Herbs & Spices

Among the many virtues of this salad is that it can be made ahead very successfully and it also looks so attractive.

Salade Niçoise meets all-American pasta salad in this all-in-one dish that’s perfect for a picnic or dinner on a hot summer night. The trick is to use the Italian canned tuna; the flavor of water-packed albacore tuna is just not comparable.

You can make this kind of soup anytime, using any kind of pasta you like. Small shapes and short noodles are the obvious choices, but my parents often added spaghetti or fettuccine, broken into small pieces so we could still eat it with a spoon. The fettuccine looks a little more elegant, but if all you have on hand is spaghetti, that’s fine; the soup will have a more rustic, homey look.

If you like pasta e fagioli, you’ll love this rib-sticking soup that substitutes garbanzo beans for the usual cannellinis and adds some tomatoes for color and flavor. It happens to be my Aunt Raffy’s favorite soup.

The perfect light, clean side salad to serve alongside a hearty pasta, this is my version of succotash. The different shades of yellow and green beans make it really pretty, too.

The dressing is what makes this salad: it’s sooo delicious I use it to marinate chicken and fish, drizzle it on pasta salads, or even toss some with boiled new potatoes to make an Italian potato salad. When you make it, double or triple the quantity so you’ll always have it on hand to toss with your favorite foods.

Panzanella is a staple of Tuscan cooking that is traditionally made with leftover stale bread; the dressing moistens the bread, which soaks in all the flavors and juices from the vegetables. I like panzanella but I love cornbread. When I found myself with lots of leftover cornbread one Thanksgiving, I was inspired to give it an Italian spin, and this salad was born. It’s best to use stale cornbread, but if you have only fresh cornbread, toast the cubes in the oven at 300°F for 8 to 10 minutes to dry them out; that way they won’t fall apart in the salad and become mushy.

A scapece means pickled, and the longer the vegetables marinate in the red wine vinegar, the better they taste. My family used to make them in the winter when the veggies weren’t at their peak. These are super versatile; serve them alongside pasta, bread, fish, or meat or as the centerpiece of an antipasto platter.

Irresistible is the only word for these light and airy popovers. Add them to the bread basket with dinner or lunch and see how quickly they disappear.

Garlic bread done even better: the salty, buttery, garlicky topping makes these toasts absolutely addictive.

Goat cheese is something I like to use in many different ways, and this herb-y mixture is especially versatile. You can toss it with hot pasta for a quick, creamy sauce, or roll it into balls to top a salad, but I probably like these little toasts best of all. They’re so easy to make and they fly off the platter every time I serve them. The recipe can easily be doubled for a party.

Be careful not to overheat the crostini; the cheese and tomatoes should be just warmed through and softened but not melted or falling apart. It’s perfect if you have slightly underripe tomatoes.

A sprinkle of cayenne pepper offers a bit of heat to complement the sweetness of the roasted fruit. Because they are petite, Solo papayas work best for halving into single servings; if you use Mexican papayas, quarter them instead.

This robust red-pepper dip is based on muhammara, a Middle Eastern specialty whose name describes its brick-red color. For best results, make it a day ahead to let the flavors blend. Serve with toasted pita wedges or crudités.

The flavorful ginger dressing that coats the parsnips calls for tamari, a sauce made from soybeans that’s darker and richer than conventional soy sauce (it’s also gluten free). Serve the fish with a wedge of orange along with peppery greens, such as watercress or arugula.

Sablefish’s succulent texture and high oil content make it an exceptional choice for steaming. In this recipe, the fish is steamed in parchment-paper packets (en papillote), which seal in moisture and flavor.

Chock-full of grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and natural sweeteners, granola is easy to prepare, and, when it’s homemade, it’s much lower in sugar and fat than store-bought varieties. This basic recipe can be easily adapted to create many different versions, including the three variations that follow. You can omit the nuts or the dried fruit, as desired. For a vegan option, simply omit the egg whites; the granola won’t be as crunchy but will still be delicious. Freeze granola in an airtight container for up to three months (it thaws quickly), or store at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Eating fresh produce in a variety of colors is key to good health, and this autumn medley of carrots, butternut squash, rutabaga, parsnips, and shallots provides an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Sweet yellow peppers are exceptionally rich in vitamin C. Serve the soup either hot for a comforting wintertime meal, or chilled in the warm-weather months.

Like other cruciferous vegetables, brussels sprouts contain glucosinolates, chemical compounds that have been shown to help prevent cancer. Partnering the little cabbages with pear gives this dish even more fiber, as well as a balance of sweet and savory flavors.