Spicy, creamy (and brilliant) weeknight Bolognese“Time is a weird thing,” writes Margaux Laskey in her roundup of our 25 most popular recipes of the year so far. “It’s been more than six months since the new year began, but some days it feels like it’s been six minutes, and other days? Six years.” Boy, can I relate to this, the way time zigs and zags and gets all twisted up in itself. My mother always said that a task expands to fill the amount of time you give it, but, for me, it usually overflows, particularly when I’m writing a column — or making dinner. Unsurprisingly, a majority of our most popular dishes are on the relatively speedy side, ready in an hour or less. And the ones that do take more time are entirely worth it (oh Dubai chocolate, you’re worth every pistachio-filled minute). Then there are the recipes that trick time. Genevieve Ko’s spicy, creamy weeknight Bolognese tastes like it’s been simmering all day, but only takes half an hour. Her brilliant hack is to sear ground beef with curry paste to give it caramelization and depth, adding heavy cream to mellow the bite. Time may be weird, but dinnertime starring a Genevieve recipe is always going to be delicious. Featured Recipe Spicy, Creamy Weeknight BologneseMore food for thoughtOne-pot beans, greens and grains: Ali Slagle’s simple mix of fluffy grains, tender greens and garlic-scented beans is one you can riff on to suit your tastes and what you have in the pantry. To deepen the flavors, stir in some of the optional spices she suggests. Or don’t; a dash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon right at the end add enough brightness to carry the day. Chicken and chickpea tray bake: In England, sheet-pan dinners are called tray bakes. Yotam Ottolenghi brings us one with verve to spare, a vibrant mix of chicken thighs, chickpeas, potatoes and red peppers, amply seasoned with a whole head of roasted garlic, warm spices and a tangy drizzle of sherry vinegar. Honey garlic shrimp: A pungent mix of honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger does double duty in Lidey Heuck’s zesty shrimp sauté, acting as both marinade and sauce. Serve it over rice to capture every heady drop. Cold tomato and kimchi soba noodle soup: These hot July days call for refreshingly cold soups, especially those that are also complexly spicy, sour and filled with earthy noodles and crisp vegetables. This one by Hetty Lui McKinnon tastes even better with a few ice cubes floating in the broth. Cherry pie: Speaking of time passing, it’s my husband’s birthday today, so I’m baking his favorite cherry pie. He prefers the zip of sour cherries for the filling, and, lucky for him, his birthday falls smack in the middle of sour cherry season. But sweet ones work well, too, either frozen or fresh. Happy birthday, Daniel! Obviously, you’ll want to subscribe to get these and all the other thousands upon thousands of recipe we have at New York Times Cooking. If you need any technical advice (where did that recipe box go; why can’t I print), send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And if you’d like to say hi, I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com. That’s all for now. See you on Monday.
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