166 rustic recipes

Apple nut cake built on applesauce and olive oil with overlapping apple slices and a toasted cinnamon-sugar nut topping. A dairy-free, butter-free autumn cake that bakes into something moist, rustic and crowd-ready.

Whole baked apples cored and stuffed with dried cherries, chopped almonds, cinnamon, and brown sugar, then baked in apple juice and honey until fork-tender. A rustic fall dessert lighter than pie but just as comforting.

Herb-infused pizza dough baked golden and topped with creamy Cambozola cheese and whole roasted garlic cloves. This rustic flatbread pizza keeps things simple, letting the nutty roasted garlic and rich blue-brie cheese do all the talking.

Parmesan garlic soup simmers a whole half-head of garlic into a mellow, sweet broth, then thickens it silky with a tempered egg, parmesan, and olive oil liaison. Ladled over a crouton, it's rustic comfort in a bowl.

Smoky roasted eggplant mashed with fresh tomato, garlic, and a splash of red wine vinegar. This Odessa-style eggplant caviar is a rustic Russian appetizer that's just as good spread on pita as it is on dark rye bread.

A thick, rustic Italian-style soup loaded with penne, cannellini beans, fennel, zucchini, and summer squash simmered in vegetable broth spiked with dry vermouth. Low-fat, naturally vegetarian, and feeds 8 from one big pot in about an hour.