Easy Authentic Recipes Fully Tested

A white plate sitting on a folded napkin on a wooden table, with a pile of cheese crisps on top and one leaning against the plate.

Starters

Sliced skirt steak topped with salsa with a bowl of salsa and charred lime halves on the side.

My Christmas Favorites

Garlic and Herb Pork Crown Roast

This Christmas crown roast of pork is brined then rubbed with garlic and herbs then oven-roasted. The center of the crown roast is filled with wild rice.

3 hrs 40 mins

Potatoes Dauphinoise

Potatoes. Cream. Cheese. And a French lineage. We really don’t think comfort food gets any more comfort-y than this.

2 hrs 30 mins

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Pancetta

A keto-friendly side dish that takes Brussels sprouts to a whole new level. The addition of pancetta and walnuts make those crisp little sprouts truly tasty.

55 mins

Eggnog Pie

Essentially a slightly tipsy cheesecake, this bourbon-enhanced eggnog pie is something we’re classifying as “holiday desserts for parties where people like to party.”

1 hr 15 mins

Blood Orange and Prosecco Cocktail

You’ll understand why we swooned over this effervescent and elegant elixir the second you take a sip.

15 mins

Dinner Tonite

Homemade IKEA Swedish Meatballs

Real-deal IKEA meatballs without having to leave the house. Consider it comfort food with no Allen key required.

40 mins

Hannukah Dishes

Nach Waxman’s Beef Brisket

Like a chorus line of Rockettes, tender slices of brisket lean on each other in perfect symmetry and perfect doneness. Here’s how to replicate this performance at home.

4 hrs 10 mins

Potato Latkes with Apple-Date Chutney

All fancied up for the holidays, these boast all the perfectly-crisp-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside awesomeness of traditional potato latkes as well as a few surprises.

1 hr 30 mins

Challah

As buttery and airy as brioche but with a far weightier responsibility than its breakfast chum, challah ensures a sweet new year in Jewish tradition. We’ll break bread to that.

3 hrs 15 mins

Hamantaschen

Our testers are singing the praises of these sweet cookies that are stuffed with poppy seed and apricot filling. We’re quite certain you will be, too.

2 hrs 15 mins

Hey, I’m David Leite

I’m a three-time James Beard Award-winning food writer, cookbook author, memoirist, podcast host, and publisher. I created this site in 1999 to help you find simple, quick, and wicked flavorful recipes. For the past 24 years, I’ve been cooking, teaching, and writing about all types of food, including those from my Portuguese heritage. Let’s eat! Vamos comer!

Portuguese Recipes

come mais

Christmas Eve Cod ~ Bacalhau da Consoada

A traditional recipe on Christmas Eve in Portugal, this dish of salt cod, potatoes, and cabbage is drizzled with a garlic oil and topped with hard-boiled eggs.

1 hr

Portuguese Fennel Soup

Fennel soup, or sopa de funcho in Portuguese, is a staple in Madeira and the Azores Islands. This recipe is full of fennel, pork, sausage, cabbage, and beans.

2 hrs