If pie and a pizza had a baby

Cooking this summer has looked markedly different from past summers. In previous years, it was not uncommon for me to spend hours preparing dinner on the weekend or planning out complex recipes to cook during the week. We’ve had the privilege of traveling a lot this summer, and coupled with the new joys (and challenges!) of having a busy-bee toddler in the house, has meant that things have gotten a lot simpler.

I have a bit of a reputation for going in over my head with recipe planning. Why buy pitas when you can make better ones yourself? So this summer has certainly been a challenge in stepping back and actively leaning in to making things easier. Would I say I am good at it? No. But our Sunday night dinner of tomatoes over garlicky yogurt, or saying “Let’s get sushi!” are small steps in the right direction.

This week, I’m featuring two recipes at the opposite ends of the spectrum: one’s a fairly quick and easy recipe to pull together, while the other is an opportunity to luxuriate in an afternoon cooking project. Enjoy!

Tomato Galette

The 411: Savory galettes, what would happen if a pie and a pizza had a baby. Andy Baraghani’s recipe is pretty simple in the ether of galettes—a layer of salted tomatoes and thinly sliced garlic are piled atop cheddar and baked in a make-it-in-your food processor crust. If you’re a galette virgin, I couldn’t recommend this recipe enough.

Zoe’s Tips: There’s controversy in the cooking world about the best way to make a crust dough. While I can’t say with certainty which method I think is superior from a taste and texture perspective, I can say that the food processor is pretty foolproof and simple. As with any dough, be careful not to overwork it; the less you touch it, the better.

Taste-to-Time Ratio¹: 9:5

Mexican Street Corn Salad With Tofu And Greens

The 411: Our days with sungold cherry tomatoes and corn are numbered, so

Jenny Rosenstrach

’s recipe (inspired by Sandra Gutierrez) is an opportunity to maximize both while you still can. In this recipe, corn, tomatoes, arugula, and salty cheese are tossed in a tangy and creamy dressing, then topped with crispy tofu. The result is sublime and a complete salad meal.

Zoe’s Tips: Mayo and sour cream both give me the ick, so if you’re in that same boat, I got very tasty results by subbing vegan mayo for the mayo and Greek yogurt for the sour cream. And if you too are a grill-less apartment dweller, I skipped the instructions to cook the corn (read: I missed that instruction and was in too deep) and it still turned out great. Please use fresh corn from the market that hasn’t been sitting in your fridge for more than a day! Any longer than that and the sugars will start to convert to starch.

Taste-to-Time Ratio: 9:8

1. The Taste-to-Time Ratio is a ratio that evaluates flavor on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) with time on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the fastest). For example, our family favorite mac and cheese that requires 2 types of cheese, toasted baguette breadcrumbs, approximately all your kitchen pans, and 2 hours of baking is a 10:3 - insanely delicious, but not a quick weeknight meal.