We caught a glimpse of spring this past week here in New York City, when the sun busted out and temperatures flirted with, though couldn’t quite commit to, the 60s. Chilling rain has returned, but the brief respite proved that spring will be back. Eventually. Meantime, let’s talk soup.
After a winter of nubby bean soups and hearty stews, I’m ready to lighten things up with something vegetable-dense and colorful. Flavored with miso and plenty of citrus, my lemony carrot and cauliflower soup has a golden color, a velvety broth and enough vegetable matter to eliminate having to serve a salad on the side. It’s a great way to brighten a blustery wishing-it-were-end-of-winter night.
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Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup
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If you’re looking for something more substantial, Genevieve Ko’s spicy, creamy weeknight Bolognese fills the bill. To achieve those long-simmered flavors of classic Bolognese without spending hours at the stove, Genevieve has devised a very smart hack: She stirs in a few tablespoons of red curry paste. The sauce won’t taste like curry, but the paste gives it an instant hit of complexity. Use it with your favorite pasta shape for a comforting weeknight meal with loads of deep flavor.
Speaking of flavor-loading, a coating of smoked paprika, garlic and mustard do the heavy lifting in Yasmin Fahr’s spiced chicken with sweet potatoes. Laid over a bed of shingled sweet potatoes, the chicken thighs roast until their skin turns golden brown. The sweet potatoes under the chicken turn velvety soft, absorbing the bird’s juices, while the exposed slices crisp at their edges. And if sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, you can use regular potatoes, brussels sprouts or some other dense vegetable to line the pan.
A dash of Sazón is the secret to Kristina Felix’s mushroom poblano tacos. This Puerto Rican seasoning mix (with cumin, garlic, turmeric and other spices) is easy to buy, or you can stir some together yourself with a few pantry ingredients. A sprinkling intensifies the mushrooms and peppers as they sear and adds warm, heady notes. Tuck the zesty mix in tortillas or pile it on rice for a satisfying meatless dinner, or else save the recipe for a vegetable-rich brunch.
Now that you have those tortillas out, when was the last time you made yourself a crisp-edged, molten-centered quesadilla? Eric “Lightly Greased Lightning” Kim’s sheet-pan version is exactly the thing you want to make for a crowd of quesadilla lovers, saving you from hovering over the stove. You can fill them with pretty much any meltable cheese you’ve got on hand — a shredded Mexican blend, Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese will all do the trick. Serve them with avocado, sour cream and salsa, with some optional hot sauce on the side. Shazam!
Then for dessert, even more comfort can be found in Ali Slagle’s egg-free oat milk chocolate pudding. This 15-minute indulgence is so easy and so good you’ll want to put it on repeat. Fudgy, dense and scented with vanilla, it’ll surely get you through to spring.
Naturally, you’ll want to subscribe to get all these amazing recipes (and thanks to you if you already do). If you need any technical assistance, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com; the smart folks there are sure to help. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi.
That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
