Our Favorite Recipes from the October/November 2022 Issue of Cook’s Country

This cozy time of year in everyone’s kitchens is just one of the things that makes the October/November 2022 issue of Cook’s Country magazine so special. The test cooks that dreamed up these spectacular dishes are some of the others. Pies and cookies and hearty soups await in this delicious issue, but here are just a few of our favorites.

The first time I tasted Amanda Luchtel’s Tiropita, I ate so much I got a stomachache. For the next tasting, I told myself I’d exhibit some self control, but it tasted even better than the first batch, so I ate so much that I got a stomachache. And then the third time? I think you know where I’m going . . . This flaky, buttery Greek cheese pie is a cheese-lover’s dream. The rich filling is a thick, satisfying layer of salty feta cheese and a nutty Greek cheese called graviera, made lusciously creamy with the addition of cottage cheese and eggs. And the crisp phyllo crust sends buttery shards down my front with every bite, which is exactly how I like it. I’m partial to the tiropitakia version, the small individual triangular pies perfect for eating out of hand. Amanda’s smart method of folding them creates adorable equilateral triangles and keeps the filling neatly contained within.

A few recipes are essential in my home, and chicken stock is one of them. The smell of chicken stock bubbling away on the stovetop during the cooler months—or, let's be honest, the summer too—is incredibly comforting to me. My mind wanders with endless possibilities. I am so excited for our readers to have Matthew Fairman’s All-Purpose Chicken Stock. It perfectly represents how most of us test cooks cook at home: collecting chicken scraps from our daily kitchen routines that would otherwise be wasted and preparing a rich and delicious base for many dishes to come. The beauty of Matthew’s versatile recipe is that he offers a way to make stocks with a variety of richness and depth. Whether you’re starting with raw bones, roasted bones, or bones from a roasted bird, each will have distinct characteristics.

Apple pie is one of my absolute favorite desserts. I know it's basic, but I like what I like. Jessica Rudolph’s Cranberry-Ginger Apple Tart embodies everything I love about apple pies (apples, of course, draped with a semisweet sauce and crisp-flaky crust). Where this pastry departs from apple pie is that it ups the flavor profile with the addition of pleasantly tart cranberries and savory-vibrant ginger. Best of all, this free-form tart is a lot easier to make! Yes, it’s delicious and easier to make than pie. Maybe the phrase should be easy as tart? Don’t forget the ice cream.

When I was a kid, I used to bring lunch to school four days a week (leaving one day for a fun hot lunch option such as pizza or chicken nuggets). My packed lunch was always a sandwich or some SpaghettiOs or soup in a Thermos, but that’s not the important part. This is: I was allowed to bring two snacks. One had to be a piece of fruit, but the other I could select from “the snack bucket” (cue the clouds parting and rays of sunlight beaming down). The snack bucket was a glorious receptacle that sat in a lower kitchen cabinet. All sorts of goodies from the likes of Drake’s, Hostess, and Betty Crocker spilled out of this bucket. Each day I could decide if I wanted Yodels, a pack of streusel-topped mini coffee cakes, or an Oatmeal Creme Pie, to name a few. Recently, my colleague Matthew Fairman developed a recipe for homemade oatmeal creme pies. One bite of this chewy, deeply molasses-y, warm-spiced cookie with its sweet marshmallow-y filling took me right back to the elementary school cafeteria. Most of us probably don’t want to be transported back to elementary school, but if it’s for snack time and I’ve got an oatmeal creme pie in hand, I don’t mind.

Matthew Fairman’s fried turkey has convinced me that frying a turkey is actually worth doing. In fact, it is so fun and makes for a delicious turkey. Having watched my fair share of those videos of people creating huge grease fires while frying turkeys, I was a little terrified of the prospect. But Matthew combined forces with ATK Reviews Senior Editor Miye Bromberg for some safety tips that make it a much safer venture. And then he decided to inject the turkey with herb butter, so it not only has crispy fried skin but every bit of turkey meat is infused with flavor. Having gotten to cross-test this recipe at home, I also now know that if I want to spend more time with family on Thanksgiving, I can invite them out to fry with me. And if I want to avoid them, I can tell them it’s safer for them to stay inside while I deal with the hard work of frying.  

First, I have a brief admission of guilt; in my eyes, soup is overrated. Why have liquid when there is so much more out there to taste and savor? Or at least so I thought. Typically toward the end of recipe development, I’m well acquainted with my own recipes and have cooked them ad nauseum. I’m almost certainly over them and ready to move on. Such is the nature of my short attention span (wait, what were we talking about? Oh right, soup!). In the case of my hearty Chickpea and Kale Soup, there was something so deep and soul-filling and gratifying about it. Could it be the humble base of mirepoix, chicken stock, and canned chickpeas? Could it be the fresh, hearty herbs? Perhaps it’s the welcome bit of tender kale or the way the rendered pancetta fat emulsifies into the broth, creating a heavenly yet balanced richness that feels just right. Whatever it is, I couldn’t and can’t get enough of this soup. It’s become a recipe I often think about when mulling over my pantry. It has transformed the way I think about and the relationship I have with soup, and it is certain to warm your home, hearts, and soul when autumn rolls in.

Come October, you might find me trying to keep summer alive in the kitchen, unwilling to admit that the days are getting shorter and the holiday season is approaching. This fresh-tasting, unbelievably satisfying salad of marinated tomatoes, crispy bread, and warm-spiced olive sauce is just the recipe I’ll be making. Dense, meaty plum tomatoes are consistent year round and don’t exude so much juice as to wash out this salad (as globe and many heirloom tomatoes would). Here, their relatively mild flavor is coaxed out and ratcheted up with a little time spent in a simple red wine vinaigrette with lively fresh garlic, spicy chile flakes, and a judicious amount of sugar. Tearing crusty bread into pieces before toasting it until golden brown creates croutons with more surface area and therefore crunchier edges, adding textural intrigue that cubes of bread can’t achieve. But the real surprise here is the olive sauce. A simple puree of kalamatas, olive oil, water, cinnamon, and cumin—this complex-tasting sauce perfectly balances brininess with warmth. Sure, outside it may be clear that winter is coming, but with this salad on the table, you can hang on to summer.

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