Leafy Greens

Pork loin is always welcome at any family table or dinner party, and thankfully it turns out to be as easy to make as it is impressive. Assemble it a day or two in advance and just pop the pork in the oven before dinner. The colorful jewel tones of the stuffing make this dish look as good as it tastes. Once you have the basic technique down, you can change the stuffing any number of ways—use different kinds of bread, dried fruit, wine, herbs.

This out-of-the-ordinary stew is seriously good and its enticing aroma seductive. The sauce is smooth and complex: cinnamon, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, and cardamom all add up to an intriguing flavor that really lingers. The parsley-almond garnish adds brightness to the dish. Sweet, nutty, and crunchy, with layers of Indian spices, this killer recipe is a musttry. Serve it over basmati rice.

This hearty vegetarian stew has special memories for me. I used to make it almost every day when I was broke, back when I was trying to open my first restaurant. And yet I never get tired of it. This dish has layers of flavors, comes together pretty rapidly, and leaves you fully satisfied.

Succulent, tender, and aromatic, roast chicken is a dish that all cooks should have in their arsenal. There are many schools of thought on how to master the perfect roast chicken. My philosophy is the simpler the better. I don’t use a big roasting pan or rack, truss the bird, or change the oven temperature fifty times. As far as technique goes, I like to start roasting the chicken breast side down to protect it from drying out in the initial intense heat. Gravity also works on your side that way; all of the juices gather in the breast meat during the first half of cooking, keeping the meat really moist. Then I turn the bird over to finish cooking and brown the breast. Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onion Panade (page 183) makes a terrific side.

Beautiful plump fish covered with a butterscotch-colored sauce on a bed of snow-white puree, this is a very subtle dish, in a good way. The ratio of honey to mustard to soy sauce is perfect: you get sweet and salty with a little bite to complement the mild fish. The whipped parsnips are smooth and just rich enough with butter and cream. Bok choy makes a crisp accompaniment.

Slow-Roasted Boneless Short Ribs give new life to the idea of leftovers. Here, they’re transformed into the perfect Sunday supper of ribbon pasta with succulent meat sauce. Once you prepare the short ribs, this dish takes relatively little time to make, yet your guests will be seduced by this sugo. The sauce will make more than you need, which you’ll thank me for later. Store the remaining sugo in a covered container in the fridge or freezer. There is nothing worse than gloppy, oversauced pasta. Proportion is important; the pasta should be lightly coated in sauce, not drowning.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to topping pizza. Here, sweet shrimp meet spicy chorizo sausage, slightly bitter escarole, and salty Manchego cheese. The combination is out of this world! If you haven’t explored making your own pizza yet, let this be one to try with the family.

My kids, Ella, Lulu, and Harry, love making pizza at home and getting their hands in the dough. You don’t need a special oven to make great pizza at home, although I recommend purchasing a pizza stone from your local kitchen store to ensure a crispy and crunchy crust. While you are at it, pick up a pizza paddle too. They often are sold as a set and run only around $30, so they’re not a major investment. The pizza dough in Basics is extremely versatile and can be topped with basically anything you can come up with. Here I wanted to come up with a vegetarian pizza that was so packed with interesting flavors, no one would miss the meat. Radicchio and arugula provide a slightly bitter balance to the melted and wondrous cheeses.

Parsley is the star of this simple green salad. It’s not often that the herb, typically used as a garnish, shines as brightly as it does here, with a vibrant note that elevates the lettuce. The dressing is on the heavy side, so take care not to overdress the delicate lettuce. Leftover dressing will keep in the refrigerator for two days and is fantastic as a sandwich spread or a dip for chips.

I like taking foods I’ve grown up with and putting an adult spin on them. This knife-and-fork salad contains the elements of a BLT—bacon, lettuce, and tomato—but I replace the mayo with a big wedge of incredibly full-flavored Roaring Forties blue cheese. It’s important for the bacon to be superthick, almost like a ham steak. If you don’t make the bacon yourself, which is so beyond worth it, go to your local butcher and bring home slab bacon. There are only a handful of ingredients in this simple dish, but they are all important and shouldn’t be skimped on.

This mix of lobster, avocado, and papaya is a luxurious alternative to your everyday salad. It’s sweet and creamy, perfect in the summer on a hot day. With the exception of cutting the avocado, all of the ingredients for the salad can be prepared ahead of time. Then, assembling the salad becomes a quickie. Leftover jade dressing will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days and is fantastic with grilled lamb chops.

A salad of unusual qualities, this vividly colorful combo celebrates the exotic autumn fruits of persimmon and pomegranate. The fusion of tastes is awesome: peppery watercress, sweet-spicy persimmon, tart pomegranate seeds, and salty cheese, all held together by a tangy vinaigrette. Leftover pomegranate vinaigrette will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to one week and goes great with grilled meats.

Butter lettuce, as its name suggests, is so tender that it melts in the mouth like butter. Also called Boston and Bibb lettuce, butter lettuce should come as a fairly large, loose head with thick leaves and an even green color. I’m not a huge fan of hydroponic lettuce because you end up paying more for less lettuce, which makes no sense to me. Visit your local farmers’ market or quality grocer and look for fresh, crisp leaves that are perky and not wilted. Butter lettuce is a terrific canvas to highlight the complementary flavors of acidic yet sweet orange, silky and dense avocado, and rich, crunchy hazelnuts. Shallot-hazelnut vinaigrette is my go-to multipurpose salad dressing; this recipe makes extra. Be sure to try it on other green salads or even grilled fish.

Are two yolks better than one? You bet! I have a real fondness for double-yolk eggs. In fact, I think every egg should have two yolks—I’m not an egg-white-omelet kind of guy to be sure. Luckily, there’s a farmer in my area who farms nothing but fresh double-yolk eggs; it’s pretty cool. Now, assuming you might not be able to get these, for ease, I’ve simply added extra yolks to the recipe. Crack the eggs into a ramekin along with some tomato sauce and cheese, and bake until the egg whites begin to solidify while the cheese turns into a cap of melty goodness. This makes a great start to a hearty meal and can elevate an ordinary steak-and-eggs dish to a special brunch. Make it ahead and pop in the oven when almost ready to serve.

Choucroute garnie traditionally combines sausages and thick chunks of bacon with larger cuts of meat like smoked pork chops and even hunks of pork shoulder. This faster version includes only sausages and bacon. The grated potato adds body and silkiness to the sauerkraut, which, if not homemade (see page 143), should be purchased refrigerated (not canned).

Speck is a cured Austrian ham, similar to prosciutto except that it is lightly spiced and smoked. Prosciutto or thinly sliced uncooked bacon may be substituted. (If using bacon, cook until nearly rendered, 3 minutes.)

On the few nights that he is not at Lantern, Miguel cooks Mexican at home. He has not seen his family since moving to North Carolina in 1999, and the goal of his home cooking is to make his dishes taste as close to his mother’s and grandmother’s as possible with the ingredients he can get here. He thinks that he is getting close with these carnitas.