Western Recipes

Prep 30min Cook 60min 4 servings

Coq au Vin (French Red Wine Braised Chicken with Mushrooms)

Simmered gently in red wine, chicken pieces take on the wine's fruit and tannin, ending in a dark, concentrated sauce. The flavor foundation is laid at the start, when the chicken is browned in batches to leave a brown crust on the pan that the wine then dissolves. Bacon lardons, shallots, and garlic build on that base. Better wine gives a deeper sauce, and the dish improves if made a day ahead and reheated.

Baking Medium

Classic Bagel

Boiling comes before baking, and that short dip sets a thin skin over each ring that holds the dough back in the oven, giving a shiny, firm crust around a dense, chewy center. Since the hole closes up during boiling, stretch it wider than looks right when shaping.

Prep 30min Cook 20min 6 servings

Pasta Medium

Pasta alla Gricia (Roman Guanciale Pecorino Black Pepper Pasta)

Guanciale started in a cold pan and rendered slowly for about 8 minutes gives off the fat that becomes the base of the sauce. Shaking that fat together with starchy pasta water before the cheese goes in is what lets the pecorino melt into a glossy coating instead of clumping. With no tomato or egg, the dish is just cured pork cheek, sheep's cheese, black pepper and pasta.

Prep 10min Cook 18min 2 servings

Salads Medium

Salmon Salad (Seared Salmon over Greens with Soy Vinaigrette)

Salmon seared skin side down and broken into large flakes makes the plate eat more like a warm piece of fish with greens than a tossed salad. Searing time depends on thickness and heat, so doneness is judged by the thickest part reaching at least 63°C rather than by the color of the flesh. A soy, vinegar and garlic dressing cuts the oiliness, avocado adds creaminess, and red cabbage with radish sprouts brings crunch and a peppery edge.

🥗 Lighter Meals

Prep 20min Cook 10min 2 servings

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Coquilles Saint-Jacques (French Scallop Gratin with Gruyere)

Tender scallops, a light cream sauce, and a crisp Gruyere and breadcrumb crust all land on the same spoon. Scallops toughen quickly, so the pan sear is brief and the oven finishes the warming. Reducing the white wine by half concentrates its acidity, and with cream and lemon juice the sauce stays bright instead of heavy. Any surface moisture on the scallops turns to steam and blocks browning, so they are pressed thoroughly dry first. Bake and serve them in ramekins or scallop shells, with baguette for the leftover sauce.

Prep 20min Cook 15min 8 servings

Classic British Scones

Split warm by hand, these scones have a crisp golden top and a soft interior that crumbles rather than chews, ready for clotted cream and strawberry jam. Cold butter rubbed into the flour is what keeps them light; the more the dough is handled, the firmer the centers turn.

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Pasta alla Norma (Sicilian Fried Eggplant Tomato Pasta)

Eggplant salted for 10 minutes and pressed dry browns in the pan instead of steaming, keeping a firm center under a golden surface. The dish comes from Catania in Sicily, where the browned eggplant flavors a simple tomato sauce that clings to the spaghetti.

Salads Easy

Zucchini Noodle Salad

Raw zucchini shaved into long ribbons looks like pasta but bites crisp and juicy, since it never sees heat. Lemon juice and olive oil with finely minced garlic make a light, tart dressing, and Parmesan and basil add salt and fragrance on top. The watery, seedy core is left behind when shaving, and without it the strands stay firm longer. Zucchini releases water the moment it touches the dressing, and the ribbons are tossed only right before eating, once the dressing and toppings are ready. Lift the strands with tongs instead of pressing them, and move everything to the plate as soon as water begins to pool in the bowl.

⚡ 20-Minute Recipes 🥗 Lighter Meals

Prep 18min 0 2 servings

Western Easy

Corn Casserole

Whole kernels and cream-style corn bake together into a soft casserole that is served with a spoon rather than sliced. Plain cornmeal cannot stand in for the JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix base, which already holds flour, sugar and leavening, and the milk and egg printed on the box for muffins stay out. Only the whole-kernel can is drained, while the cream-style corn goes in whole as the main liquid. The edges color first, but the center decides when it comes out.

Prep 10min Cook 50min 8 servings

Baking Hard

Classic Croissant

Three letter folds around a slab of cold butter build the layers, and after baking they show as thin, rolled ridges outside and a continuous open grain inside. Two separate butters are used: a little softened butter in the dough itself and a larger block for lamination. The block and the dough need to feel equally firm while rolling, otherwise the butter cracks or pushes out the sides.

Prep 120min Cook 18min 8 servings

Pasta Medium

Pasta all'Amatriciana (Roman Guanciale Tomato Pasta)

Some of the crisped guanciale is held back from the tomato sauce and scattered over the bucatini with pecorino at the end, so the plate has two textures: pork softened in the sauce and crunchy pieces on top. The clear fat it renders over medium-low heat is what the tomatoes cook in. Cutting the guanciale into thick batons keeps it from drying out.

Prep 15min Cook 25min 2 servings

Western Easy

Korean Corn Cheese (Buttery Skillet Corn Mozzarella)

Sweet kernels coated in butter and mayonnaise sit beneath a stretchy sheet of melted mozzarella in this Korean skillet dish. Canned corn has to be drained well and cooked briefly to drive off water, or the pan turns soupy. The mayonnaise goes in over low heat and stops cooking once it clings, because longer heat makes it separate. A lid over the lowest heat melts the cheese without an oven.

⚡ 20-Minute Recipes

Prep 5min Cook 8min 2 servings

Prep 18min Cook 35min 4 servings

Classic Lemon Bars

A buttery shortbread base, baked once on its own, goes back into the oven under a layer of lemon curd, so each bite has butter and sharp lemon together. The curd uses both juice and zest, and the oils in the zest give a stronger aroma than juice alone would. A dusting of powdered sugar stands out white against the yellow.

Pasta Medium

Pasta Bolognese

Beef and pork are browned until a dark crust forms on the pan, then red wine lifts that crust into the sauce; most of the depth in this Bologna-style ragu starts there. With tomatoes and milk added, the pot simmers uncovered for at least an hour until meat and vegetables melt into one sauce.

Prep 20min Cook 90min 4 servings

Western Easy

Corned Beef Hash

Parboiling the diced potatoes for 5 minutes means the skillet only has one job left: crisping the outside. Wet potatoes steam rather than brown, so the steam has to escape fully before they hit the pan. Corned beef pulled apart along the grain seasons the potatoes as they fry together, and a pinch of paprika adds color. Once the onion and beef are in, the hash is pressed flat and left mostly unturned, which is what builds the firm crust on the bottom. A fried egg on top, yolk broken over the hash, finishes this brunch plate.

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Prep 10min Cook 20min 4 servings

Classic Waffle

Each square of the grid becomes a small cup for syrup, melted butter, or fruit sauce, around a crisp edge and a soft, airy middle. The airiness comes from separating the eggs, whipping the whites to stiff peaks and folding them in over two additions.

Prep 10min Cook 25min 2 servings

Pasta e Ceci (Italian Chickpea Stew Pasta)

The broth turns thick enough to coat a spoon without any cream, thanks to mashed chickpeas and the starch from ditalini cooked right in the pot. Whole chickpeas and the small pasta keep some bite, while rosemary and tomato paste give it a warm, savory base. It sits somewhere between soup and pasta, and is eaten with a spoon.

Prep 25min Cook 45min 4 servings

Cottage Pie

A rich beef filling below and soft mashed potato on top make the contrast in this British home bake. Tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and beef stock give the meat a deep savory base, while carrots and peas add sweetness and color. The fork ridges dragged across the potato brown in the oven and turn into crisp little edges.

Baking Medium

Coconut Cream Pie

Cut a slice and the layers read clearly: golden crust, cream-colored custard, white whipped cream, and a scatter of toasted coconut that adds crunch. Cooked from coconut milk and regular milk, the custard has a clear coconut flavor and, once chilled, holds firm on a fork.

Prep 30min Cook 20min 8 servings

Prep 15min Cook 40min 4 servings

Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Rustic Bean and Pasta Soup)

Mashed beans and pasta starch do the thickening that cream would do elsewhere. About a third of the cannellini get crushed with a fork and stirred back, turning the broth cloudy and smooth, and the ditalini then cooks in the same pot, releasing more starch as it swells. The aroma comes from garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary; the crushed tomatoes are poured in before the garlic browns, and scraping the pot then lifts the cooked-on bits into the soup. Because the pasta keeps drinking broth, the soup tightens quickly; small splashes of water bring it back to something you eat with a spoon rather than a fork.

Prep 20min Cook 10min 2 servings

Crab Cake

The binder of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, egg, and breadcrumbs is kept just strong enough to hold the crab together, so big lumps of meat still show in every bite. Lemon juice and parsley add freshness next to the sweet crabmeat. Every extra stir breaks down the crab, so the mixing stops with a few folds, the moment the mixture barely holds. Chilling the shaped patties for 30 minutes firms them up so they survive the flip. Fried in butter, they come out with a crisp shell and a warm, tender center.

Prep 10min Cook 18min 12 servings

Coconut Macaroon

There is no flour in these. Shredded coconut is held together with condensed milk and egg white, and the mixture is so sticky that the pan is lined right to its edges with parchment or a silicone mat. Once cool, the bottoms are sometimes dipped in melted dark chocolate.