Shilpa Uskokovic

It was the final culinary mountain I’d never climbed.

The best fruit pie, complete with a brown sugar streusel topping.

Some people want cake. Test kitchen editor Jesse wanted chicken.

Two of our all-time favorite desserts, now in one new classic.

What does “feel-good food” mean? It depends on who you ask. That’s why, each month, our Feel-Good Food Plan—with nourishing recipes and a few wild cards—is hosted by someone new. For July, senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic is cooking up a cruise-load of basil and discovering a less-smelly way to compost. I bake a lot, both for work and outside of it. Over the last few months alone, I’ve made caramel cake, gluten-free banana bread, cornmeal cake studded with figs, somewhat controversial…

Unlock spring with stalks of tender charred asparagus splayed on lemony tahini.

This fun take on tteokbokki is dinner in 20 minutes.

These dishes take the humble onion from background player to starring role. Onions are a cornerstone of our cooking—but how often are they actually the star? There’s a world of onions out there—red, white, Vidalia, pearl, and so many more—and when given the attention they deserve, these pantry staples can show off their broad range of flavors. From bracingly sharp when raw to silky-sweet when slowly cooked, these 31 recipes put onions on a well-deserved pedestal. Whether they’re frizzled crisp a…

Go-to ingredients get a makeover in this low-lift dinner. Inspired by Greek lemon potatoes, in this recipe chicken thighs are roasted to a crisp, leaching schmaltz and blessing the potatoes with flavor and shine as they cook. The end result is a rich, sticky meal that needs nothing more than a green salad alongside. Saving the lemon juice for the end guarantees a never-bitter hit of much-needed brightness. To switch things up a little, use crushed dried rosemary in place of the oregano, or quart…

By now many people know the purported origin story of red velvet cake—a nerdy tale involving a chemical reaction between natural cocoa powder and baking soda. While that may have been the case in ancient times, the red velvet of this century is defined by its startling color, a fire engine red so bright it stains your tongue for hours. Somewhere along the way the flavor began to matter less than the hue. Red velvet was no longer just a cake—it was a lifestyle. It was a cheesecake, an air freshen…

Barely cracked peppercorns toasted, almost fried, in a generous amount of butter create one of the easiest, best finishers for seared fish. The black pepper’s piercing heat fizzles down to reveal warm, leathery, fruit-like flavors, a good reminder that black pepper is much more than just a default seasoning. We love the Zanzibar and Robusta peppercorns from Burlap & Barrel. On the topic of fish, any thin fillets of white fish that catch your fancy will do well here—sole, turbot, even snapper.

In a world of processed meat substitutes, this vegan meatloaf feels decidedly old-fashioned. Made with hearty, wholesome ingredients like pinto beans and brown rice, it’s proof that simple actually is best. A few clever choices make this faux meatloaf extra appealing: Deeply caramelized mushrooms and onions are rife with umami and sweetness, while brown rice brings nubby texture, subtly evoking ground meat. (White rice doesn’t have quite the same sturdiness as brown, so don’t be tempted to swap…

In Baking Hows, Whys, and WTFs, food editor Shilpa Uskokovic will answer your burning baking questions and share her tips and tricks for flawless sweets. Today: What’s the best way to roll out cookie dough? Last December my coworker Meryl Rothstein messaged me about gingerbread cookies: Could she make the dough in advance, even if the recipe didn’t say so? The answer was. “yes, most definitely,” accompanied by my unsolicited advice to roll the cookie dough out after mixing, and before chilling.…

Piroshki—baked or fried stuffed buns—are originally from Russia and Ukraine, and some version of them can be found across most of Central and Eastern Europe. This recipe is inspired by Nana Milena from the Serbian side of my family. She usually makes hers with ham and cheese, but when her grandkids remember to buy her favorite brand of cigarettes, she fries up a pizza variation as edible thanks. Plush and pillowy with the lilting tang of sour cream, this dough is forgiving and easily shaped by h…

Like daylight savings time and quarter-life crises, post-Thanksgiving turkey is inexplicable but unavoidable. With all the best bits (golden skin, neatly carved slices) already plundered, that cold container of leftover scraps looks like the backs of my hands in winter—dry, leathery, picked at. So what are we gonna do with it? I’ve done the “make a big pot of stock” thing. Which, great, but no one warns you of the disturbingly wet, squelchy mulch left behind or the hunt for thirteen-hundred cont…

This tall, pillowy, sunset-colored coffee cake features the autumnal flavor of more than half a pound of fresh squash. There’s no need to graze your knuckles on a box grater or haul out the food processor; just blend pieces of squash into the cake’s wet ingredients and you’re good to go.

This paella plays fast and loose with tradition—it has all the flavors of the Spanish original but comes together like Chinese fried rice. Starting with cold cooked rice gives you a head start and results in grains that resist clumping and remain distinct. Plus, you won’t have to hover over the stove anxiously wondering if there’s enough liquid or if your rice is done. In place of a special paella pan, a regular old nonstick or cast-iron skillet does the job beautifully without sacrificing the s…

For the very best chicken al pastor, you’ll need to hit the streets in search of slowly spinning barrels of chile-rubbed, pineapple-juice-marinated meat. But on a Thursday night when you can’t get to Mexico City or the local taco truck (or build a trompo in your backyard), this streamlined version goes a long way toward recreating the experience of the dish. Fast-cooking chicken thighs and convenient canned chipotles more than satisfyingly approximate the street food classic. The red color of al…

The sugar in the seasoning is your ticket to steaks that are deeply dark and crusty outside and juicy within. With this method you may even find yourself making one of the nicest-looking steaks of your life—and without trying all that hard. The accompanying gochujang sauce is bright and brash, an excellent foil to the savory meat. Look for thick, sticky gochujang paste and not sauce (which is frequently thinned out with additional ingredients). O’Food and Sempio brands are reliable and easy to f…

Loosely inspired by the lasagna verde from Rolo’s, a cozy restaurant in Queens, New York, this version is something of a rule-breaker. For one, the sauce starts with still-frozen spinach, which turns rich in the blender when combined with steaming hot milk and grated cheese. Using a baking sheet instead of a deeper baking dish cuts down the bake time to a reasonable length for a weeknight while yielding more of those prized edge pieces. Store-bought fresh lasagna sheets, easy to find in many sup…