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What do you make for new parents? Every cook—and every community—has an answer.

Maybe you always bake lasagna, or whip up those cookies with rolled oats, flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast. A pot of soup can really make a difficult few weeks easier. When my daughter was born, a dear friend brought over a bag of quite honestly life-saving trail mix for one-handed snacking.

When Clarissa Wei’s first child was born, she—like an estimated 65% of new parents in Taiwan—checked into a full-service postpartum hotel. There’s a staff of nurses there, who will wheel your baby into a central nursery while you rest and recover, and most importantly, while you eat a progression of traditional dishes meant to bring your body back to health.

There was a lot of soup, as she expected. “What I didn’t expect,” Clarissa tells me in this week’s podcast conversation, “was that I would be given these herbal broths and soups, but no one would tell me what was in it, or what it was for.”

She wanted more info, and a little agency: “As a new mom, you go through the medical system just being poked and prodded, and people telling you what to do all the time. And you just kind of have to take it as it is.” Not knowing what she was being fed and why, Clarissa says, “was kind of the spark” for her new book, Sitting the Month: Postpartum Recipes for Rest & Recovery.

The book digs into traditional postpartum dishes common in Taiwan and across the Chinese-speaking world. But many of these dishes feel like the sort of soothing foods you’d want to bring anyone who is under the weather or going through a difficult time.

“When you’re sick, very few people, I think, are reaching for, like, spicy food or a beer,” Clarissa says.

“If you look around the world,” Clarissa notes, “everyone, whether they’re sick or have just given birth, people will gravitate towards these soft, warm dishes.”

Below, you’ll find two examples—Clarissa’s recipes for simple scallion-oil noodles and cozy congee, which you can eat all day.

Our full conversation is only on the podcast. Download it now so you can listen while you cook.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

• This week, we’re giving away a copy of Sitting the Month! The simplest way to enter the giveaway is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, November 8, 2026.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge (and pantry and freezer) right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Just follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, November 8, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends November 8, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

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Clarissa mentioned:

• Jujubes and goji berries (as part of a Sitting the Month ingredient bundle)

• Three-cup chicken from Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation

• Black soybean tea

• Ronni Lundy’s Victuals (Bookshop)

• America’s Test Kitchen’s Complete Grilling and Barbecue Cookbook (Bookshop)

• Fuchsia Dunlop’s Five Tastes (Bookshop)

Check out our sponsors:

• Lotus Professional Series: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off

• MaraBela: Find Marabela Alcohol-Free Sparkling Tea at MaraBelaTea.com

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Doubanjiang fermented chili paste

• Gochujang and gochugaru

• HEYDOH brown rice vinegar

• Pork rib soup with dried figs

• The Dinner Plan episode with Fuchsia Dunlop

Scallion Oil Noodles

蔥油拌麵 /cōng yóu bàn miàn

Excerpted from Sitting the Month: Postpartum Recipes for Rest & Recovery. Copyright © 2026 by Clarissa Wei. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

This is a great way to use up extra scallions, which are rich in vitamin C—­a natural immune booster. The scallions are fried in oil until frayed and crispy, and the leftover oil is seasoned with a hit of soy sauce and oyster sauce to create a savory, all-­purpose concoction that works especially well with noodles (but also any rice or any plain protein). This dish is great on its own, but I sometimes slip a fried egg with a runny yolk on top for extra richness.

Serves 2 to 3

• ¼ cup (60 mL) camellia seed oil (苦茶油 kǔ chá yóu) or any neutral oil

• 6 large scallions (150 g), trimmed, quartered crosswise, and very thinly sliced lengthwise

• Table salt

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 2 tablespoons all-­purpose
  soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 8 ounces (225 g) dried wheat noodles

• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. In a large wok or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is glistening. Add the scallions and stir constantly until they are golden brown on the edges and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the scallions with tongs, squeezing out and reserving the excess oil in the wok. Spread the scallions in an even layer on a paper towel–­lined plate to drain any excess oil. Sprinkle a light layer of salt over the scallions. Set aside.

2. In the wok with the reserved oil, turn the heat to low and add the ginger and garlic. Stir until it smells good, about 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and mix in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Set aside.

3. Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions. Drain well in a colander, then immediately add the noodles to the wok. Toss to combine with the sauce.

4. Portion the saucy noodles into serving bowls. Top with the fried scallions and garnish with a touch of sesame seeds.

Pork and Shiitake Mushroom Congee

香菇肉絲粥 / xiāng gū ròu sī zhōu

Excerpted from Sitting the Month: Postpartum Recipes for Rest & Recovery. Copyright © 2026 by Clarissa Wei. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lean pork and shiitake mushrooms are the highlights here. The former is a reliable source of protein, and the latter is believed to help with cholesterol levels. A quick sprinkle of minced celery at the end adds a light, fiber-­rich brightness to the dish.

Serves 3 to 4

For the pork

• 12 ounces (340 g) pork tenderloin, cut into matchsticks

• 2 tablespoons all-­purpose soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons rice wine (Taiwanese michiu or cooking sake)

For the congee

• 4 large dried shiitake
  mushrooms (20 g)

• 1 cup (200 g) short-­grain white rice, aka sushi rice

• 8 cups (2 L) low-­sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil

• ½ cup (80 g) minced celery

• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

• Table salt

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine. Cover and refrigerate while you make the congee, or up to 6 hours.

2. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the dried shiitake mushrooms. Soak for about 10 minutes, until the mushroom caps are soft. Remove the mushrooms, discarding the soaking liquid. Trim and discard the stems, then dice the caps into small cubes. Set aside.

3. In a medium pot, combine the rice and broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Give it one big stir, then reduce the heat to medium-­low. Simmer, stirring often so the grains don’t stick to the bottom of the pot, until the congee is thick and creamy and the rice grains swell, 30 to 40 minutes.

4. While the congee is cooking, in a large wok or skillet, heat the oil over medium-­high. When the oil is hot and glistening, toss in the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until it smells lovely, about 30 seconds. Add the marinated pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

5. When the congee is sufficiently thick, transfer the shiitakes and pork to the congee pot and give it one big stir. Add the celery, white pepper, and salt to taste—­if you used the Master Chicken Stock, you will need to add salt. Simmer everything together until the pork is completely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Enjoy while hot.

“Don’t make your life more complicated than it needs to be,” Adrianna Adarme says in today’s podcast episode. It’s a line I’ve been repeating to myself lately whenever I’m thinking about what to cook next.

Adrianna’s A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook is organized by mood: There are easy dinners for the midweek slump, quick options for rushed evenings, and pajamas-recommended weekend recipes that can linger in the oven while you relax on the couch.

I really appreciate the idea of assessing your mood and needs first when you’re planning meals. When I’m feeling burned out in the kitchen, taking a break and tuning into what I’m craving can help.

But that can be challenging if you’re also in charge of cooking for other people; it’s a juggle that we get into in our conversation. “Being a mom is an endless amount of small sacrifices,” Adrianna says, and you sometimes find yourself “eating something maybe you don’t want, just because you know they’ll eat it.”

On the show, Adrianna walks us through her method for stocking the freezer with toddler options—which gives her a little more flexibility in her own meals—plus a realistic week of dinner ideas, including a Sunday big-batch recipe that you can freeze for Thursday’s dinner.

Below, you’ll find Adrianna’s quick Monday move: a warming bowl of honey-jerk salmon that’s served over rice with mango salsa. Download the episode now so you can listen while you throw it together.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of Adrianna Adarme’s new book, A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook, is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Tuesday, November 4, 2026. Paid subscribers make it possible for me to keep the recipes and conversations flowing—I so appreciate your support.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can still enter the giveaway! Just send in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Follow the instructions here by end of day Tuesday, November 4, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends November 4, 2026. The Dinner Plan may receive a small commission when you shop from affiliate links—thank you!

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Adrianna mentioned:

• Weeknight Peruvian chicken and rice

• Lomo saltado

• Overnight cinnamon rolls

• Freezer cookie dough

• Cuban picadillo

• Teriyaki chicken

• Freezer breakfast sandwiches

• Goodles

• Chili

• Easy miso lemon salmon

• Tutto Calabria Calabrian chiles

• Eric King of Easy Gay Oven (IG here)

• Nasim Lahbichi (IG)

• Roti Brown (IG, TikTok, Substack)

• Viral ground beef cottage sweet potato bowl (TikTok)

• Emily Mariko’s viral salmon bowl (TikTok)

• Salted Honey Parker House Rolls

• Alana Kysar’s Aloha Kitchen (Bookshop)

• Lisa Ludwinski’s Sister Pie (Bookshop)

• Carla Hall’s Soul Food (Bookshop)

• Carla Hall’s Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits

Check out our sponsors:

• Lotus Professional Series: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off.

• Dirty Labs: Use code DINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Ina Garten’s lasagna (adapted on Lottie & Doof)

• Martha Stewart’s Entertaining

• The Dinner Plan’s list of cookbook recommendations

• Our episode with Alana Kysar, author of Aloha Kitchen and Aloha Veggies

Honey Jerk Salmon Bowls

Reprinted with permission from A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook: 100 Easy, Comforting Recipes for Every Mood and Desire. Text copyright © 2026 by Adrianna Adarme.

When you’re craving something with heat, sweetness, and richness—but still want it to feel vibrant and nourishing—this bowl checks every box. It’s packed with protein rich glazed salmon and a colorful mango salsa, so it looks as good as it tastes. It’s a weeknight dinner that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together (even if you absolutely don’t).

Serves 2

Mango Salsa:

• 2 medium ripe mangoes, diced

• ¼ medium red onion, diced

• ¼ cup/10g chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and finely diced

• Juice of 1 lime

• Kosher salt

Salmon:

• 1 pound/450g salmon, skin removed and cut in 1-inch/ 2.5cm cubes

• 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning, store-bought or homemade

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 2 teaspoons honey

For serving:

• Cooked long-grain white rice

• Cooked black beans

• Fried sweet plantains

• Flaky salt

1. Make the mango salsa: In a medium bowl, toss the mangoes, onion, cilantro, jalapẽno, and lime juice with a good pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning.

2. Make the salmon: In a medium bowl, toss the salmon, jerk seasoning, and salt. (If you’re using a store-bought jerk seasoning, check whether it contains salt. If so, omit the salt.)

3. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the salmon and sear for 1 minute on each side, until it starts to take on a little color all over.

4. Turn the heat off and add the butter. When the butter has melted, drizzle in the honey and toss to coat the salmon.

5. To assemble each bowl, nestle in the rice, black beans, and plantains, then top with the salmon, mango salsa, and a pinch of flaky salt before serving.

Do you remember when you first saw a one-pot pasta?

You know what I’m talking about: the kind of pasta that cooks entirely in the sauce, so there’s no separate pot of boiling water. Maybe you saw it on everyone’s Instagram, but the source of all that buzz was a recipe published in Martha Stewart Living back in 2013. And the inspiration behind Martha’s famous recipe was a dish that Nora Singley ate at a neighborhood restaurant in a village on the coast of Puglia while she was on a break between seasons of the Martha Stewart show.

“We sit ourselves down at this restaurant, and proceed to have the most glorious meal of simple, simple tomato pasta,” Nora tells me on today’s podcast episode.

She asks the waiter (who is also the owner’s son and the dishwasher) how it got so delicious, and initially questions her Italian comprehension. Nora ends up getting herself invited into the restaurant kitchen to learn the method, and soon, she’s pitching the technique to Martha Stewart herself.

Over the decade since, Nora, who currently heads up culinary for Molly Baz, has really put the one-pot pasta method to the test. Her new cookbook includes that simple pomodoro she learned in Italy, along with other classics, like an extra-silky carbonara, that benefit from the richly starchy liquid that gets created when you cook pasta right in the sauce.

But there are some shockers here, too. You throw a bunch of uncooked lasagna noodles into a wine-y ragu, and magically they arrange themselves into a neat lasagna stack. (Finish with a layer of creamy, lemony ricotta and a minute under the broiler.)

There’s no bechamel in Nora’s mac and cheese—the pasta simmers in a mix of milk and water, and the cheese joins the party once the noodles are “uncomfortably al dente.”

It’s a phrase that comes up in nearly every recipe: Nora’s often telling you to turn off the heat and let the pasta rest while it sips up the remaining liquid in the pot.

In my house, there’s often a debate between those of us who want to eat pasta and those of us who want to eat chicken—and those who might just want a big plate of creamed spinach. Nora’s recipe below is the dinner that makes everyone happy.

Download the episode now so you can listen to my full conversation with Nora, including the wildest cooking disaster story on the show so far.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

• This week we’re giving away a copy of One Pot Pasta. The simplest way to enter to win a copy is to sign up right now as a paid subscriber to this newsletter. Or do it by end of day Sunday, November 1, 2026!

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. We’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, November 1, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends November 1, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

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Nora mentioned:

• Lemon-infused olive oil

• Rancho Gordo beans

• Martha Stewart’s One-Pan Pasta

• Mortar and pestle

• Fennel seeds

• Better Than Bouillon

• Trader Joe’s Calabrian chiles

• Green olives with pimentos

• Wild rice

• Susan Spungen (IG and website)

• Kitty Coles’ Agrodolce Cod With Tomatoes And Almonds; see Kitty’s IG and website

• Pilar Valdes’ Steamed mussels with Dijon; Pilar on IG here

• Zahra Tangorra’s Extra Sauce (Bookshop)

• Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune (Bookshop)

• Gabrielle Hamilton’s Beef Short Ribs Braised in Pho Broth with Condiments

• Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis, and Lesley Suter’s Bavel (Bookshop)

Discounts from our sponsors:

• Lotus Professional Series: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off, including the freestanding griddle, the multi-function cooker, and The Power Spin^™ blender.

• MaraBela: Find Marabela Alcohol-Free Sparkling Tea at MaraBelaTea.com.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Molly Baz on The Dinner Plan

• Smothered Italian sausage, reprinted on Bon Appétit from David Nayfeld’s Dad ,What’s for Dinner? (Bookshop)

Creamed Spinach and Minty Trenne… Plus Rotisserie Chicken

Excerpted from One-Pot Pasta by Nora Singley (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2026.

Serves 4 to 6

A whole pound of spinach simmered down in a touch of heavy cream and mint gives this pasta a sumptuous steakhouse vibe. It’s the ultimate example of “throw it all in a pot.” First thing in? Trenne, a triangular variety of penne. Add the rest of the simple ingredients, tear in some rotisserie chicken, and top with Seedy, Spicy, Cheesy Crisps. They’re not mandatory, but with their nutty crackle and peppery kick, they might have you mistaking this weeknight dinner for a Saturday evening out on the town. An alt to trenne? Penne.

• 12 ounces (340 g) trenne or penne (about 3 cups)

• 1 pound (454 g) frozen spinach (whole leaf or chopped)

• 1 bunch (about 6) scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced (about 4 ounces/115 g)

• 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

• 4 cups (1 L) low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 bunch mint (about 8 large sprigs), 5 sprigs left whole, leaves stripped from the remaining sprigs and chopped

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pound (450 g) meat pulled from a rotisserie chicken (about 3 cups), plus any drippings from the container

• ⅓ to ½ cup (80 to 120 ml) heavy cream

• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus more zest for serving (optional)

• Seedy, Spicy, Cheesy Crisps (see below), or store-bought Parmesan crisps

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

1. In a large pot, combine 12 ounces (340 g) trenne, 1 pound (454 g) frozen spinach (no need to thaw), 1 bunch sliced scallions, 2 sliced shallots, 4 cups (1 L) chicken broth, 5 mint sprigs, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt, and lots of pepper. The broth may not cover the pasta—and that’s fine!

2. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is uncomfortably al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady boil, and add a big splash or two of water to maintain a generous slick of liquid at the bottom of the pot.

3. Reduce the heat to low and add 1 pound (450 g) pulled rotisserie chicken and any drippings. Fold the chicken into the pasta and let it warm slightly, about 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat. Add ⅓ to ½ cup (80 to 120 ml) heavy cream and stir to combine until your desired consistency and richness is reached. Add the grated zest and juice of 1 lemon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Cover the pot and let the pasta rest for 5 to 10 minutes, folding gently once or twice, until the noodles have turned al dente.

5. Discard the mint sprigs. Serve topped with cheese crisps, chopped mint leaves, and a drizzle of your best olive oil.

Seedy, Spicy, Cheesy Crisps

Excerpted from One-Pot Pasta by Nora Singley (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2026.

• ½ cup (2½ ounces/70g) mixed raw nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, and/or hazelnuts)

• 4 ounces (115 g) sharp white Cheddar

• 2 tablespoons mixed seeds and spices (such as fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, and/or sesame seeds)

• Ground cayenne pepper, Aleppo pepper, or red pepper flakes

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Flaky sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Finely chop ½ cup (2½ ounces/70 g) nuts into lentil-sized pieces. Keeping some larger bits is fine, and good. (Variation is always welcome.)

3. Working over the prepared baking sheet, grate 4 ounces (115 g) Cheddar on the second-to-smallest holes of a box grater. Spread the cheese in an even layer over the parchment, keeping the cheese as light and fluffy as possible. The more spread out the cheese, the lacier the crisps will be.

4. Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons mixed seeds and spices and the chopped nuts over the cheese. Lightly sprinkle with cayenne to taste. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Season with black pepper.

5. Bake until the cheese is crisped from the edges to the interior, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with salt. Let cool.

6. With a spatula, lift the crisp from the parchment. Break into large pieces, or crumble into bits if using as a garnish. (Try it on mac and cheese or any other pasta.)

“A lot of my books have been very much about reflecting traditional Chinese cooking and trying to just report accurately on what I find in China,” Fuchsia Dunlop tells me in today’s podcast conversation. “You know, people have taught me recipes and that’s what I put in my book.”

For her new book, Five Tastes, the author of many cookbooks including Land of Fish and Rice, The Food of Sichuan, and Every Grain of Rice, found herself thinking about the core flavor combinations she learned in culinary school in Sichuan, but applying those templates to dishes and ingredients that are more common in the UK than in China.

The result is “a more personal book,” Fuchsia says, full of recipes that she hopes are adaptable to your local markets and dinner routines.

“One of the things for me that’s so inspiring about Chinese cooking,” Fuchsia tells me, “is the love of vegetables and the fact that in China, vegetables are not just some sort of basic side dish. They are cooked with as much care and attention as everything else. And so you end up having dishes that are fantastically healthy and economical and just taste so good, you really want to eat them.”

On the podcast, Fuchsia maps out the way she plans all the dishes she’ll serve at a dinner with friends, making sure some dishes are made ahead and easy to reheat, while others shine at room temperature. Most importantly, she’s not over-committing herself to time at the wok when she’d rather chat with guests.

The book definitely isn’t vegetarian, but you can tell that Fuchsia’s having fun with vegetables, sharing her roasting method for a version of make-ahead fish-fragrant eggplant, and her simple chile-oil tinged carrot salad. One of Fuchsia’s favorites is a dish of green beans that she’s given the guàiwèi (or “strange flavor”) sauce treatment.

The toasty sesame sauce is “also amazing on roasted cauliflower, which is not a Chinese thing at all,” Fuchsia says. And it’s “even nice on toast!”

Get the recipe below, along with a quick dish of noodles that you can throw together whenever time is short. It’s worth listening to the episode, though, for so many cooking (and pantry-stocking) tips from Fuchsia.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of Five Tastes is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Subscribe now

• We need voice memos! Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends October 25, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

FROM TODAY’S SPONSOR

Ever had Chinese food that left your mouth feeling tingly? That’s Sichuan pepper.

50Hertz Tingly Foods offers a fun assortment of ways to bring that sensation to your own kitchen. The name 50Hertz comes from research showing the tingling sensation vibrates at around a frequency of 50 Hertz.

Try finishing a simple cucumber salad with their Green Sichuan Pepper Oil. It adds a bright, citrusy aroma and makes your mouth tingle in the best possible way. They also make tingly peanuts and cashews—the perfect snacks to pair with a cold beer.

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Fuchsia mentioned:

• Fergus Henderson’s Cabbage salad and brown shrimp (The Telegraph)

• Mapo tofu (National Post)

• Cold chicken with spicy Sichuanese sauce (Serious Eats)

• Smacked cucumber salad (The Telegraph)

• Steamed fish with ginger and scallion (The Guardian)

• Light soy sauce

• Dark soy sauce

• Zhongba artisanal soy sauce

• Lee Kum Kee Double Deluxe soy sauce

• The Mala Market

• Shanxi mature vinegar

• Hengshun Zhenjiang handcrafted vinegar

• Bombay mix

• Silken tofu with avocado (School of Wok)

• Bamboo steamer baskets

• Fergus Henderson’s The Book of St John (Thrift Books)

• Clarissa Wei’s Made In Taiwan (Bookshop)

• Anissa Helou’s Lebanon (Bookshop)

Check out our sponsors:

• CookShelf: Use code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first year

• 50Hertz: Use code TINGLYDINNERPLAN for 15% off

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• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer

• Hardie Grant: Find Taiwanese? by Eric Sze wherever you buy cookbooks

Maggie mentioned

• Kristina Cho’s vermicelli and clams from Chinese Enough (Bookshop)

• Anissa Helou on The Dinner Plan

Green Beans With Strange-Flavor Sauce

Excerpted from Five Tastes: Delicious Recipes for Chinese Flavors. Copyright © 2026 by Fuchsia Dunlop. First published by The Random House Group, Ltd. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

In Sichuan, the classic “strange-flavor” sauce, a tempting melange of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty seasonings in a sauce enriched by sesame paste, is used for cold chicken, rabbit, offal, and noodles. But beyond these traditional applications, the possibilities are limitless. Inspired by Indonesian gado gado and Lebanese cooked mezze in tahini sauce, I have taken to dressing all kinds of vegetables—boiled, steamed, or roasted—in these sparkling Sichuan flavors.

The sauce is fabulous with boiled green beans, as in this recipe, and also with roasted cauliflower or butternut squash, steamed or roasted broccoli, blanched spinach, barbecued meats or, indeed, practically anything. Perhaps the next step is Sichuanese deviled eggs? I’ve enjoyed leftovers of the sauce on buttered toast and crumpets!

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp sesame paste

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1½ tsp Chinkiang vinegar

• 1½ tsp sugar

• ¼–½ tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper, or 1–2 tsp red or green Sichuan pepper oil

• 2–3 tbsp chile oil, with or without chile sediment

• 2 tsp sesame oil

For serving:

• 14 oz (400g) green beans

• 2 tsp sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)

1. First, make the sauce. Place the sesame paste in a small bowl and stir and mash it with a spoon until the consistency is even. Gradually mix in the soy sauce and vinegar, taking care to incorporate completely between additions so you end up with a smooth, creamy emulsion. Add the sugar and mix well. Stir in the Sichuan pepper or Sichuan pepper oil, chile oil, and sesame oil.(Once made, the sauce keeps well in the fridge for a few days.)

2. Trim the beans and cut them into bite-size lengths. Tip into a panful of boiling water and boil for a few minutes, until cooked to your liking (I prefer to cook my beans just beyond the squeaky stage, to the point where they are tender but still a little taut). Drain and cool them immediately in a bowl of ice water or under the cold tap, to preserve their bright green color. Shake well in a colander and allow to dry off.

3. Tip the drained and dried beans into a serving bowl. Give the sauce another stir, then use it to dress the beans. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds to garnish if you wish.

Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles

Excerpted from Five Tastes: Delicious Recipes for Chinese Flavors. Copyright © 2026 by Fuchsia Dunlop. First published by The Random House Group, Ltd. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

When I need to conjure up a quick meal out of nothing, I often turn to my stash of dried noodles and Chinese seasonings. A simple bowl of noodles, stirred into excitement by a spicy Sichuanese sauce, finished with some sliced green-onion greens and fragrant seeds or nuts, is extremely satisfying and can take less than 15 minutes to make—faster and much cheaper than
takeout, and less wasteful.

I devised a version of this recipe for a magazine that was running a feature on pantry cooking and wanted me to use ingredients that didn’t require a trip to a specialty shop. For this reason, I used peanut butter instead of the sesame paste that people use in Sichuan—and I think it may have been the most popular recipe I’ve ever written.

The following serves one for a snack or a midnight feast: scale up as required. Top the noodles with a fried egg if you like.

• 2 tsp smooth peanut butter

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1½ tsp Chinkiang vinegar

• 1 tbsp chile oil, with or without chile sediment

• ½ tsp sesame oil or red Sichuan pepper oil

• 4 oz (110g) dried wheat or other noodles

• 1 tbsp finely sliced green-onion greens

• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Place the peanut butter in a small bowl and gradually add 1 tablespoon of water, mashing with the back of a spoon to create a smooth, creamy emulsion. Stir in the soy sauce and vinegar, and then the chile oil (and sediment, if using) and sesame or Sichuan pepper oils.

2. Bring a panful of water to a boil and cook the noodles to your liking. Drain well and place them in a deep bowl. Pour the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the green-onion greens and sesame seeds. Mix everything vigorously together while the noodles are still piping hot.

Jeanine Donofrio was in a cooking rut. She and her husband, Jack, used to come home after work and enjoy lingering in the kitchen as they cooked together: “Dinner was our time to unwind. It was a quiet time at the end of a busy day,” Jeanine tells me in today’s podcast conversation. Back then, she says, “it didn’t matter how long it would take to get a meal on the table.”

Enter kids. Everything became louder, more rushed. Someone had to keep the baby from falling off of something, and someone had to keep the toddler entertained. A strict bedtime schedule cut things short, Jeanine says. “If I took 20 minutes longer to do something, everyone would kind of be off the rocker. And it’s just not enjoyable to cook that way.”

They’d called Jeanine’s website Love and Lemons, but that love of cooking was suddenly hard to access. “It was sort of like a piece of me suddenly was missing,” Jeanine recalls.

“This shift was really hard for me to get used to. And I realized this is most people. Most people don’t have just this endless time in the kitchen.”

Jeanine’s latest book, Love and Lemons: Pop of Flavor, was born out of that challenge. Cooking elaborate meals during the witching hour of 5 p.m. just wasn’t happening, but she found that she could take “five minutes during nap time to make a sauce, a pesto, or a pickle.”

She didn’t need to give up her cravings for flavorful meals—she just needed to lean on sauces and mix-ins that could add saucy richness, heat, herby freshness, tanginess, or crunch to a range of dinners. If she prepped that one flavor booster, then she could “accomplish something more enjoyable for dinner” even when time was tight.

Take, for example, Jeanine’s barbecue tofu bowls with apple ranch slaw.

Inspired by the sandwiches at local barbecue joints, Jeanine adds one last bit of crunch with chopped dill pickles. You can get the recipe if you scroll down—plus a chance to win the book!—but our full conversation is only on the podcast.

Play on Apple Podcasts

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• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of Love and Lemons: Pop of Flavor is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends October 25, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

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Jeanine mentioned:

• Saucy skillet chickpeas with red pepper tahini sauce (IG)

• Green Ranch (IG)

• Creamy zucchini chimichurri (IG)

• Fly by Jing chili crisp

• Seed and Mill tahini

• Store bought harissa

• Capers

• Roasted cauliflower

• Red lentil soup

• Butternut squash soup

• Souper cubes

• Celery root soup with sage salsa verde (IG)

• Pickled red onions

• Eden Grinshpan’s Celery and fennel salad (IG)

• Ottolenghi Test Kitchen’s Butternut squash with pumpkin seed tahini and herby lime drizzle

• Amy Chaplin’s At Home in the Whole Foods Kitchen (Bookshop)

• Ottolenghi Simple (Bookshop)

• Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Shelf Love (Bookshop), especially the Sweet Potato Shakshuka

• Anna Jones cookbooks: A Modern Way to Cook (Bookshop), A Modern Way to Eat (Thrift Books), The Modern Cook’s Year (Bookshop)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Find STAUB enameled cast iron Dutch ovens at Staub.com

• McEvoy Ranch: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off

• Dirty Labs: Use code DINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order

• Made In Cookware: Unlock your discount offer at madein.cc/dinnerplan

Maggie mentioned:

• Melissa Clark’s Pressure Cooker Stock (NYT Cooking)

• The Big Cookbook Recommendation List

BBQ Tofu Bowls with Creamy Apple Ranch Slaw

Reprinted from Love and Lemons: Pop of Flavor by Jeanine Donofrio, with permission from Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2026.

As a vegetarian-ish person who lived in Austin for a long time, I’ve eaten a lot of coleslaw. Here’s how it goes: family comes to town, everyone wants BBQ, and Jeanine eats coleslaw. Two servings for me, please. I’m not mad about it—I actually love coleslaw that much. In fact, it inspired me to make this saucy veg BBQ bowl based on a really fun, flavorful, ranch-forward slaw. The slaw is sweet (thanks to the apples), crunchy, and creamy. It’s delicious with the saucy tofu. Hot sauce and dill pickles take these bowls over the top!

Serves 4 to 6

• 32 ounces high-protein tofu, patted dry and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1 cup store-bought barbecue sauce

• 3 cups cooked rice

• 2 avocados, sliced

• ½ cup chopped dill pickles

• Chopped fresh chives

• Sea salt

• Hot sauce, for serving

Creamy Apple Ranch Slaw

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage

• 1 cup shredded red cabbage

• 1 cup carrot matchsticks

• 1 medium apple, cut into thin matchsticks

• ¼ cup chopped fresh chives

• ¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon dried dill

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the tofu on a plate and brush with some of the BBQ sauce, flipping to coat all sides. Arrange evenly on the baking sheet.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Flip, brush with more BBQ sauce, and bake for 5 minutes, or until well browned.

4. Meanwhile, make the creamy apple ranch slaw: In a large bowl, toss together the green and red cabbage, carrots, apple, and chives. Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, dried dill, and salt. Toss until well coated. Season to taste and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

5. Remove the tofu from the oven and brush with more BBQ sauce. Assemble bowls with the rice, BBQ tofu, slaw, avocado, pickles, and chives. Season to taste with salt and serve with hot sauce.

New around here? Welcome!

Each week I interview a cookbook author or two on The Dinner Plan podcast; you get a recipe from their latest book and lots of cookbook recommendations here in this newsletter.

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If you daydream about living on a beautiful farm, of Preppy Kitchen’s life looks pretty good. There are home-grown pears and apples to pick (if the bear doesn’t get them first.)

Those apples might go into flaky hand pies or gooey caramel apple monkey bread, which I definitely covet. But sometimes it feels like the scenes of John happily baking with his two nine-year-old boys are the most aspirational part of it all.

In today’s episode of The Dinner Plan podcast, I asked the former middle school teacher for his tips for easier baking with kids—and reasons it’s worth the effort. (Even if you have to deal with spills.)

“When kids make something that is a little bit complex,” John says, “They’re so proud to share that, especially with their friends.” When his son Lachlan makes chocolate cupcakes for a party, John says, “he is over-the-moon excited, just beaming with pride to share, like, ‘I made these. How do they taste?’ It’s so nice for kids to have that ownership.”

I’ll be keeping that in mind as I get my daughter’s “help” mixing up the buttermilk dinner rolls from John’s new book, Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking.

These rolls can be frozen after baking—just spritz with water and cover with foil before rewarming in the oven—or you can freeze the dough then bake within a month.

John keeps a batch stashed away in order to make a weeknight dinner of leftovers feel more exciting.

Scroll down for the recipe; the whole conversation is only on the podcast.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

• We’ve got a copy of Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking to give away. The easiest way to enter is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can enter the book giveaway by sending in a voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Tell us what’s in your fridge and think of it as a “stump the cook” kind of challenge. Follow the instructions here by end of day Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends October 21, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

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John mentioned:

• Air fryer

• Bourbon chicken

• Orange chicken

• Penne alla vodka

• Pasta salad

• Cream cheese stuffed salmon from Preppy Kitchen Super Easy (YouTube)

• Waffles

• John’s classic pie crust

• Browned butter

• Kitchen scale

• Peanut butter cookies from Everyday Baking (similar from Preppy Kitchen’s website)

• Cinnamon swirl pumpkin muffins from Everyday Baking (YouTube)

• Devil’s Food Cake

• German Chocolate Cake from Everyday Baking (similar)

• German chocolate brownies from Everyday Baking (YouTube)

• Conchas (YouTube)

• Easy sandwich bread from Everyday Baking (similar on YouTube and Preppy Kitchen’s website)

• Pizza crust from Everyday Baking (similar)

• Quiche

• French silk pie from Everyday Baking (similar on YouTube and Preppy Kitchen’s website)

• Brownies

• Vanilla cupcakes

• Chocolate cupcakes

• Chocolate chip cookies

• Sticky buns

• Time-Life Good Cook series, Classic Desserts: The Good Cook, Techniques & Recipes (Thriftbooks)

• Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Bookshop)

• Julia Child’s The French Chef’s Cookbook (Bookshop)

• Julia Child’s The Way to Cook (Thriftbooks)

Discounts from our sponsors:

• Lotus Professional Series: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off.

• CookShelf: Use code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first year.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Nectar & Nest: Find reusable bread bags at NectarAndNestHome.com

• Nordic Ware: Use code DINNER10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase.1

Maggie mentioned:

• Sara Tane’s Pepperoncini Caesar

• Cocoa Brownies (Epicurious)

• The Dinner Plan’s big list of cookbook recommendations

Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

Excerpted from Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking: Because It’s Always Time for Dessert. Copyright © 2026, John Kanell. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

Dinner rolls are the easiest way to elevate any meal; but the addition of buttermilk makes these even more pillowy with a pleasant tang. Serve them golden and warm out of the oven, maybe even brushed with garlic herb butter (details under the recipe) for a colorful and flavorful twist.

Makes 15 rolls

• ¼ cup (60ml) warm whole milk or water (100°F to 110°F)

• 1 (0.25-ounce/7g) packet active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

• 4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting

• 1 cup (240ml) slightly warm low-fat or whole buttermilk (85°F to 90°F; see tip above)

• 7 tablespoons (almost 1 stick/98g) unsalted butter, melted, divided

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

• Baking spray or soft butter, for the baking dish

• Flaky sea salt (optional)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the milk or water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until the yeast is very foamy.

2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 ¾ cups (210g) of the flour, the low-fat buttermilk, 5 tablespoons (70g) of the butter, the egg, and fine sea salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or just until combined. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the bowl and paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook.

3. Add 2 more cups (240g) of flour to the bowl and mix on low for about 1 minute, or until the flour is fully incorporated. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. When it’s ready, the dough should feel very moist and tacky but shouldn’t stick to your fingers when pressed. (If the dough is still too wet or sticking to the sides of the bowl at this point, add the remaining ¼ cup (30g) flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, and mix on medium-low for about 30 seconds between each addition.)

4. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place (about 75°F) to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size.

5. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish with baking spray.

6. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a very lightly floured surface. Divide into fifteen equal pieces (about 60g each). Keep the floured side of each dough piece on the countertop and cover the pieces loosely with a piece of plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (this keeps them moist as you shape each piece).

7. Working with one piece at a time, pinch the corners of each piece together at the center (keeping the floured side of the dough on the outside), then flip it over to place the pinched side on a clean (not floured) surface. Cup your hand over the ball and move it in a tight circular motion to shape each roll. This will pull the edges in, creating a tight ball and smooth roll.

8. Evenly space the dough balls in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until the rolls are touching one another and visibly puffed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

9. After 20 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

10. Once the rolls have risen, uncover the pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until they are very puffed, the tops are golden brown, and an instant read thermometer registers at least 180°F when inserted into one of the center rolls.

11. Right when they are out of the oven, brush the hot rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. Let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

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“So much of what there is to cooking,” says Mark Bittman, “is experience. And when you start, you’re not going to be as good as you’re going to be 10 years from now.”

Even though the famed author of How to Cook Everything claims he’s not “particularly talented” as a cook, after more than 50 years, he sees the benefit of sticking with it.

“If you were studying Italian for 50 years, you’d be pretty good at it by now, or French horn, or anything else that you stuck with,” Mark says in today’s podcast conversation. “And that’s what it’s about. You have the opportunity to do this thing every day for an hour. I mean, sometimes more, sometimes less. But if you did it three times a week for a year, the difference would be miraculous.”

These days, Mark delights in little kitchen experiments. Last night’s dinner was a chicken roasted on top of dozens of just-picked apples and pears, which made “a mush that’s so delicious,” he says, “unbelievable.”

For his new book, How to Cook Everything Vegan, Bittman played around with super-slow roasted silken tofu, and watched what happens if you let whole grains cook until they explode.

It might sound familiar if you’ve ever made risotto: “If you cook rice long enough,” he says, it “retains some texture, but it also makes its own sauce” from the starch that’s released from the grains. That starch proves useful in a few applications:

Get the recipe for Mark’s crispy sheet-pan exploded grains below, but be sure to download the episode for the full conversation.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of Mark Bittman’s latest book, How to Cook Everything Vegan, is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, October 18, 2026. Your support helps us keep the recipes and episodes coming.

  Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge and pantry right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. We’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, October 18, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends October 18, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

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Mark mentioned:

• Mark’s roast chicken method (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Mark Bittman’s VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6 (Bookshop)

• 5 Delicious Ways to Eat Oatmeal (Today.com)

• Tofu scramble (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Pressure cooker

• Homemade tahini and tahini sauce (The Bittman Project)

• Risotto, five ways (The Bittman Project)

• Rice pudding (reprinted on Serious Eats)

• Pimentón

• Cardamom

• Red beans and rice (The Bittman Project)

• Kerri Conan’s Will it waffle? exercise (The Bittman Project)

• Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book (Bookshop)

• Jane Grigson’s English Food (Thrift Books)

• Elizabeth David’s Italian Food (Bookshop)

• Claudia Roden’s The New Book of Middle Eastern Food (Bookshop)

• James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking (Bookshop)

Check out our sponsors:

• Lotus Professional Series: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off.

• Equator Coffees: Use code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first order.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Find Just Date at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Kroger or online.

Maggie mentioned:

• Rice and beans from Omi Hopper’s Cooking Con Omi (Bookshop)

• The Dinner Plan’s Cookbook Recommendations List

Crisp Sheet-Pan Exploded Whole Grains

Excerpted from How to Cook Everything Vegan, provided courtesy of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2026 by Mark Bittman. Reprinted by permission.

Overcooking whole grains so they burst and release their starch is called “exploding.” The kernels fluff and stick together like mashed potatoes—a new side dish spin—and can be shaped into sheets, patties, or cups without eggs or other ingredients to bind them.

Here’s a recipe that uses exploded grains three different ways: in a pan, shaped into patties, and molded into cups.

Serves 4 to 6

Time: 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the grain

• 1½ cups small or cracked whole grains (see “Make Different” below)

• Salt and pepper, ground chile, or other ground spices (spice optional)

• 4 tablespoons oil for cooking

1. Rinse the grains in a fine-meshed strainer and put them in a 3-quart pot with a big pinch salt. Add enough water to cover by about 1½ inches. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. While the grains cook, heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the paper with 2 tablespoons of the oil.

2. Cook the grains, stirring occasionally, until they’re very tender and have burst open. Add water as needed to keep the grains completely wet; the extra liquid and stirring help release the starch to make the grains sticky. Exploding the grains this way will take 10 to 15 minutes longer than you would normally cook them. (Figure 30 minutes to over 1 hour, depending on the grain.)

3. When the grains are starchy, thick, and fluffy like mashed potatoes, remove the pot from the heat. Taste and add salt, and sprinkle with about a teaspoon pepper, if you like; stir again. Use a dinner fork to spread the grains onto the oiled paper, pressing them into a single layer or “crust” about ½ inch thick.

4. Brush or drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the surface. Bake the grains until crisp and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. If you like, cut the crust into squares or triangles while still warm, or wait to break it apart at the table. Serve as is or topped with something.

Variations

Crisp Sheet-Pan Exploded Rice or Grain Patties ➜ Follow Steps 1 and 2 in the main recipe. After removing from the heat in Step 3, let the grains cool enough to handle. Get a bowl of water handy; dip your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Shape the grains into as many cakes as you want, each about 1 inch thick. As you work, put them on the prepared pan. Brush or drizzle them with the remaining oil, plus more as needed. Bake until they brown on the bottom and release easily from the pan, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn and sprinkle with a spice blend like chili powder or curry powder, or seasoned salt. Then bake on the other side until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Crisp Exploded Rice or Grain Cups ➜ Instead of preparing the pan in Step 1, use as much oil as you need to generously grease 6 or 8 cups of a muffin tin (or up to twice as many cups of a mini muffin pan, depending on the size). Press the grains into the cups so that they create a crust on the bottom and come up the sides, about ½ inch thick. Brush a little oil inside the cups for extra crispness, if you like, and bake as described in the main recipe.

Sweet and Crisp Exploded Grain Sheet, Cakes, or Cups ➜ For dessert, top or fill with Chocolate Pudding, No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream, or plant-based cream and roasted fruit. Only use ½ teaspoon salt in Step 1, then follow the recipe until the grains are cooked in Step 3. Instead of adding more salt or seasonings, stir in ¼ cup turbinado or other raw sugar. (It’s okay if it doesn’t totally dissolve.) Then shape and bake as described in the main recipe or the previous variations.

I love browsing a cookbook and puttering around the kitchen on a Saturday, but I’ll be honest: September flattened me, and October isn’t looking much better.

I need some reminders on systems, shortcuts, and ingredients that’ll actually make getting dinner on the table easier.

So that’s what we’re talking about in this edition of Good Advice. Below, 15 cooking pros share the one thing that really makes a difference for them, whether it’s a small appliance, a way of thinking about your meals, or something they’re stashing in the freezer.

As cookbook author Katie Marshall says below, it’s about being “savvy about where you want to expend your culinary energy.”

I’d love if you’d add your tips to the comments, too.

If you shop through the affiliate links in this newsletter, you’re helping to keep The Dinner Plan going—thank you!

1. If it can’t go in the dishwasher, don’t bother using it

“It has taken me years to admit—and then fully accept—that I can only deal with dishwasher-safe equipment. Not that I never handwash. I do. All the freaking time. For plastic and melamine kid stuff; for various coffee-making knick-knacks. But for the pots, pans, and tools I use daily to get food on the table for my family? Dishwasher only.

That means I mostly use the newfangled plant-based cutting boards from Material and Zwilling. I choose my dishwasher-safe enameled cast iron instead of going with the uncoated cast-iron skillet, and tend to use steel over nonstick pans. I don’t spend huge money on my knives, since I put those in the dishwasher too (sorry, chefs!). In short, the way I’ve made my cooking life easier is by making it easier to clean up.”
— ()

2. Divide your ground meat before freezing

“I buy ground meat in bulk, divide it into the amounts I typically cook, then flatten each portion before vacuum sealing and freezing it. The flat packs stack neatly, take up less freezer space and thaw much faster in the fridge than a thick block. I also always choose vacuum sealing over freezer bags because removing the air helps prevent freezer burn and keeps the meat in better condition for longer.”
—Jess Pryles, author of Prime Cuts

3. Just get a rice cooker already

“I’ve been harping on and on about this since the beginning of Uncle Roger. But it seems like people in the Western world are still adamant on cooking rice on a stove. Let’s just go through the objections I’ve heard over the years:

• “It’s a single-purpose appliance!” No, it’s not. A rice cooker can make so many things: rice, oatmeal, congee, basically all grains and porridge. It can also make complete one pot meals with meat, veg and rice in the same container, or it can be used to steam things, or even some baking (I’ve made banana bread in a rice cooker before).

• “Oh, making rice on a stovetop is faster.” Sure, the stovetop takes 12 minutes, whereas a rice cooker on a quick setting will take at least 25. But that 12 minutes is 12 minutes where you have to baby the pot. Bring the water to a boil, and then you have to bring it down to a simmer, and you need to constantly check to see if the water has been fully absorbed. Leave it going a few minutes longer and it’s burned. A few minutes too little and it’s soggy. Using a rice cooker, it’s a press it and forget it situation. White rice, brown rice, long grain, sushi rice: everything gets cooked correctly. Even better, you can start a rice cooker in the morning, and once it’s done, it keeps it warm the whole day without degrading the texture, which means you can have rice for every meal of the day.

• “I don’t have space on my countertop.” If you have limited counter space, you probably also have limited space on your range. So why waste a whole burner dedicated to cooking rice? I’d say space on your stove is way more precious than space on your counter. So get rid of your bulky blender, or your toaster, or your SodaStream, or your air fryer , nd just proudly display your rice cooker. I guarantee you’ll be using it more. Or put it away in a cupboard and only retrieve it when you need to make rice.”
  —Nigel Ng, a.k.a. Uncle Roger, author of Don’t Mess Up Your Rice

4. Grab some frozen garlic

“Peeling and chopping garlic is hardly my preferred cooking task, but you’ll never catch me scooping wet, pre-minced stuff from a jar. No matter how convenient it is, the added citric acid always ensures it tastes more like the jar than garlic to me. Then about 5 years ago, I discovered crushed frozen garlic that comes in cubes that you pop out as needed. There are no preservatives added, and they save a bunch of time, especially when I’m making sauces, soups, or stews that need a generous hit of garlic.”
— (), author of The Dessert Table and Portico

5. Use the microwave for more than reheating

“Most people use microwaves to reheat leftovers or to prepare processed meals, but in reality, they can help you do so much more. Microwaves work by rapidly vibrating the molecules in your food to create heat. Most food you microwave has an abundance of water which turns to steam. We can use that to our advantage when preparing things like vegetables that usually take a long time to cook.

Take mushrooms, for example. If you’ve ever tried getting a nice sear on some baby portabellas, you know how long this process can take on the stovetop or in the oven. That’s because mushrooms, like most vegetables, have an abundance of water in them, and water is bad for browning. One of the shortcuts I love to use is popping a bowl of baby portabellas into the microwave. Cook them uncovered for 2 minutes, and you’ll come back to mushrooms that have released a lot of their liquid and can be finished in a hot pan much more quickly. (The leftover mushroom liquid in the bowl can be used to flavor soups and sauces.)”
—Jack Zhang and Emmy Zhang of Cooking for Levi, authors of Weeknight Winners, Family Dinners

6. Make enough dal for a plot twist tomorrow

“I almost never make just enough dal for one dinner. I make a hefty pot, because tomorrow’s leftovers usually become something very different! This is one of my favourite ways to make cooking from scratch feel easier. Here are some of the things I like to do:

1. When the dal is nice and thick, spread it into a grilled cheese sandwich with plenty of mature Cheddar, some sliced green chilli or red onions, then toast until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted. The dal becomes a very welcome spicy, savoury filling.

2. Turn it into a dal burrito: Warm a tortilla and layer in hot, thick dal with rice, grated cheese, fresh coriander, salsa or chopped tomato, avocado and a little lime juice.

3. Add frozen mixed veg and turn it into a hearty new dal: Loosen it with water, add fresh ginger, garlic, chilli and lemon, then finish with a sizzling tadka of cumin, mustard seeds and dried chillies.

4. Make khichdi: Stir leftover dal with rinsed basmati rice, turmeric, ginger and whatever vegetables need using up, then simmer until soft and velvety, like a risotto but with more spicy rocket fuel. Finish with ghee and mango pickle.

5. Make dal paratha: reduce the dal until really thick, mix with chopped cilantro and allow to cool. Then use it as a filling for stuffed paratha. Serve with yoghurt and lemon pickle.

6. Pair it with gnocchi! There’s a Gnocchi in Tomato Dal recipe in Modern Masala. Unexpected remixes are some of my favourites.

Dal is one of those rare foods that actually seems to improve overnight, as all those spices settle into each other. So I’d much rather cook one generous pot of something versatile and give myself the freedom to remix it tomorrow, rather than start from scratch every evening.”
—Sanjana Modha, author of Modern Masala

7. Make just two things to get ahead for busy days: breakfast and a marinade

“I’m not someone who wants to meal prep every single meal for the week, but I love prepping the things that actually make busy days much easier. I’ll make the breakfast sandwiches or egg bites from my cookbook and keep them ready in the fridge or freezer, and I’ll prep a simple marinade for chicken or salmon so dinner is basically ready to go. It takes a little time up front, but during the week it means I can still make something homemade without starting from zero every time!”
— (), author of Everything Delish

8. Plan dinners for the ENTIRE month in one sitting

“I’ve been doing this system for almost a year now, so I feel like I can safely say I’ve nailed it. Weekly meal planning is the advice everyone gives, and it’s why everyone quits: you’re re-doing the hardest part of cooking—the decisions—52 times a year.

I do it 12. At the start of each month I sit down with a binder of Post-its, one dinner we love on each note, sorted by protein. I pull 16 (four a week, not seven, because leftovers, takeout, and random cravings will happen) and stick them on the fridge as the month’s dinner bank.

The same day (okay, sometimes the next day), I do one huge shop: usually Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Fred Meyer (PNW Kroger). I get everything we need for the month that’s pantry/frozen, or is good in the fridge for the full month. That night we eat Costco deli, because I’ve done enough for the day.

It makes every week feel like no big deal. I just grab 4 Post-its from the month’s bank, buy perishable ingredients, and we’re good to go. It’s a big day of work, but it’s one day, and then I get 29 evenings where dinner was already decided by past Chelsea.”
— (), author of A Guide to the Kitchen Quadrant: The Unofficial Fourth Wing Cookbook

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9. One batch of roasted poblanos, many meals

“While it may not be traditional, this method is very helpful. I pre-roast poblano peppers and then freeze them. As soon as I get them from the store, I wash them, place them on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. I then pop them in the oven (sometimes in the air fryer) until they are completely charred. Afterward, I let them cool, peel them a bit, and store them in resealable bags in the freezer. This way, when I want to make a recipe that calls for poblanos, I have them ready to use. I’ll thaw them and use them whole in a poblano crema for pasta or for drizzling over roasted veggies. I’ll use sliced thawed poblanos in rajas con crema for tacos or rice with poblano and corn, or dice them for soups like Caldo Sonorense.”
— (), author of Comemos: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

10. Frozen shelled edamame can turn anything into dinner

“Keeping frozen shelled edamame on hand instantly takes the stress out of ‘how do I turn this into a meal?’ or ‘but we don’t have anything green to serve with dinner.’ Just tofu and rice feels a little sad; tofu, rice, and steamed and salted edamame suddenly looks like a protein and fiber-packed grain bowl. Peanutty soba noodles are delicious but very brown. Add some edamame and they’re instantly restaurant-worthy. Edamame is even good alongside a fried egg with some soy sauce and sriracha, taking a few simple components and transforming them into a complete dinner. Making it happen is as simple as cooking the edamame in the microwave or on the stovetop and seasoning with a little salt.”
—, author of Protein-Packed Vegetarian

11. Keep desserts stress-free

“To eliminate the stress when it comes to entertaining and the dessert course, we offer our guests an unadorned spread of the ripest, peak-season fruit we can find and serve it with tea or a digestif. It’s actually very traditional in Korean culture to serve cut fruit at the end of the meal, and it’s what we grew up seeing and eating at home whether we were eating with family or entertaining guests. Fresh fruit—think slices of stone fruit, pear, citrus, a pile of grapes, or figs—is perfect for cleansing the palate, and usually satisfies the craving for something a little sweet at the end of the night. It can also look very chic served on a beautiful dish, perhaps garnished with a few fresh leaves as they do at Chez Panisse.”
—Clara Lee and Eddo Kim (Queens), authors of Korean Soups

12. Never leave Trader Joe’s without frozen rice

“Freezer rice is my best kept secret to getting dinner on the table in 15 minutes. If I can cook a pound of ground meat in 10 minutes, and microwave a bag of rice in 5, I don’t have to spend 35 hangry minutes scrolling a delivery app trying to decide what might arrive in the next hour. It’s also something I reach for when I drop off a meal for friends. If you’ve ever stood in front of the fridge and thought ‘there’s nothing to make for dinner,’ I can promise you that a can of beans, a jar of salsa, and a bag of freezer rice will change your mind. PS: If you don’t want to buy it, you can make it. Cooking a big batch of rice takes the same amount of time as a small batch of rice, and I’m pretty sure you know how to freeze stuff!”
—, author of Let’s Eat In

13. Let the rotisserie chicken do the hard part

“One of my favorite shortcuts is buying a rotisserie chicken and letting it do the heavy lifting. It’s affordable, already seasoned and cooked, and you can shred it straight into game-day dips and chicken noodle soup without having to prep and cook raw chicken first.

And don’t throw away the carcass! I freeze mine and use it later to make homemade chicken broth. You’re basically getting multiple meals—and your next batch of broth—out of one grocery-store shortcut, with way less work.”
— (), author of Today We Are Cooking…

14. Get the prep done, restaurant-style

“I try to treat my home kitchen like a restaurant kitchen. I plan what I’m making for the week, shop early, wash and prep my produce as soon as I get home, and store everything in labeled deli containers. I’ll even process a big batch of fresh peeled garlic so it’s ready when I need it. Most importantly, I try to have my mise en place done before I start cooking. Having everything prepped and within reach makes dinner so much faster and less chaotic.”
—, author of Cuban Soul

15. Remind yourself: There’s no shame in shortcuts

“We might all aspire to make things from scratch and build our meals from the bottom up, but working weeks are hard enough. Be savvy about where you want to expend your culinary energy. Whip up a quick ragu by pan-frying sausages and breaking up the meat, then adding a jar of sauce. The meal is more or less homemade and super flavoursome, but ready in 10. Buy a pre-cooked chicken then make an easy Caesar dressing in the Nutribullet and toss it through with lots of green salad, and you’ve got the best of both worlds. It’s cooking smart, not cooking lazy—and there can be less washing up, too.”
—Katie Marshall, author of Foolproof Festive and Foolproof Batch Cooking

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I’ve been making Kay Chun’s recipes for years and years—her byline pops up frequently in The New York Times food section, as well as in the archives of Food + Wine, Gourmet, and Bon Appétit.

But even so, I’m not sure I was prepared for how much I love Kay’s new cookbook, Gather Around My Table. I immediately made her take on the gilda—the pintxo that usually includes olives, anchovies, and piparra peppers. Kay swaps the anchovy for rice-flour crusted fried calamari, and the tangy-crunchy dish is a really fun way to kick off a dinner party.

In the latest episode of The Dinner Plan, Kay treats us to a whole week’s meal plan, sharing how she pieces together a series of recipes from the book to make dinners that feel varied but still build off of one another.

Kay’s meatballs are just the kind of thing I like to make on the weekend with an eye toward an easier Monday. She mixes both ricotta and tofu with the pork: “I took inspiration from my grandmother,” she tells me, “who would put tofu in dumpling filling, which really essentially is a meatball.” The tofu addition, Kay says, gives you a juicier meatball that happens to be “a little bit more healthful, if you’re into that.”

Kay’s sauce is modelled after her mother’s recipe: “My mom used to make homemade marinara, like, every week. And so, it’s just a habit that I’ve gotten into.”

She slides in half an onion “for subtle onion flavor. But I don’t want onion chunks in the sauce.” Plus one more thing: a piece of kelp.

Once the sauce is ready, she’ll take the onion and kelp out. That tidbit is “my favorite thing to eat,” she says. “It’s like my prize at the end of the sauce making.”

Scroll down for the recipes, but be sure to tune in for more dinner ideas from Kay.

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• Want to win a copy of Gather Around My Table? The simplest way to enter this week’s cookbook giveaway is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Wednesday, October 14 2026.

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• Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. We’ll come up with a dinner idea for you based on what you have around right now. Follow the instructions here by end of day Wednesday, October 14 2026.

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Kay mentioned:

• Watch Kay make dumplings on YouTube or TikTok

• Peperoncini

• Pickled jalapeños

• Tomato paste

• Yuzu kosho (red and green)

• Cabbage and potato ribollita in the book; for another, here’s Kay’s Spring Cleaning Ribollita (NYT Cooking; gift link)

• Susan Spungen’s Tres leches with meringue

• Ottolenghi on Instagram / on Substack

• Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday (Bookshop)

• Canal House Cooking: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 (Complete set of these volumes on Bookshop)

• Kylie Kwong’s Simple Chinese Cooking (Bookshop)

• Kylie Kwong: Recipes and Stories (Thrift Books)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Kuhn Rikon: Use code DINNER26 for 25% off at KuhnRikon.com (does not apply to items on sale)

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• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Chronicle Books: East to East by Rachel Gurjar is available on Amazon and wherever you buy books.

Maggie mentioned:

• Molly Baz’s Spicy pistachio crackle (IG video); recipe on Molly’s website (subscription required)

• The Dinner Plan’s big list of cookbook recommendations

All-Purpose Marinara Sauce

From Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry. © 2026 by Kay Chun. Excerpted with permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

My marinara includes a chunk of sweet onion and a piece of kelp for natural sugar, salt, and savory qualities that deepen the flavor of the sauce without changing its texture (I prefer a smooth marinara over chunky). It is ready in under an hour, and easily doubled in case you want to stash some in your freezer.

Makes about 5 cups

• Two 28-ounce cans whole San Marzano tomatoes

• ¼ cup extra- virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• ½ sweet onion (such as Vidalia), peeled

• 6-inch piece kelp (dashima or kombu)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• A few fresh basil sprigs

1. In a food processor, purée the tomatoes and their juices until smooth.

2. In a large Dutch oven, combine the oil, garlic, and oregano and warm over medium- low heat. Once the mixture starts to sizzle, cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add the puréed tomatoes, the onion, and the kelp, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Bring to a simmer.

3. Partially cover and reduce the heat to medium- low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil, and let stand for 15 minutes to allow the basil to infuse the sauce. Remove the onion and kelp and reserve for later use (chop them up for soup), or discard. Season with salt. Use the sauce right away, or cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Italian Pork Meatballs With Tofu and Ricotta

From Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry. © 2026 by Kay Chun. Excerpted with permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

My grandmother always crumbled tofu into her dumpling filling for added moisture and texture, so I figured it would work just as well in meatballs. The tofu keeps these classic Italian- style meatballs juicy while also stretching the meat with extra (and leaner) protein. Simply roasted here, they’re also terrific simmered in marinara like they are in the Korean Sunday Sauce (page 214). I prefer the flavor of pork in these meatballs, but beef and chicken are good alternatives. They can be made a few hours ahead and kept refrigerated until you’re ready to cook them.

Makes 12

• 1 large egg

• ⅓ cup whole-milk ricotta

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• ¼ cup panko bread crumbs

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 ounces firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and finely crumbled

• 12 ounces ground pork

• 1 tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil

• Warm All-Purpose Marinara Sauce (see above) or store-bought marinara, for serving

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, oregano, and pepper and mix until well blended. Add the tofu and mix until well incorporated, then add the pork and gently mix just until combined. Form into 12 equal balls about 2 inches in diameter (a 2-ounce ice cream scoop is helpful here).

2. Heat the oven to 350°F. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the meatballs are golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.

3. Serve with warm marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

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When you’re getting overly familiar with the last-minute dinner scramble, and you’re tired of staring blankly at the fridge after a long day, it’s tempting to swing too far in the opposite direction.

What if I became the kind of person who maps out the whole week, you ask yourself. What if I became the kind of person who spends the weekend prepping a tower of meals, ready to go in clear containers?

Maybe you’ve tried. And maybe it worked for you. But often, it’s too drastic a change.

“You know, one night you may be craving a pizza,” Leah Victoria says on today’s podcast episode of The Dinner Plan podcast. But “you prepped 47 meals. Now you feel obligated to eat them. I don’t want to feel obligated to eat it,” she says. “I want to enjoy what I’m cooking and what I’m eating.”

Leah, who is known as Leah’s Cucina on social media, recommends a sort of middle ground. “For me, meal prep has to leave a little room for real life, too. You know, it has to work for my lifestyle. I can’t be living just for the meal prep, and I don’t necessarily know on a Sunday what I’m going to want on a Wednesday.”

Too often, she explains, people trying to do meal prep “put a lot of pressure on themselves to make it like this whole production.”

Leah’s new book, And That’s Dinner!, offers building blocks like shredded chicken and cooked lentils that can transform into a wide range of meals, but in our conversation, she stresses that you can ease your dinner routine—and make it more delicious—by prepping a few things that aren’t protein, too.

That could mean a vinaigrette to use in salads and as a marinade, or some gently-cooked garlic. It could mean pickling some onions: Leah uses those right out of the jar as a garnish, but also sometimes sautés them before piling them onto a pork chop.

The roast peppers (recipe below) could get tossed into a bean salad or pasta dish, or layered into a sandwich, but they’re also great in an omelet or frittata. “It’s the little things that you’re cooking now when you have the time that will boost the flavor in your meal, say, three, four days from now,” Leah explains.

Leah shares a kitchen disaster that left her in tears (relatable), and a lot of helpful reminders for all of us who are trying to make dinner times a bit less frenzied.

We also get into her go-to low-stress snacks for whenever family or friends come over, and a few smart ways to stretch leftover cold cuts, meatballs, and spaghetti. Scroll down to get Leah’s flexible spaghetti pie recipe, but be sure to download the episode first so you can listen while you cook.

Listen on Apple

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• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of And That’s Dinner! is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, October 11, 2026.

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• Free subscribers can enter this cookbook giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. It’s fun! We’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, October 11, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends Sunday October 11, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

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Leah mentioned:

• Braised country ribs in tomato sauce (TikTok)

• Meatballs (TikTok)

• Chicken stock (TikTok)

• Meatball stew (TikTok)

• Canned clams

• Clam sauce (TikTok)

• Giardiniera

• Pepperoncini

• Pasta salad with giardinara (TikTok)

• Chicken salad (TikTok)

• Lentil and eggplant meatballs (TikTok)

• Lentil cheeseburgers (TikTok)

• Garlic mashed potatoes (TikTok)

• Vinaigrette (TikTok)

• Confit garlic (TikTok)

• Marinated red onions (TikTok)

• Caramelized onions (TikTok)

• Antipasto salad (TikTok)

• Tortellini salad (TikTok)

• Pizza rustica part 1 and part 2 (TikTok)

• Bolognese (TikTok)

• Arancini (TikTok)

• Leftover fried rice (TikTok)

• Long handled slotted spoon for arancini (TikTok)

• Tomato soup (TikTok)

• Italian-American seafood salad (TikTok)

• Zucchini pie (TikTok)

• Prosciutto and fontina chicken rollatini (TikTok)

• Fridge cleanout chicken soup (TikTok)

• Artichoke casserole (TikTok)

• Ayesha Nurdjaja’s Mediterranean All the Way (Bookshop)

• Hailee Catalano’s By Heart (Bookshop)

• Karissa Stevens (IG) (TikTok)

• Serena Neel (IG) (TikTok)

• Meredith Hayden’s The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook (Bookshop)

• Carolina Gelen’s Pass the Plate (Bookshop)

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• Lotus: Use use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off and free shipping on The Perfectionist™ Countertop Oven, The Top Drip™ Coffee Maker, The Two-Slice™ Toaster, and more.

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• Dirty Labs: Use code DINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Liza Peterson’s Crunchy buffalo chicken slaw wrap (IG)

• Mustard mashed potatoes from Erin French’s The Lost Kitchen Volume 3: Seize the Supper (Bookshop)

Sweet and Sour Roasted Peppers

Reprinted with permission from And That’s Dinner! by Leah Victoria, Copyright © 2026 by Leah Victoria. Published by DK, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

This sweet and savory condiment is very popular in my house—especially in the summer with those gorgeous garden peppers. I normally use red bell peppers here, but any color can work. This Sicilian-style pepper dish works great as an appetizer but can also be used to flavor stews, to top pizza, or even as a base for a froscia! I love to make a big batch of these because of how useful they can be.

I recommend making this at least 4 hours before you want to enjoy it. The longer it marinates the better it is. Take out of the fridge at least a half hour before you want to enjoy; stir to incorporate the oil.

Serves 8

Prep: 10 minutes (plus 4 hours to marinate)
Cook: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total: 5 hours 15 minutes

• 3 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) strips (about 4 cups)

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• ¼ cup pine nuts

• 2 tablespoons raisins

• 1 tablespoon chopped

• Parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. In an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) baking dish, add the bell peppers, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

3. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Once they are done, reserve 1 tablespoon of oil and remove and discard the garlic.

4. Add the red wine vinegar to the peppers. Stir. Set aside.

5. Transfer the reserved oil to a small skillet. Add the pine nuts and toast for 3 to 5 minutes.

6. Transfer the toasted pine nuts to the pepper mixture.

7. Add the raisins and parsley. Toss.

Spaghetti Pie

Reprinted with permission from And That’s Dinner! by Leah Victoria, Copyright © 2026 by Leah Victoria. Published by DK, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

I can’t be the only one who makes way too much spaghetti when cooking dinner. Maybe subconsciously I know we can always just make a delicious spaghetti pie. I mean, those crispy bits are life-changing. Plus, it’s a great way to use up leftovers!

Serves 4 to 6

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes (plus 20 minutes resting time)

Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

• 2 tablespoons extra -virgin olive oil, divided

• 2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs, divided

• ½ pound (227 g) cooked spaghetti

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoons ricotta

• 2 tablespoons grated

• Pecorino Romano

• ½ cup shredded mozzarella

• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush an 11-inch (28 cm) springform pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

2. Spread 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs evenly on the bottom and sides of the pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix the cooked pasta, eggs, ricotta, Pecorino Romano, mozzarella, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the pie with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and breadcrumbs.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before you try releasing it from the pan. You could serve this hot, room temperature, or even just cold from the fridge. Trust me, you’ll never throw out your leftover spaghetti again.

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Yotam Ottolenghi has friends coming over for dinner the day we chat, and he’s running through the menu in his mind.

“When you have people coming over that you don’t see very often,” the famed cookbook author tells me, “and when the group grows from four to six to eight to 10, it becomes a bit more challenging, because you are there to impress.”

“There you go,” he pauses. “I put it out there. I said it. You want to impress the people that come over.”

At a dinner party, “you’re slightly on show, and you want it to be perfect. And I think,” Yotam continues, “as cleverer people than I have said, perfect is the enemy of good, right? Perfect is something that is actually quite counterproductive.”

The idea that , who is known for bestselling books like Plenty, Jerusalem (with ), Flavor (with ), and Extra Good Things (with ), among others, feels even a twinge of nervousness before a dinner party catches me by surprise, but it’s worth remembering that all of us are working on ways to lower the stress of hosting.

Yotam’s number one rule for himself when people come over: “I don’t cook anything that I haven’t cooked before,” even if the recipe looks intuitive. “Why add that level of anxiety?” he asks.

So he’s serving a chickpea dish that he doesn’t have to babysit as it simmers with green olives and slices of orange, alongside a pan of thinly sliced zucchini that’ll confit low and slow with garlic.

Then he’ll do five minutes of prep on some chicken thighs; they’re mixed with plain yogurt and za’atar and seasoned with salt before roasting. That’s it: the ingredient list is just those things, plus a little olive oil and lemon wedges for serving. That’s the kind of recipe you’ll find in Simple Too, the latest Ottolenghi cookbook, written with Verena Lochmuller.

Simple Too on Bookshop

In this followup to Simple, which published in 2018, “I’ve allowed myself for Simple to be even more simple,” Yotam tells me. The book aims “to reduce the number of processes” in the recipes, to lean on store-bought pantry staples to boost flavor, and to rely on hands-off techniques that leave you to go about your day (or have a drink with the friends you invited over.)

Instead of asking you to fry and layer thin slices of eggplant, for example, Simple Too plays with “the parmigiana vibe,” in a lower-lift dish. You leave the skin on wedges of butternut squash, roast them until nicely tender, then pour in a no-cook tomato sauce:

The full recipe is below—along with the recipe for chicken meatballs that simmer with orzo in a savory-sweet herby green sauce that evokes Persian flavors. All the chopping happens in the food processor, and the dish can be made over the weekend for an easy but flavorful Monday meal.

“For the longest time, when people thought about cooking,” Yotam tells me, they thought “I’m going to have 14 ingredients in front of me and I’m going to cook a little sauce and then I’m going to add, and I’m going to poach.”

He says, “I love cooking like that, but I don’t always have the time or the energy to cook like that.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

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• Thanks to Ten Speed Press, we have one copy of Ottolenghi Simple Too to give away this week. The easiest way to enter to win is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

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FROM TODAY’S SPONSOR:

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Yotam mentioned:

• Seeded chicken schnitzel

• Roasted tomatoes with herbs, garlic, and olive oil from Simple

• Roasted chicken from Simple Too (YouTube)

• Jarred harissa

• Za’atar oil (Masterclass)

• Slow cooked chickpeas with green olives and whole orange slices

• Slow cooked zucchini in olive oil and saffron

• Chicken meatballs with pistachios and spinach

• Ottolenghi cookbook (Bookshop)

• OTK cookbooks: Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love (Bookshop) and Extra Good Things (Bookshop)

• Yotam Ottolenghi’s Comfort (Bookshop)

• Ready-made tomato sauce

• Easy roasted strawberry dessert

• Butternut squash parmigiana

• Brown sugar cake with brown sugar cream and sumac roasted strawberries

• Roasted lamb with grapes (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Roasted onion (similar)

• Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat (Bookshop)

• Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham’s Roast Chicken and Other Stories (Bookshop)

• Helen Goh’s Baking and the Meaning of Life (Bookshop)

Check out today’s sponsors:

• Find Just Date at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Kroger or online at enjoyjustdate.com.

• Une Femme Wines: Use code DINNERPLAN at unefemmewines.com for 20% off. Must be 21+

• Find the CookShelf app on iOS and Android, and use code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first year.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Dirty Labs: Use code DINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order at DirtyLabs.com

Maggie mentioned:

• Hilary Sterling’s Ammazza! (Bookshop)

• Whipped pecorino with crisp vegetables (People)

• Black pepper tofu from Plenty

Butternut “Parmigiana”

Excerpted with permission from Ottolenghi Simple Too. Text copyright © 2026 by Yotam Ottolenghi and Verena Lochmuller. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

A classic parmigiana—made with slices of eggplant, layered with cheese, and then baked—is hard to beat. This take might not have the parmesan (or, indeed, the eggplants) but it echoes the flavors and textures and has the advantages of being made in a fraction of the time, assembled in one dish, and also very much hitting the same spot. Serve with butter lettuce salad.

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes / Cook time: 50 minutes

• 1 large butternut squash (about 2 ¾ lb/1.3kg), unpeeled, halved lengthwise, and seeds removed

• 7 tbsp/105ml olive oil

• 4–5 plum tomatoes, grated and skins discarded (heaping 2 cups/380g)

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• ⅛ tsp ground allspice

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp granulated sugar

• ½ cup/25g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste

• 2 tsp za’atar

• 4 oregano sprigs, plus a few leaves for garnish

• 4 ½ oz/125g taleggio (or brie or mozzarella), thinly sliced

• fine sea salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Cut each squash half into 3 long wedges and arrange them in a large roasting pan. Rub all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper. Bake for about 35 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

3. In a small bowl mix together the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, sugar, 3 tablespoons of the oil, 2 tablespoons of water, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, garlic, ½ teaspoon of za’atar, and 1 tablespoon of the oil.

5. Remove the squash from the oven, then pour the tomato sauce around it and nestle in the oregano sprigs. Lay the cheese evenly over the squash, sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Return to the oven for 10–15 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle over the remaining za’atar and oregano leaves and serve.

Chicken Meatballs With Pistachios and Spinach

Excerpted with permission from Ottolenghi Simple Too. Text copyright © 2026 by Yotam Ottolenghi and Verena Lochmuller. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Serves 4–6

Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 30 minutes

These Iranian-inspired meatballs don’t sit quietly on the plate. They’re super bright with plenty of herbs and pistachios and lightly sweetened with dried fruit. The food processor does much of the work for you and the result is a whole meal in itself, served in a shallow bowl, with some flatbreads if you like.

Make ahead: The whole dish can be made the day before, ready to warm through before serving.

• ¾ cup/100g shelled pistachios

• 8–10 green onions, roughly chopped (125g)

• 2 ½ cups/50g cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

• 1 cup/20g dill, roughly chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 2 ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ cup/25g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 large egg

• 1 lb/455g ground chicken or turkey

• 7 tbsp/105ml olive oil

• 7 oz/200g baby spinach, roughly chopped

• 2 ¾ cups/650ml chicken stock

• ½ cup/100g orzo

• ½ cup/75g dried sour cherries (or cranberries), roughly chopped

• 2 tsp cherry molasses (or pomegranate molasses)

• lemon wedges, to serve

• fine sea salt and black pepper

1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Transfer 6 oz/175g of the mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Keep the remainder in the food processor and add the breadcrumbs, egg, ground chicken or turkey, ¾ teaspoon of salt, and plenty of pepper. Blitz to combine, then shape into 14 meatballs.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil into a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining 5 tablespoons/75ml of oil to the pan, along with the reserved blitzed mixture and the spinach. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring until wilted, then add the stock, orzo, sour cherries, molasses, and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, add the meatballs, and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, covered, until the meatballs and orzo are cooked through. Let rest, covered, for 5–10 minutes, until the orzo has plumped up and thickened the sauce. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Her tomato soup starts with tomatoes roasted with brown sugar, vinegar, and piquillo peppers, which she says help emulsify the soup into something silky without adding cream. She’ll decorate corn soup with pickled blueberries, cornbread crumbles, and a swirl of maple syrup; squash soup gets diced apple and crême fraiche that has baking spices whipped in.

“I love to make sure my soups have whatever vegetable is the base, a fruit that pairs nicely with it, some sort of pickle, a couple things for crunch, and something really creamy,” she tells me in this week’s podcast conversation.

In her new cookbook, The Kitchen I Came Home To, the Paducah, Kentucky-based chef shares a dressed-up grilled cheese for dunking in that soup, layered with cheddar, gouda, caramelized onions, fontina, and a few optional slices of prosciutto. But if you have the gear, her pimento cheese waffles might be an even better choice:

Grab the recipe below, along with the one for Sara’s famed Cornbread Salad.

Tune into the episode to hear more about that panzanella-meets-seven-layer-dip Kentucky specialty, plus the flavor-boosting ingredients that Sara reaches for most, and the meal she makes at home when she really needs to clean out the fridge.

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• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of The Kitchen I Came Home To is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, October 4, 2026. Bonus: Paid subs also get access to our handy list of 99 dinner ideas and all the cookbook recommendations in one place.

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Sara mentioned:

• Grilled cheese (watch on IG: part 1 & part 2 )

• Vivian Howard’s Sugar-Cookie Cornmeal Crusted Blueberry Cobbler

• Matzo ball soup

• Black garlic

• Bubble waffle iron

• Fried chicken recipe or (watch her make it on Facebook)

• Gravy horse (watch her make it on IG)

• Classic mornay sauce (Facebook)

• Sorghum

• Roast chicken (Facebook)

• Microwave egg souffle (IG)

• Microwave bechamel, mornay or gravy (IG)

• Air fryer

• Peanut butter and jelly meatballs (IG)

• Barefoot Contessa

• Supercook

• Elizabeth Schneider’s Vegetables From Amaranth to Zucchini (Thriftbooks)

• Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page’s The Flavor Bible (Bookshop)

• Vishwesh Bhatt’s I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef (Bookshop)

• Vishwesh Bhatt’s Dirty Rice Grits (watch Sara riff on them on Facebook)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Cangshan Cutlery: Use code DINNERPLAN15 for 15 percent off a purchase of $100 or more until Dec 31, 2026 at CangshanCutlery.com.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• MaraBela: Find Marabela Alcohol-Free Sparkling Tea at MaraBelaTea.com

• Nordic Ware: Use code DINNER10 at checkout for 10% off at Nordicware.com.1

Maggie mentioned:

• Berry cobbler (scroll down the page) from Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer’s Canal House Cooking, Vol 4. (Thriftbooks)

• Joan Nathan’s Friday Night brisket with onion soup mix and chili sauce

• Sara’s microwave lemon curd (IG)

Pimento Cheese Waffles

Reprinted with permission from The Kitchen I Came Home To: Big Flavors and Tall Tales from My Corner of Kentucky by Sara Bradley and Emily Timberlake, copyright © 2026. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

If you’re this far along in the book, you’ve probably gathered that cheese is one of my favorite ingredients. There are a million things I can think of that I’d give up before I gave up cheese: wine, bread, my husband . . .

Waffles are a near-perfect food, but how can we make them better? Cheese, duh. Try these with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken (page 125 in the book) or Gravy Horse (page 254) for a nice sweet-savory thing. Depending on how you’re serving them, you could swap in a different cheese for the cheddar and pimentos. A Gruyère waffle with French onion soup (or French onion anything) sounds pretty good to me.

Makes 4 large Belgian-style or bubble waffles or 18 mini (4-inch) waffles

• 1½ cups / 190g all-purpose flour

• 3 ounces super-sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (1 cup), plus more for the waffle iron

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon onion powder 1¼ cups / 280g buttermilk 2 eggs

• 5 tablespoons / 70g unsalted butter, melted

• ¼ cup chopped pimento or jarred piquillo peppers

• 2 tablespoons Duke’s mayonnaise

• Cooking spray for the waffle iron

1. In a large bowl, use your fingers or a spoon to combine the flour, cheddar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, chopped peppers, and mayonnaise.

3. Fold the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until combined—don’t overmix. let the batter sit for 5 minutes before waffling.

4. Meanwhile, preheat your waffle iron to medium-high. Place a wire rack in a baking sheet and set near the waffle iron.

5. Spray the hot iron generously with cooking spray. If you’re using a Belgian or bubble waffle iron (for the photo on the opposite page, I used a bubble waffle iron), ladle a scant cup of batter per waffle, then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of additional cheddar before closing the iron. If you’re using a mini waffle iron, ladle a scant ¼ cup of batter, then sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of additional cheese before closing the iron.

6. Cook until the waffle is cooked through, browned, and crispy, about 5 minutes— but definitely follow your manufacturer’s guidelines here, as every waffle iron is different. err on the side of more cooking, because you want that cheese to get nice and crispy. transfer the finished waffles to the wire rack. repeat with the remaining batter and cheese.

7. Serve warm. Wrapped airtight and stored in a resealable bag, these beauties also freeze really well, up to 3 months.

Cornbread Salad with “Not Ranch”

Reprinted with permission from The Kitchen I Came Home To: Big Flavors and Tall Tales from My Corner of Kentucky by Sara Bradley and Emily Timberlake, copyright © 2026. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

First, let me clarify that this is a “salad” in the Southern sense. Cornbread salad must have been created by the same people who brought us Watergate salad (pistachio pudding, canned pineapple, whipped cream, crushed pecans, marshmallows) and ambrosia salad (canned pineapple, canned mandarin orange, marshmallows, coconut). In other words, there are no lettuces or greens; what we’re talking about is basically a tasty layered side dish.

If it makes you feel better, you can call this a Southern panzanella or a savory trifle. I like to think of it as a Midwestern taco salad. I developed the recipe when I was cooking with a barbecue team at a local festival: We sold barbecue tacos and needed something easy and no-cook to serve on the side. We sold more than 500 pounds of cornbread salad in two days—around 3,600 orders. I think it’s safe to say it was a hit. Bring it to your next potluck or barbecue and you’ll see what I mean. This is another recipe that’s even better the next day.

Serves 12

• 4 cups “Not Ranch” (see below)

• 1 recipe Bacon-Fat Cornbread (see below), chilled and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (from 1 large-ish bunch)

• 2 cups small-diced red onion

• 2 cups cooked Field Peas (see below)

• 2 cups small-diced bell pepper

• 1 cup chopped pickled jalapeños, plus ½ cup brine

• 2 cups (about 5 ounces) freshly shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1. In a large glass casserole dish or that glass trifle dish you inherited from your grandma but never seem to use, spoon in ¾ cup of the “not ranch” and spread it evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle one-third of the cornbread (about 4 cups) over that and top with half of the cilantro, red onion, field peas, bell pepper, pickled jalapeños, pickle brine, and shredded cheddar.

2. Spoon another ¾ cup of the “not ranch” evenly over the surface. layer in another one-third of the cornbread, then the remaining cilantro, red onion, field peas, bell pepper, pickled jalapeños, and pickle brine. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar on top.

3. For the final layer, spoon ¾ cup of the “not ranch” over everything and top with the rest of the cornbread. drizzle some of the remaining “not ranch” on top of the cornbread and sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese.

4. Serve cold with any remaining “not ranch” on the side.

“Not Ranch”

Reprinted with permission from The Kitchen I Came Home To: Big Flavors and Tall Tales from My Corner of Kentucky by Sara Bradley and Emily Timberlake, copyright © 2026.

Here’s the thing: If you say anywhere on your menu that a dish has ranch dressing, guests are going to ask for it on every salad. So we don’t list ranch anywhere; we have an herb-buttermilk dressing. It’s “not ranch.”

Makes about 5½ cups

• 3 cups sour cream (or sub crème fraîche if you just got a fat bonus check)

• 2 cups Duke’s mayonnaise

• 3 tablespoons pickled jalapeño juice

• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill

• ¼ cup chopped fresh chives

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

• 1 teaspoon granulated onion

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Buttermilk (optional; see Note)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, pickled jalapeño juice, dill, chives, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, 1½ tablespoons salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion, paprika, and cayenne. taste and season with more salt if needed.

   Note: If you used crème fraîche, you might need to thin the dressing out with buttermilk to make it nice and pourable.

Bacon Fat Cornbread

Reprinted with permission from The Kitchen I Came Home To: Big Flavors and Tall Tales from My Corner of Kentucky by Sara Bradley and Emily Timberlake, copyright © 2026.

People in the South are very particular about their cornbread. Some people are insistent that it should never have sugar in it, or that it should be made only with white cornmeal, or only yellow. Some love to pour potlikker over it, some say no potlikker, ever. Personally, I love a sweet cornbread with buttermilk poured on top of it—I could sit there and eat that with a spoon. (This cornbread does have a little sugar in it, but it’s definitely not a dessert cornbread.)

The only thing that I’m insistent about is that my cornbread has to be made in one of my grandmother Gimper Lula’s cast-iron skillets. I named my oldest daughter, Lula, after my Gimper, and at age six (which is the time of this writing), little Lula is already showing signs of Gimper’s quick wit, sass, and eternal compassion. At Freight House, every piece of cornbread we’ve ever served has been cooked in one of three cast-iron skillets I inherited from my grandparents.

Makes one 10¼-inch round cornbread

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons bacon grease and neutral oil (see Note below)

• ¾ cup / 95g all-purpose flour

• 1½ cups / 250g fine yellow cornmeal

• ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 90g sugar

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1⅓ cups / 300g buttermilk

• 1 cup / 235g sour cream

• 2 eggs

• Salted butter, at room temperature, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the bacon grease in a 10¼-inch cast-iron skillet and let it warm in the preheated oven while you assemble the other ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs.

3. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and pour all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat into the buttermilk mixture and whisk to combine.

4. Add the buttermilk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and mix until just incorporated. transfer the batter to the very hot skillet and carefully spread it out with the back of a wooden spoon.

5. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, the top is slightly puffed and crackly, and a cake tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

6. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then tap the pan on the counter a few times to loosen the cornbread and turn it out onto a plate. Make sure you have copious amounts of soft butter for serving.

Note: at Freight House, we have bacon grease by the bucketful. So it’s easy to just scoop out a cup here or there. At home, you might not have a bunch of reserved bacon grease—but you should think about starting a drippings tin! Whenever you cook bacon, save the grease in a jar. It can live in the fridge for up to 3 months. For this recipe, use however much bacon grease you have (nobody will be sad if you fry up bacon specifically for the grease; they’ll get to eat the bacon) and then supplement with neutral oil to reach ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons.

Field Peas

Reprinted with permission from The Kitchen I Came Home To: Big Flavors and Tall Tales from My Corner of Kentucky by Sara Bradley and Emily Timberlake, copyright © 2026.

“Field pea” is our catch-all name in Kentucky for several varieties of summer legumes—black-eyed peas, lima beans (or butter beans, as we call them), and colorful and lesser-known varieties like Crowder, Pink Lady, and Purple Hull.

Fresh is always best, but frozen field peas or even dried ones are great, too.

No matter the type, the key is to NOT season the cooking liquid until after the peas are tender. If you add salt at the beginning, the skin will become tough—and you might end up with oversalted beans as the liquid concentrates while the beans cook. A lot of people like to throw a ham hock in the pot, but I do not recommend that; the ham is so salty and you’ll end up with the same tough-skin situation. The goal is a perfectly cooked pot of beans where every bean is tender but still distinct and individual—no chewy beans, but also, not a mushy mess.

There isn’t a quantity or yield listed for this recipe because I feel like you can never cook too many field peas. (If you’re not looking for leftovers, a good rule is to get 1 cup cooked per person, start with ⅓ to ½ cup uncooked fresh beans.) There’s nothing more Kentucky than having a pot of beans sitting in their liquid in the fridge. They’ll hold there for at least 5 days and will keep getting better and better

• Field peas, fresh or frozen, or dried field peas that have been soaked overnight (see Notes below)

• ½ onion, peeled, but with root attached

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled

• 3 or 4 sprigs thyme, tied together with kitchen twine

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• Sherry vinegar, plus more as needed

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, combine the field peas (aka the beans), onion, garlic, thyme, and enough water to cover by 2 inches. (If using dried beans, see notes.) Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat so that the water simmers. cover the pot with a lid set slightly askew (or make a cartouche; see notes). Simmer the beans, adding water as necessary to maintain the level, until the beans are soft and tender but still intact. If using frozen beans, this will take about 30 minutes (frozen always cooks faster). If using fresh beans this will take at least 1 hour. If using dried soaked beans this will take about 2 hours. (the cooking time will depend upon the age and condition of the beans.)

2. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and vinegar. Let cool completely. Store the beans in their cooking liquid, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes: If you’re working with dried field peas, soak them overnight, adding ¼ teaspoon baking soda for every 1 quart of water you use to soak the beans. make sure to use at least three times the amount of water as beans (by volume), and drain the beans before cooking. add fresh water and cook the beans as directed above until they’re tender, about 2 hours.

A “cartouche” is a French cooking term for a round of parchment paper cut to sit over simmering ingredients. the paper acts as a partial lid, allowing some pressure to escape so the beans don’t boil and break apart. to make one, cut around of parchment the same diameter as the pot, cut a little hole in the center, and carefully press that onto the liquid.

“I think in order for you to truly understand how food works, it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to burn the rice. It’s okay to under-season, over-season, have something that’s soggy, slimy, wet. Because now you’re actually understanding, oh, this is what happens when you don’t do it this way. My cake’s flat. My panna cotta didn’t set. Whatever.”

To be in the kitchen, says Meherwan, is to deal with mistakes, “And when you make a mistake, the fun part is then, how do you fix it? How do you recover from that?” There’s always a way to salvage a flub and make it into something delicious, he says. “You can make burnt toast delicious,” he claims.

But there’s one wrong move he really wants home cooks to avoid: the messy kitchen counter.

Meherwan urges home cooks to get rid of counter clutter. “Don’t use it as a dumping ground for everything you have in the house.” Instead, stock it with a few things that make you want to cook.

“I keep a giant bowl of onions and garlic and ginger on the counter at all times. So even if I’m not sure what to do,” he says, he can think, “Let me start by dicing an onion…You start doing something and maybe inspiration will come.”

I’ve been finding tons of inspiration in Meherwan’s new book, No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook In the World, which he wrote with Jamie Feldmar (a colleague of mine from ye olde Serious Eats days.)

In our conversation, Meherwan gets into the reasons truck stop and train stop food in India is so good, the only way he’ll actually enjoy saag paneer, and the best method for slicing and frying okra.

Below, you’ll get a taste of the book with Meherwan’s tandoori salmon recipe.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

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• The simplest way to enter to win a fresh new copy of No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook In the World is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day September 30, 2026.

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• You can enter the giveaway by sending in “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo. On the podcast, we’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day September 30, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 30, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

Meherwan mentioned:

• Chaat components: Green chutney, sweet yogurt sauce, puffed rice, corn poha, potato croquettes

• Chaat masala

• Kheema pav (Sloppy Jai)

• Grilled lamb chops: Tandoori-Spiced Lamb Chops recipe (WSJ, subscription required)

• Dal makhani (Food + Wine)

• Jean George Vongerichten’s Simple to Spectacular (Thriftbooks)

• Khichdi (Atlantic)

• Vish Bhatt's grilled okra (Food + Wine)

• Jamie Oliver’s chicken with orange glaze

• Akuri, Parsi scrambled eggs recipe (YouTube)

• Dosa batter

• Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker, Megan Scott’s The Joy of Cooking (Bookshop)

• Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home (Bookshop)

• Thomas Keller’s Leek Bread Pudding

• Niloufer Ichaporia King’s My Bombay Kitchen (Bookshop)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• MaraBela: Find Marabela Alcohol-Free Sparkling Tea at MaraBelaTea.com

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Jenny Rosenstrach’s Weekday Vegetarians (Bookshop)

• Pretzel Chicken with Honey-Mustard Sauce

• Dot’s Honey Mustard Pretzels

• Okra fries with chaat masala

• Vada pav: Watch Meherwan visit street vendors making the sandwich

• Saag paneer

Tandoori Salmon

Reprinted with permission from No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World Text copyright © 2026 by Meherwan Irani. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Serves 4

This dish was in regular rotation on weekends in the early days of Chai Pani.

Salmon with a high fat content is best for roasting. King and sockeye salmon are absolutely at the top of the salmon flavor chain, with their high oil content and succulent, flaky flesh. Depending on where you live, you may be more likely to find farmed Atlantic salmon at your grocery store; this is not always a bad thing, since many fish farms today are more sustainable than those of years past. Ask at the seafood counter about the provenance of the fish, or look at the label if it’s prepackaged. (If you’re shopping at a place where no one has any idea where the fish or meat comes from, you need to switch to a different grocery store.)

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the ingredients and preparation for this tandoori marinade are very similar to those in my recipe for tandoori chicken. Whichever one you’re making, my advice is to make extra marinade for use in the other recipe later in the week— I love a good two-for-one! Tandoori marinade can be made ahead of time, and because of the high acidity from the yogurt and lime juice, it can be stored for up to a week.

Marinade:

• 1 teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste (see recipe below)

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste

• ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt (see note below)

• 1 teaspoon ground red chilli, such as Kashmiri (see note below)

• 1 tablespoon tandoori masala (see note below)

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed

Salmon:

• 4 garlic cloves

• 4 thick center-cut salmon fillets or 1 large belly piece (skin on), approximately 2 pounds total

• Kosher salt

• Oil, for the pan

• Thinly sliced red onions, for serving

• Freshly squeezed lime juice, for serving

• Chaat masala (see note below), for serving

• Store-bought naan, for serving (see note below)

• Butter, for the naan

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Because of its delicate texture, salmon needs to be cooked at a lower temperature. (If you’ve noticed some white stuff coming out the sides when you’re cooking salmon, that’s a protein called albumen. When salmon is cooked at too high a temperature, the muscle fibers seize up and squeeze out albumen.)

2. To make the marinade, combine the ginger- garlic paste, lime juice, yogurt, ground red chilli, tandoori masala, salt, and oil in a small bowl. Whisk (or mix with your hand) to make sure everything is well incorporated. Taste for acidity and salt and add lime juice or salt as needed.

3. Cut each garlic clove into 3 or 4 slices lengthwise. Pat the salmon dry and season very lightly with salt on both sides. Pierce the flesh with the tip of a slice of garlic and push it all the way down so the slice is almost completely embedded in the salmon. Continue with the remaining garlic, using 3 to 4 slices per fillet. (This is a little uncle hack I figured out to get some extra flavor into the flesh of the fish. The garlic slices steam inside the fish while it’s cooking and, if you like garlic as much as I do, it adds a lovely pop of flavor when you bite into a piece.)

4. Rub the marinade into the top and sides of the salmon, spreading it evenly in a very thin layer. If you don’t use up all of the marinade, that’s okay: It’ll keep in a sealed container for up to a week and can be used on tandoori chicken or lamb chops.

5. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Lightly oil the foil and sprinkle a bit of salt across it; this helps prevent the salmon from sticking. Place the salmon skin side down and roast on the oven’s middle rack for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 120°F to 125°F for medium-rare.

6. Move the tray to the top rack in the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil until the top of the salmon is seared and bubbling, about 2 minutes. I like my salmon pink in the center, but you can leave it in there for another minute or two if you like yours more thoroughly cooked.

7. While the salmon broils, stir together a handful of thinly sliced red onions, a few squeezes of fresh lime juice, and a pinch of chaat masala. Heat the naan in the toaster oven or in the lower section of the oven while the salmon is broiling.

8. Serve the salmon with the macerated onions and a side of hot buttered naan.

9. Leftovers keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days.

Ginger-Garlic Paste

Reprinted with permission from No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World. Text copyright © 2026 by Meherwan Irani. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Makes about ½ cup

If there is one recipe from this entire book that you seek to master, let it be this. GGP is the savior of flavor, the mortar between the bricks of Indian cuisine, the most cherished combination of ingredients in a country with one billion highly opinionated cooks.

This stuff is pureed gold, and you’ll see it called for in dozens and dozens of recipes in this book, lending its flavor to various recipes in unexpected and delicious ways. Here is just a partial list of how we use GGP: to marinate; to tenderize; to sauté with; to fry into a delicious fond that you can scrape off the bottom of the pan and add to a sauce; to stir into curries and chutneys; to smear across toast; and so on. Good luck doing all that with sliced garlic.

Although store- bought versions are available at many South Asian grocers, GGP takes all of two minutes to make at home, lasts for weeks in the refrigerator, and is pretty much always worth having on hand. I’m giving amounts of each ingredient below because my co- author says I have to, but the real recipe is just this: Equal parts peeled garlic and peeled ginger, both preferably freshly peeled, blitzed together with a few tablespoons of oil until it forms a coarse paste.

A mini food processor or blender will make your life easier, but you can also hand-mince it in a pinch. Either way, store the finished product in a glass container, not plastic, otherwise you’ll never get the smell out.

• ¼ cup peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger (a knob about 3 inches long)

• ¼ cup garlic cloves (about 1 head)

• 1 to 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed

1. Combine the ginger, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of oil in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add more oil if necessary to get an even paste.

2. Store GGP in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. GGP will keep for longer, though after a week I recommend mixing in a teaspoon or so of distilled white vinegar to keep the flavor and color fresh.

When you cook, some things become automatic. You sprinkle salt without thinking much about it. You can stir onions around in a pan without imagining what’s happening to them down there. But every once in a while, when something goes well (or not so well) you have to wonder why.

Nik Sharma’s new book, Fundamentals of Flavor, gets down into the cellular level, explaining what’s going on when you switch from a glass baking pan to a metal one, when you bake potatoes on a bed of salt, when you microwave popcorn, and when you swap out the onions in your go-to game day dip for shallots instead.

On this week’s episode of The Dinner Plan podcast, we get into the differences between the alliums:

Shallots show off their sweeter character in Nik’s riff on onion dip; you can grab the recipe below.

He also explains why yogurt is such a great base of marinades, and how baking soda can guarantee your pork tenderloin won’t come out dry.

While Nik’s book is tailor-made for anyone curious about food science, it’s also worth flipping through just for the flavorful dinner ideas (and a chocolate toasted-rice pudding I can’t stop thinking about.)

For a busy Tuesday night, Nik recommends the crispy-chewy seared gnocchi with chili-garlic shrimp in an anchovy-boosted tomato sauce. His friends had it once and keep requesting that he make it again, which is always a good sign.

Scroll down to start cooking, but be sure to download the podcast to keep you company.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

• The simplest way to enter to win your own copy of Fundamentals of Flavor is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day September 27, 2026.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can also enter the giveaway by sending in “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo. On the podcast, we’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day September 27, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 27, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

From today’s sponsor:

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Nik mentioned:

• Bournvita or Horlicks

• America’s Test Kitchen’s PBS show

• Nik’s ATK show Flavor Forward

• Grill pan

• Yandilla mustard oil

• Tamarind puree from Glory Bee / tamarind paste from Pure Indian Foods

• Jacobsen’s Salt (smoked salt here)

• Maldon (smoked salt here)

• 24 Mantra jaggery

• Ajinomoto MSG

• Red Boat No. 1 Fish Sauce

• Crushed Calabrian chili peppers in olive oil

• Yogurt marinade, plus more on the science of yogurt marinades

• Baking soda brine for fish

• Sous vide machine

• Vacuum sealer

• Smart air fryer with dehydrator

• Hetty Lui McKinnon (and on Substack: )

• Ravinder Bhogal of Jikoni Cafe

• Jeni Britton Bauer’s Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Cookbook (Bookshop here)

• Diana Henry’s Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons (Bookshop here)

• Shamil Thakrar, Kavi Thakrar, Naved Nasir’s Dishoom (Bookshop here)

• Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick’s Soframiz (Bookshop here)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Staub: Find iconic Staub Dutch ovens now at Staub.com

• Dirty Labs: Use code DINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order.

• Equator Coffees: Use code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first order.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Find Kishwar Chowdhury’s Smoke, Rice, Water: Recipes and Stories from a Bengali Home at Amazon, Bookshop, or wherever you buy books.

Maggie mentioned:

• Malted milk powder

• Ella Quittner’s chewy malted cookie bars

• Malted milk chocolate chunk cookies from Caroline Schiff’s Daily Dessert (out October 13)

• Ovaltine

Caramelized Shallot + Feta-Labneh Dip

Images and recipes courtesy of Nik Sharma from his new book, Fundamentals of Flavor. Published by Chronicle Books. Copyright © 2026 by Nik Sharma.

Shallots contain at least twice as much sugar as onions, which makes them an excellent candidate for caramelizing. As the shallots cook, the long polymer chains of fructans break and release their sweet-tasting fructose molecules. Some of these fructose molecules enter the caramelization and Maillard reactions, resulting in a heavenly sweet-and-savory dip. This dip can be served with crackers, toasted naan, pita chips, or potato chips, or even spread on toast and topped with a fried egg or smoked salmon (one of my go-to weekly breakfasts).

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

• 12 oz [340 g] (about 6) shallots, thinly sliced

• 2 tsp nigella seeds

• 1 tsp Aleppo, Urfa, or Maras pepper flakes (see Flavor Files, below)

• 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

• Fine sea salt

• Ground black pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 16 oz [455 g] plain labneh

• 1 cup [120 g] crumbled feta

• 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives

• 2 Tbsp chopped dill

• 1 to 2 Tbsp chilli oil, such as Calabrian chilli oil

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the shallots, nigella seeds, Aleppo, and soy sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper, stir to coat, then cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, peeking once about halfway through to make sure nothing is burning. Uncover and cook the shallots until they are deeply browned, 10 to 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. The cooking time will vary. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep aside to cool to room temperature. The shallots can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

2. In a medium bowl, fold together the labneh and feta, smashing some feta into the labneh with a spoon to incorporate while leaving some feta chunks behind. Fold the shallot mixture into the labneh mix, taste, and season with salt if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the chives and dill, drizzle with the chilli oil, and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

THE FLAVOR FILES:

• Using the same ingredients, the shallots can be baked at 300°F [150°C] for 30 to 45 minutes. Add the garlic in the last 5 minutes.

• A pinch of salt helps soften the pectin inside the shallots and cook faster.

• For extra heat, use cayenne red pepper flakes instead of Aleppo.

• Plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of labneh; the dip will have a slightly runnier consistency.

Seared Gnocchi + Chilli-Garlic Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

Images and recipes courtesy of Nik Sharma from his new book, Fundamentals of Flavor. Published by Chronicle Books. Copyright © 2026 by Nik Sharma.

At least 90 percent of the time when I cook gnocchi, I sear it first. It’s my preferred way to cook this pasta before I toss it with a sauce or into a salad (seared gnocchi makes an excellent crouton substitute); the combination of a crispy outside and pillowy-soft inside makes it irresistible. In this dish, the shrimp also get pre-seared, with a hint of smokiness from the Kashmiri chilli. The trick to searing in a skillet is to avoid overcrowding the food, or the moisture released will make the food soggy instead of crisp.

This recipe feeds two people well, but you can also stretch it to four if you serve it with a hearty salad.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Gnocchi:

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 12 oz [340 g] gnocchi

Tomato Sauce:

• One 14½ oz [410 g] can peeled whole plum tomatoes, undrained

• ½ cup [6 g] tightly packed basil leaves

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 or 4 anchovies, smashed to a paste (see following)

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• Fine sea salt

• Sugar for seasoning

Shrimp:

• 1 lb [455 g] peeled and deveined raw large shrimp, thawed if frozen

• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (see following)

• Fine sea salt

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan

1. To make the gnocchi, melt the butter in a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam and crackle. Cook until the liquid stops crackling and the milk solids turn golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the olive oil. Add the gnocchi and pan-fry until golden brown and crisp, flipping occasionally with a spatula, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the gnocchi to a bowl and keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean and return it to the stove.

2. To make the tomato sauce, using an immersion or high-speed blender, in a medium bowl, or in the blender, blend the tomatoes with the can’s juices and the basil leaves until smooth and keep aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato mixture and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and season with salt and sugar as needed. The sauce should taste savory with a mild hint of heat and sweetness. Keep warm.

3. To make the shrimp, in a medium mixing bowl, toss the shrimp with the Kashmiri chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 4 minutes.

4. Turn the heat to medium-high under the cleaned-out skillet and heat the olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn opaque and pink, 2 to 3 minutes per side, using tongs to flip the shrimp and working in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan. When cooked, push the shrimp to one side of the pan and turn the heat to low. Drizzle in a bit of oil if the empty side of the pan is dry and sauté the garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Toss the shrimp and garlic together and drizzle on the vinegar, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

5. To serve, transfer the tomato sauce to a serving bowl. Place the gnocchi and shrimp on top. Garnish with the parsley and Parmesan and serve immediately.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

THE FLAVOR FILES:

• To make a smooth anchovy paste, mash the fillets with the flat side of a chef’s knife on a cutting board, dragging and pressing until they form a paste. For an even silkier result, finish by grinding with a mortar and pestle.

• Diced and lightly pan-fried seitan also works as a vegetarian protein option instead of shrimp.

• I prefer Kashmiri chilli powder here for its bright red color, mild heat, and rich smoky profile. You can substitute ¾ tsp smoked sweet paprika plus ¼ tsp ground cayenne for every 1 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder.

When we’re hosting, Cortney LaCorte tells me on this week’s podcast episode, “I think we worry too much about the house being perfect, making it look like we don’t live there. Because we do, spoiler alert!”

Instead, she says, “I think we need to focus more on making our guests feel taken care of…That should be the focus. You want them to leave your home feeling like, ‘Wow, Maggie thought of me. I really felt seen.’”

Cortney’s advice has been on my mind recently when I’ve known that having people over would make me feel better, even though I really didn’t have time to clear all the back-to-school clutter. (They walked around it. Everyone had fun.)

Cortney, who got her start making cheese boards in Nashville, and now has a cookbook called Oversharing, has thought a lot about the best way to set out snacks for friends.

You can simplify the cheese board, she says: “I think less is more when it comes to the types of cheese that you have on one board.”

For 8 people, she usually picks just three high-quality cheeses. “I like for one to be what I call the ‘conversation cheese’ that maybe stretches people a little bit,” she notes. They’ll try it with a few different accoutrements and chat with each other about what worked best.

Then there are the crowd-pleasers: something creamy and a good aged cheddar, broken open with a knife so no one’s intimidated to be the first to make a slice.

In this week’s episode, you’ll also hear about the little couch snacks Cortney likes to make just for herself—“dirty martini” popcorn plus a night of TV sounds pretty relaxing right now. I got the recipe for you, pulled from a really fun grid of popcorn ideas in the book.

Cortney tries to keep weeknight dinners truly easy and fun:

You’ll also find Cortney’s recipe for quick crunchy chicken lettuce wraps below. The first step is picking up some fried chicken from your local grocery store or takeout spot. Any Thursday dinner that starts that way is bound to be good.

Tune in wherever you listen to catch our full conversation while you throw the sauce together.

Follow The Dinner Plan on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

You can win a copy of Cortney’s book, Oversharing, this week!

• Here’s the easy way to enter: Sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Subscribe now

• 🥈 Free subscribers can also enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. We’ll suggest a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 23, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

Cortney mentioned:

• Burrata with lemony smashed olives

• Nancy Meyers-esque playlist

• Weakest night sheet pan chicken thighs and veggies; watch her make it on IG

• Kenji Lopez-Alt’s baking powder trick for extra-crispy chicken skin

• Ways to repurpose leftover grilled chicken: salad (TikTok) and taco recipe

• Lemony baked Boursin pasta with artichokes and capers

• Crispy baked Boursin with spicy honey

• Compound butter: Herb butter roast chicken or pesto compound butter with roasted tomatoes and shrimp

• Darcy’s kindness cookies; see her make it on YouTube)

• Bloody Mary

• Oven carnitas; see her make it on IG

• 5-ingredient guac

• The easiest pimento cheese jalapeño poppers

• Pantry puttanesca; see her make it on IG

• Whipped boursin (IG)

• LaCorte house salad dressing

• Buffalo chicken blue cheese nachos; see her make them on IG

• Lemony garlic & dill buttered popcorn

• Dirty martini popcorn (IG)

• Ina Garten’s Skillet lemon chicken

• Pappardelle al limone with crispy panko, arugula and burrata; see her make it on IG

• Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten

• Cravings by Chrissy Teigen

• Chrissy Teigen’s Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

• Chrissy Teigen’s Spicy Italian sausage meatloaf

• Let’s Eat by Dan Pelosi

• Dan Pelosi’s vodka sauce

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Massican Wines: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off. Must be 21+

• McEvoy Ranch: Use code DINNERPLAN for 10% off.

• Cheesy by Farideh Sadeghin is available wherever you buy books.

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Martha Stewart’s Pressure Cooker polenta recipe

• All the cookbook recommendations on The Dinner Plan so far

No-Fuss Fried Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Mayo

Recipe reprinted with permission from Oversharing by Cortney LaCorte © 2026. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group.

Serves 4

This is not a fried chicken recipe. This is a Publix Fried Chicken Fan Club meeting, and I’m the president. Hit with a craving, I did what any self-respecting Southern woman with a loyalty card would do: I went to the grocery store and picked up a box of bone-in, skin-on fried chicken, grabbed a head of lettuce, and made it fashun with some rice, quick-pickled cucumbers, and spicy mayo. My oldest, Charlotte, is obsessed with this masterpiece. Her version is deconstructed, with a mountain of rice and a little lettuce on the side (rice is her favorite food group—honestly, same). The rest of us wrap them up as intended, and everyone is full, happy, and quiet for five minutes. Not bad for a Thursday night!

• ½ English cucumber, peeled, halved

• lengthwise, and sliced

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• Kosher salt

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha

• ½ teaspoon fish sauce

• 8 pieces store-bought bone-in, skin-on fried chicken (about 2 pounds)

• 1 head Bibb or Boston lettuce, leaves separated

• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice

For Serving:

• Lime wedges

• Chopped fresh cilantro

• Chili crisp

1. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, vinegar, sesame seeds, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

2. In a separate small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sriracha (use more or less, depending on how spicy you like it), and fish sauce.

3. Arrange the fried chicken on a platter, tuck in some lime wedges, and shower with cilantro. At the table, assemble lettuce wraps with rice, a chunk of the fried chicken (take out those bones first!), some pickled cucumber, and spicy mayonnaise. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top and finish the wrap with a little chili crisp and cilantro.

Dirty Martini Popcorn

Recipe reprinted with permission from Oversharing by Cortney LaCorte © 2026. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group.

Okay, remember when I said that potato chips reigned as snack king? Well, the queen (and—let’s be honest— therefore the real power) is popcorn. Light, crunchy, and endlessly munchable, she is beauty and she is grace. But why stop at butter and salt when you can elevate it into something extraordinary? Whether you’re snacking solo or serving up a shareable treat, these dressed-up kernels are easy to make, impossible to resist, and totally worth the extra step. Start with 6 cups of popped popcorn.

For the Dirty Martini Popcorn: Preheat the oven to 300°F and then . . .

Step 1. Melt 3 tbsp Blue Cheese Butter (see above) with 1 Tbsp olive brine, 1 Tbsp dry vermouth, and ½ tsp garlic powder.

Step 2. Spread the popcorn out on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the melted butter, stirring to coat. Season with pepper.

Step 3. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the popcorn is crisp.

Step 4. Sprinkle with ½ cup crumbled blue cheese and ½ cup chopped green olives. Enjoy right away.

The Sip: Sauvignon blanc or a dirty martini.

One more reminder: Time’s running out on our Big September Giveaway for home cooks. Prizes include Earlywood kitchen utensils, a Cuisinart countertop oven, a Made In Chef’s knife, and pantry powerhouses like 50Hertz Sichuan Pepper Oil, Diaspora Co. spices, and Bianco di Napoli tomatoes, plus dozens of cookbooks…

Enter by Sept 23

Being a private chef has its challenges. When Olivia Tiedemann designs the evening’s menu, she says she has to think about her clients, first and foremost: “What they like and don’t like, what their friends like and don’t like, who’s gluten-free today, you know, who doesn’t eat anchovies, who doesn’t eat onions, who doesn’t eat dairy.”

There are twelve people at the table—and sometimes one of those people is Martha Stewart—so she has to figure out: “How am I going to contort this same entree seven different ways?”

Olivia’s new cookbook is called Eat (Like) The Rich. And while there are definitely pricey ingredients in some of the recipes, the title is a little tongue-in-cheek, like pretty much everything Olivia produces. Some of us watch her videos for the creative flavor combinations and fast knifework, while others are there for the lively playlist and the frequently-raised middle finger.

“I don’t think that eating really well should be reserved for people that can afford to go out and buy that experience,” Olivia tells me in this week’s podcast episode.

“There’s a lot of ways that anybody can improve how they cook, and what they eat, and the way that they operate in the kitchen,” she says, “with just a couple of shortcuts and an understanding…a know-how to get to a better point from the same ingredients that you’re used to using.”

The cookbook is laser-focused on the little things you can do to make every bite better. In the episode, you’ll hear Olivia’s thoughts on how to buy better meat and canned tomatoes no matter your budget, and how to roast a buttery chicken without ending up with a flabby-skinned bird.

And you’ll get a lesson on cooking a crispy piece of fish in a stainless skillet. It doesn’t cost you anything to truly engage your senses as you cook, and your meal will be better for it:

Maybe the most interesting part, though, is hearing Olivia walk through the development of a dish. When thinking about ways to play with traditional potato gnocchi, she first asked herself: “What is a potato? What job is it doing here?”

She settled on a parsnip variation, which allowed her to get more caramelized flavor into the dish, and made it possible to use a food processor for ease: “The food processor takes a lot of the work out. That’s one thing you can’t do with a potato, because it’ll get all gluey and your gnocchi will be super weird. The parsnip doesn’t do that.”

Find the parsnip gnocchi recipe below, and hit download wherever you listen to podcasts so you can catch the full conversation while you’re cooking.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

• The simplest way to enter to win a copy of Eat (Like) The Rich is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, September 20, 2026. That’s all you have to do!

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 20, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

Olivia mentioned:

• Blanching tomatoes (IG)

• Bianco di Napoli tomatoes

• Mutti tomatoes

• Crab cakes video (Youtube)

• Vodka sauce (IG)

• Corn mayo (Facebook)

• How to cook scallops (IG)

• @Julescooking (IG)

• Bobby Flay’s Chapter One (Bookshop here)

• Molly Baz’s More Is More (Bookshop here)

• Giada De Laurentiis’s Super-Italian (Bookshop here)

• How to sear fish (TikTok)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Une Femme Wines: Use code DINNERPLAN at unefemmewines.com for 20% off. Must be 21+

Maggie mentioned:

• Roquefort and anchovy pintxos from Ryan Bartlow and Laurie Woolever’s Essentially Basque (Bookshop)

• Kraft Mac & Cheese Restaurant Edition

A note from today’s sponsor:

Made In designs professional-quality kitchen gear for the home cook.

A whole branzino was just never going to fit a round skillet, so their 5-Ply Stainless Clad Fish Pan is the perfect elongated oval shape. The extended 12" surface holds whole fish, large fillets, and several portions at once without crowding or steaming.

You can use it on induction, gas, and electric cooktops, and it’s oven-safe to 800°F.

Shop Made In

Parsnip Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Reprinted with permission from Eat (Like) The Rich, copyright © 2026 by Olivia Tiedemann. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Serves 4

These came about because I was feeling really trapped by gnocchi. I love them, but they’re hard to riff on and change up in interesting ways because they need a starch to keep them together. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve googled “What vegetable behaves like a potato?” and come up short. But then I realized that parsnips are kinda starchy, and I love the flavor of them. I thought it might work, and it worked. No, it didn’t just work: It absolutely fucked. And not only that, you can make this dough in the food processor because it won’t get gluey if you overwork it like potato dough does. Toss these with some sage brown butter or Scallops with Chorizo Vinaigrette (page 243 in the book!) and have yourself a little treat.

Gnocchi:

• 8 ounces parsnips, peeled and cut into ½- inch rounds

• Olive oil (the cooking stuff), as needed

• Kosher salt

• 1 large egg yolk

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

• ¼ cup 00 flour, plus more for dusting

Sage Brown Butter Sauce:

• ½ cup hazelnuts

• Kosher salt

• 8 tablespoons (½ cup) unsalted butter

• 12 fresh sage leaves

• Aged balsamic, for serving

• Shaved Pecorino Romano, for serving

1. MAKE THE GNOCCHI: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. On the sheet pan, toss the parsnips with just enough olive oil to coat, then season with salt. Cover the pan with foil and roast for about 1 hour, or until the parsnips are soft with slight caramelization. Uncover the pan and allow the parsnips to cool slightly.

3. Transfer the parsnips to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the egg yolk and parm and blend again until homogenous.

4. On a lightly floured work surface, make the 00 flour into a mound. Scoop your parsnip stuff into the center of the mound and use your hands to work together the parsnips and flour. Continue kneading the mixture gently until you have a homogenous dough ball, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. SHAPE THE GNOCCHI: Flour your work surface again. Take a baseball- sized piece of dough and roll it into a long log about ½ inch thick. Use a dough cutter (or knife of any sort) to cut the log into li’l Tater Tots– sized pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough.

6. TOAST THE HAZELNUTS: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the hazelnuts to a sheet tray and toast until golden and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. When they’re cool enough to handle, give ’em a rough chop and set aside.

7. COOK THE GNOCCHI AND MAKE THE SAUCE: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt.

8. Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium- low heat. Cook the butter, stirring regularly, until the milk solids start to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they float, 1 to 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of the gnocchi water to the butter, stirring vigorously to emulsify. Lift the gnocchi out of the water with a spider, add them and the sage to the sauce, give everything a toss, and sauté, gently stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi are golden brown and glossy and hopefully not broken (they’ll still be very tasty if they are), about 3 minutes.

9. SERVE: Transfer the gnocchi to bowls, drizzle with a little balsamic (about ½ teaspoon per), and sprinkle with some Pecorino and chopped toasted hazelnuts.

There’s still time!
Enter our Big September Giveaway by September 23

Details here

Traveling along the Mexico-US border, Pati Jinich, the star of Pati’s Mexican Table, Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana, and the La Frontera docuseries on PBS, found that everyone she met was thrilled to get to talk about what they love to cook and eat.

“There’s always this political piñata hanging as a shadow when you have conversations about the border,” Pati tells me in this new podcast episode. “People were just like, ‘Finally! We get to have the microphone to talk about the things we love, to talk about our human nature, to talk about our families, our traditions!’”

Pati’s new cookbook, Foods of La Frontera, highlights the flavors she tasted and dishes she learned along the way.

She describes the cooks she encountered as especially playful. North of the border, barbecue pros riff on Mexican salsas; and just to the south, she found mac and cheese “with chipotle, with chicharrones, with queso fresco. It’s this playing with the others’ techniques and cuisines that creates new things,” she notes. “They don’t have to ask permission, because they don’t have the mother or the grandmother overlooking the shoulder.” The book’s recipes hold onto tradition while also bringing in new flavors and methods.

Since she’s on the road so much, I was curious to hear about Pati’s cooking routines she she gets home. She has one hard-and-fast-rule: “You have to give yourself the time that it requires to have homemade meals. Because if you’re stressed and rushed and you want to start dinner when everybody’s hungry, or you want to put dinner on the table at 7 and you’re pretending to start dinner at 10 to 7, then that’s going to make it a no-go.”

She makes chicken broth over the weekend, along with batches of rice, chicken, and salsas—always making sure she has “some things that will give you joy,” like the preserved lemons she likes to stir into farro or brown rice with toasted nuts and chopped dates.

“And then treat your kitchen as a space for therapy…Even if you’re going to cook for half an hour, and it can’t be two hours, just put the phone away, take the recipe out, do your prep.”

Once you get into a rhythm, “cooking can really become a joyful, pleasurable, therapeutic experience,” she says, “I turn on music that I like, put on my apron. If I’m super stressed at work, I go in the kitchen, put everything away, put on music and say, I’m going to cook for this one hour. I come out of it energized, feeling good about myself.”

Below, you’ll find Pati’s recipe for a creamy rendition of chicken tinga that you can pile onto tostadas or use as an easy taco filling.

If you’re looking to double the recipe and freeze a night’s worth, I’d probably stop after Step 3 and freeze; proceed with Step 4 and add the crema after thawing.

The full conversation is only on the podcast; hit download so you can listen while you stir it all together.

Listen or Save for Later

This week, The Dinner Plan has one copy of Foods of La Frontera to give away.

• The simplest way to enter to win is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, September 13, 2026.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can also enter the giveaway. Just send in a “what’s in my fridge and pantry right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. We’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, September 13, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 13, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

Pati mentioned:

• Challah

• Oven-roasted chicken

• Fish tacos

• Boiled cheese empanadas (IG)

• Muni-Pozole

• Tepary beans (Rancho Gordo)

• Poison beans

• Fresh flour tortillas

• Pickled jalapeños

• Salsa macha

• Christmas enchiladas / Divorced enchiladas

• Fideo seco

• Fried rice

• Cookbook authors: , , Claudia Roden, José Andres, Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich,

• Joy of Cooking (Bookshop here)

Sponsors and friends of the show:

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Listen to Maggie’s episode on the Food Friends podcast

Maggie mentioned:

• Burnt Eggplant Salad from Cooking Thai

Pollo Enchipotlado con Crema / Creamy Chipotle Chicken

Excerpted from Foods of La Frontera by Pati Jinich. Copyright © 2026 by Mexican Table LLC. From Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

Serves 4 or 5 (fills about 10 gorditas or tacos)

At gordita stands I visited in northern Chihuahua, this was one of the most popular fillings and pretty much the same in all the stands I went to. Crema transforms the shredded chicken in a tomato-chipotle base into something velvety and luxe. You can use it in so many ways, filling gorditas, tacos, taquitos, tostadas, enchiladas, or tortas with it or just serving it over rice.

• 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

• 1 white onion, halved, one half left whole, one half thinly sliced

• 2 garlic cloves

• 2 bay leaves

• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

• 3 cups water

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes

• 3 to 4 canned chipotles in adobo sauce, seeded, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce

• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 cup crema, creme fraiche, or heavy cream

• Gorditas, warmed flour or corn tortillas, warmed tostadas, or cooked rice for serving

1. PUT the chicken, whole onion half, garlic, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add the tomatoes, cover again, and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are mushy and the skins have started to break apart. Remove the chicken breasts with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. WITH the slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and bay leaves to a blender, and add ½ cup of the chicken broth. Add the chipotle chiles and adobo sauce, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and the pepper and puree until smooth. Set aside.

3. ONCE the chicken has cooled enough to handle, finely shred it with your hands. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or casserole over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the sliced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chicken and the tomato puree, mix well, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce darkens and thickens.

4. REDUCE the heat to low and slowly stir in the crema. Increase the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens further. Serve hot in gorditas or tacos or on tostadas or rice.

Hi, I’m so glad you’re here! The Dinner Plan is a two-part publication:

Here on the newsletter, you get a weekly recipe from a brand-new cookbook. Over on The Dinner Plan podcast, you’ll hear my conversation with the author about what they actually cook at home.

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You still have time to enter our September giveaway, which includes a set of Epicurean cutting boards, a Hestan roasting pan, a Made In chef’s knife, a Cuisinart countertop oven, beautiful wooden utensils from Earlywood, Sichuan peppercorn oil from 50 Hertz, snacks aplenty, and too many other good things to list.

Enter here ➡️

“I think that a lot of cookbooks,” Carla Lalli tells me, “are presented as, like: every day is happy and perfect and dinner is going to be great.” But “actually, sometimes it’s a really bad day, and the best thing in your day might be this great thing that you make for dinner.”

Carla’s new book, Food Is a Feeling, is a messy, personal, human book that stands out in an age of endless AI recipes online. And it’s a great read, especially if you’re a little exhausted by the shiny, happy world of food on social media.

Carla reminds us that you don’t always enter the kitchen feeling your best—“Life is not a string of perfect days,” she says—but the act of cooking and listening to your cravings can be a way to take care of yourself.

The night she moved into a part-time sublet apartment as her 24-year marriage dissolved, Carla found herself making dinner. When I ask why she didn’t just order takeout, she says she didn’t really realize it at the time, but it totally makes sense, now that she looks back: “I cooked because it gives me a sense of comfort. It makes me feel like I’m in power. It’s soothing. And it is a way to shut off other noise.”

We often think of dinner as a task to accomplish; this book is a reminder that setting aside some time in kitchen can feed us in other ways.

Carla also grants us permission to redefine what makes a really good dinner. You can make an awesome turkey and cheese bagel with spicy mayo. You can pile salad on toast. You can enjoy a banana with crunchy peanut butter and flaky salt. Dinner can be the perfect crisped day-old rice with an egg on top, or a really good plate of spaghetti with garlic and olive oil and the very last greens in the fridge. Popcorn dressed up however you like can be thrilling.

And repeat dinners? You’ve got permission for those, too:

You can scroll down (or click through) for her pasta e fagioli recipe, varied and dialed in over years and years. This version leans on anchovy and dried shiitake mushrooms rather than a ham hock for savory flavor, and she thinks it’s one of the best she’s ever made.

Our full conversation is only on the podcast; download it now so you can listen while you cook.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

• Want a copy of Carla’s new book? The easiest way to enter to win is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, September 13, 2026. Your subscription gives you full access to our 99 Dinners You Didn’t Have to Think Of list, which just might come in handy during this busy month.

Subscribe now

• 🥈 Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, September 13, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 13, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

Carla mentioned:

• Blender green sauce video, recipe from That Sounds So Good

• Hailee Catalano’s crab salad video (TikTok)

• Personal pot of beans and greens (Food Processing) / video here

• Chicken cutlets bagna cauda / video here

• Salad sandwich / Greek salad sandwich

• Laab-inspired gingery ground beef (Food Processing)

• Raymond Sokolov’s The Cook’s Canon (Thriftbooks here)

• Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray’s Italian Easy: Recipes from the River Cafe (Thriftbooks here)

• Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques (Thriftbooks here)

Check out this week’s sponsors:

• Straus Family Creamery: Find Straus organic ice cream at Whole Foods nationwide or at strausfamilycreamery.com.

• Michele’s Granola: Use code DINNERPLAN15 for 15% off your order at MichelesGranola.com

• Row 7: Get 10% off Row 7’s chef-prepared tinned vegetables using code DINNERPLAN10 at Row7Seeds.com

• Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

Maggie mentioned:

• Corn salad inspired by these esquites on Serious Eats

• all the cookbook recommendations

• Carla’s 2025 episode on The Dinner Plan

• Just a reminder to enter the September giveaway (free subs, don’t forget that voice memo!)

Carla’s Chovy-Forward Fazool

Excerpted from Food Is a Feeling: Recipes & Stories, With Love by Carla Lalli. Copyright © 2026 by Carla Lalli. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

I grew up eating my mom’s pasta e fagioli, a Sunday staple. When I moved into an off-campus apartment during college, I craved it like crazy and called her—Carole—up to find out how to make it.

At first, I was very loyal to her tomatoey recipe, motivated to match the taste memory if I could. Only later I found the confidence to tweak and change it a little bit here, a little bit there. My interpretation of her recipe, which we call “fazool,” despite the fact that my mom has never liked that moniker, is the one my kids have grown up on. Less tomato, lots of anchovy. The core of the dish—pasta and beans—is the point, and I honor that.

8 servings

• 8 ounces dried beans, such as baby lima, gigante, Corona, or cranberry beans

• Kosher salt

For the Soffritto

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 large yellow onion, halved

• 1 fennel bulb, stems trimmed, roughly chopped

• 4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

• Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper

• 6 anchovy fillets

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds

• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• 2 teaspoons mild chile flakes, such as Aleppo, plus more for serving

• ¼ cup tomato paste (double concentrate)

For the Soup

• Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper

• 3 bay leaves, fresh or dried

• 2 dried shiitakes or porcini

• 1 bunch of kale, leaves torn into 3-inch pieces

• 1 or 2 Parmigiano rinds (optional)

• 8 ounces small ridged pasta, such as orecchiette or cavatelli

• Parmigiano and toasted or fried crusty bread, for serving

1. To soak your beans before cooking, put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon salt and 6 cups water and leave them at room temperature for up to 24 hours. This step is not required, but it shortens the cooking time for the beans and preseasons them.

2. Make the soffritto: In a food processor, pulse the garlic, onion, and fennel until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Pulse the carrots in the processor until finely chopped and add to bowl with onion mixture. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the vegetables by hand, as finely as patience will allow.

3. Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven or other large heavy pot with a lid over medium. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped vegetables. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir to combine, and cook until the vegetables are bright and start to release their liquid, about 3 minutes.

4. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the soffritto, checking and stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables have released a lot of liquid and become very soft, without taking on any color, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Continue to cook, covered, stirring more frequently, until the soffritto has lost at least half its original volume and is just starting to brown, about 15 minutes more.

6. Uncover and cook until the soffritto is orangey-brown in color and starting to fry in the oil, which indicates the vegetables have given up all of their liquid. (The math is right: Cooking the soffritto takes about 40 minutes, which is why this soup tastes so good.)

7. Scoop out half of the soffritto and transfer it to a storage container. Let cool, then freeze for the next batch of soup or beans; setting it aside before you add the anchovies and other seasonings means you can adjust it to complement whatever dish you’re making in the future.

8. Add the anchovies, oregano, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and chile flakes to the remaining soffritto in the pot. Cook, stirring, until the anchovies have disintegrated, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat, and cook until the paste has darkened by a couple of shades, about 3 minutes more.

9. Finish the soup: Add the beans, along with their soaking liquid. (If using unsoaked beans, add 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt.) Drop in the bay leaves and shiitakes, then add water to cover the beans by 2 to 3 inches. (If you have homemade chicken or vegetable stock on hand, you can use it instead of water, but it’s not necessary, flavor wise.)

10. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes or so, until the beans are tender but not completely cooked through, 1 to 2 hours, depending on your beans (add water as needed to keep the beans submerged by 2 inches).

11. Stir in the kale and Parm rinds (if using), partially cover, and cook soup with lid askew, stirring occasionally, until the beans are completely soft and kale is silky, 30 to 45 minutes more. Taste periodically and season as needed. If the beans are being stubborn and the kale ends up cooking longer, it’s all good.

12. Transfer about 3 cups soup mixture (without rinds) to a tall container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth (or do this in a stand blender). Stir the puree into the soup.

13. Cook the pasta in a pot of well-salted boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes less than the time indicated on the package. Drain the pasta, add it to the soup, and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

14. Serve the soup drizzled with olive oil, with Parmigiano for grating over, bread for dunking, and more Aleppo.

Open your cupboards right now. Anything inspiring? If friends came over, would you have a fun snack to offer? Could you pull a meal from the pantry?

Now look around: Have you been meaning to swap out that old plastic cutting board, to get a sharp new knife, to upgrade your coffee situation? Or have you been wishing you had some fresh cookbooks on your shelf? Are you in charge of hosting some big family holidays this year?

Good news: I’m your wish-granting fairy godmother today, and I’m so excited to shower you with gifts.

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Below, you’ll find SEVEN different giveaways that’ll improve your life in the kitchen, brought to you with support from friends and sponsors of The Dinner Plan.

To enter, you’ll need to follow the instructions all the way down the page. And yes, you have to pick which is your favorite set of prizes. Sorry, international friends, unfortunately we can only ship to US addresses.

Feeling shoppy? When you make a purchase through any affiliate links in this newsletter, a small commission helps to support this project. Thank you!

Shall we just get into it? This newsletter will be easiest to read if you click here to view online.

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Giveaway 1: The Prep Set

1. Earlywood kitchen utensils: The Newlywood set (with Glacier holder) includes a wide mix of heirloom-quality wooden tools for sautéing, scraping, spreading, scooping, serving, and tasting. I use these all the time and love them!

2. Made In 8” Chef Knife: Full tang chef’s knife with an olive wood handle, forged in Thiers, France.

3. Epicurean 4-piece cutting board set: These cutting boards are made from a paper composite material that’s microplastic-free and dishwasher-safe.

Giveaway 2: The Roasting Pan

Hestan Provisions Large Tri-Ply Roaster with Rack: This 16.5” heavy-duty clad stainless steel roaster from Hestan comes with a stainless steel rack to hold your pork shoulder or holiday turkey.

Giveaway 3: The Pantry Party

1. Bianco di Napoli: Win an assortment pack of exceptional canned tomatoes plus a jar each of Bianco DiNapoli’s organic marinara, tomato basil, and arrabbiata sauces.

2. Emma’s Snacks: a three-pack of Emma’s salty-sweet chocolate-coated potato chips.

Keep scrolling for more pantry prizes or click to see the whole giveaway…

3. Tatemada Salsas: You’ll get an assortment of four salsas, plus chips, and a beautiful Talavera bowl.

4. The Masala Collection from Diaspora Co.: includes chai masala, tandoori masala, chaat masala, biryani masala, garam masala, and the gunpowder podi collaboration created with Padma Lakshmi.

5. Little Zing Danish Mustard: Three-pack includes original Danish mustard, garlic miso, and smoky chipotle lime.

6. Brooklyn Delhi’s heat-and-eat meals: I love to keep these on hand for speedy weeknight dinners. Try the Chickpea Tikka Masala, Black Bean Butter Masala, Sweet Potato Coconut Dal, and Red Bean Rajma Masala, plus travel-ready sachets of Tomato Achaar and Date Tamarind Chutney.

7. 50Hertz: Win the Tingly Sichuan Pepper Oil Gift Box, plus Tingly Sichuan Pepper Peanuts and Tingly Cashews for snacking. Dinner Plan readers get 15% using code TINGLYDINNERPLAN.

There are still MORE pantry prizes, keep scrolling…

8. Inés Rosales: Crispy, flaky olive oil tortas from Inés Rosales in an assortment of flavors including savory Espelette pepper and rosemary thyme, plus sweet lemon, orange, cinnamon, and ginger spice.

9. Bob’s Red Mill: Stock your pantry with organic farro, organic tri-color quinoa, organic buckwheat groats, organic chia seeds, organic all-purpose flour, organic steel cut outs, and protein oats from Bob’s Red Mill.

10. MaraBela Sparkling Tea: Non-alcoholic sparkling tea made in Walla Walla by a fifth-generation winemaking family. Pop open this bottle for guests!

11. BjornQorn: An assortment of BjornQorn’s popcorn (Classic, Spicy, Cloudy, Maple, Earth, and Ruby, which is dusted with tangy hibiscus) plus their fine popping kernels.

12. Lotus Foods: An array of noodles including organic wide white rice ramen noodles and organic brown and white udon rice noodles, plus a rice assortment.

13. Soom Foods: New squeeze bottles of Everyday Tahini, Harissa Tahini, and Mediterranean Herb.
    

Giveaway 4: The Countertop Oven

Cuisinart 10-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven: These days, I’m so much more likely to use my countertop oven than to heat up my regular oven. This one from Cuisinart is big enough to roast a 4-pound chicken, but also works to air-fry, broil, bake, and toast.

Click to View the Full Giveaway

Giveaway 5: The Dinner Inspiration Library

1. Dinner Time: Deeply Delicious Meals in 15, 30, 45 and 60 Minutes by Zena Kamgaing (Bookshop / Omnivore)

2. Everyday Eats: 100 Simple and Healthy Recipes for Real Life byAlex Snodgrass (Bookshop / Anchovy Book Co.)

3. CookShelf: Win a one-year subscription to the app that helps you really use your cookbooks.

4. Instant Noodles and Beyond: A Comic Book with Recipes for Souped-Up Ramen, Mac & Cheese, and More by Robin Ha (Bookshop / Book Larder)

5. Greek Out: Sunny Vibes, High-Energy Mediterranean Flavor by Maria Koutsogiannis (Bookshop / Anchovy Book Co.)

6. Cheese Please: Over 90 Indulgently Cheesy Dishes―Melty, Crispy, Savory, and Sweet by Sue Quinn (Bookshop / Book Larder)

7. Tramontana: Northern Italian Recipes from Sea to Summit by Simon Bajada (Bookshop / Omnivore)

We’re not done! More books below…

8. Weeknight Winners, Family Dinners: Kid-Approved, Adult-Loved Recipes by Jack Zhang and Emmy Zhang (Bookshop / Book Larder)

9. Meals You Can’t Mess Up: 100+ Actually Easy Recipes for Big Flavor with Little Effort by Shay Spence (Bookshop / Anchovy Book Co.)

10. Eat with Afia: A Celebration of Plant-Based Ghanaian Cooking by Afia Amoako (Bookshop / Omnivore)

11. Vegan Vegan! by Zineb ‘Zizi’ Hattab (Bookshop / Book Larder)

12. Speedy 10: 10 Everyday Ingredients, 100 Dinners in Under 30 Minutes by Amy Sheppard (Bookshop)

13. Everything Delish: 100+ Simple Recipes for Making What You Want to Eat--and Nailing It Every Time by Jamie Milne (Bookshop / Omnivore)

14. Cookbooking: A Fan’s Guide by Debbie Berne (Bookshop / Omnivore)

15. The Curious Lives of Vegetables by Ali Francis (Bookshop / Book Larder)

16. Epic Veg: Bold, Satisfying Meals That Hit the Spot by Jessica Prescott (Bookshop / Book Larder)

17. Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse, The Making of Sydney’s Legendary Seafood Restaurant in Over 100 recipes by Josh Niland (Bookshop / Now Serving)

View the Rest Online

Giveaway 6: A Better Brew

1. Sightglass Coffee: Freshly roasted organic Owl’s Howl espresso, Blueboon, and single origin Ethiopia Worka Chelbessa from one of my favorite roasters.

2. OXO Conical Burr Coffee Grinder: Add this easy-to-clean coffee grinder to your morning setup and you’ll see what a difference it makes.
   

Giveaway 7: Books for Baking Season

1. Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with One Cup of Flour by Rebecca Eisenberg (Bookshop / Book Larder)

2. Around the World in 80 Cakes by Ruby Bhogal (Bookshop / Omnivore)

3. The Dessert Table: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets by Leah Koenig (Bookshop / Powell’s)

4. Librae: Third-Culture Recipes from a Cult New York Bakery by Dona Murad (Bookshop / Book Larder)

5. Bake Sum: Asian American Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats by Joyce Tang with Soleil Ho (Bookshop / Omnivore)

6. Spookie Cookies: Next-Level Decorating to Make Your Treats Come Alive by Karen Thi (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble)

7. Easy Sourdough on Any Schedule by Kate Freebairn

8. Cookie Science: 60+ Standout Recipes for Scientifically Better Treats by Dikla Levy Frances (Bookshop / Omnivore)

9. Better Than Grandma’s: Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving by Justin Ellen

Step 1:

• The best way to enter is to become a paid subscriber to The Dinner Plan by Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Then continue to Step 2!

Subscribe Now

• If you’re unable to become a paid subscriber right now, don’t despair. You can still enter the giveaway. Just make sure you’re subscribed to (not just following) this newsletter, and then send in a 30-second “what’s in my fridge, freezer, and pantry” voice memo. An upcoming podcast guest will come up with a dinner idea just for you. All the instructions for the voice memo are here.
  
  Be sure to come back and complete Step 2 to enter! Voice memos must be received via email Wednesday, Sept 23, 2026.

Step 2:

• Hit the ❤️ and leave a comment below telling us WHICH of these seven giveaways you really want to win. (You can give us your second choice, too.)

• Then stay tuned: winners will be alerted by Substack DM and email. Please check your messages for a note from me!

Leave a comment

Rules: Ends September 23, 2026. U.S. addresses only, 18+, no purchase necessary. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack or Instagram. If there’s no answer to Substack DM and email within 2 weeks, prize will be awarded to someone else. Terms and limitations apply for discount codes.

I wish I could reach out and make all of September easier for you.

Perhaps one annoying work project could vaporize? And you’d actually have Back to School Night on your calendar in advance? And just once, big feelings and lost socks wouldn’t derail the morning rush?

I wish I could make every part of this frenzied month go more smoothly for you, but let’s start with dinner.

This month is full (you guys, it’s really full) of new cookbooks: some you’ll keep by your bedside for reading, some that’ll inspire your best dinner party yet, and some you’ll want to cook from on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, too. Protein-Packed Vegetarian, the new book from Grace Elkus, is already very much in my weekday rotation.

Grace shares so many practical tips in this week’s podcast conversation, like how to get better results from your air fryer, how to get your tofu extra-crispy and flavorful, and how to convince your family (or yourself) to love cottage cheese. (You’ll solve that one quick with the unstuffed eggplant parm shells recipe that you’ll find below.)

Grace has a way with sheet-pan dinners. Big slabs of feta go in the oven on top of roasted carrots—plus there’s pita that crisps up into chips to add texture to the salad. (That one has roasted cabbage too, plus a simple yogurt sauce and pistachios.) Roasted spaghetti squash becomes its own little bowl, filled with marinara and creamy cheese.

In the recipe below, all the best end-of-summer veggies are caramelized in the oven, before getting the breadcrumb treatment. Crispy edges, here we come.

Maybe I can’t fix September. But I’m pretty sure this newsletter will make it more delicious.

Listen to My Chat With Grace

Today’s double-recipe send is long—you may need to click through to see the whole thing.

Protein-Packed Vegetarian is the book you need to feed yourself well this fall. And The Dinner Plan has one copy to give away!

• The simplest way to enter to win is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Subscribe now

• Free subscribers can also enter the giveaway. Just send in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. My cookbook author guest will come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 6, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.

Grace mentioned:

• Magic quiche

• Cheesy Chickpea Naan Pizzas (IG); recipe (paid) here

• Cheesy chickpea melts (The Kitchn)

• Grace’s 5 p.m. Panic Dinners

• Sheet pan pancakes

• Seed and Mill tahini squeeze bottles regular / spicy

• Angel Bakery pita

• Bachan’s Japanese BBQ sauce

• Tofu press: Grace uses this one; here’s a cheaper option a lot of people love

• OXO smooth edge can opener

• Earlywood spatulas

• Grace uses this air fryer

• Deb Perelman’s Warm Winter Vegetable Salad With Halloumi

• Crispy tofu (IG)

• Egg pocket (IG)

• Extra-fluffy frittata (IG)

• Protein-packed butternut squash soup

• Cottage cheese scrambled eggs (IG)

• Corn pasta with cottage cheese (IG); recipe (paid) here

• Potato and green bean foil packet (The Kitchn; Grace uses meatless sausage)

• Erin McDowell’s cheese quinoa crust

• Ratatouille (IG) / recipe (paid) here

• Julia Turshen’s Small Victories (Bookshop here)

• Ali Slagle I Dream of Dinner especially the potato egg cheese tacos, pastrami spiced tempeh on rye, and Ali’s oven quesadillas (Bookshop here)

• Jess Damuck’s Health Nut (Bookshop here)

• Alexis DeBoschnek’s Nights and Weekends (Bookshop here)

• Ali Slagle’s Crispy Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli (NYT Cooking; gift link)

• Sheela Prakash’s Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash (The Kitchn)

• Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Gnocchi with Asparagus, Edamame, and Parmesan (The Kitchn)