Bon Appetit

Q: I must confess, I’ve never loved the taste of yogurt on its own (don’t shame me!). I mostly use it to finish soups and the occasional dish, a dollop here or there. But increasingly, I’m drawn to recipes that call for yogurt in ways that surprise me. Take, for example, Andy Baraghani’s quick and easy recipe for Roast Chicken With Tomatoes (find it on bonappetit.com). It blends yogurt and feta to delicious effect. When my team pitched a whole story about yogurt (see page 68), I knew I was going to learn a lot more! My question to you: What other ways should I be using it? Food director Chris Morocco says: The savory realm is where yogurt truly proves its flexibility. Simply thinning it with water and seasoning it…

I love listening to podcasts while I cook. Beyond culinary shows, my interests tend to run toward those with good storytelling, like Family Secrets. It’s no surprise that I’ve been listening to Bon Appétit’s podcast, Dinner SOS, but I love how much I’m actually learning from hearing our food director, Chris Morocco, answer callers’ cooking queries. Chris and his cohost might menu-plan for a dinner party that can’t include nuts, meat, or alliums or identify recipes that couples who disagree in the kitchen can make amicably. They’ve doled out valuable advice on everything from frying to cake baking, and they have fun doing it. I always walk away not only a bit smarter but in a lighter mood.…

RHUBARB 101 Rhubarb can be a confusing crop to categorize. With ruffly leaves and tall, fleshy stems, it’s easy to assume it’s closely related to greens like chard or kale. And yet we also tend to speak of these rosy, reddish stalks in the same breath as late spring and early summer fruits like strawberries. The truth is that rhubarb, a perennial plant, is technically a vegetable and a close cousin of buckwheat and sorrel in the Polygonaceae family. Historically, it’s been put to use in everything from medicinal cough remedies and laxatives to hair and wool dye. The mouth-puckeringly tart stalks are often cooked down with plenty of sugar to a squishy, tender texture and baked into sweet treats like pie—it even earned the cheeky nickname Pie Plant when it…

ANTIPASTO NIÇOISE Antipasto gets the niçoise salad treatment for a highly riffable, dinner-worthy mash-up of two classics. Briny pickled peppers and oil-packed tuna pair with tender, fresh asparagus and jammy soft-boiled eggs to make this bountiful platter an easy-to-assemble feast 4 SERVINGS 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more1½ lb. baby red potatoes, scrubbed4 large eggsZest and juice of 1 lemon½ cup thinly sliced hot cherry peppers or peperoncini, plus 2 Tbsp. brine1 tsp. pure maple syrup2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzlingFreshly ground pepper1 8-oz. jar marinated grilled artichoke hearts, drained3 oz. Parmesan, thinly sliced, broken into shards6–7 oz. tuna fillets in oil (2 cans or 1 jar), drainedFlaky sea saltLemon wedges (for serving) 1. Cook asparagus in a large pot of boiling…

I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over 30 years. I moved to California in 1988 after a five-year apprenticeship with Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in London. After landing a pastry chef job at the Mount View Hotel in Calistoga, I fell in love with wine country right away, but ended up moving to San Francisco later that year to make a name for myself there. That dream was realized in 2007 when my wife and I opened our beloved Southern-inspired restaurant, 1300 on Fillmore. When our lease was up in 2018, we decided that we needed to get away from the hectic pace of San Francisco, so we moved up to wine country—specifically Sonoma. While the fertile valleys of this area have always been renowned for excellent food and wine,…

My dad’s phone was blowing up. He brought it close to his face and squinted at the screen. Then he looked at me. “The family has concerns,” he said. This is how we talk about our family—like we’re the mafia and not just a bunch of pharmacists. We were about to travel to Egypt to introduce my new husband to “the family.” I swallowed nervously. “Concerns about what?” Was it because Chris is white? Not Muslim? But no, my family was thrilled to meet this blue-eyed boy from somewhere called “Massachusetts.” The problem was far more serious: They had heard Chris was a vegetarian. Was it true? He didn’t eat meat? The family doesn’t have anything against vegetarians. Arab cuisine is actually great for vegetarians. Think about all the mezze and dips.…