The broth is flavored by the cooked quinoa, jalapeño, scallions, and pungent ground cumin, then studded with salty bits of feta and earthy spinach. The result is hearty and filling, yet delicate and light. Besides being one of the healthiest things I've cooked in weeks, it was also surprisingly delicious. More

In today's Washington Post, Jason Wilson dips into this broad family of sparkling coolers that generations of thirsty Americans have used to beat back the fiercest sweltering weather. As Wilson notes, there's not a great deal of variance on paper between these drinks, but these seemingly minor differences can mean a lot when the drink is in your glass. More

While in Napa recently, I found and loved a white bean dip at Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Yountville, which came served with pain epi. It was creamy, mild, and mellow, but not bland at all. And it had a distinct advantage over butter—I could slather on as much as I wanted without guilt. More

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The cocktail menu at Craftbar features some of the best herb-infused cocktails we've ever tried; Skiba uses spirits and liquors to bring out the essential character of each herb, from sage (with bourbon and Benedictine) to cilantro with jalapeno and mezcal to rosemary and lavender with gin. Check out the drinks and get the recipes to make them at home » More

While those mini-meatballs are undoubtedly the high point, the generous helping of vegetables—onions, celery, kale, and escarole—really beef the soup up (so to speak), and make it thoroughly nutritious. A little Parmesan added at the end is a nice touch, as well, providing both a little bit of salt and a tiny bit of creamy goodness. More

Pork shoulder is a luscious fatty cut that does very well in a low temperature oven for a long time. When picking out your shoulder, make sure that there's a nice piece of skin left on it so that once it's roasted, there is enough crackling for everyone to have a piece. The onions that the roast sits on become soft and coated in pork fat, so make sure to serve them alongside the roast. More

Adapted by D.C. chef Ann Cashion, this Revelatory Caramel Cake from strong>The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook, this caramel cake is similar in flavor to an angel food cake but with a much denser crumb. Once baked and cooled, it can be iced and filled any which way you please. But being a caramel cake, this one is really all about the icing. It's actually more like a candy coating. More

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It's a simple motto: Bread-cheese-butter-victory. Over 200 amateur cooks and professional chefs answered this call to arms at the Grilled Cheese Invitational on April 25, last weekend in Los Angeles. Cheeseaholics mobbed Center Studios downtown to gorge on thousands of sandwiches involving everything from Krispy Kremes to duck foie gras. More

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When I wrote about ramps last week, I completely neglected to include some tasty recipes. Here are three: pickled ramps, ramp dumplings, and fried eggs with ramps with bacon. More

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A couple weeks ago, I asked the folks over on my Facebook Page what their favorite Chinese restaurant appetizer is. I was expecting dumplings, spring rolls, perhaps hot and sour soup. What I got instead was a deluge of crab rangoon, with more than twice as many votes as any other dish. More

There are loads of hanger steak and shallot recipes out there for a reason—because they taste really freaking good together. It's just a fact. This slight variation from Food & Wine adds mushrooms for a bit of meatiness. Really, this is all about how the softened and sweet shallots balance the succulent and surprisingly rich steak. More

Usually, my go-to technique when cooking fish is to crank up the heat for a smoking hot sear. The theory goes that fish, especially white-fleshed varieties, are pretty mild in flavor, so the more caramelization and flavor that can be built into the cooking process, the better. Of course, that all falls apart when you taste a recipe like this, with the fish resting in a broth so intensely flavored you don't need much else. More

Of all the great meat pies in the world, Steak & Stilton Pie is one of my favorites. The combination of rich stewing beef, funky Stilton, and bitter ale makes for a complex and filling Sunday Supper. More

The thick pistou clogs the twists of the corkscrew pasta and gushes as you bite into it. And as a final oh-my-gosh, I add creamy fresh goat cheese, a big springtime ingredient, that melts its tanginess into ribbons that fleck the hot pasta. More

Though it looks a tad odd at first, Mexican cuisine has its own rendition of the shrimp cocktail. It has many similarities to the American version, except it trades out the horseradish for hot sauce and really amps up the seafood flavor with clam juice. More

Octopus can intimidate the home cook. Once you understand that it takes two simple techniques to take octopus from threatening foe to cherished dinnertime friend, you'll be hooked on its mild oceanic flavor and slightly springy texture. More

I often find myself with a half quart or so of leftover buttermilk in my fridge from various cooking projects, like pancakes or homemade crème fraîche, and I could never really figure out what to do with it until now: a Buttermilk Gin Flip. More

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Raise your hand if you like Tater Tots? (And remember, it's the Internet, so no one can see you)! Everyone, right? I thought so. They get a bum rap in public, and it's a travesty, because they are perhaps the second-most-awesomest crisp-on-the-outside tender-in-the-center fried potato-based snack ever conceived. This week, we try to make them at home. More

It was kind of a revelation when I discovered the magical marinating powers of yogurt. When it comes to quick dinners, it's good for your arsenal—yogurt-based dishes tend to work their magic especially quickly, rendering meat flavorful and succulent and infusing it with the accompanying flavors and spices. More

I'm absolutely stunned by this recipe from Takashi's Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi. This beef-topped udon dish is complex and slightly rich, with just a tinge of sweetness in each spoonful. The thinly sliced beef cooks in seconds, and the tofu and scallions need all of a minute before they're ready to go. It's so good I've made it twice in the past 24 hours. More

I often hear people lament their inability to make frozen desserts for lack of equipment. But nothing's quite as satisfying as pulling dessert out of the freezer at the end of a long meal—nodding, yes, it is homemade. For these occasions, we have granita, one of the easiest and most elegant desserts ever made. The ingredients couldn't be simpler, the technique no more elementary. And they wake up the palate like nothing else. No ice cream maker required. More

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Pork and beans go together like, well pork and beans. Enough so that pretty much every bean-and-pork-eating culture in the world has figured out some way to put them together. Lentilles aux lardons, garbanzos con chorizo, sweet Okinawan pork belly cooked with beans, cassoulet, Boston baked beans, even good old beanie-wienies. Like all good pork and bean dishes, feijoada is a dish of economy, intended to offer complete nutrition and great flavor with a minimal amount of expensive protein. Indeed, it's made with all the parts of the pig or cow that most people don't eat. More

The stout-based batter on these onion rings makes them much more flavorful. Throw in a little spice, some tangy mustard, a touch of honey for sweetness, and the package is complete. More

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Monkey bread. Because kids go ape over it. You know what else they go ape for? Pizza. Let them help you make pizza monkey bread and they'll go positively King Kong in the kitchen. Making this stuff is way easier than making pizza, too, since you don't have to worry about stretching the dough or precise cook times. All you'll need are these recipes for dough and pizza sauce as well as and some Parmesan, mozzarella, and fresh basil. More

In the ranks of New Orleans-born coolers, the Ramos Fizz (aka Ramos Gin Fizz) is royalty. Created in 1888 by bar owner Henry C. Ramos, the fizz that bears his name takes the already appealing Silver Fizz--a mixture of gin, lemon, sugar and seltzer, with an egg white to add foam and body--and advances it several steps along the decadence line, adding cream, lime juice and a few drops of aromatic orange-flower water (no, not orange juice--the perfume-like stuff usually sold in small blue bottles). More