pretzels (and any other snack foods you may have around)—the Compost Cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar (Clarkson Potter, 2011)!

Compost Cookies are rich and sweet and showcase everyone’s favorite snack foods. The best part about them is that they are so versatile. Don’t have pretzels? Leave them out and add Rice Krispies. Don’t like butterscotch chips? Use peanut butter chips. I didn’t have graham crackers on hand and left out the graham crust—so I just added more chocolate chips! Tosi has provided us with the perfect cookie base for all of our favorite snacks—but I have to say, the recipe is pretty perfect the way it is!

Compost Cookies
Recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar
Makes 15 to 20 cookies

225 g butter, at room temperature (16 tablespoons (2 sticks))
200 g granulated sugar (1 cup)
150 g light brown sugar (2/3 cup tightly packed)
50 g glucose (2 tablespoons)
1 egg
2 g vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
225 g flour (1 1/3 cups)
2 g baking powder (1/2 teaspoon)
1.5 g baking soda (1/4 teaspoon)
4 g kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
150 g mini chocolate chips (3/4 cup)
100 g mini butterscotch chips (1/2 cup)
1/4 recipe or 85 g Graham Crust; recipe follows (1/2 cup)
40 g old-fashioned rolled oats (1/3 cup)
5 g ground coffee (2 1/2 teaspoons)
50 g potato chips (2 cups)
50 g mini pretzels (1 cup)

1. Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3. Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crust, oats, and coffee and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips. You deserve a pat on the back if one of your cookies bakes off with a whole pretzel standing up in the center.
4. Using a 2.-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1?3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not bake properly.
5. Heat the oven to 375°F.
6. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if that’s not the case.
7. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Note: In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose. For the “coffee grounds” in this cookie, we tested the recipe with freshly roasted and ground artisanal coffee from Stumptown as well as with crap-tastic coffee grounds that you can find just about anywhere. We discovered that it doesn’t make a difference what kind you use; the cookie is delicious every time. Just make sure you don’t use instant coffee; it will dissolve in the baking process and ruin the cookies. And, above all else, never use wet, sogalicious grounds that have already brewed a pot of coffee. We use Cape Cod potato chips because they aren’t paper-thin, and so they do not break down too much in the mixing process.

Graham Crust
Makes about 340 g (2 cups)
190 g graham cracker crumbs (1 1/2 cups)
20 g milk powder (1/4 cup)
25 g sugar (2 tablespoons)
3 g kosher salt (3/4 teaspoon)
55 g butter, melted, or as needed (4 tablespoons (1/2 stick))
55 g heavy cream (1/4 cup)

1. Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
2. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as a glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 14 to 25 g (1 to 2 tablespoons) butter and mix it in.
3. Eat immediately, or deploy as directed in a recipe. The crust is easiest to mold just after mixing. Stored in an airtight container, graham crust will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or for 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

Emma Shafer is a member of the Crown Publicity team at Random House. She is obsessed with one-pot meals, stovetop popcorn, and finding the perfect summer cocktail.

In his new book, VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good (Clarkson Potter, April 2013), author Mark Bittman is a huge proponent of stir-fry dinners. Stir-fries are endlessly customizable, fast, fresh and delicious. Unlike some of my coworkers, I haven’t started trying out the VB6 lifestyle yet, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to make a ton of the recipes from the book! One night last week, I decided to try out his dinner (non-vegan) recipe for Steak and Broccoli Stir-Fry.

Because the cooking part of recipes like this tends to sneak up on you and be over in a flash, I like to prep all of the components of the recipe before I heat my skillet (or dutch oven if you’re like me and only have one pot that’s big enough).

First, I put the flank steak in the freezer as Bittman suggests, to make it easier to slice. Next, I started a batch of brown rice on the stove. With those two ingredients underway, I spent the next 30 minutes prepping and chopping all my other ingredients – broccoli in bite-size pieces, diced garlic and ginger, sliced lime for juice, roughly chopped nuts, and thinly sliced green onions. I also got out my olive oil, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and filled a liquid measure with water.

Once the meat was sliced, I was ready to start and everything came together in a snap. Don’t forget to turn off your rice when it’s finished cooking – I narrowly avoided a kitchen disaster on this front. Bittman notes that the same basic recipe can be used with any ingredients and I made a few minor modifications (red pepper flakes instead of chilies and cashews instead of peanuts) to account for what I already had on-hand in my apartment and the recipe still turned out great. I’m looking forward to making it again, maybe with shrimp and snow peas!

Steak and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Recipe from VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good by Mark Bittman

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces beef flank or sirloin steak, very thinly sliced (easiest if you freeze the meat for 30 minutes)
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh hot chile (like jalapeño or Thai; optional)
1½ pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to taste
Juice of 1 lime or ½ lemon (optional)
¼ cup chopped peanuts or cashews
3 cups cooked long- or short-grain brown rice

1. Put a large, deep skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, swirl it around, and add the beef. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt and some pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef starts to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate.

2. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, then the garlic, ginger, and chile, if you’re using it. After 15 seconds, add the broccoli and all but a handful of the scallions. Cook, stirring infrequently, until the broccoli is bright green and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the broccoli is almost tender, another minute or two more.

3. Return the meat to the pan along with the soy sauce and lime juice, if you’re using it, and a little more water if the mixture is dry. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Stir in the peanuts, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary; garnish with the remaining scallions, and serve over the rice.

Nutritional Info (with ¾ cup brown rice):
Calories: 572 • Cholesterol: 55mg • Fat: 28g • Saturated Fat: 5g • Protein: 31g • Carbohydrates: 54g • Sodium: 1510mg • Fiber: 10g • Trans Fat: 0g • Sugars: 6g

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes are my go-to recipe for quick and easy cupcakes. I have made them multiple times for parties and work events with the same delicious results. This recipe requires ingredients that I usually have in my cupboards and I love that you can toss all of the ingredients in one bowl, mix it up, and be done. It’s similar to making a box cake mix but with fresh, quality ingredients.

This recipe produces light and airy cupcakes that pair well with the thick, tangy cream cheese frosting. I found that most frosting recipes in Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes produce around four cups of frosting, which is more than enough for 20-24 chocolate cupcakes. This recipe is extremely simple, however if I wanted to make it more elaborate I would add a layer of chocolate ganache between the cupcake and frosting, or decorate with chocolate shavings or sprinkles.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Makes 18

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm water
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins (18) with paper liners. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, extract, and the water; beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Makes 4 cups

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Anna Mintz is a Senior Publicist for Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, and is an editor for The Recipe Club. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in New York City and loves exploring NYC’s restaurant scene and trying out new recipes in her own kitchen.

When my friend Carly invited a group over for dinner last week, I immediately knew what I wanted my contribution to be: Broccoli and Onion Dip from Old-School Comfort Food (Clarkson Potter, April 2013), the brand-new cookbook from Food Network star and Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. I’d had my eye on this recipe for months, and I was dying for an excuse to make it for a group!

Chipping and dipping is an iconic American pastime that I knew everyone would enjoy at the dinner party. Plus, I am a huge broccoli fan, so this recipe jumped right out at me as a delicious and new way to incorporate the vegetable into my daily diet. Making the dip was really easy; the basic steps are: cooking the broccoli with white wine and cumin seeds, caramelizing the red onions, and whipping all the ingredients up in a food processor. Simple!

The sour cream and caramelized onion flavors of the dip seemed like a new twist on the popular French onion dip, so I decided to serve it with Ruffles — a classic combination. The Ruffles added the perfect crunchy, salty touch, but you could also serve the dip with pita chips, crackers, or whatever you have on hand.

Broccoli and Onion Dip
Recipe from Old-School Comfort Food by Alex Guarnaschelli
Makes 3 cups

1 small head broccoli (about 12 ounces)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
3 medium garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt
¼ dry white wine
2 medium red onions, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
4 ounces cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia
½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann’s (or Best Foods west of the Mississippi)
½ cup sour cream, preferably Breakstone’s
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, preferably Regina

1. Prepare the broccoli: Cut the stem off the broccoli and peel it like a carrot. Cut a piece from the upper part of the stem and cut into small pieces until you have roughly ¼ cup. Discard the remaining stem. Cut the florets into small, bite-size pieces. You need 3 cups combined loosely packed broccoli florets and stem pieces.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the oil begins to get hot, add the cumin seeds and broccoli stems. Stir and cook 2 minutes and then add the broccoli florets, garlic, and a pinch of salt, stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn in the pan. Once the garlic starts to brown, add the white wine. Increase the heat slightly and cook the broccoli until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. The wine should be all but completely evaporated. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate immediately to cool.

3. Cook the onions: Wipe the same skillet clean with a paper towel and, over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onions. Season generously with salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes. Do not rush this step. It also gives you time to allow the broccoli to cool down. The more the onions taste like candy, the better the dip. Set aside to cool.

4. Make the dip: In a food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and sour cream and process again until smooth. Season to taste with salt and vinegar. Pulse in the cooled broccoli until mixed but still somewhat chunky—about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer the dip to a bowl and stir in a little more than half of the onions. Put the remaining onions on top of the dip.

Old-School Tip from Alex:
Let it rest. I find that making this dip and letting it sit overnight before eating is a game changer. I also know that you may struggle with making something so tasty and putting it away. So make it, have a taste, and then stash the rest. Take the dip out of the fridge a while before serving so you can loosen it up with a whisk and it won’t be icecold when people dig in. You can also keep the cooked onions separate, warm them up at the last minute, and stir them into the dip. That addition of a warm ingredient just before serving will give the dip an even richer flavor.

Kevin Sweeting lives in Brooklyn, NY and is a Marketing Associate with the Crown Publishing Group. He enjoys black coffee and colorful socks.

When my parents asked me to house-sit this past week I jumped at the opportunity. The brief burst of warm weather meant I could stand out on the back porch with a beer and grill myself a steak and, after a freezing winter and a rainy early spring in New York, I couldn’t think of anything better.

I grabbed a beautiful, bone-in rib eye from my butcher and some Goslings Rum for the glaze and set out to make Bobby Flay’s Spicy Molasses-Rum-Glazed Rib Eyes from his new cookbook, Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction (Clarkson Potter, April 2013). The mix of the ancho chili and the sweetness of the molasses and the rum is fantastic and a great way to welcome the slow arriving summer.

Spicy Molasses-Rum-Glazed Rib Eyes
Recipe from Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction
Serves 4

2 dried ancho chiles
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for
brushing
1 large shallot, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup Myers’s dark rum
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 (16- to 18-ounce) bone-in rib eyes, each 1½ inches thick

1. Put the ancho chiles in a small bowl, cover with 1 cup boiling water, and let sit until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles, transfer the chiles to a blender or food processor with ½ cup of the soaking liquid, and process until smooth.

2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rum and boil until almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, ancho puree, molasses, and brown sugar and cook until reduced by half and thickened, about 10 minutes. Season the glaze with the black pepper, cayenne, salt, and vinegar. Let cool to room temperature.

3. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

4. Heat your grill to high for direct grilling

5. Brush the steaks with oil and season with salt. Put the steaks on the grill and cook until golden brown and a crust has formed, about 5 minutes. Flip over the steaks, brush with some of the rum glaze, and grill until the bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip again and cook until medium-rare, about 2 minutes more.

6. Transfer the steaks, glaze side up, to a cutting board and brush with more of the glaze. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Anna Mintz is a Senior Publicist for Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, and is an editor for The Recipe Club. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in New York City and loves exploring NYC’s restaurant scene and trying out new recipes in her own kitchen.

I decided to bake Honey Vanilla Pound Cake from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics (Clarkson Potter, 2008) for my roommate Mary’s birthday last weekend. I don’t have a huge sweet tooth, but pound cake is one of those delectable desserts that I can never turn down. The birthday girl just so happens to love honey-flavored desserts, so I knew this would be a winning combination from the always-trustworthy Barefoot Contessa.

This was one of the best pound cakes I’ve had — homemade or not! A great Barefoot Contessa tip was to use “cool room temperature” butter (allow the butter to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to achieve this), which makes all the difference in the texture of this pound cake. The recipe also calls for cake flour (rather than all-purpose flour), which gives the cake a silky-smooth and light feel. It was absolutely delicious, and my only regret was that there weren’t any leftovers for the birthday girl to enjoy over coffee the next morning!

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Makes one 8-inch loaf

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Grease the bottom of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light. Meanwhile, put the eggs, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest in a glass measuring cup but do not combine. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time, scraping down the bowl and allowing each egg to become incorporated before adding the next egg.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, add it slowly to the batter until just combined. Finish mixing the batter with a rubber spatula and pour it into the prepared pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.

Paul L. is a male employee from a humdrum town, whose happiness lies in cooking (what else?), literature, tea and butter. His interests include anything BRITISH, including rural country life and all of its vagaries. Being trapped in New York City all of his life (with exception for a stint in the Mid-West, where he discovered James Dean and tractors) has brought a vegetarian sensibility to combat the Hot Dog stands at each corner, skillfully serving the Jungle at an inflated rate.

Having suffered with relish so much yes-but-no new recipes, I could break down with happiness at the new cookbook from Martha Stewart, Meatless (Clarkson Potter, January 2013). I will be kneeling with gratitude on a hardwood floor for many years to come. It is the whole thing … it is the perfect tone … and my newfound appetite has thusly been restored; unbreakable.

The oft-mentioned but maligned frozen veggie burger has the shape and feel of a disc fit for curling – certainly not somewhere one might find nutrition. Having bitten into such a disc I’ve found that the experience is akin to brushing ones teeth with a microphone. Thanks, but no thanks, my boca would love to keep its teeth through the winter.

Here we arrive with Meatless , a straight forward opus of the vegetarian variety, which holds little back whilst providing an arsenal of kitchen pastimes in one volume. I decided to try recipes here and haven’t been disappointed. Truly, the gargantuan task of creating a veggie burger with a true bite did seem rather daunting, but what’s life without a little pain & gain?

The quinoa portion of the recipe is key, as is the zucchini – it provided a nice zest of flavor among the salt deprived landscape of our Portobello. I did deviate from the recipe a bit, however, by adding about ¼ cup less than called for of the wheat bread crumbs; it proved to shape our mixture in such a way that I wouldn’t dare overstep my artistic boundaries (even Kandinsky had them).

The important step here was to chill the mixture to allow for a cool center and a partnership that wouldn’t break open in the pan. This is paramount to anything – don’t jump into the pan with a lukewarm mass – for that is precisely what your end result will be.

After cooking, the crunch and the flavor was what I was hoping for, and surely, our recipe had raised this up to a higher plane. With pepper, salt and a bit of the sprouts up top with cucumber providing a reinforcement to the crunchy patty, this was surely a gift in finding a perfect unity of flavor and bite. It’s so easy to fire out remnants of snobbery where new recipes are concerned, but once in a while something comes along that can restore the precious component of flavor and taste. We may just have found it with Meatless , and I shall leave it at that.

*I’d mention that a portion of the recipe does involve a yogurt-garlic sauce, but my palate breaks away yet again from a tart, cream-based sauce to wince through each bite – I prefer a more stripped down approach.

Quinoa Veggie Burgers
Recipe from Meatless
Serves 6

2 portobello mushrooms (8 ounces), stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano (1/4 cup)
2 cups cooked quinoa
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs
Yogurt-Garlic Sauce (recipe follows)
6 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted
1 cup sprouts
1/2 English cucumber, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1. Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl. Coarsely grate zucchini, place on paper towels, and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add to mushrooms.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium. Add shallot and red pepper flakes, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add cheese and quinoa; season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely, then stir in egg and bread crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Shape mixture into six 1- inch-thick patties, pressing firmly. Cook in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. To serve, spread yogurt sauce onto buns and sandwich with patties, sprouts, and cucumber.

Per serving (with yogurt sauce): 496 calories, 21.28 g fat (4.2 g saturated fat), 41.28 mg cholesterol, 62.2 g carbohydrates, 17.36 g protein, 7.01 g fiber

Yogurt-Garlic Sauce
Makes 1 cup

3/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt (2 percent)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed, and chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine yogurt, parsley, capers, and garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Ashley Phillips is an associate editor at Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House. Originally from Mississippi, she’s lived in New York City since 2008 and loves exploring the city’s restaurants, cooking and baking for friends, and running the loop around Central Park.

Finally, Alex Guarnaschelli’s first cookbook, Old School Comfort Food, (Clarkson Potter, April 2013) is out! I’ve been excited for this book, both because she’s a super talented chef and her upbringing sounds like one big cooking play land (her mother is a well-known cookbook editor, thus their home was centered on the kitchen), and because the dishes are irresistible. Her “old-school,” personal recipes in this book exhibit the scope of her skills and experience, while also hitting that soft spot in each of us where food is comfort.

A couple of weekends ago, I invited some friends to dinner and chose two of Alex’s recipes for the meal: Braised Chicken Legs and Thighs with Ginger and Tomato, and My Favorite Rice Pilaf. For a while now, I’ve been really into savory recipes that call for spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom, as well as fresh ginger and garlic, and these dishes certainly scratched that itch. One of the best things, too, is that, while the recipes call for whole spices, you don’t need a spice grinder. The green cardamom is the only one you have to do anything to: put a little pressure on the green pod, the sides will pop open, and you take the little black seeds out, discarding the pod.

First things first, I put the rice into a bowl of water. Alex says that whenever she works with basmati rice, she soaks it for at least 30 minutes. I’d never heard that before, but heaven knows I need help in the rice department, so I was intrigued by her tip. I think I ended up soaking it for more like an hour, distracted by other things. (Spoiler alert: it worked perfectly!! No burning whatsoever.)

Then, I got going on the chicken. The process is very simple: brown the chicken, caramelize the onions, stew it all together without the chicken, add the chicken to finish. Make sure you give proper time to each step, because the magic is in flavor development. The more the onions caramelize, the deeper their flavor. The more thoroughly you reduce the wine and cook down the tomatoes, the richer the sauce.

While the chicken finished up, I started the rice. Alex says that lightly toasting the spices in the oven “awaken[s] the flavors” before cooking, and you could tell how much more fragrant they were afterward. The rice didn’t take long to make, and it was neat to watch cook, as the rice sort of bubbled up in a ring as it absorbed the liquid.

Everything was a hit! This meal was one of those where you can’t believe how tasty everything is. The braised chicken and rice really are perfect matches; if you’re tempted to skip the pilaf recipe and serve with plain rice, please don’t! Well, I’m sure it would taste good, but the pilaf is worth the extra attention (it’s really not hard work!).

Braised Chicken Legs and Thighs with Ginger and Tomato
Recipe from Old-School Comfort Food by Alex Guarnaschelli
Serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons canola oil
6 large whole skin-on chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks separated
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 large white onions (about 1¾ pounds total), halved and thinly sliced
1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated (1 tablespoon)
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 cinnamon stick
2 dried bay leaves
2 cups dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Brown the chicken: Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the canola oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet and season the pieces with salt and half of the red pepper flakes. Turn the pieces on their other side and season with more salt and the remaining red pepper flakes. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, carefully add the pieces to the oil. Do not overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Resist the temptation to move or turn the chicken and allow the pieces to brown on their first side, 5 to 8 minutes. Use tongs to flip the pieces over and brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large plate or baking sheet.

2. Make the sauce: In the same skillet, strain off the oil and wipe out any burnt bits. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, add the cumin and stir rapidly to give the seeds a quick roast, 5 seconds. Add the onions. Season with salt and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn light brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic and add the cinnamon and bay leaves. Pour in the white wine and gently boil until reduced by half to allow the raw taste of the alcohol to cook out before adding any other ingredients, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and simmer to allow the flavors to come together, 10 minutes.

3. Cook the chicken: Add about 1 cup water to the skillet and arrange the chicken pieces in the sauce. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes. Keep the heat low and simmer until the pieces are cooked through and the meat can be pulled off with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick or begins to stick to the bottom of the skillet, add a little more water. If it’s too thin, transfer the chicken to a tray, bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer to the desired consistency. Stir the butter into the sauce. Return the chicken to the sauce, if need be. Discard the cinnamon and bay leaves before serving.

My Favorite Rice Pilaf
Recipe from Old-School Comfort Food by Alex Guarnaschelli
Serves 8 to 10

2 cups basmati rice
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 green cardamom pods, lightly
crushed, black seeds removed, pods discarded
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
12 whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bay leaves
1 large red onion, finely diced (about 12 ounces)
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 250ºF.

2. Prepare the rice: Put the rice in a strainer and rinse quickly in cold water. Put the rice in a bowl, add 4 cups cold water, and let soak for 30 minutes.

3. Make the spice mix: On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the cumin, cardamom, fennel, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Put in the center of the oven to lightly toast the spices and awaken the flavors, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan and allow the spices to cool.

4. Cook the rice: Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter, bay leaves, and onion. Season with salt and cook until the onion is translucent but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the spices. Drain the rice but reserve the soaking water. Stir in the rice and cook for 2 minutes, until you hear it crackling. Lower the heat if needed. Then add the reserved water. Stir gently. Season with a generous portion of salt and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the rice over medium-low heat, uncovered and undisturbed, for about 8 minutes. Take a fork (so as not to damage the rice) and flake a few grains off and taste for doneness. It may need another 2 to 4 minutes until cooked. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes before fluffing it gently into a bowl and serving. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon if desired.

While paging through Nigella Lawson’s latest cookbook, Nigellissima, I was captivated by the photo of this beautiful, creamy, green pasta dish. After I noticed that the dish had less than 5 ingredients (thank you, Nigella), I decided that this was definitely going to be my next weeknight dinner for a few friends. Ready in less than 25 minutes, this dish was a cinch to make while people were over. I added a pound of broccoli to boost the health-factor and texture of the dish, and it worked out perfectly. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, I think you could probably substitute another kind of soft cheese instead.

Recipe for Green Pasta with Blue Cheese
Excerpted from Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson
Serves 2 hungry people

8 ounces trottole verde or any curled pasta of choice
salt for pasta water, to taste
4 ounces Gorgonzola piccante, crumbled or chopped
4 cups baby or salad spinach leaves (packed)
freshly ground pepper, slightly coarser than regular if possible
3 tablespoons chopped shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts

Heat water in a pot for the pasta, salting it when it comes to a boil, then add the pasta and cook following the package instructions, but checking 3 minutes before it’s meant to be done. This needs to be really al dente because it will carry on cooking as you make the sauce.

Before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of pasta-cooking liquid, then tip the drained pasta back in the hot pan with 2 tablespoonfuls of the liquid, the crumbled cheese, and the spinach, and give a good grinding of coarse black pepper. Put the lid on the pan—off the heat, though back on the stove—and leave to stand for 2 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn the heat back on low, and stir the pasta, cheese, and spinach together, along with as much of the cupful of cooking liquid as you need—I find a scant 1⁄2 cup is about right—until the cheese is melted into a light sauce and the spinach, wilted.

Take off the heat, toss with about two-thirds of the chopped pistachios, and divide between 2 warmed bowls, sprinkling each bowl with the remaining nuts. Serve immediately.