During the workweek, we may stick to quick, easy dishes and creatively repurposed leftovers to put breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table. But all of that utility can feel stifling, making those of us who love a challenge yearn for a good multistep project in the kitchen. If you’re the type who saves weekends for your cooking goals, we’ve got recipes to mitigate the get-the-meal-on-the-table monotony.
Fresh Egg Pasta for Lasagna, above. Lasagna has been a popular quarantine project. We’ve seen everyone from Samin Nosrat to our own family members give it a go, so now we’re going to up the ante. Yes, we have hand-rolling instructions if you don’t have a pasta machine. Once you’ve got your pasta, check out Domenica Marchetti’s lasagna guide.
(Laura Chase de Formigny for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)
Sourdough (Due Pane). We know everyone’s on the sourdough train, so if you’re not … climb aboard. These crystal-clear instructions will get you where you need to go. Need help cultivating a starter? We’ve got a walk-through for that too.
[I went to bread camp to take my sourdough loaves to the next level. Here’s what I learned.]
Royal Wedding Cake. You don’t have to love Harry and Meghan as much as we do to make this fancy cake. This lemon-elderflower flavored cake is delightfully springy. It’s the perfect project for a day when you have time to really put in the work. Too much for you? No worries. Becky Krystal rounded up even more layer cakes to try.
[A guide to baking substitutions for flour, sugar, yeast and more]
No-Churn Bourbon Brown Sugar Ice Cream. No ice cream machine? No problem. You can still have homemade ice cream, no churning needed. With three different components, this decadent dessert is certainly a project, but it is a worthwhile one. If you’d like something with slightly less effort and have an ice cream machine, channel summer with S’mores Ice Cream.
Crispy Herbed Falafel. Many of us find deep frying to be a daunting endeavor. Your final result needs to really be worth it. We think these falafel hit the mark. Want a meatier fry up? Classic Fried Chicken is the way to go.
(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky; for The Washington Post)
Stir-Fried Glass Noodles With Pork and Chinese Broccoli (Phat Si Ew Wun Sen). It might be time for you to truly understand the complexity of your favorite takeout noodles. This pared down recipe from Andy Ricker of Pok Pok Noodles is the tastiest way to learn.
More from Voraciously:
How to make the most flavorful vegetable stock
These creamy custard cups are a sweet, light dessert fit for spring
At a New York relief kitchen, urgency meets empathy as immigrants create thousands of meals a day