313 first recipes

Avocado banana baby food mashes equal parts ripe avocado and banana into a smooth, naturally creamy first food for babies. Two ingredients, no cooking, packed with healthy fats and potassium for growing little ones.

French ratatouille of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomato, onion and garlic, stewed in olive oil with thyme and bay leaf. Each vegetable cooked separately first so nothing turns to mush. Serve hot or cold.

Spicy lamb braised in a fresh paste of chilli, lemongrass, galangal, and turmeric with coconut milk, the meat first tenderized with papaya skin. Served with a sharp green papaya salad dressed in lime and fish sauce.

This is one of my favorites. Deep fried tofu with a peanut sauce for dipping. This one calls for pressing the tofu first. It makes it denser.

This is a great bread to serve with a soup or salad meal.After the first day, it is wonderful toasted. Try it, too, as a sandwich bread.

Old-fashioned boiled fruitcake with raisins and warm spices. Simple one-bowl method where you boil fruit first then fold into spiced flour for incredibly moist cake.

Fresh asparagus and earthy morel mushrooms dressed in a wild mushroom vinaigrette celebrating the best of spring. Elegant first course that showcases seasonal ingredients with refined simplicity.

Madu's incredible Pineapple Utopia desert. Note: I strongly suggest that you make two. (That way other people can have some after you eat the first one yourself.)

A creamy salmon chowder with sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, corn, and leeks simmered in clam juice, cream, and milk. Rich, hearty, and warming from the first spoonful.

Christmas oyster soup with butter-simmered carrots and celery in hot milk, finished with gently warmed oysters. A traditional holiday first course meant to be served immediately.

Deep-fried asparagus spears coated in egg wash and bread crumbs, finished with freshly grated Romano cheese. Blanched first for a tender center with a crispy shell.

Grilled Middle Eastern-style beef meatballs with fresh mint, cilantro, green onion, and cumin. A no-cook-first grill recipe, perfect for skewers or a grill basket.

Oslo twists are Norwegian fried cookies with crisp, blistered dough twisted through a center slit. Dusted with powdered sugar, this old-world treat shatters at first bite.

Master method for cooking duck: first steam to render fat and tenderize, then roast at moderate heat for crisp skin. The two-stage technique pros use for perfectly rendered, crackling-skinned duck.

Classic French leek and potato soup made with just leeks, potatoes, butter, and stock. A 5-ingredient gluten-free soup that turns pantry basics into a creamy first course or light supper.

Apple-filled acorn squash with brown sugar, chopped walnuts, and orange zest. Baked cut-side down first for tender flesh, then filled and finished in the oven. A vegan fall side.