European

When you want the comfort of a meaty, cooked-all-day ragù but don’t have all day to cook one, reach for this speedier version.

An extra-thick Caesar dressing gives this tomato salad its oomph—and keeps it from sogging out at the picnic.

Crunchy phyllo, juicy raspberries, and creamy custard come together harmoniously in this decadent bread pudding-like dessert.

Hits of crème fraîche, lemon zest, and dill will guarantee you a rich and zingy shrimp toast. 

A laid-back risotto (not an oxymoron!) in a summer state of mind.

Layers of ragù and béchamel are all that is right in this world.

A nice steak plus this simple pan sauce will fulfill all your 10 p.m. Parisian dinner dreams.

Spiced with Hungarian paprika, dill, and thyme, this comforting soup is just what you need when winter seems to go on forever, and ever, and ever…

All the flavors of Eastern European cabbage rolls, but without the rolling. 

Pasta cooks directly in its sauce in this genius vegetarian dish that stars lentils and deeply browned mushrooms.

Store-bought rotisserie chicken, puff pastry, and a simple gravy all come together to create something that tastes truly homemade.

A warm ruby red mulled wine packed with enough cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger to make the whole house smell like the holidays.

Embrace biscotti as the anti-gooey-chewy cookie that can be packed with coffee, chocolate, and nuts, and dunked in amaro, bourbon, or cold milk.

Not to be confused with wafer-thin waffled pizzelles, this rich brownie-like cookie packed with warm spices is exactly the opposite.

Blanching the citrus peel in several changes of boiling water removes bitterness while still leaving plenty of bright flavor behind.

With the help of the large holes on a box grater, zucchini transforms into a pile of soft shreds. Cook it down with olive oil, onion, and garlic and it becomes a creamy, caramelized mush that’s great spread on toast (like in the recipe this one was inspired by, Jennie Cook’s Zucchini Butter), stirred into scrambled eggs, or turned into pasta sauce with the assistance of cream and lemon juice. You’ll be amazed by how many zucchini cook down into this one dish—a very good thing when you’re staring down a pile of this prolific summer star.

In this pizza, which is reminiscent of a Sicilian pie, the dough is enriched with whole-wheat or rye flour, then topped with a thin layer of anchovy-spiked tomato sauce (skip the fish, if you wish), and once it comes out of the oven, grated Parmesan and a mountain of greens. You have several pan options: For the thinnest crust with the crispiest bottom and edges, use a 13x9" rimmed baking sheet. If you don’t have one, you can also use a 10" or 12" cast-iron skillet: Your dough will be a bit thicker, more pillowy, and not as crisp. Or you can also easily double the recipe and use an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet. Just make sure to plan ahead: This dough needs to rise in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Swapping traditional ingredients like guanciale and pancetta for vegetable-based umami bombs (hello, garlic and smoked paprika) isn’t the only thing to consider when making a vegetarian carbonara. Many hard cheeses (including Parmigiano-Reggiano) use animal rennet, so if you want to seek an alternative, ask your cheesemonger.

If you’ve ever been intimidated by the thought of making fresh pasta at home, look no further. Ricotta gnocchi is simple to make, and it’s faster and more foolproof than its potato counterparts. The only tricky part is adding enough flour so that your dough is easy to work with, but not so much that it becomes stodgy or tough. If you don't want to make the buttery herb and pea sauce, use whatever you'd prefer, be it marinara, pesto, or sage and brown butter. 

The classic reconsidered: less pasta, more crispy-chewy strips of guanciale, and more silky creamy egg to hold it all together.