It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.
June 20
An everything-must-go mango salsa
I can’t resist a good deal, which often leads to an impulse buy (or two) at the supermarket. This week’s grocery list diversion was a big well-priced bag of Ataulfo mangoes. I like to purchase produce in bulk and snack all week, but this bunch was ripe enough to require immediate use. So I planned a picnic and packed a simple, fruit-forward recipe: Mango Salsa. I traded the tomatoes for a diced peach, which turned up the sweetness but was balanced out by spicy jalepeño, sharp red onion, and tangy citrus. Piled atop tortilla chips, the salsa was gone in minutes. Next time, I’ll double the recipe and stash extras in the fridge—the summery condiment would fare well atop blackened or grilled salmon. —Arietta Hallock, editorial intern
Roasted carrot soup for later
Before I leave for a trip, I do my best to cook everything in my fridge and leave my freezer stocked with something delicious to heat up when I return home. This past week, a bunch of carrots, part of a bell pepper, and a half-used can of coconut milk led me to Zaynab Issa’s Roasted Carrot Soup With Crispy Shallots. Lusciously creamy, zippy from fresh grated ginger, and surprisingly complex from the cumin-seasoned roasted veg, it’s as fantastic hot out of the pot as it is reheated a week later. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
Mint chocolate smoothie
I’ve been on a smoothie kick as the temperatures in New York are finally rising. Usually I make my glass of purple or greenish slop on autopilot, throwing in whatever semi-nutritious ingredients I have in the freezer and pantry into my blender. But in an attempt to recreate the kind you’d find at a fancy smoothie shop, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try a recipe. The Mint Chocolate Smoothie from Mikaela Reuben’s new cookbook, Eat to Love, was my first stop. It gets the bulk of its flavor from spinach, cacao powder, mint extract, and cacao nibs. Two dates add a kiss of sweetness; Reuben tells readers to soak these in water for 20 minutes before blending. As much as I wanted to omit that step for sake of convenience, it made their texture all the more fudgy and my smoothie silkier. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
My go-to veggie side
I’ve recently rediscovered my love for bok choy. The veg takes virtually no time to cook, and even if you over or undercook it, you’ll still end up with a delightful bowl of greens. My go-to recipe lately is this Stir-Fried Bok Choy With Garlic, a simple side that takes no more than 10 minutes to make. You literally just sauté bok choy with garlic and shallots, then steam it with a splash of water and salty soy sauce. It’s crisp, tender and the perfect pairing for just about any dinner. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor
Wedding day sandwiches
At a wedding recently, my in-laws and I were stuck in that weird time in between breakfast and the family photo shoot—full for the moment but anticipating future peckish-ness. And though we were on a working farm, there was no promise of anything to eat before the reception. Luckily, I planned ahead: The day before, I hit up the farmstand and grabbed the makings for sandwiches, an ideal dish for a minimally stocked Airbnb kitchen. The chosen recipe: Rachel Gurjar’s Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich. I swapped in roast chicken and skipped the chili crisp, but the result is the answer for keeping blood sugar and heightened emotions in check. —Joseph Hernandez, associate director of drinks & lifestyle
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June 6
Frozen Anzac biscuits
I wouldn’t say I’m cooking much, but I sure have been eating Anzac Biscuits this week. They were a gift from my mother, and I’ve kept them stashed in the freezer (to me, a frozen cookie is a perfect thing) since they came in the mail. It was her first time making the recipe with genuine golden syrup. She was floored by the difference in taste (like rich butterscotch) between it and alternatives she’d tried in the past. I’m trying to savor them as long as they last, despite my desire to make ice cream sandwiches out of the last few. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO and cooking
Weeknight cod
My ideal weeknight dinner consists of a saucy protein on top of rice. While I love chicken thighs, shrimp, and tofu, I never considered cod as a weeknight option (too fussy! too fancy!). That wasn’t until I tried my colleague Alaina Chou’s Green Curry Coconut Cod. All you have to do is make a spicy spinach blender sauce, heat it in a pan, drop in your cod fillets, and let them cook. That’s it. No searing or flipping required? Sign me up. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor
Divorce salad
Should I have been worried when, of the tens of thousands of recipes in the Bon Appétit archive, my husband chose to make Divorce Salad? Just the opposite—I was thrilled! This smart salad from my coworker Emily Farris features some of my favorite things: canned beans, crunchy lettuce, fried onions, lots of cheese. And the balsamic-marinated beans keep for days, so you can toss a big spoonful with greens between a flurry of meetings, or scoop them onto a thick slice of toast for a hearty snack. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Dreamy dumplings
With a bag of veggie dumplings sitting pretty in my freezer, I decided to make senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s Quick Butter-Braised Tomato and Dumplings. The recipe falls into my favorite category of cooking: dump dinners. I layered ginger, garlic, mirin, soy, sesame oil, and globs of butter in a skillet. I then threw in cherry and beefsteak tomatoes, plus the frozen dumplings. Everything simmered away until the dumplings plumped and the tomatoes got juicy. Finished with a shower of sweet basil and peppery scallions, this is a recipe I’ll be dreaming about. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Miso-brown-butter rice cakes with corn
Every time I step into an H-Mart, I can’t resist stocking up on banchan, Turtle Chips, and way too many Korean rice cakes. Looking to switch things up from my usual spicy tteokbokki recipe, I tried my colleague Shilpa Uskokovic’s Miso-Brown-Butter Rice Cakes With Corn—and I’m hooked. The dish balances savory miso and scallions with the sweetness of browned butter and corn, all finished with a nutty toasted sesame oil. The rice cakes get perfectly crisp on the outside while staying chewy inside. It’s a flavor-packed, texture-rich recipe I’ll make all summer long. —Ali Inglese, senior director, content production
June 6
Horchata overnight oats for the week
I’m a chronic early riser. I’m talking five in the morning, guns blazing, ready to head out the door before the sun rises early. But sharing an apartment with someone who wakes up at a more reasonable hour means I need a quick grab-and-go breakfast that won’t cause a ruckus. Luckily, test kitchen manager Ines Anguiano’s Horchata Overnight Oats saves the day time and time again. I love to prep it on Sunday, then quietly dish it out each morning before I head to the gym. One batch lasts me Monday through Friday, providing just enough pep to power my mornings. It houses all the loveable warm flavors of horchata and tastes just as good on day one as it does day five. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor
Craveable egg drop dumpling soup
I was under the weather this past week, and to be quite honest, I didn’t have much of an appetite. But when the clouds parted and I rejoined the world, I had a serious craving for soup. Specifically deputy food editor Hana Asbrink’s Egg Drop Dumpling Soup. This recipe is not a project; it doesn’t demand hours of time nor leave you chopping aromatics til your wrist cramps. Boxed broth, a bag of spinach, and your favorite frozen dumplings join some cornstarch-infused whisked eggs (the secret to custardy swirls of egg instead of stringy overcooked ones) and voilà, you’re sipping soup. It’s flavor-packed, umami rich, and ready in 20 minutes. Thank you, Hana. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
Tender rhubarb cake
Jesse Szewczyk’s Rhubarb Cake is the only rhubarb dessert I’ll ever need. Rhubarb stalks are sliced thinly and get embedded into the batter so seamlessly, there’s no chance of a sog-out occurring. While I usually find rhubarb paired with sweeter fruit like strawberry to complement its tartness, this rhubarb shines on its own with a thin lacquer of jam. But the cake batter is what really stole the show. The recipe uses the reverse-creaming method, a technique that yields the most tender crumb. After trying it, I never want to make a cake any other way. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
Zucchini butter
I’m growing zucchini for the very first time. Though I think I’ll be swimming in abundance soon enough, I couldn’t wait to make my colleague Kendra Vaculin’s Zucchini Butter so I picked some up at the market ahead of my first harvest. The recipe is oh so simple: grated zucchini, butter, garlic, and lemon cooked down into a luscious, bright spread. I couldn’t resist eating the first few bites by the spoonful. The rest? I mixed into farfalle for lunch. When the time comes for me to pick my first homegrown squash, I know exactly what I’m doing with it. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Birthday pudding
I made senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Lush Vanilla Berry Pudding for my dad’s birthday. He’s never really been a cake guy, so this fruit-forward sweet treat did the trick. Nilla Wafers layered with wobbly pudding become tender, not mushy, and the crushed cookies that sit on top offer a crunchy textural contrast. Since the berries play a supporting role, feel free to use the strawberries you bought at the store that looked ruby and promising on the outside but were sadly still white to the core (we’ve all been there). Gently folding them into some sweet jam will fix them right up. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager, audience strategy
