MAKES 3 CUPS
Do not substitute frozen corn for fresh. For a spicier salsa, add some or all of the jalapeño seeds and ribs. This salsa can be served atop chicken or fish or with corn chips.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Steeping corn kernels in boiling water with a touch of baking soda worked like magic to soften the raw corn and loosen the hulls. As the corn steeped, its hulls softened just enough that they weren’t leathery, but the kernels in our corn salsa recipes still burst with crisp sweetness.
- baking soda
- Salt and pepper
- lime juice
- vegetable oil
- honey
- chopped fresh cilantro
SERVES 4
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To get more flavor and less shriveling from our sautéed mushroom recipe, we discovered that overloading the skillet and extending the cooking time allowed the mushrooms to give up just enough liquid to eventually fit in a single layer without shrinking to nothing. They browned nicely after we added a little oil or butter, and from there it was easy to enhance our sautéed mushroom recipe by adding garlic, herbs, wine, soy sauce, bread crumbs, and so on.
- vegetable oil
- unsalted butter
- minced fresh thyme leaves
- dry Marsala
- Salt and ground black pepper
Serves 2
Hunt’s diced tomatoes are our favorite
- all-purpose flour
- large egg
- panko bread crumbs
- grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- olive oil
- red pepper flakes
- chopped fresh basil
- shredded Provolone cheese
SERVES 6 TO 8
Depending on the size of your grill, you may have to cook the vegetables in multiple batches. When grilling more than one vegetable at a time, be prepared to take each off the grill as it is done cooking.
- red onion
- eggplant
- bell peppers
- tomatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- sherry vinegar
- chopped fresh basil
- minced fresh thyme
MAKES 7 CUPS, SERVING 4 TO 6 AS A SIDE DISH
For the best-flavored ratatouille, we recommend very ripe, beefsteak tomatoes.
- Table salt
- olive oil
- chopped fresh parsley leaves
- chopped fresh basil
- minced fresh thyme leaves
- Ground black pepper
Serves 4 to 6
We prefer the flavor and texture of chunky peanut butter in the sauce; in particular, we like conventional chunky peanut butter because it tends to be sweeter than natural or old-fashioned versions.
- sesame seeds
- chunky peanut butter
- minced fresh ginger
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- light brown sugar lightly packed
- table salt
- dried Asian noodle or 12 ounces dried spaghetti
- Asian sesame oil
Serves 4 to 6
Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes after the first bake before tossing with the oil (hot potatoes will stick to the pan).
- vegetable oil
- sugar
- salt
- pepper
Serves 4
Trim away the outer peel from the broccoli stalk, otherwise it will turn tough when cooked. For Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, stir 1 tablespoon minced garlic into the olive oil before drizzling it over the broccoli.
- extra virgin olive oil
- table salt
- sugar
- Ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges for serving
Serves 6
- Dressing:
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- minced fresh thyme leaves
- Salad:
- olive oil
- Shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish
Serves 8
Use a light-colored traditional skillet instead of a darker non-stick skillet for this recipe to easily monitor the butter’s browning.
- sliced almonds
- lemon juice
- water
- Salt