153 rustic recipes

Potatoes Nicoise: layered casserole of sliced potatoes, red onion, and peeled tomatoes with parsley, tarragon, and basil, baked until tender with a cheesy top. A rustic Provencal side dish.

Flowerpot banana bread: classic banana walnut bread baked in a clay flowerpot in a slow cooker for an unusual conversation-piece presentation. Rustic gift idea with a 1970s charm.

Filete Albanil is a Mexican bricklayer's steak: sliced beef tenderloin simmered in a smoky pepper-tomato puree with mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and red wine. A rustic one-skillet main.

Cato's grape bread recreates an ancient Roman recipe with feta, cumin, anise, and grape juice baked over fragrant bay leaves. A 2,000-year-old loaf with rustic Mediterranean character.

Classic French coq au vin: chicken browned in butter, then simmered with red wine, brandy, pearl onions, and mushrooms. A rustic red wine chicken braise streamlined for the microwave.

Basic berry dumpling wraps cinnamon-spiced blueberries in a tender shortening pastry, baked into a rustic single-pan dessert. A folded-corner cobbler-meets-pie that's ready in an hour.

Whole wheat pizza dough with cornmeal for a nutty, crisp, rustic crust. A double-risen homemade yeast dough that bakes up sturdy and golden, a heartier base for any pizza topping you like.

Rustic sour cream yeast bread shaped into a flat round and baked free-form on a cookie sheet. Food processor dough with a tender, tangy crumb and sesame seed top.

Rustic vegetarian stew with carrots, leeks, red potatoes, and briny olives simmered in herbed vegetable broth. A one-pot meal that's naturally low in fat and full of earthy flavor.

Golden-browned chicken simmers over chorizo, rice, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and orange wedges in a white wine and paprika broth. A rustic one-pot Basque Country classic.

Harvest pie made with Granny Smith apples and green tomatoes, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, finished with a lattice crust. A rustic fall deep-dish pie with optional rum.

Provencal potatoes with tomatoes, shingled in olive oil with tomato paste and baked until crisp at the edges. Finished with Parmesan under the broiler for a quick rustic French side.

A traditional Slovak Christmas Eve soup of earthy mushrooms and tangy sauerkraut in a creamy milk roux, finished with browned butter onions and a dusting of paprika. Rustic, comforting, and meatless.

Salsa de albañil, or Bricklayer's Salsa, is a chunky Mexican tomatillo salsa with roasted tomatillos, cilantro, onion, and garlic. Pounded in a mortar for rustic texture. Ready in 10 minutes flat.

Breakfast Dutch is an old-fashioned stovetop scrambled pancake made from eggs, flour, and milk, cooked in a cast iron skillet and served with butter and syrup. Simple, hearty, and rustic.

Tender eggplant meets the salty bite of ricotta salata in this rustic Italian pasta that brings together roasted garlic, fresh rosemary, and sweet cherry tomatoes for a weeknight dinner with soul.