Have you ever noticed everyone and their mother with a chili recipe swears by a secret ingredient or trick that takes their slow-simmered pot of beefy goodness to the next level? Whether it be a dash of fish sauce or a handful of chocolate chips, this is a recipe born out of sheer curiosity: what if you took a sampling of these “tricks” and dumped them all into one pot? Would they cancel each other out, or transcend into chili heaven?

I surveyed countless recipes, friends, family, and chili-forums and chose some of the most common secret ingredients and methods I found. My 10 tricks are: coffee, dark chocolate, fish sauce, beer, cinnamon, chili diversification (basically using a mix of dried, smoked, and fermented chili for a more complex flavor), fire roasted tomatoes, dried mushrooms, soy sauce, and a heaping spoon of apple butter. There is a secret (and optional) 11th trick, which is to let this sit overnight after simmering, but before eating for maximum flavor development.

This recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, and it’s probably true that any one of them can be dropped, swapped, or doubled down to your liking. But I’ll say this much: this is, by no small margin, the best chili I have ever tasted.

bowl of chili with toppings in Food52 Test Kitchen

A hearty beef chili packed with 10 secret ingredients—coffee, chocolate, beer, and more—for the richest, most flavorful bowl you’ll ever make.

 Noah’s Famous “10 Trick” Chili

My mom's salad is an International Market icon. Despite being on my mom's secret menu (a selection of unabashedly Thai dishes my mom offered only to customers in-the-know), people all over Nashville discovered this salad and whispered about it to friends and neighbors alike. Like a salad shaman, I remember my mom guiding every participant in the art of eating this salad, first insisting that everyone wash their hands before instructing diners to "put only one of everything into the leaf, then put it all in your mouth. Just one bite." The singular bite is crucial to the experience of enjoying this wrap, a flavor and textural explosion. After that initial bite, Mom would leave her guests to build their own euphoric adventure.

The popularity of this salad platter has only continued to grow since my mom first quietly made it for guests.

Based on a traditional Thai dish called miang kham (essentially a betel leaf wrap), this is a glorified take and an experience in and of itself. It's a wonderland of accoutrements-from spicy red onions to roasted peanuts to slivers of gingery pork— intended to be fully customized into bite-size wraps. Although betel leaves are traditional, I use lettuce as it's easier to source and its neutral flavor is more of a blank canvas. There's so much going on in this salad. The flavors range from sweet to nutty to spicy and sour. There's bite, there's texture, there's both freshness and funkiness. Customers love that they can load up on their favorites, whether it's extra toasted coconut or submerging their wraps in a blanket of tangy tamarind sauce. Whatever kind of wrap you create, make sure you eat everything in a single bite, close your eyes, and taste it all.

Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home

Patti's House Salad (Mom's Interactive Lettuce Wraps)

My Mexican Mesa, Y Listo!: Beautiful Flavors, Family Style (A Cookbook)

shrimp tacos on plate in Food52 test kitchen

Learn how to make crispy Baja shrimp tacos with light beer batter, shredded cabbage, and lime. Easy step-by-step recipe for the best Tacos de Camarón.

Battered Shrimp Tacos, Tacos de Camarón, Baja Style

This is a lasagna/pizza/bread mash-up that's inspired by a dish from Sicily known as Scaccia Padusana. The dough is made with just a pinch of yeast, rolled out very thin, and then topped with traditional pizza ingredients like sauce and cheese. The magic is in how it's folded: By folding the dough over itself multiple times, we end up with layers of dough and fillings, like a lasagna. When the bread is baked, the outside hardens into a crust while the inside stays soft and pillowy, and when it s sliced, it creates a beautiful rippling effect. The mozzarella should be sliced thin; sliced mozzarella from the deli counter works particularly well. 

Italianish: Modern Twists on Classic Italian Flavors

Lasagna Bread (Scaccia Ragusana)

bowl of soup on table with fresh parm on top

This easy white bean and kale soup with chicken sausage is the ultimate one-pot comfort meal for chilly nights.

White Bean & Kale Soup With Chicken Sausage

bowl of pesto pasta in food52 test kitchen

A bright, garlicky cavatelli tossed in homemade broccoli pesto made with basil, spinach, and Parmesan—simple, fresh, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Pesto & Broccoli Cavatelli

This cozy miso pumpkin pasta blends roasted pumpkin, garlic, and scallions into a silky sauce finished with parmesan, chili oil, and fried shallots. A fall comfort dish with umami flair.

Miso Pumpkin Pasta recipe

Bologna, Italy, is where some of the country's greatest culinary creations were born. Among them is the ragu, known to the rest of the world as Bolognese. In English, we have wrongly been calling all meat sauces Bolognese. The real thing braises for hours, is paired with super thin egg based tagliatelle, and is wonderfully elegant. My version takes inspiration from this masterpiece, but it's ready in just thirty minutes. As a result of the faster cooking time, this sauce is a little bit chunky, which makes it a perfect pairing for a hearty boxed pasta. I recommend mezze rigatoni or rigatoni, but any larger, non-twirly pasta will work well and be balanced with this chunky, rustic sauce.

EAT: Easy, Affordable, Tasty: 100 Recipes with All of the Flavor and None of the Fuss - A Cookbook

Spicy Rigatoni With Fennel Sausage Ragu

If I were a salad, I’d be a cold, slightly overdressed Caesar. Or more specifically, I’d be this Caesar, which has all the pleasures of the classic—crisp greens, crunchy bread, a little too much punchy dressing—but with a twist. In place of romaine, I look to a combination of tender Asian greens, like leafy, herbaceous chrysanthemum (tough stems removed), crunchy gai lan (Chinese broccoli) stems thinly sliced on the bias, and crisp baby bok choy (leaves torn, stems sliced). I take the time to chill them thoroughly, so they’re especially refreshing. I also chill the dressing, already an umami powerhouse thanks to anchovies and Parmigiano-Reggiano even before I add just enough miso and soy sauce to bring extra depth and savoriness without detracting from the classic. Warm fried sourdough and a generous amount of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano complete the dish to make an exceptional Caesar turned not upside down but on its side.

Cook Like a King: Recipes from My California Chinese Kitchen

Miso Caesar With Gai Lan and Chrysanthemum Greens

French Onion & Apple Grilled Cheese 

plate of kimchi tomato noodles on platter with eggs, sesame seeds, tomatoes, and cucumber

These cold kimchi tomato bibim noodles combine gochujang, kimchi juice, and tomato paste for a spicy, tangy twist on classic Korean bibim guksu.

Cold Kimchi Tomato Bibim Noodles

Immersion blender or food processor or blender

This kale Caesar salad with chicken is crisp, creamy, and protein-packed. A fresh twist on the classic Caesar—perfect for lunch or dinner.”

Kale Chicken Caesar Salad

These sweet corn puff pastry bites are lightly inspired by a recent bake that I saw at Radio Bakery in New York. They made a croissant tart with a custard base and while I do love making croissants, I figured changing it to a puff pastry tart would be easier and a faster process for anyone -- regardless of level for baking.

You end up with a flaky pastry dough, a deep corn flavor, and you can top it with cream and chili crisp like I did for a nice balance of buttery, sweet, and savory.

Puff pastry with sweet corn custard filling. Topped with sour cream and chili crisp. On a white place.

Sweet Corn Puff Pastry Tarts

Falafel is a Blue Zones superhero that benefits from the longevity power of the mighty chickpea— a common ingredient in both Ikaria and Sardinia. Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are good for digestive, bone, and cardiovascular health. Baking falafel is much easier (and healthier) than deep-frying it.

If you use dried chickpeas, you'll have to soak them overnight. Canned chickpeas make the recipe speedier, but you'll need to incorporate a filler, like whole wheat flour, to absorb some of the extra liquid (see sidebar).

Recipe courtesy of Dan Buettner, with Photography by David McLain

The Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals: 100 Recipes to Live to 100

blue zones one-pot book recipe for falafel burger on plate

Make crispy, healthy falafel at home with chickpeas, fresh herbs, and spices—baked, not fried. This easy falafel recipe is perfect for wraps, salads, or bowls, and comes together in just 30 minutes.

Easy-Peasy Falafel 

What You’ll Need:
- Sifting spoon or mesh spoon
- Bowl of ice
- Bowl of water
- Big mixing bowl
- Big pot for boiling water

Pork & Shrimp Dumplings in Chili Sauce in Food52 Test Kitchen

Make homemade pork and shrimp wontons with scallions and a spicy chili sauce. Easy step-by-step recipe with folding tips, prep time, cook time, and serving size.

Pork & Shrimp Dumplings in Chili Sauce

This tomato risotto or “risotto al pomodoro” is the perfect recipe to make when your garden or CSA box is overflowing with summer tomatoes, but can also be made when you have none at all. It relies on passata, which can be made by processing plenty of tomatoes in a food mill or potato ricer and cooking the juices down for about fifteen minutes, or can be easily purchased from the store and kept in the pantry. On the off chance there are leftovers of this delicious dish, try breading and frying them into mozzarella-stuffed arancini the next day!

Creamy tomato risotto (risotto al pomodoro) made with passata, parmesan, and fresh herbs. A cozy Italian classic perfect for weeknight dinners or summer tomatoes.

Risotto Al Pomodoro

I had never understood cold soup until I was working in a professional kitchen and my Spanish colleague José made me a bowl of gazpacho, and later our head chef, Beta, made salmorejo. This recipe is an amalgamation of the two. I'm not such a fan of peppers, so I have left them out. I hesitate to call this gazpacho or salmorejo because it is neither, and I don't want to annoy any of my Spanish friends. So instead, I call it Spring/Summer Tomato Soup- and I hope they approve! This soup is the ideal recipe to batch make in the heat of summer and keep in the fridge, ready and chilled for when you need a light, fresh, thirst-quenching lunch.

In for Dinner: 101 Delicious, Affordable Recipes to Share

This easy salmorejo-style recipe is the ultimate summer soup—rich, creamy, and served cold with grated hard-boiled egg on top.

Spring/Summer Tomato Soup

This Confit Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce recipe is rich, creamy, and full of roasted flavor. Perfect for tossing with your favorite pasta and topped with Parmesan.


Confit Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce with Pasta

Who said tomatoes are only for salad? This one pot tomato dolma bake is stuffed with rice, herbs and meat to make it perfect for a family recipe. It's tender, juicy and bursting with flavour.

Make this delicious tomato dolma recipe with beef, rice, and fresh herbs. Juicy baked tomatoes stuffed with flavor, perfect for a comforting family meal.

Tomato Dolma

This crunchy edamame salad is all about texture and big, bold flavor. Crisp cabbage, sweet carrots, cool cucumber, and fresh herbs get tossed in a creamy peanut sauce with just the right balance of tang, spice, and nuttiness. It’s a quick, vegan-friendly meal you can whip up in 15 minutes—and it’s sturdy enough to hold up for meal prep all week.

This crunchy edamame salad with creamy peanut sauce is fresh, protein-packed, and ready in 15 minutes. Vegan, gluten-free, and perfect for meal prep.

Crunchy Edamame Salad With Peanut Sauce

Think of these ranch-y chickpea lettuce cups as a lighter, crunchier spin on your favorite creamy chickpea salad. Fresh dill and parsley bring herby brightness, while smoked paprika and lemon juice add just enough tang and spice. Scoop the mixture into crisp butter lettuce leaves for a gluten-free, vegetarian meal that’s just as great for a quick weeknight dinner as it is for make-ahead lunches.

These ranch-y chickpea lettuce cups are a fresh, protein-packed lunch or dinner. Ready in 15 minutes, gluten-free, vegetarian, and perfect for meal prep.

Ranch-y Chickpea Lettuce Cups

This fresh summer white bean salad with basil vinaigrette is packed with cabbage, corn, zucchini, and feta. A quick, healthy, and budget-friendly meal ready in 20 minutes.


Summer White Bean Salad With Basil Vinaigrette

On this episode of Feel Good Food, it’s a buttery white wine-poached fish layered over bright, lemony beans packed with dill, parsley, and basil. It’s simple, stunning, full of flavor, and some might say elegant. 

 for making it all happen in the kitchen with us. 

Beautiful plated shot of halibut and herby butter beans

Halibut with Herby Butter Beans 

Having good condiments to hand is essential for a happy life. Furikake (a Japanese dried seasoning blend made with seaweed and sesame seeds) is always in my pantry – there are several varieties and although they are all universally good with rice, I use different flavours for certain dishes. I’ve used nori tamago (seaweed egg) flavour for this salad. If you haven’t tried it, give it a go. I literally said, ‘f*** yeah’ out loud when I tasted this for the first time.

This creamy tomato and furikake pasta salad combines fresh veggies, spring onions, and umami-rich seasoning for a bold, satisfying side or light lunch. Ready in 30 minutes—no fancy tools required.

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