Blog Posts by Food52

Any time we're in the kitchen, we're usually chopping onions for something: as the base for a soup, to perk up a salad, to darken for a braise, to melt into a stew. Onions are the prepositions of the kitchen: they are amid, among, atop, below, in, on, underneath, and with foods. We rarely chop them and soften them, brown them and melt them to enjoy on their own.

Here are 10 ways to give onions the spotlight, to let their earthy sweetness brighten up your kitchen. We know you've got them rolling around somewhere in your kitchen. Let them shine!

More from Food52:
• 7 Ways to Make Cabbage Sexy.
• 6 Wintry Fennel Recipes.
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

We understand the allure of a steakhouse dinner on Valentine's Day: it's indulgent, it shows you care, and it's nice to feel fancy every once in a while. With 50 other diners similarly hoping for an intimate experience, however, the reality of a romantic dinner often doesn't meet expectations. So this year, strip away the checked table cloths, and cook your beloved a decadent, steakhouse-worthy dinner at home. Sure, you'll have to do the dishes, but it's a small price to pay for the assurance that there won't be any amorous strangers leaning into your bread basket.

More from Food52:
• Shake things up with these 5 Valentine's cocktails.
• Browse 7 more steak recipes to steal the show.
• Got a cooking question? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

The Super Bowl is in New Orleans this year: a city of lights, of tipsy streets, of slushees, of fried food and jambalaya and rice and lots of alcohol. Can you think of a better reason to throw a party this Sunday? The food of New Orleans lends itself perfectly to football-watching, so choose a gumbo, a jambalaya, an oyster preparation, and a spicy cocktail, and invite your friends. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

More from Food52:
• How to Deep Fry Without Fear
• 8 Chips and Dips for Game Day
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

Soup for dinner this time of year is a great idea. It's warm and soothing, but doesn't leave you feeling like you need to make an immediate trip to the gym. However, just a bowl of soup isn't quite enough. Here, we've paired a rich, brothy mushroom barley soup with ultra-crisp, panko-coated latkes. The soup is quite simple, but needs a good amount of simmer time, so you might consider making a double batch while you're at it and turn this dinner tonight into dinner tomorrow night, too!

The Menu

Mushroom Barley Soup by Berna

Serves 4 to 6

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms soaked until soft in 1/2 cup hot water (reserve water after soaking)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup

As game day draws near, our thoughts -- and our appetites -- turn towards indulgent snacks that excited hands will grab as referees' whistles screech through our speakers, and eager fans yell at screens.

When our eyes don't want to stray too long from the game, the best foods are those that don't take much concentration to eat. This is, we assume, where the concept of chips and dips originated: a need for foods you can combine without considering cutlery or looking too closely at what you're eating. Plus, football begets all things melty, savory, and crunchy. So, no matter who you'll be rooting for next week, serve your fellow spectators these chips and dips, and you'll win the whole crowd.

More Game Day Recipes from Food52:
• Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
• 9 Favorite Chili Recipes
• Got a cooking question? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

It's safe to say that we've moved from the "resolution enthusiasm" stage of winter to the "hibernation" stage. So let's just resolve to make some comfort food, shall we? Whether it's melty grilled cheese, soul-warming French onion soup, or chocolate cake that makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, we've got 10 ways to find refuge from harsh weather and biting cold in the comfort of your kitchen.

More from Food52:
• Need to get away? Take a vacation in your kitchen with bright, sunny food (and drinks!).
• Keep warm with a hot toddy.
• Got a cooking question? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

Dreams of summer. They're inevitable this time of year, when memories of sun and warmth are fuzzy at best, and it's hard to believe that you'll ever be able to step outside without a coat again. Moorish Paella, warm with spice and color, is a ticket out of this greyness. It tastes of warm nights in faraway places. Tartine's genius lemon cream is equally transporting: soft, breezy and positively luscious. Dinner is indeed a good time to escape.

Moorish Paella by NWB

Serves 4

4 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
4 small or 2 large links of Merguez sausage (chorizo is fine if you can't find the lamb sausage)
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into pieces
1 teaspoon caraway, ground
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon harissa
2 cups Arborio (or other short grain) rice
8 ounces tomato sauce
3 cups chicken stock
Salt to taste
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Every week on Food52.com, we're digging up Genius Recipes -- the ones that make us rethink cooking myths, get us talking, and change the way we cook.

Today: No trussing, no basting. It turns out the juiciest and speediest roast chicken is the simplest of all.

  –Kristen Miglore, Senior Editor, Food52.com

Choosing one genius roast chicken is a tall, if not impossible, order. You might as well ask a parent to pick a favorite child. They are all special and clever and equally deserving of love, which is why it's taken me this long to commit.

>>RELATED: A Genius Approach to Beef Brisket

Since this column launched, every time I felt the urge to roast a chicken, I knew I couldn't just freestyle, throwing in whatever wayward herb sprigs and scraps of onion I had laying around. Each time, I had to test out a new contender from the Roast Chicken Hall of Fame.

With Judy Rodgers, I pre-salted my bird 2 days ahead. Its flesh was seasoned through to its middle; its juices