The 10 Most Popular Recipes of September 2020
As the days shorten and leaves tinge golden, we’re all making the most of bright end-of-summer produce hauls and turning them into comforting fall-ish dishes. As temperatures dip, our most popular recipes are about upping the heat while milking the last summer vibes. We’re talking about these light chicken meatballs poached in a miso-tomato broth. Aloo paratha, a.k.a. potato-stuffed flatbreads (!), to satisfy carb-on-carb cravings. And smoky-sweet short rib tacos that remind us of the beach. So, to get your through these transitional weeks, here are our most popular recipes from the last month, starting with No. 1.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich1/10Sticky Guava Barbecue Drumsticks
“My mother (like many Puerto Rican mothers) has always had a copy of Yvonne Ortiz’s A Taste of Puerto Rico in our kitchen,” writers chef and recipe developer Gabriella Vigoreaux. “I can tell which dishes she’s made the most because the book just naturally falls open to those recipes. Only during quarantine have I started using it myself, marking new territory with soffritto stains on the pages my mother managed to keep pristine all these years. I turn to it when I want to taste my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s cooking with half of the effort. One of my go-tos is Ortiz’s guava barbecue sauce. It’s a wildly simple (four-ingredient) recipe with a single sentence procedure: ‘Thoroughly combine all the ingredients.’ It takes about five seconds to make but instantly conjures memories of childhood trips to the island, stopping at a kiosko for a pincho de pollo (chicken skewer) and licking the sticky sweet sauce from off my little fingers. My version is nothing like Ortiz’s, but it brings me back just the same. I’ve slathered this sauce on ribs and whole fish and used it as a glaze for pork belly, but I will always like it best with chicken. This is just to say, you might want to double it.”
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones2/10Aloo Paratha
If making bread has long intimidated you, start here. Parathas come in many shapes, textures, and flavors across Asia—they are perfect for dipping into dals and stews or eating alongside assorted condiments. This take, which Priya Krishna learned from her aunt Rachna, is really simple: a basic wheat-based dough stuffed with silky spiced potatoes.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich3/10Short Rib Tacos With Cilantro-Lime Slaw
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Bowl by Meilen Ceramics6/10Chicken Meatballs and Green Beans in Tomato Broth
Chris Morocco's grandma used to make a version of this dish using pork and showers of Parmesan. He's updated it to include ground chicken and miso for a lighter, late-summer dish with equally deep flavor, but feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer. Gently poaching the meatballs is not only faster than roasting, but means none of their flavor is lost to a baking sheet.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food styling by rebecca jurkevich7/10Phanaeng-Curry Beef Skewers With Grilled Pumpkin
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Small Bowls by Meilen Ceramics9/10Whole Fish Ssam
In Korean, ssam literally means “wrapped”—set the fish in the center of the table and pull the meat off the bones, using chopsticks to fill lettuce wraps along with radish salad, ssamjang, kimchi, and rice. Roasting a whole fish—skin, bones, and all—is surprisingly easy, and the flesh stays moist and flavorful even if you overcook it a touch.
