Tuna tapenade with oil-packed tuna, black olives, capers, garlic, lemon juice, and a splash of dark rum blended smooth with olive oil. A Mediterranean spread for crudites or crackers.
Elbow pasta tossed with garlic olive oil, wilted basil, fresh parsley, lime zest, and lime juice. A bright, vegetarian pasta ready in 30 minutes.
Easy kimchi for first-timers: salted napa cabbage fermented with green onion, garlic, ginger, and dried chile in a simple brine. No fish sauce, no special paste. Let it bubble on the counter, then chill the funky, sour, crunchy result.
Pepper oysters are a chef-style appetizer of fresh oysters poached in their own liquor, then marinated overnight in mortar-ground black peppercorn, garlic, bay leaf, and lime. Bright, briny, bracing.
Hot and sour shrimp soup built on a quick homemade broth simmered from the shrimp shells, with tender chayote, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice for the sour bite, and chili paste for the heat. A bright, light take on the takeout classic.
Granny's corn and bean chowder: a vegetarian chowder built on sweet corn, beans, and powdered milk for body. Sweet, savory, lightly nutmeg-warmed comfort in a bowl, no dairy needed.
Lamb rib chops broiled under a rosemary-garlic quince jelly glaze. A 15-minute dinner-party main with a sweet-savory lacquer that caramelizes under the broiler.
Sicilian-style swordfish involtini: swordfish rolled around a toasted pine nut and parsley filling, braised in tomato sauce with white wine and chili flakes. Bright, briny, and weeknight-fast.
Hearty vegetarian chili with kidney beans, chickpeas, and bulgur wheat for meaty texture. Loaded with vegetables, chili powder, cumin, and tomato juice. Vegan and filling.
Tender asparagus spears drizzled with a warm garlic-lemon butter sauce and chopped hard-boiled egg. A classic European side dish ready in just 15 minutes.
Broccoli and ziti San Pierota with garlic-sauteed broccoli florets over pasta tossed in a simple crushed tomato sauce, finished with red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan.
Light vegetarian lasagna with a from-scratch tomato herb sauce simmered two hours, layered with part-skim ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. No meat, no oil in the sauce, still deeply satisfying.
Uncle Roy's chili: a meatless vegetarian chili with two kinds of canned tomatoes, kidney beans, three tablespoons of chili powder, and a serious shot of hot pepper sauce. Pantry-friendly weeknight one-pot dinner.
Chilled cream of vegetable soup with spinach, carrots, celery, and green pepper, pureed and enriched with egg yolks and half-and-half. Served cold with sour cream and fresh herbs.
Grilled salmon with minted tomato salsa: pink fillets seared over fire and topped with a half-pureed warm salsa of tomato, mint, jalapeño, and green onion. A bright, garden-fresh dinner.
Cantonese salt-baked chicken buried in six pounds of blazing rock salt with ginger, garlic, and scallion stuffing. Hakka-style whole chicken technique that gives you impossibly juicy meat and silky skin.