This brightly flavored, chunky mix of marinated feta and olives takes center stage on an elegant cheese board. Thinly sliced garlic, orange zest, oregano, cumin seeds, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes gives the marinade complexity and brightness.
Crisp shards of flatbread give crunch to this dish, which lies somewhere between a Greek salad and Levantine fattoush. Typically, it is served in Tajikistan on a large communal wooden platter, along with a hot, flaky, Tajik flatbread called non for everyone to scoop up the salty cheese and fresh vegetables. [Ed. note: This version is made with pita, but any flatbread -- naan, focaccia, non -- will do.]
I love to come home, blast some music, pour myself a beverage, and make a meatloaf sandwich on a baguette with a pile of these fries. Since they aren’t fried, it’s not a super gross late-night snack. The thinness makes them crispy, so it’s really like half potato chip, half fry. As my best friend says, it’s all about the dipping sauces: BBQ, ketchup, honey mustard, ranch, and sriracha mayo.
For these simple yet stunning crostini, roasted cherry tomatoes are paired with fresh, creamy ricotta, which also acts as an anchor for the tomatoes, keeping them from falling off the toast as you eat. Pile the tomatoes as high as you can for a truly spectacular summer snack. Make these crostini in August and September, when the tomatoes are really in season; in other months, tomatoes will not be exceptional.
This salad has much more than an assortment of flavors and textures. The beans and eggs can be cooked ahead, while the vinaigrette can be made several days in advance, leaving assembly of the salad for the last minute. It's lovely for lunch or as the anchor to dinner. Dress the beans in advance of eating to absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette.
Pescado Rodrigo is one of the most beloved dishes in Mexico City. I make it at least a couple of times a month. Fresh fish, seared until crispy then drizzled with a chunky citrus sauce, is the seafood to stuff into a corn tortilla for tacos. The recipe comes from the Bellinghausen, a classic old-school Mexico City restaurant, established in 1915 and cherished by many families, including ours. Its old hacienda style, complete with tiles and a working fountain, is so dignified and grandiose that my sisters and I used to dress to the nines to eat there on Sundays. The menu never changes, ever. And it doesn't need to.
This preparation lets the doves shine. You can prepare pigeons the same way, but cook them longer because of their larger size. A hot fire is important—it will cook the little birds quickly, charring the outside and leaving the breasts slightly pink. Try eating the wings and legs from the small birds- bones and all.