January 2023

This is a lentil soup that defies expectations of what lentil soup can be. Based on a Turkish lentil soup, mercimek corbasi, it is light, spicy and a bold red color (no murky brown here): a revelatory dish that takes less than an hour to make. The cooking is painless. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils (which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Shakshuka may be at the apex of eggs-for-dinner recipes, though in Israel it is breakfast food, a bright, spicy start to the day with a pile of pita or challah served on the side. (It also makes excellent brunch or lunch food.) It’s a one-skillet recipe of eggs baked in a tomato-red pepper sauce spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne. First you make that sauce, which comes together fairly quickly on top of the stove, then you gently crack each of the eggs into the pan, nestling them into the sauce. The pan is moved into the oven to finish.

Simmering chopped onions in a generous amount of olive oil is a two-for-one deal: The onions go soft and sweet while the oil gets infused with deep flavor. While the onions sizzle and simmer, the lentils and farro boil together until al dente, keeping the dish a speedy weeknight option. This makes a great warm side dish or a satisfying make-ahead grain salad. (Leftovers keep for up to three days.) Red-pepper flakes add heat, and lemon peel provides floral sweetness; you could also add whole spices, capers or other additions, if you like.

Suya is a Nigerian street food of spiced, sliced meat that is threaded on skewers and grilled. We make our suya spice mix by processing peanuts, paprika, ginger, garlic, and a touch of brown sugar, then use it to add flavor and crunch to potatoes. We add a bit of oil and toss the mixture onto halved potatoes before roasting. A simple fresh tomato relish with chili and lime served on the side brightens up the dish.

The vegetables for Turkish turlu turlu are sometimes stewed, sometimes roasted; we chose the latter approach, as we’re fond of the browning and flavor concentration that results from cooking in the dry heat of the oven.

This wintry combination of carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and shallots starts on the stove top, covered for a portion of the time to facilitate cooking. Cast-iron skillets often do not have lids, so if needed, borrow one from a similarly sized pot or simply set a baking sheet on top. After a toss with butter and a savory-sweet mixture of umami-rich miso, ginger, and honey, the vegetables finish in a moderately hot oven, where the even heat renders them fully tender and nicely browned.

There are many versions of pesce all’acqua pazza, or “fish in crazy water,” but all involve poaching or simmering fish in a tomato broth or sauce. For our version, anchovies, black olives, and capers bring bold, punchy flavor to mild-flavored fillets. Though this recipe calls for cod, any firm, meaty, white-fleshed fish would work.