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New York Times
19-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- New York Times
Take It Outside! 24 Easy-to-Pack Recipes for Summer Picnics, Beach Days and More
You'd think the first 70-degree day in New York was a government-sanctioned holiday, the way that throngs of winter-weary city dwellers spill out onto patios and piers and into parks. It's a culturally sanctioned holiday, at least, an excuse to grab the portable speaker and some friends, and finally — finally! — eat outdoors. That feverish appetite for summer's arrival is universal. We're all itching to get outside, and the season's restless nature necessitates food that can tag along with us. So below you'll find 24 portable and shareable recipes built for the backyard, the beach and the communal barbecue, along with tips that will make planning and packing for blissfully unstructured days a little bit easier, and a lot more delicious. ☼ Snacks Furikake Snack Mix No one is more popular at the park hang than the friend who rolls up with a tub of fancy Spanish potato chips or a bag of elusive Japanese butter corn Cheetos. That is, until you show up with Sue Li's snack mix, teeming with crunchy ramen noodles, shrimp crackers, puffed cereal, wasabi peas and more crunchy bits tossed in soy butter. Recipe: Furikake Snack Mix Caprese Antipasto Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Take It Outside! 24 Easy-to-Pack Recipes for Summer Picnics, Barbecues and Beach Days
Snacks, sandwiches, sweets and more to grab and go, go, go. Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. Published May 19, 2025 Updated May 19, 2025 You'd think the first 70-degree day in New York was a government-sanctioned holiday, the way that throngs of winter-weary city dwellers spill out onto patios and piers and into parks. It's a culturally sanctioned holiday, at least, an excuse to grab the portable speaker and some friends, and finally — finally! — eat outdoors. That feverish appetite for summer's arrival is universal. We're all itching to get outside, and the season's restless nature necessitates food that can tag along with us. So below you'll find 24 portable and shareable recipes built for the backyard, the beach and the communal barbecue, along with tips that will make planning and packing for blissfully unstructured days a little bit easier, and a lot more delicious. Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. No one is more popular at the park hang than the friend who rolls up with a tub of fancy Spanish potato chips or a bag of elusive Japanese butter corn Cheetos. That is, until you show up with Sue Li's snack mix, teeming with crunchy ramen noodles, shrimp crackers, puffed cereal, wasabi peas and more crunchy bits tossed in soy butter. Recipe: Furikake Snack Mix Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Liza Jernow. If you've ever wondered, 'What if a caprese was more ?' you might worry that David Tanis learned how to read minds. His answer is a satisfying one, as he embellishes the classic salad with roasted peppers, caperberries, olives and prosciutto for a luscious grazing meal best sopped up with crusty bread, al fresco. Recipe: Caprese Antipasto Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Lish Steiling. If this composed snacking plate from Naz Deravian were a summer blockbuster, the critics' blurbs in the trailer would look something like this: 'A sweet little gentle thing.' 'Refreshing.' 'A wonderful, delightful surprise.' 'Summer in a plate.' That's what readers are saying, anyway, about this open canvas of a recipe, ideal for leisurely nights on the patio. Recipe: Naan-o Paneer-o Sabzi Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. What's a day at the beach without a Tupperware of cubed watermelon, pulled from the recesses of the cooler and slick with condensation? This fruit salad, adapted from Malika Ameen by Tejal Rao, is sweet, sour and savory, a vibrant antidote to the salty sea air. Recipe: Watermelon Chaat Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. This creamy dip from Ali Slagle takes a consummate snack for one — a crunchy pickle — and party-proofs it, stretching its briny flavors. This simple, playful sauce calls out for potato or pita chips, or your favorite crisp crudités. Dare we say, cucumbers? Recipe: Dill Pickle Tzatziki David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. I checked the Weather app this morning, and it said today's high is cucumber salad degrees. Prepare accordingly with this refreshingly piquant salad from David Tanis, featuring more than a few stars of summer. Recipe: Spicy Cucumbers With Mint, Scallions and Crushed Peanuts Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Alexa Weibel reinvigorates potato salad, that standard-bearer of the picnic spread, with salty capers and bread-and-butter pickles, as well as plenty of parsley, dill and lemon zest. But she doesn't stop there: Rather than just dressing and tossing the potatoes, she builds the salad in layers, alternating sauce and starch for some inspired eating. Recipe: Potato Salad With Tartar Sauce and Fresh Herbs Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Fresh with tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and serrano chile, yet hearty with beans, this Senegalese salad from the chef Isaiah Screetch, adapted by Korsha Wilson, gets only better with time. Tied together with a lime dressing, it improves as it rests, so you too can rest easily knowing it'll taste even better by the time it reaches its final destination. Recipe: Saladu Nebbe (Black-Eyed Pea Salad With Tomatoes and Cucumbers) Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. Yossy Arefi had the beach and the barbecue in mind when she developed this recipe, which holds up well and packs double the tomato-y punch, thanks to both sweet cherry tomatoes and savory sun-dried tomatoes. 'I wouldn't change a thing about this salad,' one reader wrote. Recipe: Tomato and Farro Salad With Arugula Yossy Arefi for The New York Times (Photography and Styling) For those deterred by heavy, one-note, mayo-laden pasta salad, Alexa Weibel has something fresher, brighter, tangier. OK, there's still a little mayo — would it really be pasta salad without it? — but pickles, celery, scallions, capers, dill, citrus, Dijon and a good dose of parsley provide ample texture, bite and distraction. I made the dressing the night before minus the celery and scallions. It had such a nicely melded flavor the next morning. Then added all the remaining ingredients the next day before my picnic. Recipe: Macaroni Salad With Lemon and Herbs Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. A hero on the beach by any other name — sub, hoagie, grinder — would taste as sweet. It is the canonical 'we're outside' sandwich, and Ali Slagle's version nails the proportions, structure and assembly. Crucially, the wet ingredients (pickles, onions, dressed shredded lettuce) are enrobed in deli meats as to not soak the roll. Recipe: Italian Hero Sandwich Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. Two Southern picnic mainstays — pimento cheese dip and the simple yet sublime tomato sandwich — come together for the collab of the summer in this recipe from Kia Damon. Fresh jalapeño gives the cheese spread a bit more of a jolt, without stealing the tomatoes' thunder. Recipe: Pimento Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. These hand-held delights are a Japanese convenience store staple for their pint-size portability. Priya Krishna stuffs hers with salmon (you could certainly use fish from last night's dinner), but onigiri filling is flexible: Tuna mayo or pickled vegetables would be just as satisfying. Lay a piece of plastic wrap flat. Scoop rice onto it and spread it out sort of flat. (I often salt the rice a bit at this stage.) Place your filling on top in the center. Using the plastic wrap, fold the rice over the filling so it forms a ball, then shape into a triangle. Unwrap the plastic so you can wrap the nori around the rice, then re-wrap the plastic and you're ready to go! Recipe: Salmon Onigiri Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Ham El-Waylly built these chicken salad-inspired vegetarian subs with an on-the-go lifestyle in mind. The sandwich, not just the hard-roasted cauliflower, walnut, apple and raisin filling, improves after some time to sit, so you needn't worry if your destination is a bit of a ride away. Recipe: Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. For long, languorous days at the beach or park, a sog-proof sandwich is in order. Bread lathered in salted butter will hold up better over time than breads drenched in mayo, though each is exceptional in its own way. Ali Slagle punches up the classic French jambon-beurre with fruit preserves and Dijon for a charcuterie-on-the-go feel. Recipe: Ham and Jam Sandwich Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Carrie Purcell. Grilled Chicken Skewers With Tarragon and Yogurt These skewers from Clare de Boer are tender from a yogurt marinade and fragrant from a tarragon-mint baste brushed over as they char. Be sure to throw some pita on the grill while you're at it, so that not a drop from the juicy chicken goes to waste. Recipe: Grilled Chicken Skewers With Tarragon and Yogurt Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. These supremely simple shrimp skewers from Yossy Arefi require only five ingredients (not including salt and olive oil), making grilling on location, be that at the public park or poolside, a cinch. Using a condiment like spicy harissa paste streamlines the marinating process, so you can prepare the skewers quickly before stepping out for the afternoon. Recipe: Grilled Harissa Shrimp Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. The only thing that improves a well-seasoned, crunchy and fresh chicken salad? The smoky notes imparted when the chicken is charred first. Yossy Arefi's recipe, rolled up alongside some crisp lettuce in your favorite wrap, is the sort of finger food you'll want to reach for before you've had the chance to wipe the sunscreen from your hands. Recipe: Grilled Chicken Salad Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards. This breezy tart from Christian Reynoso tastes best in a grassy backyard dappled in late-morning light. It certainly looks best in that context, anyway. And it can be assembled entirely at the table, if you like: Bake off the store-bought puff pastry, then top it like a pizza when you're ready to eat. Recipe: Quick Smoked Salmon Tart David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Skewers of tender grilled zucchini and eggplant are the sort of low-mess, low-stress thing you'll be happy to lug to the grill, wherever it may be. Melissa Clark marinates the vegetables in a bit of oregano- and garlic-infused olive oil for a subtly summery flavor. Recipe: Summer Vegetable Skewers Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. Rice Krispies treats aren't just fun to eat; they're durable too, their compact nature making them tough to crush in even the most-stuffed cooler bag. Eric Kim embellishes his with butter-fried black sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil for a fragrantly nutty sweet-tooth satisfier. Recipe: Black Sesame Rice Krispies Treats Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi. These sandwich bars from Yewande Komolafe are everything you want in a potluck dessert: fruity, colorful, crunchy and, of course, a breeze to share. 'Delicious and easy recipe!' one reader wrote. 'Brought this to a picnic and received many compliments and recipe requests.' Go get your compliment! Recipe: Strawberry Jam Bars With Cardamom Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. Priya Krishna's floral, nutty blondies are reminiscent of the radiant late-afternoon sun, with their amber saffron-infused frosting. And just like the waning light, basking in their glow is best done alongside friends. Thankfully, they're especially shareable. Recipe: Saffron Pistachio Blondies Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne What's a list of summery treats to take outdoors without a little lemony moment? Surely, real New York Times Cooking fans will know that this five-star recipe for a supple, citrusy loaf cake could come from only one source: the queen of lemons herself, Melissa Clark. Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .
New York Times
01-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Speedy, Easy, Economical, Smart and Satisfying
My husband's current favorite dinner category is 'spicy tomato seafood.' This, as you may well know, is a generous category with delicious offerings: puttanesca, bouillabaisse (with added chile flakes) and all manner of seafood stews. It doesn't hurt, either, that spicy tomato seafood makes good use of pantry and freezer staples: canned tomatoes, garlic, chile flakes or pastes, canned fishes or frozen goodies from the sea. A couple of weeks ago I threw together a spicy shrimp pasta situation using defrosted shell-on shrimp, Calabrian chile paste and squid-ink spaghetti I had forgotten I had, and we were instantly transported to some gorgeous part of the Italian coast we've never been to. So I'm happy for Sue Li's new ginger-scallion stir-fried shrimp recipe, another entry in the spicy tomato seafood roster. The tomato part is tomato paste, that dependable umami booster; the seafood is peeled and deveined shrimp. The spicy element is a good dose of ginger, plus the chile flakes I might add in step 3 or the chile crisp I'll inevitably spoon over the finished dish. And, like all spicy tomato seafood, this dish wants some sort of carb to soak up all the briny, spicy goodness. I'm going to do rice, but noodles would also be great. Featured Recipe View Recipe → One-pot Roman chicken cacciatore with potatoes: We don't talk enough about how chicken and anchovies are so, so good together. Case in point: this new recipe from Cybelle Tondu, tangy and punchy with white wine and capers. Chickpea picadillo: I will take any excuse to bring home tomatillos, those plump, pale green orbs in their papery jackets. Along with a poblano and a couple of jalapeños, they add a balanced, fresh flavor to this Mexican picadillo from Rick Martínez. Salmon roasted in butter: It's salmon roasted in butter. It's also a classic Mark Bittman recipe, with five stars and over 10,000 reviews, but I really think the salmon and the butter are the main selling points here. Chicken curry laksa: I've been thinking of this Lara Lee recipe ever since I watched this video of Lara making her gorgeous dish on our Instagram page. I'm convinced the only way to get these noodles out of my head is to get them into my belly. Ina Garten's bourbon chocolate pecan pie: The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, which means it's time to 1. put on your fanciest hat, 2. call your pet by its full name (Sir Reginald Q. Puppington) and 3. make this glorious pie.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
The First Rule of Making Salsa? There Are No Rules.
I've made salsa my whole life. These tips changed everything. The salsa spectrum is wide and wonderful, and a great gateway to Mexican cooking. Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. Published April 28, 2025 Updated April 28, 2025 Cooks tend to get set in their ways. If you grew up making your grandmother's pozole rojo with ancho, guajillo and cascabel chiles, that's how you're going to make it forever. Carrying on tradition is beautiful, if a little intense. And yet when it comes to salsas, a lot of cooks in Mexico experiment and invent in a mind-set of uninhibited creativity. The role of any salsa is to complement and catapult the joy of eating, so shouldn't it be a joy to make? When it's time to make salsa, it's time to play. The direct translation of the word salsa is 'sauce,' but it's more than a condiment. Salsa is a quintessential part of the Mexican table, a seasoning that tickles and gratifies the palate, an accompaniment that adds depth, poignancy and zest often in the form of spicy, sweet and sour flavors. While salsa arrived as a commercial good in the United States only in the 1980s, salsas have existed in present-day Mexico long before the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century. The ancient Náhuatl word molli was for a sauce made from grinding or smashing chiles. Mole comes from molli and is a cooked, ground salsa that reaches deep into the soul and latches on. It's earthy and warming with the opposite energy of a bright and punchy hot sauce. And yet, they're both salsas. Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. The salsa spectrum is wide and wonderful, a great gateway to Mexican cooking because it's the base for so many dishes and because it goes with so many more. These five tips will change the way you prepare and use salsa — and transform the way you cook at home: When you're feeling overwhelmed by the task of what to make for dinner, it all falls into place if you do one thing: Just make salsa! Once the salsa is made, try it with daily dishes: breakfast tacos, rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp, roasted vegetables. Each salsa's versatility is expansive. What couldn't a smoky chipotle salsa go on? It can be eaten on everything in sight. And I learned that whether I'm making a traditional Mexican dish or even just a basic sandwich or bowl of pasta, salsa always has a place at the table — and always makes things better. The truth is, you can make salsa with nearly anything your heart desires. If I teach you one thing, it's to set your expectations free. All the produce in the market is fair game. If you're not sure what to buy, pick up common salsa ingredients, such as tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, white onions, herbs, chiles and avocado. (Lime juice is almost exclusively used as a salsa ingredient in the United States, but not necessarily in Mexico where cut limes accompany every meal.) Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. If you think of chiles as just a bringer of heat, you're missing the point. They also carry flavor. Heat is a happy byproduct. Within the stunning range of fresh and dried chiles, feel free to experiment with whatever you find to see what stands out to your palate. Generally, the smaller the chile, the hotter it is. Green chiles will taste grassier, while red will be sweeter and fruitier; both can be spicy. When shopping for fresh chiles, look for firm, shiny flesh with no wrinkles. The skin should be tight like an apple's. Dried chiles should be soft and pliable, which indicates they were dried fairly recently. Like grapes and raisins, dried chiles have a completely different flavor profile from their fresh counterparts — and different names. A poblano becomes a chile ancho when it's dried, wrinkly and blackened from the sun. Avoid dried ones that are dusty, brittle and faded. If you squeeze a dried chile and it crumbles into dust like an untombed mummy, walk away. Always remove the stem and seeds from larger dried chiles (leave the seeds in the little guys for a bigger kick): Wear gloves and use your hands to rip them open and shake most of the seeds out. For fresh and dried chiles, removing the seeds will cut down on significant heat and move your salsa from hot to medium-spicy. If you're extra wary of spice, start with one chile for mild. To almost completely remove a chile's heat and leave only its flavor, you can soak it in alcohol, vinegar or oil. Its spiciness will seep into the liquid around it. When you can't find a chile called for in a recipe, swap with another that's in a similar Scoville range or flavor profile, like anchos for guajillos. In desperate times, you can use approximately 1 tablespoon of chile powder in place of a whole chile, adding more as necessary. For hotter chiles, use 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne per whole chile. Just don't do this for salsas where the chile is the star ingredient. Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart. When you have salsa in the freezer, dinner can come together almost instantly. I store mine in plastic deli containers, but you can use freezer bags, too. To thaw, transfer it to the fridge the night before you need it. Who am I kidding? I never plan that far ahead. I usually thaw it in the microwave or leave it in the sink until dinnertime. Keeping a freezer full of salsas will save you from boring weeknight dinner hell for months and months. Salsa goes with all dishes, no matter what culture or country the food comes from and makes any plate mind-blowingly delicious. Toss some with the toasted bread of panzanella or spoon it over fried tofu. Tuck some inside a pita stuffed with falafel. You already know these salsas will be great on a taco, but try swirling salsa into a buttery platter of shrimp scampi and realize that life will never be the same after this. This article is an excerpt from 'Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Way Into Mexican Cooking' by Rick Martínez (Clarkson Potter, 2025). Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .
