April Fools’ Day is a holiday that could really use a signature dish. The chef and author Rozanne Gold once wrote an article arguing for “culinary pranksterism” for April Fools’; she’d long collected surprising but wonderful recipes, like a chicken roasted inside a watermelon and cake baked in a shoe box (women’s size 9, 24 servings). A more literal but still delicious option for tonight: the fool, a heavenly English dessert that consists of mashed fruit and lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Not a prank, and not a drill: garlicky Alfredo beans, featured below. It’s one of the dishes in this new roundup of recipes that turn a can or two of white beans into a really good dinner, and one you can make tonight, too.
Lastly, the nice people at the Rec Team asked me to recommend my favorite burger in New York City. (You’ll have to watch this video to find out what it is.) But what if you can’t get to the restaurant? Just make your own. I love this tavern-style burger recipe; if you want to go the extra mile, use the best ground beef you can and layer a cap of caramelized onions on top of the cooked patty. We have a great smash burger on New York Times Cooking, too.
Ideas? Feedback? Email me anytime at [email protected].
I’m also making:
Butternut squash pasta with bacon and Parmesan; baked wild salmon; crispy-edged quesadillas.
1. Garlicky Alfredo Beans
“Outrageously good” — one of the comments on this Carolina Gelen recipe, to which I’d add lots of greens like spinach or baby kale, and serve with toast. In addition to rave reviews, you can find instructions for how to veganize it in the comments.
2. Chicken Jalfrezi
This beloved tomato-based curry delivers a strong kick. Zaynab Issa’s excellent version, made with boneless chicken thighs, onions and peppers (sweet bell and serrano), comes together easily at the stove.
3. Salmon With Anchovy-Garlic Butter
One of my all-time favorites on Cooking, this Melissa Clark recipe has you mash garlic, anchovies and softened butter together, then use the mixture to roast salmon fillets. Serve with rice or orzo and a simple green salad.
4. Sheet-Pan Sausages, Sweet Potatoes and Balsamic Kale
You roast the sausages and sweet potatoes together in this easy new recipe from Ali Slagle. Right before serving, you toss the kale, shallots, dried cranberries and balsamic vinegar together in the drippings on a warm pan, a move that maximizes deliciousness.
5. Extra-Green Pasta Salad
I made this new recipe from Andy Baraghani over the weekend and wholly endorse it. If you aren’t up for getting out the blender to make the simple sauce, you could still use the basic template of the recipe by adding lots of green vegetables (English peas, snap peas, green beans, asparagus cut in three-inch pieces) to the pot as the pasta finishes cooking, then toss it all with store-bought pesto.
Thanks for reading and cooking. If you like the work we do at New York Times Cooking, please subscribe! (Or give a subscription as a gift!) You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram. I’m at [email protected], and previous newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at [email protected] if you have any questions about your account.
View all recipes in your weekly plan.
Emily Weinstein is the editor in chief of New York Times Cooking and Food. She also writes the popular NYT Cooking newsletter Five Weeknight Dishes. More about Emily Weinstein
The post Five Ingredients, Five Stars, No Joke appeared first on New York Times.
