It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.
April 18
Endlessly adaptable pesto
This kale pesto never fails me. When I called upon its services again this Tuesday, I was reminded why. First, the fact that you can decimate a whole bunch of kale in one sitting is mind-blowing. I feel instantly healthy. (Try eating a bunch’s worth of kale in a salad—it’s hard!) Second, it’s endlessly adaptable. I’ve done it with spinach and Swiss chard, and with frozen kale instead of fresh. I’ve used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, and almonds instead of pistachios. Every version is good, and every version has saved me from the sad fate of overpriced takeout. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior test kitchen editor
Book club cookies
I recently joined a local book club and, for each meeting, we all bring snacks inspired by the book. This month’s book was The God of the Woods, where a girl goes missing from summer camp. Naturally, I was reminded of campfires and s’mores and made senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewzyk’s S’mores Sandwich Cookies. They combine all the nostalgic feelings of the American classic dessert with the added benefit of being portable. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media
A post-travel basic breakfast
I just returned from a trip to London and Edinburgh and my internal clock is still adjusting, so meals have been pretty basic. My partner doesn’t mind because it means he gets to use his favorite new acquisition at breakfast, a Richard Bramble egg cup. Just boil an egg, pop it in, and suddenly the first meal of the day feels fancy. I round things out with cinnamon toast (get the perfect cinnamon-sugar ratio here) and a piece of fruit (Cara Cara orange for me, banana for him). —Joe Sevier, senior editor, cooking & SEO
Gilda salsa
I believe that a good sauce can turn anything into a meal—whether it’s a protein like chicken or tofu, a vegetable like mushrooms or zucchini, or a starch like pasta or a baked potato. Hence why this weekend I was shouting from the rooftops (texting my family group chat) about Megan Litt’s Gilda Salsa. Like its inspiration, the Spanish cocktail snack, this hinges on buttery olives, pickled peppers, and anchovies. But instead of joining forces on a toothpick, these ingredients get chopped into oblivion, then sauce-ified with olive oil and pickled pepper brine, plus some parsley for good measure. We spooned it over grilled fish and blanched green beans. It’s also excellent on spaghetti. And I plan to put it toward sliced tomatoes all summer long. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Matcha-mango chia pudding
I recently visited Uji, the matcha capital of the world. If you have spoken to me in person, you already know this because I won’t stop talking about it. As a result I have acquired a rather large quantity of matcha that I’m saving for the right occasions, and my colleague Kate Kassin’s Matcha-Mango Chia Pudding is a worthy use. I love making a batch of it on Sunday, then eating it throughout the week before my morning workout. It’s just a few ingredients (chia seeds, milk, matcha, salt, a touch of honey, and mango), allowing the precious matcha to really shine. I also brought back a big stash of hojicha and plan to try this recipe using that next. Maybe with strawberries in place of mango? We will see! —Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor
April 11
Back-pocket noodles
Everybody needs a few adaptable recipes in their back pocket, and Zaynab Issa’s Gochujang-Sesame Noodles from the Bon Appétit 56 is a particularly beloved one of mine. Whether I have udon or spaghetti, brown sugar or maple syrup, broccoli rabe or collards, this recipe just works. You cook noodles, whisk together the sauce, and quickly sauté greens before tossing it all together to finish in the skillet. Then garnish each bowl with sesame seeds, basil, and lime. Or crushed peanuts and cilantro. Or chopped scallions. The glossy sauce clings to every noodle and green, gochujang adding just enough warmth to wake up the earthy tahini. It’s all in perfect balance, even when I mess with it. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
Shortcut matzo balls
My cabinet is perpetually stocked with matzo ball mix—a trick I learned from my mom—so it was gratifying to hear this preference for store-bought over homemade voiced in the latest episode of Dinner SOS. In it, manager of editorial operations Kate Kassin shares that she too relies on matzo ball mix versus a from-scratch recipe (and funny enough, also learned this from her mom). “Making your own broth is a wonderful thing that you can control the narrative with. What chicken you’re using, what herbs you’re using, what aromatics you’re using,” says Kate. I agree wholeheartedly. My latest favorite: not-chicken bouillon, canned chickpeas, sliced celery, fresh dill. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Blueberry buttermilk pancakes
With half a container of buttermilk sitting pretty in my fridge, it felt only right to make pancakes, so I got to work making these ones from Alison Roman. The first step is to heat the oven to keep your pancakes warm post-flip—but that wouldn’t be necessary, as I’m an eat-as-you-go girl. With a hankering for fruit, I dropped frozen blueberries in the batter and fried the cakes up in ghee instead of vegetable oil. The result was buttery, lacy-edged pancakes bursting with nectar. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Hands-off risotto
I take much pride in my mini rice cooker. It requires no brain power to operate (there’s just one button) and it’s petite enough to warrant counter space in my New York apartment. I put it to work this week in my colleague Jesse Szewczyk’s ingenious risotto recipe, which circumvents stirring—and any hands-on cooking, for that matter. I added alliums, arborio rice, and (though the recipe doesn’t call for them) some chopped up mushrooms, plus stock and white wine. As all the ingredients magically coalesced, they filled my apartment with an incredible aroma. When the timer went off, I stirred in some parm, lemon, peas, and a bit more broth, and the result was luxuriously creamy. —Li Goldstein, associate newsletter editor
Memorable millionaire shortbread
I will always remember where I was when I tasted senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s Millionaire’s Shortbread for the first time. Life-changing. I was able to sample these bars with each iteration during the development process, which only built up my anticipation for the final version. The recipe finally published with the latest edition of Bon Appétit Bake Club, and I made it immediately. Normally a recipe tweaker, I followed this one to the letter, knowing fully that there would be no change I could make that Jesse hadn’t already considered himself. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager, audience strategy
April 4
Veggie frito pie
One of my goals for the year has been to save my meat eating for restaurants and cook vegetarian at home. It’s going well so far, but every now and then a craving hits. This week it was Southern barbecue. I considered ordering some burnt ends and pulled pork, but in the end I decided to cook through it. Frito pie, for the uninitiated, is a staple side dish at smokehouses, featuring baked beans, chili, and cheddar cheese poured over a bag of corn chips and usually topped with your meat of choice. Our veggie version opts instead for shiitake mushrooms for heft and a pour of soy sauce for depth. Rest assured, I stuck to my goal and felt nice and full doing it. —Alma Avalle, editorial operations associate
Delightful mushroom pasta
My husband and I could eat mushrooms every week and often do. So when I stumbled upon this mushroom pasta from deputy food editor Hana Asbrink, I knew I had to make it immediately. This wafu (Japanese-style) dish has a simple sauce—butter, soy sauce, and pasta water—with loads of earthy umami. I used Sfoglini’s new bigoli, a shape that dubs itself “bigger and better than spaghetti,” and an utter delight to twirl around a fork. Hana has you top the bowls with sliced nori and scallion. We ended up grating some parm on top too. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Salsa for taco night
I took this tomatillo salsa to a taco night at a friend’s house last week because I needed something extremely easy and fast to contribute. My one tweak: roasting all the vegetables together first, then blitzing them in a food processor with a ton of lime and cilantro. —Kendra Vaculin, test kitchen editor
Pork belly noodles
I bought a slab of pork belly online a few weeks back, not realizing it would be barely bigger than my palm. (I was not paying attention; food writers, they’re just like the rest of us!) Far too small for its intended purpose, I stuck the belly in my freezer and made something else for my dinner party. Cut to the present, when I excavated that pork from my freezer to make the pancit canton recipe from Alvin Cailan’s Amboy. A stir-fry of egg noodles in a sweet-savory sauce made of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and chicken stock (store-bought is fine), Cailan’s recipe is ripe for interpretation. I usually add a splash of patis (fish sauce) plus something for heat (like sambal oelek), and I use the freeze-dried noodles my partner is partial to, which don’t need to be boiled separately. If I use anything but cabbage, carrots, onion, and garlic, I would be run out of my kitchen, but you should feel free to raid your crisper. Just don’t forgo the citrus finish—these noodles need their tang. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, cooking & SEO
Craveable chocolate cake
It’s silly to think that a craving for chocolate cake can be solved by anything other other than chocolate cake. I turned to my pantry and discovered that, thankfully, I had all the ingredients for a recipe I’ve been wanting to make: Jesse Szewczyk’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, part of his brilliant Bon Appétit Bake Club with fellow senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic. I cheated—I’m sorry—and skipped the frosting out of laziness. It’s still spectacular plain or, as I did, topped with whipped cream. And it lasts for days. I gave some to my parents, who forgot the slices in their car. By the time they remembered, the cake was still perfectly moist. —E.L.
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