Arepas

These chicken and avocado-stuffed arepas, which are known as reina pepiada (or curvy queen), were created in honor of Susana Dujim, a Venezuelan beauty queen who was crowned Miss World in 1955. The 1950s also marked the invention of precooked corn flour, now known as masarepa, by a Venezuelan engineer. But arepas were around for hundreds of years throughout Latin America before that, the corn patties sometimes served whole or split, then filled with countless combinations. Preparing them used to be labor-intensive, but masarepa gives arepas a light and creamy texture without a lot of effort. Unlike cornmeal used for cornbread or muffins, which is ground dried uncooked corn, masarepa is ground from cooked corn and conveniently sold as dried corn flour. Masa harina is ground uncooked corn treated with other ingredients and is used to make tortillas and other dishes. Neither cornmeal nor masa harina can be substituted for masarepa, which is available online and in many supermarkets.

1 hr

Grain-Free Tahini Granola

If you’re missing the oats in this gluten-free, make-ahead granola, simply swap out 1 cup of the nuts for ¾ cup rolled oats (Bob’s Red Mill makes a variety of gluten-free oats that are perfect for this recipe).

Butternut Squash Polenta | Epicurious

Butternut squash melts into the polenta as it cooks for this creamy make-ahead dish. Once transferred to a baking dish, pressing chunks of creamy Fontina cheese into the polenta ensures that once baked it will be full of gooey pockets of cheese throughout.

Quick Chana Masala

This easy chana masala recipe has a clever trick: boiling the canned chickpeas with their liquid helps match the texture you'd get from soaking dried ones.

Sweet Cinnamon Tamal

Baking a single large-format tamal may not be traditional, but it produces a similarly tender, moist, barely sweet cake with pudding vibes.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Classic Caprese Salad

This classic summer dish doesn’t get any simpler or more delicious. Use different-colored heirloom tomatoes for the prettiest salad, and buffalo milk mozzarella for the best tasting one.

15 min

Prosciutto and Melon Salad

On a hot, sticky summer day, this colorful, no-cook salad of prosciutto, melon, mozzarella and arugula belongs at the center of your table. Eating salty prosciutto with sweet melon is so classic, the combination of cured meats and fruit dates back to ancient Rome. Wrapping slivers of melon in prosciutto is still a go-to antipasto throughout Italy, but this rendition adds peppery arugula and creamy mozzarella to make it more of a salad. Make it a meal alongside braised beans and focaccia, or whatever’s coming off the grill.

15 min

Tomato Salad with Red Onion, Dill & Feta

This Greek salad from Michael Symon features juicy ripe tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese and plenty of fresh herbs in a tangy vinaigrette

30 min

Greek Salad

While diner-style Greek salads made with chopped romaine, crumbled feta and often grilled chicken have become ubiquitous in American restaurants, a traditional Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a simpler affair. An assembled salad of large-diced vegetables with Kalamata olives and sometimes capers, this salad has no greens at all, and the feta is served sliced on top of the salad rather than crumbled and tossed into it. A traditional Greek salad dressing usually consists of olive oil and red wine vinegar; this recipe adds garlic and oregano. To make the salad into a satisfying vegetarian main course, throw in a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.

15 min

Fennel & Cactus Salad

A light, crunchy salad of shredded fennel, cucumber, radish and cleaned prickly pear cactus dressed with lemon, olive oil and dried mint. Refreshing and low-calorie—anise‑scented fennel adds satisfying crunch and flavor, making this a great diet-friendly side or light meal.

Stone Fruit Caprese

A standout caprese starts with great fruit. You need ripe tomatoes to weep juices, which then mingle with grassy olive oil and milky cheese to make your dressing. Basil adds freshness, black pepper and flakes of sea salt add crunch, and that’s it, a perfect combination. But if the stone fruit options are looking better than the tomatoes at the market, you can use them instead. They’re similar in flavor to tomatoes, but need cajoling to relinquish their juices. By letting sliced fruit macerate with salt, sugar and lemon juice, their fruitiness becomes more electric and their juices pool on the plate. Start with fruit you can smell and pair it with equally quality ingredients. Caprese is more about shopping than cooking.

20 min