Mediterranean-Style Okra and Tomatoes

Adding white beans to this classic braised dish makes for a quick main course

How about a Mediterranean holiday? Virtual, of course.

This Mediterranean-Style Okra and Tomatoes dish features garlic, thyme, and fresh basil. It’s basically a quick braise. Adding white beans makes it a complete vegetarian meal, perfect for weeknight dinner.

So we can’t travel to the Mediterranean? No worries. The flavors can still travel to our kitchens.

Creamy Curried Carrot and Chickpea Soup

Tangy tingle for your tongue in this easy and satisfying starter (or main)

We love to start with soup. Sometimes we stop with it, too.

Especially when the soup is as hearty as this Creamy Curried Carrot and Chickpea Soup. It’s full of luscious cream and nourishing chickpeas. Just combine it with a salad and some bread for a quick and easy dinner.

Curry in a hurry? Just what you need to spice up your weeknight.

The Brooklyn Cocktail

Spicy rye and bitter orange usher us into autumn

We’re starting to notice the change of seasons. The sun slants lower in late afternoon, the breeze seems to be freshening.

So let’s sip something autumnal. The Brooklyn Cocktail hits just the right note of spicy and astringent (much like its New York City eponym).

Meet you across the Manhattan Bridge.

White Bean and Tuna Dip

Perfect for a party – or even as a main for dinner

Dips are a natural for entertaining, of course. But sometimes we even have them for dinner.

And why not? They’re quick to make and quite tasty.

Take this White Bean and Tuna Dip, for example. It’s nutritious and comes together in just a few minutes. Add some bread, plus maybe some crudités, and you have a complete meal.

Ready in a jiffy. Gone in a flash.

The Aperol Spritz Cocktail

Cool, colorful refreshment for hot summer days (and nights)

Need a long, tall sipper that’s not too boozy? Just conjure up an Aperol Spritz (aka Spritz Veneziano).

It’s one of the world’s most popular cocktails. And why not? The Aperol Spritz is super refreshing, with a bright, tingly flavor.

It makes an excellent aperitif. And, because it’s low on alcohol, the Aperol Spritz lets you hold off the heat all afternoon long.

Just call it the summer tamer.

Sweet Corn Sautéed in Brown Butter

Add fresh basil for an extra taste of summer sunshine

Sweet corn is in season around here – and we’re ready for one of summer’s glory foods.

You can eat it right off the cob, of course. Slathered with butter, it’s the ultimate summer comfort food. But it can be a bit messy.

So let’s take those ingredients and combine them into a plated dish. But brown the butter first, for extra flavor. Then add fresh basil for an extra hit of warm-weather goodness.

The result? A dish worthy of a summer dinner party. When we can have those again.

The Bramble Cocktail

A blackberry ramble with London gin

Fresh summer berries. What could be better? Well, maybe a cocktail that salutes their perky flavor.

Like the Bramble. It celebrates blackberries, which grow wild in much of the world — to the delight of berry pickers.

So mix up a Bramble for a hit of summer-suffused refreshment. Without the thorns.