Oh, you wily, clever cooks! In a year of unprecedented inflation and soaring food costs, you didn’t let it keep you down. Instead, you turned to pasta, grains, and legumes to make ends meet with class and taste. And when I crunched the numbers, some of the dishes you made this year cost less than sixty cents a serving. Bravo!

When the craving for protein struck, you snapped up cheap cuts of beef–specifically chuck–as well as pork and chicken. (And I’m thrilled that the creamy French chicken stew from one of our very own recipe testers, Mardi Michels, made your top-ten list.)

Although you were willing to cut back this year, you weren’t about to forgo dessert. In 2022, you reached for treasured classics–tiramisu and icebox cakes–which called for premade ingredients, making them easier and, yes, less expensive.

And my Portuguese peeps! You did me proud by choosing to make your own chouriço sausage. It’s that kind of do-it-yourself attitude that characterized so many cooks this past year.

I hope things turn around for all of us in 2023. But whatever happens, I know you’ve got this.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

The word "David" written in script.
A white platter with beef Bourguignon, filled with beef, carrots, and mushrooms
David Loftus
1 of 10

Jamie Oliver’s Beef Bourguignon

My sumptuous beef bourguignon is cozy and indulgent. If you can find beef cheeks, they are ideal for this tender beef stew that braises all afternoon.
Recipe
A blue and white bowl filled with San Francisco-style Vietnamese garlic noodles with a pair of chopsticks resting on the side of the bowl.
Kenji López-Alt
2 of 10

San Francisco-Style Vietnamese Garlic Noodles

Garlic, pasta, and classic Asian flavors collide in this easy, popular Asian-inspired noodle dish.
Recipe
A square baking dish filled with traditional Italian tiramisu with a spoon resting inside and a portion missing.
Caroline de Luca
3 of 10

Traditional Italian Tiramisu

This authentic tiramisu recipe is made with layers of ladyfingers that are dunked in spiked espresso, and a whipped mascarpone and egg mixture. It's light, creamy, and so very satisfying.
Recipe
A bowl of creamy pork and egg noodles
America’s Test Kitchen
4 of 10

Creamy Pork and Egg Noodles

For this easy meal, ground pork is browned with some mushrooms before stirring in broth and scraping up all the savory bits. Cooking the noodles in this saucy mix ensures that they are deeply flavorful from the inside out. Just at the end, Boursin cheese is added, delivering quintessential creaminess and complex herby flavor from one ingredient.
Recipe

This pork and egg noodles was delicious and so easy and fast! Love the Boursin for a creamy sauce. Everyone gobbled this up. Lucky for me there was just enough left over for my lunch tomorrow.

kathy
Five links of common Portuguese sausages, including homemade chouriço, hanging from hooks on a wooden dowel
Hiltred Schulz
5 of 10

Homemade Portuguese Chouriço

If the idea of making homemade Portuguese chouriço seems daunting, fear not. With a little time and patience, you'll be rewarded with a smoky cured sausage that rivals anything from the Portuguese market.
Recipe
A woman's hand piling up superfood breakfast cookies
Shanika Graham-White
6 of 10

Superfood Breakfast Cookies

For this recipe, I use gluten-free oats, superfood ingredients like chia seeds and flaxseed meal, and banana, peanut butter, chocolate chips, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and maple syrup as the natural sweetener. These cookies are super easy to make and can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert!
Recipe

I made these breakfast cookies this weekend and they are great. I followed the recipe except I added some dried blueberries, raisins and toasted chopped walnuts, and I made them smaller – probably between 1 and 2 tablespoons.

I wanted to use them as a mid-morning snack at work. I froze them and I’ll just take one out each day to tuck into my lunch bag. The one I had today with my tea was perfect!

amy
A blue plate with a serving of creamy French chicken stew served over rice and garnished with parsley.
Mardi Michels
7 of 10

Creamy French Chicken Stew

This version of blanquette is slightly simplified in that it doesn’t involve making a roux but it’s no less flavourful. Serve this with plain boiled rice and garnish with fresh thyme leaves and parsley for a simple, comforting meal that comes together quickly, even on a weeknight.
Recipe

Even though it’s not winter, made this creamy French chicken stew and we enjoyed it. Planned it so we could have it as a planned leftover later in the week. Perfect. Used rice for a change from my love of potatoes.

carlin
A white bowl filled with cranberry beans with warm spices; a spoon along side
America’s Test Kitchen
8 of 10

Cranberry Beans with Warm Spices

We sauté carrots in aromatic garlic oil, along with tomato paste for depth of flavor; just a touch of cinnamon imparts a subtle sweet, warm spice. In addition to broth, we cook the beans in white wine for acidity, and letting them cook through in the gentle heat of the oven ensures that they are perfectly cooked without constant monitoring.
Recipe
A blue and white bowl filled with velvet chicken and spinach soup
Henry Fong
9 of 10

Velvet Chicken and Spinach Soup

This velvet chicken and spinach soup is a warming Cantonese-style dish. A light, fluffy chicken mixture is cooked in stock and fresh spinach is stirred in. Mushrooms add just the right amount of umami flavor.
Recipe

This soup and every single recipe we have made from Leite’s Culinaria is absolutely delicious. Great directions always! The comments and reviews are always spot on.

carey
A serving of strawberry icebox cake on a plate with sliced strawberries and a spoon on the side.
David Leite
10 of 10

Easy Strawberry Icebox Cake

Thin layers of strawberry puree, homemade whipped cream, and vanilla wafers make this easy no-bake icebox cake a classic that you'll want to make all summer long.
Recipe

What was your favorite new recipe this year? Let us know in a comment below.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


Hungry For More?

9 Impressive Easter Lamb Recipes

Impressive lamb recipes for your Easter dinner that are guaranteed to elicit oohs and ahhs. Find your favorite new way to prepare lamb chops, shoulder, or leg of lamb.

5 Exceptional Lemon Curd Desserts

Whether you’re craving a rich and creamy citrus dessert, or simply need to use up a bottle of lemon curd, there’s a recipe for you.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *