Herbs & Spices

Fresh herbs give these sauces bright flavors. Use them to top grilled meats or steamed vegetables. They also make fantastic sandwich spreads.

We love the way this toss-and-serve pasta dish is put together so easily. Try the Fennel, Orange, and Parsley Salad (page 271) as a starter.

Thyme and sage give this sauce savory flavor, to complement the tartness of the cranberries. Loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C, cranberries are believed to help boost the immune system.

Saltimbocca, a classic Roman dish, provided the inspiration for this recipe. In our variation we replaced the traditional veal cutlets with chicken.

The combination of fennel, citrus, and parsley makes this Italian-style salad an ideal palate cleanser. It tastes particularly refreshing in winter, when salad greens are often scarce.

The combination of pesto, potatoes, and green beans originates in Liguria, a region of Italy. It’s best made at the height of summer, when fresh basil is readily available, but you can make it any time of year with store-bought pesto.

Elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough to prepare any night of the week, this pasta dish makes good use of quick-cooking shrimp and two types of tomatoes.

A traditional Vietnamese sandwich is made with pork, but in this beef variation, the flavors are the same. If you don’t want to make steak from scratch, you can use an equal amount of sliced roast beef in its place.