Grab a blanket: We are careening toward the end of daylight saving time, which means it’s time to get cozy, people, at least those of you who live places where the weather gets cold. I’m talking soups, casseroles, braises and everything roasted. The farro and cauliflower Parmesan below is a good place to start.
And, crazy but true, it’s also nearly time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. I’m hosting this year, and my terrible, very slow menu-planning method, which I secretly enjoy, involves me going one dish at a time, mulling it over while loading the dishwasher or running errands, until finally I settle on a recipe (usually the first one I thought of, but it’s a process). I’ve started with the stuffing, and I’m leaning toward this outrageously good mushroom bread pudding, which I made last year.
There are hundreds of Thanksgiving recipes for you on New York Times Cooking. We are here to help! And I’m dearemily@nytimes.com — I love to hear from you.
1. Farro and Cauliflower Parmesan
I really try to never give you recipes that take an hour. But this one, by Sarah DiGregorio, is mostly unattended, so you can wander away for 40 minutes and do other things. And, with daylight saving time ending on Sunday, I believe there will be a deep need for tomatoey, cheesy farro.
2. Chicken Birria
This fast recipe is far from traditional birria, the regional Mexican stew that is often made with beef, goat or lamb. (For a phenomenal, longer-cooked version of the classic, see the chef Josef Centeno’s birria de res.) But Kay Chun has figured out how you can make something approximate and delicious at the end of the workday. Eat as a stew or in quesabirria tacos.
3. Crispy Salmon With Mixed Seeds
This salmon comes with a pleasing crunch, thanks to a crust made with herbed yogurt and a combination of seeds (think sesame, cumin, coriander). Ali Slagle also uses that yogurt as a sauce for serving, making this recipe efficient in addition to being really good.
5. Sheet-Pan Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach
Every time I’ve talked to my doctor since this recipe was published, she tells me how much she loves it. (Yes, I talk about recipes with my doctor.) Millie Peartree’s super-simple mushrooms and spinach are very lovable, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Serve it with chicken, tofu, fish — anything, really. I’d choose salmon, which can roast on another rack at the same time.
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