The 10 most popular new recipes of 2023

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Cook This travelled this year — from the wilds of Georgian Bay to the vast expanse of the Prairies. Looking further afield, we delved into the food cultures of West Africa, Sri Lanka and Korea — to name but a few. In 2023, I featured 141 recipes from 47 cookbooks and spoke with authors from 27 countries, including Bahrain, Belgium, India, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Poland and Thailand.

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Of the nearly 150 recipes, these 10 resonated most with the subscribers to the Cook This newsletter.

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10. Puffed wheat squares

Edmonton-based author and blogger Karlynn Johnston features two takes on the Prairie classic, her sister Karami’s and her own. “It’s funny that my sister and I have different versions. I do love hers with the coffee flavour. Those are fantastic because they will appeal to someone who likes that sharp coffee flavour in their squares. And then mine are a little sweeter and puffier with the marshmallows.”

Get the recipe from A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook, by Karlynn Johnston.

9. Brine and bake pork chops

To keep her chops juicy, daytime talk show host and cooking show star Mary Berg brines the pork before coating it in a toasted panko mixture and roasting. “If you treat them right, they can be as juicy and delicious as anything. A lot of people think of brining, and they think of turkey, which is an undertaking that takes up half your fridge. It’s a whole thing. But exploring the world of brining with pork chops (is) super easy to do. (It is) super reasonable in terms of space and ingredients. And it’s a total game-changer.”

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Get the recipe from In Mary’s Kitchen by Mary Berg.

8. Adaptable âsh

Comforting, golden and hearty, it’s no wonder Cambridge, U.K.-based food writer Bee Wilson’s adaptable âsh was a hit this year. It’s a template recipe, one you can make your own. Wilson cooks the Persian soup regularly and knows the recipe by heart. “I’m hoping that readers will make it often and then get the same relationship with it. It was one of those dishes I’ve been cooking for a long time. But just making that dish over and over and over again in subtly and slightly different forms probably taught me more about cooking than almost any cooking I’ve ever done.”

Get the recipe from The Secret of Cooking, by Bee Wilson.

7. Minimalist pad Thai

For her minimalist take on pad Thai, Vancouver-based author Pailin Chongchitnant narrowed down the ingredients to what she considers the absolute essentials — all of which can be found at an Asian supermarket. “I’ve always told people, pad Thai is not a beginner-friendly dish. If you’re a beginner, this is not something you should start with. But everyone wants to make it. And I’m like, ‘OK, OK. If you want to make it, fine. Let’s figure out a way to simplify it so that it’s not quite as complex, but it still tastes good, and I can still feel good calling it pad Thai.’”

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Get the recipe from Sabai, by Pailin Chongchitnant.

6. Smoked salmon ‘croque-monsieur’

This incredible twist on the quintessential French ham and cheese sandwich is Eric Ripert’s homage to his late grandmother. “(When I was a kid), she would make five, six, seven of them, and I would eat the seven croque-monsieurs.” At Ripert’s three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant, Le Bernardin, they add caviar. But for Seafood Simple, he stuck with smoked salmon alone. “It’s really delicious, I have to say. It’s super simple and quick to do, very fast. And at the end, when you eat it, you’re like, ‘Oh my God. It’s so good.’ I love that dish.”

Get the recipe from Seafood Simple, by Eric Ripert.

5. Apple cinnamon biscuit buns

By wrapping a cinnamon-sugar-pecan mixture in biscuit dough, Mary Berg achieves the warm flavours of a cinnamon bun in less time than if you were to make a yeasted dough. “They’re still fluffy and soft, but the outside gets a little bit more crisp and golden brown from that biscuit dough. They are honestly probably my sleeper hit, my favourite thing in this book.”

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Get the recipe from In Mary’s Kitchen by Mary Berg.

4. Instant Pot butter chicken

Instant Pot butter chicken was one of the first dishes Duncan, B.C.-based advocate, commercial food photographer and writer Jules Sherred made when he returned to the kitchen after being unable to cook for five years. “Once I got (my first of many Instant Pots), one of my first selling points was, ‘Do you want butter chicken in five to 10 minutes?’” says Sherred, laughing. “(People) were like, ‘What‽’ I was like, ‘Yes! You can do that with the Instant Pot.’”

Get the recipe from Crip Up the Kitchen, by Jules Sherred.

3. Irish onion soup

Instead of opening up a bottle of wine for French onion soup, Mary Berg cracks a can of Irish stout. “Just as delicious, and the subtle lesson in this recipe for me was you don’t always have to go with what’s classic. You can switch things up. You can switch to cider in this recipe if you want to give it a little bit more of an autumn vibe. You could throw in hard apple cider. That would be delicious. Apple and onion soup with cheddar on top — ah, get out of here.”

Get the recipe from In Mary’s Kitchen by Mary Berg.

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2. Seafood spaghetti

Australian-born, London-based author Bre Graham dreamt up this seafood spaghetti when the skies were grey, and she needed a sunny escape. The dish combines two elements Graham especially loves, seafood and spaghetti, making her feel like she’s on a beach in Sicily. She uses a mix of squid, mussels and prawns and simmers the squid to ensure it’s tender, never rubbery. It’s a generous dish for two to share: “A seafood spaghetti has to feel abundant.”

Get the recipe from Table for Two, by Bre Graham.

1. Pizza al taglio

Blistered, thin-crust Neapolitan pies may get all the attention, but the team at Montreal restaurant Elena recommends Roman-style al taglio for home pizza-making. “The higher hydration dough doesn’t dry out as much in the oven,” says Janice Tiefenbach, executive chef of Elena and co-owner of Gia Vin & Grill. The recipe delivers restaurant-quality results at home — and all you need is a sheet pan and conventional oven, adds Ryan Gray, co-owner of Elena, Nora Gray and Gia Vin & Grill. “There’s a good chance you can make it as well as we can.”

Get the recipe from Salad Pizza Wine, by Janice Tiefenbach, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, Ryan Gray and Marley Sniatowsky.

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