Oven Bake

When I was growing up, enchiladas were a family affair. On enchilada night, my sisters and I knew we would be called upon to take our positions alongside our mom in the kitchen: one sister fried the tortillas, another dipped them in the sauce, another (usually me) stuffed them, and the last rolled and transferred them to the pan. I can never think about enchiladas without remembering all those happy times in the kitchen. Not everyone in the house loved onions as much as my dad did, so Mom had us add the onions to only half of the enchiladas. She’d stick a toothpick in the pan with the onions to mark it, and everyone could sit down to enjoy the same meal.

This festive pizza comes from my sister Esmeralda. I often make several and put them out at Super Bowl parties. It makes a family-friendly weeknight dinner with a salad.

When I am in Malibu, I often serve this cheesy, hearty dish with a fresh fruit salad and warm croissants for brunch on the veranda.

As useful as the paper package method is to cook thicker cuts of rich fish (see Honey-Glazed Salmon, page 73) it is also great for delicate, flaky white fish that can be difficult to handle during cooking and dries out easily.

To be honest, I didn’t used to care for salmon. I tried a number of different methods of cooking it and none had ever worked for me. Then, finally, I asked my friend Mario Lopez for advice, and he responded with two words: “honey glaze.” That was it! Honey cuts the richness that I used to find overpowering while underscoring the salmon’s own sweetness. Baking the fish in paper packages, called en papillote in French, allows thicker cuts to cook all the way through without getting dry, and (better yet) keeps the mess to a minimum. Plus, it’s fun to open them at the table—just be careful not to get burned by the steam! Serve with Garlic Green Beans (page 141) or a green salad.

When I went fishing with my dad, more often than not we caught buckets of catfish. I loved every moment of those days, right up until he’d cook the catfish by just tossing it on the grill with nothing more than some salt and pepper—then I wasn’t so happy. I loved just about anything breaded—still do!—so I took matters into my own hands and came up with this recipe. The breading keeps the fish tender and moist. The only thing I’ve changed about this dish since I was a kid is the bread crumbs. Ever since fluffy Japanese panko (page 80) has become widely available, I use it instead of regular dried bread crumbs for almost all my breaded dishes. Try this with Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts (page 138) and Lemon Fettuccine (page 134).

I love this dip for company because you can whip it together and put it in the oven just as your guests arrive. In the time it takes to stow their coats and serve them drinks, the dip becomes hot and bubbly and can be brought from the oven straight to serving, trailing along with it an enticing aroma of warm Parmesan cheese and artichokes. If you have time, prepare the dip by processing it in the food processor, place it in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate it overnight. With time, the flavors blend and become even better. If you don’t have that kind of time, don’t worry! This is still a creamy, tangy, wonderful dip even when pulled together at the last possible minute.

These may resemble traditional Buffalo wings in appearance, but a blend of soy sauce, tahini, ginger, garlic, and Asian chile sauce (available at Asian markets) makes these wings major-killer. This sauce is bangin’ and can be used on grilled anything. Instead of typical celery and blue cheese, a cool side of cucumbers, Greek-style yogurt, and fresh mint finishes this dish.

Panade sounds kind of “chefy” but in truth, the dish, made from crusty bread and lots of cheese, is just a cross between a savory bread pudding and holiday stuffing. When mixed with eggs and cream, the bread softens so it becomes almost soufflé-like, with pillows of puffy goodness infused with chard and caramelized onions. If something can be peasant food and elegant at once, this is it! Pair this as a side with Whole Roasted Chicken with Plumped Raisins, Toasted Pine Nuts, and Arugula (page 142) or serve it with a simple green salad, and you’ve got dinner.

What you put on your pizza is just as important as how much. It’s about quality, not quantity. Don’t go crazy and overload pizza with a jumble of toppings. Think about balance and a few well-chosen ingredients that work together. The Caponata (page 70) and the sugo (page 111) are delicious spread on pizza with a few cubes of mozzarella, for example. Here earthy mushrooms matched with fragrant thyme and sweet caramelized onions pack this rustic pizza with major punch. Gruyère’s robust and savory flavor profile knocks this no-sauce pizza off the charts. When it comes to pizza, this one delivers.

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.

This rustic salad makes a substantial starter or a light lunch, and is especially nice when it’s hot out. As with so much in Italian cuisine, the recipe is very simple; the key is the quality of the ingredients. The main attraction is featuring local heirloom tomatoes in peak season, which is summer to early fall in most places. Luckily, in Miami, we get locally grown tomatoes all winter long! It honestly doesn’t matter how many varieties of tomato you use; the most important thing is that the tomatoes are ripe, juicy, and sweet.

This Moroccan-inspired recipe is one of those dishes where less is more: a big, sweet onion stuffed with cinnamon- and cumin-scented ground lamb and plump apricots. While you may be tempted to put the whole spice cabinet in the lamb filling, the simple duo of cinnamon and cumin does the trick. The fruit plays off the rich gaminess of the lamb and the spices add a subtle background flavor to tie it all together. This stuffed onion is perfect for a weeknight dinner with a green salad and steamed basmati rice, or elegant enough to make as a starter for a dinner party. The best part is that you can do this all ahead of time and just pop the stuffed onions in the oven before dinner. Sweet!

My mom makes these delicious baked tomatoes as an entrée in a vegetable-plate dinner or as a side dish for grilled meat. Make a double batch of the seasoned crumbs, if you’d like; they freeze very well and can be used with equally good results on many summer vegetables.