What's your favorite recipe of the year?

I know, this is an impossible question. But if you HAD to choose one recipe (whether an old one you discovered that's new to you, one that you found yourself making over and over again, or a new one created this year), what's the one that says 2016 to you? (and why?)

Lindsay-Jean Hard
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51 Comments

panania August 4, 2021
Mary's Bagna Cauda Pasta, hands down. Simple, elegant and not afraid to be noticed. I have a set of favorite spaghetti recipes (10 so far) and this recipe is very near the top!
 
richbusywoman December 26, 2019
I have never NOT gotten raves from eaters of this dish: https://www.recipetineats.com/vietnamese-caramel-pork/
I made it about 10 times in 2019
 
Katie September 7, 2019
I stumbled across this recipe one day and it's become a favorite. I don't usually go back to many recipes because there are so many new ones I want to try. I also haven't had a lot of luck with "one pot" recipes, but this one is sooo easy and so satisfying!

https://frommybowl.com/one-pot-mushroom-stroganoff/
 
Dr. R. August 19, 2019
I love this dessert. so simple and delicious. Macerating the strawberries in sugar gives a big flavor boost. The recipe is from A TUSCAN TABLE by Diane (DeAnna) Johnson. Recipe at atuscantable.blogspot.com
 
Miss L. August 17, 2019
I would probably make one that I just dreamt about. so there is no actual recipe (isn"t this. the way with people who love to cook??) I like chicken thighs better than breasts. so, it is your choice. rinse your chicken pieces. put one at a time on a wax paper, or saran wrap. get out your meat tenderizer and pound the pieces to make them thin, and even, then season the chicken with salt and pepper, or your favorite seasoning. Boursin cheese...whatever flavor you like best, I like the one with garlic, and schmear it all over the chicken piece,, roll them up like a cigar. close them up with a toothpick, next, dip them in scrambled egg mixture, then in Italian bread crumbs, till covered. next, put them in a skillet with 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil. cook them till light brown, rolling them around to get full coverage. eat and enjoy. [email protected]
 
Erin A. August 14, 2019
I truly can't stop making this skillet chicken with caramelized lemons, olives, and pancetta—it's so tangy and juicy and delicious and easy. I just love it. https://food52.com/recipes/76647-skillet-chicken-with-pancetta-torn-olives-caramelized-lemons
 
Sasha A. August 14, 2019
I've made this recipe almost weekly for the past...8 years? Completely obsessed. It's easy, healthy, delicious, and filling. it's the perfect thing to make for dinner when you want to have leftovers you'll actually eat. I often double it.

https://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-dill-white-bean-salad-recipe.html
 
Adel W. August 14, 2019
After browsing through Food52 for inspiration for so long, my new favorite recipe (that everyone absolutely NEEDS to try) is Anchovy Breadcrumbs. Melting tinned anchovies in butter and toasting panko breadcrumbs in it is absolutely delicious.
 
Melanie February 16, 2019
Ok my answer isn’t a recipe but a cooking appliance that has changed my recipes into note worthy tasty dishes. Instapot!
 
Carla February 15, 2019
When I’m. not on Food52 looking for naturally gluten free recipes, I’m making actual gluten free recipes from other sites. My fave is this gluten free naan using the pizza stone method - https://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-naan/
 
Miss_Karen January 16, 2019
Root beer float cookies. Boy scouts and their leaders nag me for the recipe even as I'm walking back to my own tent.
 
Bloatal R. August 14, 2019
Sounds delicious...can you please share where to find the recipe?
 
Caren S. January 15, 2019
Genius recipe that is gluten free, but you can make it with gluten all-purpose flour too. Just replace the flour, starches, and gum with all-purpose flour. Here's the link: https://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-naan/. The pizza stone version is the best! I've served the gluten free version to non-gluten-free dieters and they still love it!
 
nancy E. October 7, 2017
Louisa's Cake. That gorgeous Ricotta cake you posted here. Always a favorite with my guests
 
Kevin G. October 4, 2017
Pasta with green beans and potatoes with pesto. Special
With fresh summer basil, green beans and new potatoes. Sounds unlikely but completely irresistible. From NY Times.
 
LULULAND August 18, 2019
Can you share the recipe,please?
 
Katie September 7, 2019
https://food52.com/recipes/81711-pesto-pasta-with-green-beans-potatoes-from-nancy-harmon-jenkins?utm_source=cj&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=Food52
 
LULULAND December 26, 2019
Thank you!
 
BerryBaby December 25, 2016
My Spaghetti Carbonara! Every time I make it my husband tells me it's better than any he's ever had at any restaurant anywhere! And that makes me happy.
 
Cookie February 5, 2020
Can you please share the recipe? Thanks!
 
AntoniaJames December 23, 2016
Among the most notable recipes first found via Food52:
https://food52.com/recipes/35952-tomato-curry-sauce (see comments to the recipe and the many NotRecipes I've posted that incorporate it, for more information). This year was marked for me by a quest to build up, systematically, a varied array of "cheat codes" to make my evening dinner processes even more efficient.

This is one of a growing number of versatile component ingredients that I periodically cook up in big batches to freeze in 1 and 2 cup containers. (Hint: this system works best if you keep a constantly updated freezer inventory and plan meals at least 10 but preferably 30 days out. I now keep both the inventory and the menu plan in a single doc in my Google Drive.)
Basic and already-known-by-millions-of-everyday-cooks as Basu's tomato curry sauce is, it garners top marks in my kitchen in 2016. I continue my search for workhorses like this. ;o)

My absolute favorite in 2016 however is a recipe searched for in a delayed follow up to a decades-old food memory. The recipe is on a site I'm quite certain that 99.99% of Food52 members have never visited for the purpose of finding a recipe, and I suspect that almost as large a percentage have not gone to it for any other reason. ;o)
 
luvcookbooks December 23, 2016
What is the recipe???
 
jennifer February 15, 2019
WHAT? That's an evil trick! A Cliffhanger? Worse than a sneeze that just won't materialize! Or, an ice cream melting on the sidewalk. How could you? Why would you?

Is it something you're too ashamed or embarrassed to share?

Gasp! Is it actual, factual Food Porn?

(Me, tapping temple: A site we wouldn't visit in order to find a recipe, let alone for any other reason? Hmmmmmmmm)
 
Adel W. August 14, 2019
3 years late, i have learnt that hovering over the link will reveal the recipe.

But definitely, food porn.
 
mdelgatty February 8, 2020
Don't think that's the recipe in question...
 
Mallory December 21, 2016
Two that stick out to me:
1. This savory apple tart flambee (https://food52.com/recipes/38593-savory-apple-tart-flambee). The flavors together were absolutely incredible and I used the cast iron method which had the crispiest edges. It was also my first time using the "Lahey no-knead dough".
2. Yotam Ottolenghi's sweet corn polenta with eggplant sauce. (https://food52.com/recipes/18519-yotam-ottolenghi-s-sweet-corn-polenta-with-eggplant-sauce) I had doubts while making this that it wouldn't turn out great but my goodness it was amazing. I think it was the perfect late-summer meal. I froze some of the eggplant sauce and had it recently over regular creamy polenta and I was reminded of just how wonderful this dish was.
 
Sam1148 December 20, 2016
The application of the "no kneed bread" into a pan pizza. Using a scortching hot oven and cast iron pans.
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/01/the-pizza-lab-the-worlds-easiest-pizza-no-knead-no-stretch-pan-pizza.html
 
AntoniaJames December 23, 2016
Yes, the Serious Eats bread recipes are all fantastic! I discovered them this year, too, and that no-knead pizza dough is definitely one of the best recipes in any category that I've come across in quite a long time. I'm now using that recipe -- adding a touch of semolina flour for flavor and when rolling out -- once every two or three weeks. Good call! ;o)
 
ktr December 20, 2016
I made this recipe (both with chicken thighs and a spatchcocked whole chicken) over and over again this year. https://food52.com/recipes/34181-miso-and-honey-butter-roast-chicken
And I finally got around to making stock out of the bones. After getting into the habit of making it, I can't believe I waited so long to learn how.
My other favorite of the year was this pressure cooker pork recipe. My family loved it and it was simple enough to make on a weeknight. The cabbage is so good my husband, who will eat cabbage but doesn't really care for it, loved it. http://nomnompaleo.com/post/111934821818/pressure-cooker-kalua-pig
 
Niknud December 19, 2016
If I had to choose one, I would say it's the Prawns with Tomato, Olives and Arak from Jerusalem. It's been out in the world for a while now, but I made it several times this year and am always impressed with it. It's quick enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for a dinner party. Plus, all the delicious broth. I buy extra bread just for the broth. Out of season, I've found canned tomatoes work just as well as fresh. And with canned tomatoes you get extra juice which means...extra broth!

If I could choose a second, it would be the Momofuku's Bo Ssam recipe (also great for a low-stress dinner party). The ginger-scallion sauce alone has been worth its weight in gold and regularly makes it into my rotation. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12197-momofukus-bo-ssam
 
Niknud December 19, 2016
And by Jerusalem, clearly I meant Ottolenghi. But really, there's not a bad recipe in either book....
 
caninechef December 20, 2016
Hi Rachael - I checked out the recipe for the Momofuko pork. I am given a pork shoulder every Christmas so I am interested. As I cook for one most of the time I do have 2 questions: 1) From looking at comments on the Times web site it looks like this would work for a cook and then drive 45 minute situation. Roast can travel in a small cooler to keep it warm. I would have access to an oven at the destination to finish it off. 2) I would still probably want to freeze leftovers.

Do you have any thoughts or comments on these 2 points?
 
Niknud December 20, 2016
Hi Caninechef! That should be more than doable. I've actually finished up the roast several hours before the final blast of heat and noticed it tasted just as good as any other time I've made it. So I think if you travel 45 minutes than finish it up in the oven at your destination it would work just fine. Just check your strange oven for cleanliness as the 500-degree heat can cause some serious smoking if it's not clean. :) As for freezing, we never had that many leftovers, but I can't see why it wouldn't work out just fine. Good luck!
 
LULULAND August 18, 2019
Can you give us the recipe, can't get it without being a member? Thanks
 
luvcookbooks December 19, 2016
And why. The short ribs are a great cold weather meal and easy to make on a Sunday afternoon. The barley salad can also be made on a weekend afternoon and introduced us to a whole new grain (hulless barley, more delicious and better texture than pearl) as well as an onion confit dressing that can be used in many ways and a way to use persimmons besides eating them straight. The raspberry rose rugelach uses a home made raspberry jam made with raspberry lambic and is not too sweet. The broccoli salad is made of raw broccoli but is pickled deliciously and quickly with salt and vinegar. Lasts in the frig and is a winner in the quest for more vegetables. The falafel are so different made at home than any I have ever eaten out, and the chicken is flavorful through and through and has a delicious melting texture.
 
Niknud December 19, 2016
I've loved that raw broccoli salad for years now. It's amazing. I think I even once emailed Kristen about it being a genius recipe because it's so good, so easy, gets better with time so you can make it ahead and (bonus) you don't have to cook the broccoli. Good choice!
 
mdelgatty February 8, 2020
Which broccoli salad are we talking about here...?
 
luvcookbooks December 19, 2016
I asked the kids about recipes of the year. My son: short ribs in red wine and barley salad with onion confit and persimmons from "A New Way to Dinner". My daughter, Melissa Clark's Broccoli Salad with Sesame and Pepper Flakes, from the New York Times Cooking web site and Mindy Segal's Raspberry Rose Rugelach from the baking book "Cookie Love". For me, the revelatory home made falafel from "Honey and Co", as well as several of their baked chicken recipes with amazing Middle Eastern flavors.
 
ReisTanzi December 17, 2016
This Pasta con Ceci from Dinner a Love Story has been such a great addition to my rotation - really easy, pantry ingredients, and we look forward to eating it: http://www.dinneralovestory.com/pasta-con-ceci/
 
drbabs December 17, 2016
Lions Head meatballs from the first Lucky Peach cookbook. I make them at least once a month and always make enough to freeze a batch. (I use ground turkey in place of pork.)

Also from a new cookbook: A Modern Way to Cook. The lentils with roast tomatoes and horseradish sauce is wonderful. Cooking the lentils in vegetable broth with garlic and tomato and herbs is genius.

And the River Cottage bouillon recipe on Food52 https://food52.com/recipes/64146-the-river-cottage-s-vegetable-bouillon-a-k-a-souper-mix
has transformed my cooking. I read the comments, cut back the salt and left out the cilantro (my husband hates it). I use it as the salt element in nearly all savory dishes. It adds flavor and depth.
 
Greenstuff December 16, 2016
For me, this year was more about re-learning technique than about new recipes, as I went from charcoal to gas on the grill and gas to regular electric to induction indoors. But one recipe I've enjoyed several times on the new gas grill is contest finalist Mojo chicken by cooksandkid https://food52.com/recipes/59425-mojo-chicken
 
Greenstuff December 16, 2016
Whoops, not contest finalist, but contest winner!
 
Ali W. December 16, 2016
This nutella and halvah babka: https://food52.com/recipes/37134-halvah-and-nutella-babka
We couldn't stop eating, devoured two loaves in like a day and a half. Thanks Yossy!
 
weekend A. December 16, 2016
I made David Link's braised chicken with salami and olives (found on NY Times cooking site) and it was, hands down, one of the best things to ever come out of my kitchen.
 
weekend A. December 16, 2016
UGH, Donald Link!
 
Rachelwrites December 16, 2016
I learned to make my own ricotta this year and love to use it in this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/38975-amalfi-pear-and-ricotta-cake. I had extra filling which I happily ate for breakfast.
 
Nancy December 16, 2016
Molly Yeh's rye challah.
Called that on her own site or (tongue in cheek) challah gone a rye on the food blog of Jewish Daily Forward, where it also appeared.
It's a 2014 recipe, but I only discovered it in January 2016, and then proceeded to make it all winter.
Bread is not the center of my cooking universe, but, yes, I'd be unhappy if it was withdrawn.
This was my favorite recipe (discovery) this year because it has a perfect balance that I didn't even know was missing in other rye bread recipes. What I otherwise call the Goldilocks effect (it was just right). It had enough rye, but not too much. Was moist, but still held together. Was perfect with soups, as a sandwich base, as toast. Probably with other things, but I'll have to go back and try more this winter.
Go make some - you'll never turn back.
http://mynameisyeh.com/mynameisyeh/2014/4/rye-challah
 
hardlikearmour December 16, 2016
Recipe of the year for me is the Hawaiian Pizza from The Elements of Pizza by Ken Forkish -- it's the only pizza I put on the permanent summer pizza gathering menu. Why is it better than every other Hawaiian pizza? It calls for roasting the pineapple (and onion) before topping the pizza which makes it infinitely better. It also calls for an optional step of spreading bacon fat on the dough before saucing it which I say should not be optional :-)
 
mrslarkin December 16, 2016
OMG that sounds fabulous!
 
hardlikearmour December 16, 2016
I think we are kindred spirits when it comes to pizza. Something tells me you'll be adding this pizza to your repertoire very very soon ;-)
 
Susan W. December 15, 2016
This: https://food52.com/recipes/2731-barbacoa-beef-cheek-tacos

And this: https://food52.com/recipes/19878-nach-waxman-s-brisket-of-beef

For the first time, I joined a beef and pork CSA called Butcher Box. I love it. Meats from all pasture raised, grass fed animals. I've never bought brisket before because I'm not fond of it. Wrong..I now love it. I also haven't cooked beef or pork cheeks, but love them. Aargersie's Barbacoa is incredible. I actually used pork cheeks. I've been dreaming of both of these recipes since I made them.
 
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