Cookbooks

Move over boxed mac and cheese; this version is just as simple and a whole lot tastier.

My Tater Tot hotdish has the body of a chicken pot pie, a dish that I loved growing up, long before I knew the existence of Tater Tot hotdish. But a close examination reveals that the only real differences are the subbing of chicken for ground beef and the use of a homemade cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom soup. I don’t think this will offend a hotdish purist.

Rasam, as prepared in most homes in Southern India, uses either tamarind or tomatoes as the base. It is a piquant broth poured over steaming hot rice. In our home—both in Kerala and America—rasam was a staple part of everyday meals. One night when I was a teenager, I was out to dinner with my brother Tom in New York City’s Little Italy and ate mussels cooked in a light tomato broth very reminiscent of rasam. I couldn’t wait to get home, buy fresh mussels, and cook them in rasam. This dish has made its rounds in my kitchens for close to three decades now. Make sure to have some fresh crusty bread to soak up the tomato-mussel broth.

This cassoulet is filled to the brim with white beans, lamb, garlic sausage, and smoked sausage (and breadcrumbs), but you can make yours with pork or ham, goat, or duck. Whatever you use, keep the proportions similar to those listed below, and you can’t lose.

This green pesto owes its intense and powerful flavor to the use of kombu. It’s such an easy recipe that you can experiment with the ingredients as much as you like. The arugula and basil, for instance, can be substituted with any leafy green of your choice. And the pine nuts can be replaced by any other type of nut, such as cashews or hazelnuts. You can even use sunflower seeds! Serve the pesto on crackers, on a grilled vegetable sandwich, or with a bowl of pasta.

When I was pregnant with my son, all I wanted in life was Mexican food. This was a dish I came up with to satisfy some of those cravings in a mindful way, rather than constantly caving to my ultimate weakness: chips and salsa (which I would happily have eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Medrich's version of these golden orange yam and coconut cookies from Spain is delicate and flavorful.

Cuban pulled pork—or lechon asado—meets traditional Cuban ham and Swiss sandwiches in these zesty, melty paninis.

Radiating the aromas of toasted cumin and coriander, and spiked with the salty-sour pucker of cured lemons and olives, this chicken stew produces a heady effect. If you can’t find preserved lemons in your local food markets (high-end stores usually stock them), you can order them or make them yourself.

This brothy beans-and-greens stew is all about the spicy chile-herb "smash" that gets scattered on top.

This fall grain salad combines spelt with kabocha squash that's been roasted in a smoky paprika and pomegranate molasses glaze.

The gluten-free crust for these vegetarian pizzas is made from cauliflower that's been ground into fine crumbs and mixed with almond flour and Parmesan cheese.

Meatloaf needs no introduction, but this one gets kicked up a notch with the Chinese-inspired flair of fresh ginger, scallions, and a hoisin sauce glaze. It's delicious and so simple to make.

These root vegetable pancakes are a gift to eggs everywhere for brunch, served under a little crème fraîche and smoked salmon for a party app, or simply paired with sour cream and applesauce for an ideal sweet-savory combo anytime.

Chewy cookie lovers: these are for you.

Every October as kids, we loved to go pumpkin picking and buy fresh pumpkins. Our grandmother would take the pumpkin flesh and bake it in the oven with a little cinnamon and sugar, and then we’d stick it in the blender, puree it, and use it for baking. We’d bake pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, and pumpkin pie, and we would also roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven. Really, she used every single part of that pumpkin! The thing we loved the most was our grandmother’s pumpkin cake. It was more of a cake-bread hybrid: very dense and savory yet sweet. It smelled amazing coming out of the oven. We would sometimes just eat it without any icing, hot from the oven. We’d burn our tongues because we wouldn’t even wait for it to cool!

Fold whipped cream into canned pumpkin purée and then layer with buttery pound cake and airy chocolate mousse for this easy-to-assemble fall dessert.

This all-butter pie crust relies on a hint of red wine vinegar for balance and it's tenderizing effects.

Chips and dip: classic, and every culture has its take. There's hummus and pita, tortilla chips and guac, British chips and tartar sauce... From time to time, we’ll run an Indian take on chips and dip using crunchy papadums (thin and crispy lentil crackers) with a cold, creamy version of dal (stewed beans and lentils). The trick is to keep the dal super light so it doesn’t snap the papadums.

I love the taste and color of sweet potatoes and yams. They are packed with vitamins and minerals and are delicious to boot! This bread is sweet enough for dessert and savory enough for dinner.