Leafy Greens

You can make the sauce with other fruit spreads, such as peach, apricot, or strawberry. Make extra sauce—it will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Because lentils cook quickly, they’re ideal for a simple supper. This thick, earthy stew, chock-full of protein, is most satisfying on a chilly fall or winter evening.

Sesame-crusted tofu is firm and flavorful enough to please even the tofu-phobic. (See photo)

Coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots), one of our favorite simple suppers convenience foods, is available in the produce section of most supermarkets.

Whole wheat and spelt pastas have a pleasant, nutty flavor that stands up to the flavors in this sauce, but any kind of pasta is fine for this recipe.

Here’s a Moosewood version of one of our favorite meals in Korean restaurants—easy enough to make at home.

Mustard greens and broccoli raab (also called brocoletti di rape, rape, and rapini) are somewhat bitter, a good counterpoint to creamy, subtly flavored ricotta cheese.

We surprised ourselves with how good this smoked coleslaw is. This is the vinegary kind of coleslaw, as opposed to one made with mayonnaise. We wanted some smoky flavor and didn’t want to smoke the sausage, so we targeted the slaw instead, and a star was born. Whether you’re adventurous in the kitchen or not, try this one. It’s not hard to do, even without a smoker. Just set a rack inside an aluminum pan, and place wood chips beneath the rack (or tea leaves—they will burn readily and add a nice dimension to the smoked flavor).

Lamb is an underappreciated and underutilized meat. It’s better for you than other red meats; it’s generally raised under healthier, more humane, and more sustainable conditions; it’s fragrant, lean, and tender; and it has that slightly funky quality that makes it interesting to work with. Here, we’ve rubbed it with chopped lemon confit and olives. While the recipe calls for oven-roasting, roasting it slowly on the grill would work beautifully, too. In keeping with the great tradition of day-after-holiday leftovers and sandwich making, we think Easter Monday is when you’ll want to be eating this one.

This is a great sandwich to make with leftovers (in this case, leftover pork loin). One of the key elements in this sandwich is the choice of greens. Dandelion greens are bitter, but balance the other flavors of prunes and mustard. If the greens are not to your liking, either try buying smaller-leafed dandelion greens (the larger the leaf, the more pronouncedly bitter) or substitute mustard greens or endive.

The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity: pork and endive. The key is to not disturb the pork in the pan. Yes, it will stick. Let it; it’ll unstick later and you’ll have the satisfying crispness you were after. The endive, roasted first with smoked bacon, vinegar, and caraway seeds, serve almost as a condiment.

While there are twelve or thirteen sandwiches in this book that Tom calls “my absolute favorite,” this one truly is Sisha’s. We use the pork shoulder, a very flavorful cut that benefits from slow cooking—so slow, in fact, that we set the oven on the lowest setting and leave the pork cooking overnight, which breaks down the textures, develops the flavors, and renders a lot of the fat. For the amount of meat called for in this recipe, you can get the same great texture and flavor in about four hours. This recipe has its origin in pork barbecue, which is often served with coleslaw. The cabbage in our sandwich—a nod to that side of slaw—is seasoned with olive oil and red wine vinegar. It is assertive and acidic, balancing the richness of the pork, while the jalapeños add a nice kick. Peppers vary in intensity—sometimes two slices are more than plenty while sometimes eight won’t be enough—so be sure to taste-test yours before layering them on.

This sandwich was adapted directly from a meal Tom had developed years earlier for Gramercy Tavern. We cure the duck lightly, for about 24 hours, more for flavor than to remove moisture. Then it is cooked verrrrrry slowly, with the fat side down. It is particularly important in this recipe to use a heavy-bottomed pan so that the heat distributes evenly, and to cook the duck over a super-low heat in order to render the fat without overcooking the duck. Once it’s cooked and you let it cool, you can slice it and use it in myriad ways—as an appetizer, in salad, on canapés. Note that because the duck’s been cured, its flavor is now concentrated and a little goes a long way. We pair the duck with caramelized apples and endive, which provide sweetness, acidity, and just the right edge of bitterness. Felling extra-indulgent? Save the pan in which you cooked the duck and toast the bread in the fat!

If you elect to make the sausage yourself, you need not have casings—simply make sausage patties instead. Conversely, if you’re making a recipe that calls for patties and you’re starting with sausages that are already in their casings, what’s to stop you from simply ripping them open and removing the contents? We think you’ll be delighted with the results of grilling the fennel and then pickling it lightly. And while we generally encourage substituting ingredients to your own taste, consider sticking with the recommended arugula here. It adds just the right tenor of spice to this sandwich.

This American classic is available at deli counters year-round, but at ’wichcraft, it’s a seasonal sandwich served only when local tomatoes are at their peak. For us, this is a tomato sandwich, with crisp bacon (be sure it’s good quality!) and Bibb lettuce serving almost as condiments. We use a thick slice of tomato, say 1/2 inch, well seasoned with sea salt, really good pepper, and even a little olive oil. This is one of the sandwiches for which architecture matters, so please pay attention to the assembly instructions. For a special kick, rub a peeled garlic clove over the bread before assembling. A mix of heirloom tomatoes is ideal, combining colors and tones, sweetness and acidity. Imagine a slice of red plum, a slice of green zebra, and a slice of German yellow: summer in a sandwich.

Please do not let the bad bologna sandwiches of your youth deter you from trying this sandwich. Good mortadella is silky, flavorful, and because it doesn’t require aging, usually far more affordable than most artisanal sandwich meats. Here, we balance the smooth texture and rich taste of mortadella with the bitterness of grilled radicchio. The Pistachio Vinaigrette (page 181) is a nod to the classic use of pistachios embedded in the meat.

While this sandwich is not one of our top sellers, it has its fervent followers, like those of the anchovy sandwich (see page 68). Taking our inspiration from the traditional New Orleans muffaletta—the sandwich of salty meats and tangy olive salad on a thick round roll—we often pair a fresh smoked salami similar to a sopressata with a drier saucisson sec. But you can customize your sandwich for your palate with your own favorites: prosciutto, mortadella, pancetta—any salumi will stand up nicely to the myriad flavors that burst from the marinated cauliflower salad. Don’t let the name cauliflower dissuade you—this is not the boiled bane of your childhood. Rather, it’s a textured mix of tastes in a bold marinade, with raisins and caraway seeds.

Do you know anyone who does not make chicken salad with leftover chicken? We don’t. And folks tend to want mayonnaise, some fruity sweetness and/or nuts, crunch, and texture. We’re happy to oblige. We start with our homemade Mayonnaise (page 176). And if you have not yet tried the Pickled Mustard Seeds (page 187), this chicken salad gives you the perfect excuse. We’re not sure “pickled” is the perfect term for them—they’re flavored with sugar, vinegar, and water and puff up, caviar-like. This gives the chicken salad little bubbles that pop as you eat it, as caviar does, releasing a lightly mustardy flavor. The Pickled Red Onions (page 190) lend sweet, sour, and oniony flavors, as well as texture and crunch. Frisée adds texture as well. And using Roasted Tomatoes (page 195)—a staple in our own home kitchens—makes this sandwich a year-round choice.