Skip to main content

Kwanzaa

Potato Salad

This Southern-style potato salad recipe comes from legendary chef Leah Chase. Bookmark it for cookouts, potlucks, and any other delicious occasions.

Hoppin’ John

This slow-simmered Southern classic uses just six ingredients (including water) to create rich, timeless flavor. 

Our Favorite Mac and Cheese

Crispy, creamy mac ‘n’ cheese is the ultimate comfort food, ready to grace your weeknight table or holiday spread.

Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese

The creamy vegan “cheese” sauce in this recipe gets an umami kick from white miso and nutritional yeast.

Sweet Potato Pie

This recipe from Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee is a cross between sweet potato pudding and a classic custard pie, with an optional caramelized pecan topping for good measure.

Maduros (Sweet Plantains)

Depending on their level of ripeness, plantains can be savory or sweet—for this sweet plantains recipe, look for mostly black ones.

Puff Puff

As the name suggests, West Africa’s most popular form of fried dough is essentially a delectable fried pillow of airy dough.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

This fairly classic gumbo recipe is made with okra and, optionally, filé powder. Chicken, andouille sausage, and a dark roux add savory depth.

Mlaoui

Meet mlaoui—msemen’s rebellious younger brother—a flaky skillet-fried Moroccan flatbread.

Chicken Tagine With Apricots and Almonds

This Moroccan chicken tagine recipe is savory and a little bit sweet, and gently spiced with cinnamon.

For Holiday Desserts, Ditch the Vanilla and Raid Your Liquor Cabinet Instead

When it comes to holiday baking, look to liqueurs, spirits, and fortified wines for a glorious range of flavoring options.

Braised Smoked Collard Greens

Braise smoked collard greens with onions, then toss them with a bright pepper vinegar for dish that's smoky, sweet, and savory.

Happy Small-idays: 45 Holiday Meals for Smaller Celebrations

Fewer folks around the table than the average holiday dinner? Skip the whole ham or turkey and opt for one of these smaller celebratory dinners instead.

Collard Waffles With Brined Trout and Maple Hot Sauce

In this recipe, the cooked collard greens get finely chopped and folded into the waffle batter for a savory surprise.

West Indies Shepherd’s Pie

This shepherd’s pie uses ground chicken and leans toward warming flavors, incorporating bright bursts of the tropics—ginger, habanero chile, lime—as well as aromatic Angostura bitters.

Lamb Tagine With Potatoes and Peas

Tagines are typical street food in Morocco, and this is the one that is most commonly found, except that street vendors cut the potatoes into small dice and I prefer to use new potatoes, which I leave whole if they are very small or halve if they are medium.

Marinated Croaker Collars With Citrus and Green Mango Salad

I love to cook with ingredients that might otherwise be discarded, like fish collars. If you’re tempted to treat them as scraps, please don’t throw them away or use them merely for a stock. They’re delicious as the main focus of a dish—think of them as the spareribs of the sea. Here, croaker collars are marinated in citrus, chipotle, ginger, and fish sauce, and served with a mango salad full of funk, spice, and crunch.

Sheet-Pan Collard Greens and Crispy Tofu With Niter Kibbeh

This easy dinner is inspired by gomen, an Ethiopian dish in which greens are flavored with an aromatic spiced butter. Breaded tofu is a delightful counterpoint.

Chakalaka (Spicy Vegetable Relish)

Like chutney in India or salsa in Mexico, no one in South Africa prepares chakalaka, a spicy vegetable relish, the same way. Here is our version, full of vegetables and spices. Serve the chakalaka with bread, rice, grilled meats or fish, stews...anything.

Shaah Cadays (Somali Spiced Tea With Milk)

Essentially Somali chai, this spiced tea with milk is served most often during the Somali afternoon tea tradition known as casariya.