15 Comforting Recipes the BA Staff Is Cooking This Week
It’s a strange, uncertain time, to say the least. But there’s one thing we know for sure here at Bon Appétit, and that’s that cooking provides us some comfort. From kimchi udon noodles that pack tons of flavor to batches of chickpeas that can be repurposed for days, here is what the BA staff is cooking right now.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski1/15Quite Possibly the Best Chickpeas
“I'm currently soaking chickpeas to make Chris' recipe for Quite Possibly the Best Chickpeas. I know you don't really need a recipe for cooking dried chickpeas, but the strips of lemon zest, big splash of fruity evoo, and generous amount of smashed garlic cloves take the beans to the next level, while still remaining chill enough to work in any recipe.” —Sohla El-Waylly, assistant food editor
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio2/15Stuffed Cabbage With Lemony Rice and Sumac
“I've had my eye on this recipe since it came out in our March issue because, I mean, just look at how pretty. It doesn't hurt that now I have every single one of the ingredients on hand: long-lasting cabbage and sour cream in my fridge, nuts and rice in my pantry, lemons on my counter—you get the idea. It also doesn't hurt that it was developed for an acid-forward story with brightness in mind because I could use some of that right now.” —Emma Wartzman, assistant producer
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Alison Attenborough3/15Dahi Toast
“I'm making dahi toast tonight! It is my go-to nothing-in-the-house meal, as it just requires bread, onions, yogurt, and some herbs and spices (I stash my curry leaves in the freezer to make them last a while). It's like making a gussied-up grilled cheese sandwich. Don't forget the ketchup!” —Priya Krishna, contributing writer
Alex Lau4/15Kimchi Udon With Scallions
“I'm planning to spend all week looking forward to Andy Baraghani's Kimchi Udon with Scallions, which I want to make on Friday night. The chopped kimchi, kimchi juice, and gochujang do all of the heavy-lifting, which means I don't have to chop a ton of vegetables or cook down a soffritto. Plus, it's buttery and comforting (two requirements of all food I'm consuming at this time, thank you very much), but with enough tang and kick to remind me that the world is still turning.” —Sarah Jampel, Basically editor
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen5/15Crispy Tofu With Maple-Soy Glaze
“We had Chris Morocco's Crispy Tofu with Maple-Soy Glaze last week (with broccoli) and I'm already planning on making it again, this time adding some sautéed string beans. Got to counteract the daily consumption of Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits from the Basically Baking Challenge.” —Julia Kramer, deputy editor
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani6/15Butternut Squash Baked Pasta
“This Butternut Squash Baked Pasta fills the mac-and-cheese shaped hole in my heart that appears whenever I am in need of comfort. It's creamy and rich without too much dairy, and butternut squash will keep for at least a month if stored in a cool, dry place (no need to refrigerate if it's whole and unpeeled). If you have the large paccheri pasta this recipe calls for, you'll feel very fancy. If not, any tubular noodle will do.” —Alex Pastron, audience development manager
Alex Lau7/15BA's Best Sandwich Bread
“This is currently proofing on my counter! I couldn't find any bread and it was really stressing me out so I decided that making my own would be a good project to keep me occupied—while also being really useful. If it goes well, I'm thinking of making a couple more loaves, slicing them, and then freezing them.” —Kate Fenoglio, associate production manager
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova8/15Tteokbokki
“In weird times, I turn to the security blanket equivalent of ingredients: soft, squishy, soothing rice cakes. I'm currently stocked with three pounds of them, so I'm making tteokbokki, tossed in a sweet-spicy gochujang- and gochugaru-powered sauce that keeps me coming back for helping after another.” —Elyse Inamine, digital restaurant editor
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski9/15Warm Chickpea Bowls With Lemony Yogurt
“I really wish I had an isolated forest within walking distance. Unfortunately I live in a 700-square-foot apartment smack in the middle of Brooklyn, so I'm making do with Andy's warm chickpea bowls with lemony yogurt and sweet p's, made almost entirely with stuff I already have in my cabinets and fridge: Greek yogurt! Canned chickpeas! Sweet potatoes! Very soothing.” —Hilary Cadigan, associate editor
Alex Lau10/15Spiced Dal With Fluffy Rice and Salted Yogurt
“I'm planning on cooking this spiced dal with fluffy rice and salted yogurt. Yes, it's an easy way to use up the giant bag of yellow split peas in my pantry, but the real start of the show is the lime-pickled onions that go on top. They taste like ocean spray and sunshine, reminding me that summer (and a trip to the beach) is a state of mind.” —Aliza Abarbanel, assistant editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich11/15Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
“I've been a ground meat-cooking machine since I did a big shop this weekend. First up was the above take on larb, which is a weeknight regular in my house. Then I made this very old BA recipe for chili—the photo isn't doing it any favors but it's honestly delicious and it freezes super well. And tonight I'm planning this weeknight mapo tofu, which Christina Chaey recently turned me on to and now it's part of my regular rotation.” —Meryl Rothstein, features edtior
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen12/15Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia
“I plan on making a big ol' batch of Basically's No-Knead Focaccia for the brothy dinners I've meal prepped, the chickpea salad sandwiches I'll inevitably make after getting too lazy to cook, and the impromptu at-home happy hours I totally plan on instating. It's versatile enough to make any meal situation better, without requiring the advanced planning of more complicated breads.” —Jesse Sparks, editorial assistant
Alex Lau13/15Easiest Chicken Adobo
“Right now, I don't really wanna cook anything that's not just immediately comforting, at least not on a weekday while I'm between video conference calls and frantically refreshing my Twitter feed. I want a recipe I can make in my sleep and just kind of ignore, and that's chicken adobo. It's the first thing my Filipino mother taught me how to cook before I finished high school—it's sometimes called "bachelor chicken" for the wayward sons craving a taste of home—and the pungent, bright acidity is as Proustian as any chicken soup or madeline. If you don't have my mom's secret recipe, don't feel bad, because this version is equally breezy and soul-warming.” —Joseph Hernandez, research director
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski15/15Loaded Sweet Potatoes
“This has everything I need to keep me going throughout the day—sweet potatoes! Black lentils! Peanuts!—and a few bright and brine-y things to wake me up when I need it most—that’s you cilantro, citrus, and feta. It helps too that most of the cooking is hands off, so once the components are done, I can throw them together à la minute, or make them each ahead, and assemble whenever that hunger pang comes.” —Sasha Levine, bonappetit.com editor
