Melissa Clark

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Melissa Clark

I spent the weekend thinking about my herb garden. How much deck space do I give the cilantro? Where might the verbena and the borage really thrive? Thai basil: Big pot or medium one? These springtime real estate deals beget the pestos and relishes, the salads and salsas, and the tisanes, tinctures and fragrant, leafy green garlands that will enliven my cooking all summer long. One plant that I'm really feeling this season is dill.

3 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Melissa Clark

By Melissa ClarkThe New York TimesThe iconic slice of meatloaf, nestled next to a mound of mashed potatoes and peas, is ensconced in the American mind as a comfort food ideal. But that’s never been the case for me. I like my meatloaf best as a sandwich, preferably tucked between slices of buttered toast and shingled with sweet, sliced pickles and sharp raw onions. I learned this from my mother, who learned it from my grandmother, so it can’t be wrong.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Melissa Clark

Image My kitchen has three full drawers of herbs and spices, one of which is packed with nothing but blends: garam masala, baharat, berbere, Cajun seasoning, za'atar, herbes de Provence and so on. It's the drawer I open most often on weeknights, since the simplest path to complex flavor is paved with heady, fragrant spice mixes. Lidey Heuck takes the same route in her lemon-pepper chicken breasts.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Melissa Clark

Image Recipe development may be an art, but it takes a whole lot of science to get there - especially if you're looking for convenience, too. One-pan recipes are engineering conundrums: How do you use a single vessel to get a mix of ingredients with unlike cooking times on the table simultaneously and delectably? The math, the chemistry and the thermodynamics all have to come together. For the cook, a one-pan recipe should be adaptable, instinctive and consistent.

1 month ago | denverpost.com | Melissa Clark |Lidey Heuck |Ifrah Ahmed |Yasmin Fahr

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve found my house asparagus recipe for spring 2025: this miso-chile asparagus with tofu from Melissa Clark, my fellow asparagus nut. The house recipe is the dish I cook over and over again when I have asparagus in the fridge, which is often this time of year. One spring it was asparagus with fried eggs. Another was asparagus and pasta in different configurations.