10 great things to cook in april

plus: a new podcast episode about hummus

Mar 31, 2025

Monday, March 31, 2025

Good morning! And Happy Eid to all celebrating.

We did it, guys. We made it to what feels like spring — at least half of some days. I saw popping magnolia trees and a daffodil explosion on my walk this morning; I’m scooping it all up and never letting it go, not to be melodramatic or anything. Below, an April cooking agenda with exactly this energy — spring-forward recipes that do not exclusively rely on produce that hasn’t emerged yet from the soil. Plus, we’ve got a new podcast recipe today all about hummus. And, while I know the website has been a little quiet this late winter, keep your eyes peeled for a new brisket recipe this week — the simplest one, ever.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Wondering what you might cook from Smitten Kitchen Keepers now that flowers are budding and the air is warming? I thought you’d never ask! Try the pea, feta, and mint fritters, toasted ricotta gnocchi with pistachio pesto, baked orzo and artichokes, and fettuccine with white ragù. To finish, I recommend the bee sting bars and the carrot cake with brown butter and no clutter. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.

“One of the winning elements of ‘The Recipe’ is that it’s not prescriptive — rather than settling on one universal ‘perfect’ recipe, the chefs explain their personal preferences, then give listeners the information they need to make their own adjustments. By breaking their recipes down ingredient-by-ingredient, digging into what each one is doing, they make the science of cooking approachable and fun.” — New York Times, 7 Podcasts to Inspire a New Hobby
“J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman’s new podcast gets to not only the heart of how they make their recipes—but also the why behind each decision, too.” — Esquire, The 26 Best Podcasts of 2024

The latest full episode of my podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, is all about Hummus! You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts, such as Apple, Spotify, and more.

steamed artichokes

A love letter to my favorite vegetable, with a couple new-to-me tips from a favorite internet chef (Hailee Catalano) that altered the way I've always cooked artichokes, making it quicker, neater, and prettier, too.

lentil and chickpea salad with feta and tahini

What looks deceptively like an ordinary legume salad is so much more, layered with intense flavors (lemon! garlic! coriander! cumin! deeply toasted sesame seeds!) and texture (firm-tender chickpeas! caviar-like lentils!) and it's all I want for lunch this week.

napa cabbage wedge with miso dressing

A crunchy, vibrant, and wildly delicious Napa cabbage wedge-style salad with an unforgettable miso dressing, crispy shallots and radishes. You should just go ahead and double everything because I don't think you'll want to just eat this once.

spring salad with new potatoes

One of my favorite things to make and eat isn't a potato salad, per se, but a salad *with* potatoes. This one is full of bright spring vegetables with a punchy (mayo-free) dressing and it's perfect for the weekend, wherever you take it.

crispy tortellini with peas and prosciutto

Did you know that you could cook frozen tortellini like potstickers and they get crispy and awesome? I learned this from H. Alexander Talbot, aka ideasinfood, who are full of clever solutions. This riff, with peas, prosciutto, mint, lemon and cream looks and tastes fancy and took about 12 minutes to make.

peanut sesame noodles

Comfort food? The cold peanut sesame noodles I’ve been making since college will always be in my top 10. The sauce is perfect every time and I like to doctor them up with matchsticks of everything from carrots to cucumber, peppers, and tofu so it feels even more like a full meal.

sheet pan chicken tikka

This chicken tikka is my favorite sheet pan dinner, here on a bed of cauliflower and potatoes, served right in the pan. Wildly flavorful, full of textures and color, we never get tired of it.

mushrooms and greens with toast

Dinner tonight? A cross between a rustic casserole and a skillet of torn-up grilled cheese and butter-seared vegetables, this deliciousness from Tara O’Brady takes very little planning, cooking time, and it's all made in a single pan, which is also its serving dish.

lemon bars (refreshed)

Don’t you love an archive dive? I gave my 2008 lemon bars — the classic bake sale kind with a bright, tart lemon layer on a buttery shortbread crust — a needed revisit and now they’ve got a better texture, deeper flavor, and fewer steps. Time to fall in love with them all over again! 🍋

new york crumb cake

Hasn’t it always been too long since your last slice of profoundly perfect crumb cake? You know, the kind that’s a hefty square with at least as much height from big brown sugar and cinnamon crumbs as from a golden, buttery, sour cream-enriched and vanilla-scented cake? Yes, me too and I’ve got just the fix for us. [Video below!]

new york crumb cake

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most — yes, including the the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser (which is back in stock!). For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!