Classic potato salad from the Los Angeles Daily News July 2, 1992
Pan-seared veal cutlets with a woodsy sauce of shiitake mushrooms, spring fiddleheads, crispy pancetta, and sherry. A restaurant-style spring main that comes together in under 30 minutes.
High-heat roast chicken stuffed with lemon and garlic, cooked at 500F for crackling skin and juicy meat. A dead-simple pan sauce finishes the deal. Just 5 ingredients.
Tomato and watermelon salad with cucumber, avocado, fresh herbs, and freshly ground coriander seed in an aged balsamic vinaigrette. A juicy, summery side dish that tastes like August on a plate.
High-heat roast flank steak with garlic-oil marinade, portobello mushrooms, and baked potatoes cooked simultaneously on two oven racks. A complete three-component dinner from one oven.
Rack of lamb marinated in red wine vinegar and coriander, roasted at high heat, then finished with a warm bacon and Dijon mustard vinaigrette built from the pan drippings.
Authentic Texas chili con carne with cubed beef (no beans), simmered in a paste of rehydrated ancho and pequin chiles. Slow-simmered for 90 minutes of deep, smoky heat.
I added some Italian seasoning and fresh ground pepper to the Ricotta and I added about 1/4 tsp. of white truffle oil to the mushroom and onion mixture after it had cooled. It had great flavor
Indian curry paste for seafood blends fresh lemongrass, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and lemon juice into a vibrant aromatic base. Made in 10 minutes for marinating fish or building quick curries.
Easy focaccia topped with sage and onion: individual rounds of bread dough brushed with olive oil and crowned with sliced onion, fresh sage, and kosher salt, baked hot and golden. A quick shortcut focaccia.
Cold dilly beans are crisp pickled green beans canned with garlic, fresh dill, and a hint of cayenne in a cider vinegar brine. A snappy, shelf-stable summer pickle ready in two weeks.
Stewed lamb shanks braised with great northern beans, tomato, red wine, rosemary, and bay. A rustic Italian-style one-pot dinner with fork-tender meat falling off the bone.
Herbed focaccia, a crisp Italian flatbread with a touch of cornmeal, brushed with warm garlic-herb olive oil and showered with kosher salt. Thin and crackly, it's made for open sandwiches and freezes well.
Rosemary onion focaccia with caramelized Spanish onions, fresh rosemary throughout the dough, and a cornmeal-edge crust. Bread machine kneading meets oven-finish for bakery-style results.
Mini crab cakes baked in muffin tins with a panko-parmesan crust and creamy cream cheese filling. Lemon-orange-scented appetizer bites for cocktail parties, showers, and holiday gatherings.
Whole wheat pizza dough with cornmeal for a nutty, crisp, rustic crust. A double-risen homemade yeast dough that bakes up sturdy and golden, a heartier base for any pizza topping you like.
Easy appetizer, and tastes very well too. Everyone loves it.
Sweet potato ginger rolls with fresh ginger, orange zest, and nutmeg in a soft yeast dough, egg-washed and topped with sesame seeds. Tender dinner rolls with warm, spiced flavor.
Wonderfully fresh kale salad that is so good, even my father enjoyed it-- which is saying A LOT.
Orange beef with sun-dried tomatoes: a Chinese-Italian fusion stir-fry with brandy-marinated flank steak, candied orange zest, sun-dried tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno. Restaurant-style technique at home.
Herbed focaccia layered with fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, and sage in the dough plus a topping of olive-oil-soaked onions, kalamata olives, and a cornmeal-crusted bottom for shattering crunch.
A tasty family staple recipe that is easy to make and beats any jarred sauce.
Grilled Greek-style fresh tuna souvlaki skewered with soaked bay leaves between each cube, marinated in lemon, garlic, olive oil, and oregano. A smoky Mediterranean main served with lemon wedges.
Massive pot of black bean cassoulet soup with garlic sausage, Italian sausage, bratwurst, and a meaty ham bone. Simmered for 5 hours with sherry, brown sugar, and lemon. Feeds 16.
Lamb Klephtiko: Greek-style boneless leg of lamb studded with garlic, bay, cinnamon, and oregano, wrapped in parchment and slow-roasted 4 hours until fall-apart tender.
Slow-simmered Indian chicken curry built on 30 minutes of caramelized onions, whole cinnamon, cardamom, and a rich tomato gravy. Rested for maximum depth, this is weekend cooking that rewards your patience.
Authentic Italian ciabatta with fresh yeast, bread flour, and extra-virgin olive oil. A wet, sticky dough rises for hours to produce big holes and a soft, chewy, floury crust.
Whole hard-shell crabs simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce with red pepper flakes, cracked and tossed over spaghetti. Messy, hands-on, and worth every napkin.
Nothing says comfort food like grandma's cookin'. I have simplified the process with canned beans but feel free to use a comparable amount of fresh. I also replaced the lard in Grandma's recipe with (marginally more healthy) butter.
Buttery shortbread bites rolled in paprika, cayenne, curry powder, and cumin. A savory, spice-crusted appetizer that's totally unexpected and completely addictive.
Big-batch river-style chili with stewing beef, bacon, kidney beans, dried mushrooms, and serious heat from red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Simmered low and slow until thick and deeply flavored.
Grilled eggplant provolone brushes eggplant halves with balsamic and oregano, chars them on the grill, then melts provolone on top and finishes with smoky grilled salsa. A simple, savory vegetarian plate.
Stuffed squid in saffron sauce: whole squid bodies filled with chopped tentacles, smoked ham, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs, then braised in a saffron-tomato-white wine sauce. Spanish-Italian dinner-party seafood.
Authentic Cajun dirty rice, ground beef, pork, and chicken giblets slow-simmered with the holy trinity of onion, pepper, and celery, then finished with cream and rice. Deeply savory, and even better the next day.
Traditional Mexican pozole with slow-simmered pork loin and canned hominy in a simple garlic broth. Five ingredients, big flavor, and endlessly customizable with toppings.
Blanched cherry tomatoes get a sophisticated twist with an icy vodka dip and kosher salt finish in this minimalist party bite that's equal parts elegant and dangerously easy to devour.
From-scratch breakfast sausage links made with pork, fresh pork fat, sage, thyme, and cracked peppercorns stuffed into natural casings. A charcuterie project that rewards patience with incredible flavor.
A Sweety tasting pork roast which comes apart when removing from pot. Great Diferent plavor than most other pork roasts.
This mediterranean style burger definitely will express everyone, grilled mushrooms with mediterranean salad on top and grilled sour dough bread slices.
Canned garlic dill pickles with pickling spices, dill seed heads, red chili peppers, and a sweet-salty vinegar brine. Water bath processed for shelf-stable storage that improves over two months.
Herbed chicken with spring vegetables: thyme, parsley, and fennel-seed butter stuffed under crispy chicken skin, served with cipollini onions, baby carrots, snap peas, and morels. A restaurant-style one-skillet dinner.
Focaccia with fresh herbs: a soft, olive-oil-rich Italian flatbread dimpled and scattered with fragrant herbs and flaky kosher salt. An easy bread-machine dough that bakes up golden and chewy.
Salmon fillets buried in shredded potatoes, foil-roasted until tender, then broiled for a crisp golden crust. Served with a silky beurre blanc sauce.
If you run out of preserved lemons, or decide on just a few day's notice to cook a chicken, lamb, or fish dish with lemons and olives and need preserved lemons in a hurry, you can use this quick five-day method taught to me by a Moroccan diplomat's wife. Lemons preserved this way will not keep, but are perfectly acceptable in an emergency.
Grilled vegetable herb and goat cheese sandwiches layer grilled zucchini and Japanese eggplant with sundried tomato herb oil, creamy goat cheese, and spinach on baguette.
Add another pickling recipe to your cookbook with this scrumptious side dish.
Three-alarm chili for heat seekers: ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and a full cup of red pepper flakes simmered two hours. Serve with cheddar, sour cream, and sweet onions.