The Lost Daughter
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
This dreamy thriller follows an academic with a mysterious past who heads to a beach vacation on the Greek islands.
Dakota Johnson, left, and Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature directorial debut.
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
Oh, and Happy New Year!
Tracing the Origins of a Black American New Year’s Ritual
Families have long embraced the tradition of eating black-eyed peas and greens on Jan. 1, but the inspiration for the ritual crosses cultures and continents.
Dishes like black-eyed peas, served here with rice and salt pork, are among the foods thought to bring good luck, health and abundance.
By KAYLA STEWART
How Will Americans Eat in 2022? The Food Forecasters Speak.
They see a new interest in mushrooms, a rethinking of chicken and coffee, a resurgence of 1980s cocktails — and, believe it or not, a return to civility.
By KIM SEVERSON
Chicago’s Signature Sandwich, Italian Beef, Gets a Multicultural Update
In this city so protective of its traditions, a new generation of cooks is creating fresh variations on a deliciously soggy sandwich.
Several Chicago restaurants now serve their own takes on the Italian beef sandwich, like this vegan version from Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat.
By PRIYA KRISHNA
12 Recipes Our Food Staff Cooked on Repeat in 2021
Like a Spotify end-of-year roundup, but for food: These are the recipes our reporters and editors turned to again and again.
By KASIA PILAT
EAT
Sun-Dried Persimmons Are Worth the Obsession
The fruit yields a slow pleasure of rich, almost floral flesh.
By TEJAL RAO
FRONT BURNER
A Year of Shabbats in One Cookbook
A new book from Faith Kramer looks at Jewish food around the world through the lens of the Friday night dinner.
“52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Jewish Kitchen” by Faith Kramer (The Collective Book Studio, $32.50).
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
FRONT BURNER
With a Spin and a Twist, Sardinian Pasta Brings the Party
Bona Furtuna, an online retailer of Italian foods, has added three new dried pastas to its lineup, all made in Sardinia.
Sardinian Pasta, $75 for three 500 gram (17.6 ounce) boxes, bonafurtuna.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
FRONT BURNER
A Jammy Condiment With Smoky Heat
Gran Luchito’s chipotle paste has finally arrived in America..
Gran Luchito Chipotle Chili Paste, $19.99 for three 3.5-ounce jars, gran.luchito.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
Lazy Lasagna
Sarah Copeland’s quick ragù tastes like the classic baked pasta without all the work.
By MARGAUX LASKEY
Three Recipe Lessons From 2021
Eat more seaweed, strategize with your sheet pan and cook vegetables forever.
By TEJAL RAO
https://www.youtube.com/embed/F3RGIBExjfE https://www.youtube.com/embed/bVFETrIy-OI https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mda8Jetfnx8 https://www.youtube.com/embed/hh63NgEHZ6M
WINE SCHOOL
California Cabernet Beyond the Stereotypes
Any wine can be legitimately criticized, but lazy generalizations obscure significant differences among places and styles.
By ERIC ASIMOV
WINE SCHOOL
The What and Why of Orange Wines
It’s a recently popular style made with ancient techniques: whites produced using the methods for reds. Is it a passing fancy, or will it endure?
Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tradizionale 2019 (Artisan Wines, Norwalk, Conn.) $25
Monastero Suore Cistercensi Lazio Coenobium Ruscum 2019 (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, New York) $32
COS Terre Siciliane Pithos Bianco 2020 (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.) $35
By Eric Asimov
The Tragedy of Macbeth
NYT Critic’s Pick | | RDrama, History, Thriller, War | Directed by Joel Coen
Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand play a toxic power couple in Joel Coen’s crackling adaptation of Shakespeare’s Scottish play.
Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” His trajectory from weary soldier to raving, self-immolating maniac is astonishing to behold.
By A.O. SCOTT
Parallel Mothers
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
The Spanish director finally confronts the legacy of his country’s political violence in his new film, starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit.
Penélope Cruz, left, and Milena Smit in “Parallel Mothers.”
By A.O. SCOTT
Memoria
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Drama, Sci-Fi | Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Tilda Swinton stars in Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s elusive and enchanting new film, set in Colombia.
In “Memoria,” Tilda Swinton plays a British expatriate in Colombia whose perceptions come into question during this startling movie.
By A.O. SCOTT
— Of Possible Interest —
Don’t Look Up
R | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi | Directed by Adam McKay
Adam McKay wants you to know that it’s the end of the world and you should absolutely, unequivocally not feel fine. (But do laugh.)
By MANOHLA DARGIS
The Matrix Resurrections
R | Action, Sci-Fi | Directed by Lana Wachowski
Keanu Reeves plunges down the rabbit hole once more in this familiar-seeming mind-game movie, the fourth in the series.
By MANOHLA DARGIS
The King’s Man
R | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller | Directed by Matthew Vaughn
This prequel to the “Kingsman” series presents the confusing origin story of the elite British spy agency, founded by Ralph Fiennes (naturally).
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
Kellogg workers ratify a revised contract after being on strike since October.
Union members had rejected an earlier proposal in early December, prolonging a strike by about 1,400 workers at four cereal plants.
By NOAM SCHEIBER
A Holiday Feast, Cooked in the Cab of a Truck
Long-haul drivers are under intense pressure this season, but many will carve out the time (and the onboard space) to make steaks, turkeys and charcuterie boards.
Margie Gilles has been cooking in her truck more since the start of the pandemic, and plans to do so for the holidays. Credit…Annie Mulligan for The New York Times
By Priya Krishna
A Panettone Baked in Prison, and It’s One of Italy’s Best
An employment program near the city of Padua helps inmates develop life skills and earn a substantial wage.
By Matteo de Mayda
To Eat Oysters Better, Treat Them Like Wine
The bivalves’ merroir — yes, merroir — is much like grapes’ terroir, telling a much deeper story about the place they were grown, Melissa Clark writes.
To get the best sense of oysters’ individual flavors, it’s best to eat them unadorned before adding garnishes like mignonette or cocktail sauce.
By Melissa Clark
For Christmas With the McCartneys, a Vegan Yorkshire Pudding
A recipe that evokes the traditional holiday fare of Paul McCartney’s youth via the plant-based cooking of his daughter Mary.
Paul and Linda McCartney with their three daughters in Rye, England, in 1976. As young parents, the couple came to believe that eating animals was unethical, and eventually reimagined the Christmas feast.
By Julia Moskin
FRONT BURNER
Two New Sources for Food News
Whetstone, from the writer and television host Stephen Satterfield, has started a podcast and John McDonald, a co-founder of Tasting Table, has a newsletter, Broken Palate.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
FRONT BURNER
A Nonalcoholic Spritz Perfect for the Party
Lyre’s Amalfi Spritz is a fizzy, citrusy and slightly bitter drink that shines from a can or a punch bowl.
Lyre’s Amalfi Spritz, 250 milliliters (8.45 ounces), $44.97 for 12, $84.99 for 24, lyres.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
Garlic Chicken and Other Holiday Stars
Eric Kim’s stellar recipe is creamy and lush in all the right ways.
By EMILY WEINSTEIN
Holiday Gift Ideas From The Veggie
Vegan cheese subscriptions, vintage Pyrex and exceptional beans to eat (and grow!).
By TEJAL RAO
Bubbly Without the Buzz: Nonalcoholic Rosés for Celebrations
The latest crop of alcohol-free sparkling rosés take away the hangover, but leave plenty for wine lovers to enjoy.
By Florence Fabricant
THE POUR
Seeing 2021 Out With a Pop, a Pour and a Fizz
Nothing says “Happy New Year” quite like a bottle of bubbly. Here are six Champagnes and six sparkling wines to help you toast 2022.
By Eric Asimov
After-Dinner Drinks You’ll Want to Linger Over
These nightcaps, whether cocktail or single beverage, are just the thing for when the meal is over, but the party is not.
Balanced and dry yet herbal, the Bijou cocktail can serve as a petite-in-stature, big-in-flavor nightcap.
By REBEKAH PEPPLER
Roman Kaplan, Restaurateur and Host for Soviet Exiles, Dies at 83
The Russian Samovar in Manhattan became a hub for artists and writers far from home, drawing eminent regulars like Joseph Brodsky and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Roman Kaplan at his West Side restaurant, the Russian Samovar. The writer Anatoly Naiman said encountering Russian exiles there was like having friends come back from the dead.
By DAVID MARGOLICK
President
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Camilla Nielsson
In a riveting new documentary, Camilla Nielsson follows the first democratic election in Zimbabwe since 1980.
Nelson Chamisa, center, is the subject of the documentary “President.”
By CONCEPCIÓN DE LEÓN
The Novice
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Thriller | Directed by Lauren Hadaway
The obsessive ambitions of a college rower are masterfully orchestrated in a debut feature by the writer-director Lauren Hadaway.
Isabelle Fuhrman as the rower Alex Dall in “The Novice.”
By TEO BUGBEE
The Hand of God
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Paolo Sorrentino’s autobiographical drama about growing up in Naples is sensual, sad and occasionally sublime.
A scene from Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” which keeps company with recent memoir-like movies.
By A.O. SCOTT
— Of Possible Interest —
Spider-Man: No Way Home
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Jon Watts
In the latest installment of the “Spider-Man” series, Tom Holland faces the past and a very secure franchise future.
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Last Words
Drama, Sci-Fi | Directed by Jonathan Nossiter
In this post-apocalyptic drama, a young man meets the grizzled last guardian of a cinematic archive, played by Nick Nolte.
By GLENN KENNY
Mother/Android
R | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Mattson Tomlin
In this sci-fi thriller, a pregnant woman and her boyfriend try to outrun hordes of vengeful robots.
By LENA WILSON
Swan Song
R | Drama, Sci-Fi | Directed by Benjamin Cleary
In this future-set drama, Mahershala Ali plays an ailing father who decides whether or not to clone himself for the sake of his family.
By NICOLAS RAPOLD
THE WORLD THROUGH A LENS
Cultivating Olives on the Slopes of Mount Etna
For millenniums, farmers and vintners in northeastern Sicily have benefited from the area’s mineral-rich soil, a result of volcanic eruptions.
By MARTA GIACCONE
The Best Cookbooks of 2021
A deep dive into the world of grains, a collection of new cookie classics, unforgettable recipes from Shanghai and more, as tested by New York Cooking and the Food desk.
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
EAT
What Stone Soup Means to a Seasoned Chef
For Gabrielle Hamilton’s final Eat column, she considers what it takes to feed a village.
By GABRIELLE HAMILTON
A GOOD APPETITE
This Whole Duck Recipe Is Perfectly Imperfect
Roasting a duck isn’t much harder than preparing a chicken, and makes for a festive holiday meal.
A golden-skinned roasted duck is an impressive main course for a special meal.
By Melissa Clark
FRONT BURNER
Seasoned Cheddars That Turn Heads
Beehive Cheese from Utah cleaned up at the 2021 World Cheese Awards with subtly seasoned Cheddars.
Beehive Cheeses, $15.99 to $19.49 for 12 ounces, beehivecheese.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
FRONT BURNER
This Delicious Graphic Novel Gets to the Heart of Desserts
With a food sprite as its guide, “Yummy” by Victoria Grace Elliott tells the histories behind some of the world’s best treats.
“Yummy: A History of Desserts” by Victoria Grace Elliott (Random House Graphic, $19.99)
By FLORENCE FABRICANT
12 Easy, One-Bowl Cookies for a Simply Sweet Season
If you have a hankering for a treat, but don’t have time for the cleanup, these recipes are for you.
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Salted pistachio shortbread from Alison Roman.
By Margaux Laskey
Mikio Shinagawa, Who Ran a Fashionable SoHo Haunt, Dies at 66
His earthy Japanese restaurant, Omen, became a downtown canteen for well-known patrons like Patti Smith, Yoko Ono and Richard Gere.
Mikio Shinagawa in an undated photo outside his SoHo restaurant, Omen. As fashionable haunts in New York go, it was an unlikely candidate.
By ALEX VADUKUL
West Side Story
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Crime, Drama, Musical, Romance | Directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg rediscovers the breathing, troubling essence of a classic, building a bold and current screen musical with no pretense to perfection.
Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as Tony and Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”
By A.O. SCOTT
— Of Possible Interest —
Being the Ricardos
R | Biography, Drama | Directed by Aaron Sorkin
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin’s drama about one very bad week.
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in “Being the Ricardos.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Last and First Men
Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi | Directed by Jóhann Jóhannsson
Tilda Swinton narrates the bleak future of humanity in the only feature | Directed by the Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson.
A scene from “Last and First Men.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG
Encounter
R | Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Michael Pearce
A volatile veteran attempts to rescue his sons from a perceived alien threat in this confused cross between sci-fi thriller and family drama.
From left, Lucian-River Chauhan, Riz Ahmed and Aditya Geddada in “Encounter.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
Back to the Outback
PG | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family | Directed by Harry Cripps, Clare Knight
A group of reptile house critters escape from an Australian zoo in this endearing animated adventure.
From left, Doug (voiced by Keith Urban), Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin) and Doreen (Gia Carides) in “Back to the Outback.”
By NATALIA WINKELMAN
Welcoming Brighter Days on Yalda With Pomegranates
Iranians celebrate Shab-e Yalda, the winter solstice, surrounded by symbolic foods.
Foods for Yalda include, clockwise from top: pomegranates; hogweed to sprinkle on pomegranate seeds; baslogh (soft and chewy rosewater-infused walnut sweets); ajeel (mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit); rice cookies and watermelon.
By NAZ DERAVIAN
This Seafood Stew Is Endlessly Riffable
No matter what ingredients you use, this bold, briny stew from David Tanis sings alongside a radicchio-fennel salad and a grapefruit granita.
This adaptable stew takes well to a range of seafood.
By DAVID TANIS
The Secret to This Glazed Holiday Ham? Root Beer.
The sarsaparilla flavor lends the meat a woodsy mintiness, which sings when it’s paired with aromatics like bay leaves and shallots.
By ERIC KIM
https://www.youtube.com/embed/E-KshIyOCY0 https://www.youtube.com/embed/IfseR7q34cg https://www.youtube.com/embed/xtOhZEkyY2I https://www.youtube.com/embed/BFEgBiFIDu4 https://www.youtube.com/embed/xUNBqPBsMpI https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rojn8cTzjQs https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ExnThDmel0
7 gluten-free cookie recipes for your holiday spread
By Kari Sonde
12 colorful holiday cookie recipes to illuminate the season
By Becky Krystal https://www.youtube.com/embed/40uw6VkWpaI
In the Mountain West, the ‘Dirty’ Soda Rush Is On
With locations now numbering in the hundreds, regional soda-shop chains are spreading far beyond Utah, where they first found popularity.
By VICTORIA PETERSEN
Try Harder!
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Debbie Lum
This documentary from Debbie Lum goes inside a top-performing San Francisco public high school to see how students are preparing for the future.
Alvan Cai, one of the subjects of the documentary “Try Harder!”
By BEANDREA JULY
Torn
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Max Lowe
This documentary on the life and death of the mountaineer Alex Lowe demonstrates how unexpected bonds can form around those in grief.
The climber Alex Lowe, right, with his son, Max, in the documentary “Torn.”
By CLAIRE SHAFFER
Flee
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Documentary, Animation | Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
A Danish documentary uses animation to tell the poignant, complicated story of an Afghan refugee.
Amin, whose family left Afghanistan, as seen in the animated documentary “Flee.”
By A.O. SCOTT
Listening to Kenny G
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Music | Directed by Penny Lane
Penny Lane’s documentary about the superstar sax player Kenny G shows an artist who can be defensive and self-satisfied almost simultaneously.
The saxophonist Kenny G in the documentary “Listening to Kenny G.”
By GLENN KENNY
The Power of the Dog
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, Romance, Western | Directed by Jane Campion
In Jane Campion’s staggering take on the western, her first movie in more than a decade, a cruel cowboy meets his surprising match.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank in Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS
— Of Possible Interest —
Benedetta
Biography, Drama, History, Romance | Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven takes us to a nunnery where faith, eroticism and the Black Death make for an unholy good time.
Daphne Patakia and Virginie Efira in “Benedetta.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
Single All the Way
TV-PG | Comedy, Drama, Romance | Directed by Michael Mayer
This Netflix holiday rom-com rests its family-friendly shenanigans on a display of chemistry that never materializes.
Philemon Chambers and Michael Urie in “Single All the Way.”
By TEO BUGBEE
Who Owns a Recipe? A Plagiarism Claim Has Cookbook Authors Asking.
U.S. copyright law protects all kinds of creative material, but recipe creators are mostly powerless in an age and a business that are all about sharing.
By PRIYA KRISHNA
FOOD MATTERS
The Humble Beginnings of Today’s Culinary Delicacies
Many of our most revered dishes were perfected by those in need, then co-opted by the affluent. Is that populism at play, or just the abuse of power?
By LIGAYA MISHAN, PATRICIA HEAL and MARTIN BOURNE
Substack Expands Food Newsletters With Ruth Reichl and Others
The former restaurant critic and Gourmet editor is joining a cadre of chefs and authors enlisted to expand the platform’s culinary content.
By KIM SEVERSON
Feta Pasta and Other Winners
Whether you need simple recipes or are in marathon cooking mode, we have options.
By EMILY WEINSTEIN
24 Days of Cookies
These recipes from New York Times Cooking are sure to make your holidays bright.
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EAT
A Cookie as Big as the Ritz
This festive cookie cake is a cross an American chocolate-chip cookie and an elegant Parisian treat.
By DORIE GREENSPAN
Sylvia Weinstock, the ‘da Vinci of Wedding Cakes,’ Dies at 91
She produced floral-draped architectural works in the shape of rose-studded topiaries, baskets of speckled lilies and bouquets of anemones.
Sylvia Weinstock at a wine and food festival in Miami in 2014. Her clientele included Whitney Houston, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, LeBron James, Robert De Niro, Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart and various Kennedys and Kardashians.
By Katharine Q. Seelye