These beans are a favorite dish I make at Ci Siamo, but this is the same way I cook them at home. Fried rosemary and sage add a little crunch, while a shower of Piave cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil elevates their humbleness. Plus, the oil-cured black olives are fun—they look like beans in the bowl at first glance, but one bite in, and you get a hit of their salty richness. For the best texture, use a mix of white, brown, and black beans since the smaller ones will break down just enough to create a velvety sauce
When I studied abroad in Rome, my curriculum was supposed to be focused on architecture, but the education I actually took home was how good down-to-earth authentic Italian cooking could be. One of the most memorable things I ate that year was asparagus simply topped with grated Parmesan. That’s it! That’s all it needed to be perfect. Since asparagus is one the stars of the spring season, I like quickly roasting until it’s perfectly tender and then spooning on this light spring jacket of a Parmesan sauce. And while I personally only wear a light spring jacket one or two days out of the year, I find this sauce gets worn much more frequently.
There’s no denying fish tacos taste better at the beach, but this version with a smoky spice blend will hold you over until those sunny days. I’ve ditched the stress and mess by baking instead of frying, keeping things crisp without the hassle. The herby, tangy cilantro slaw gets a quick cure from lime juice, agave, and salt, while avocado, crema, radish, and extra cilantro bring the crunch and creaminess. Use any white fish you like—just adjust the cook time based on thickness. Serve with Mexican Rice (page 242), No-Mayo Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad) (page 233), and the Holy Trinity (page 31) for taco bar heaven.
This giant crumbly cookie is a specialty of Mantua, in Lombardy. But I first tasted it at a cooking class at the home of a chef from Parma, in Emilia-Romagna, where it is also popular. This makes sense, as Parma is just about an hour south of Mantua, and popular cookies tend to travel beyond their place of origin.
Also known as torta sbrisolona, the name of this cookie roughly translates to “crumbly cake.” It comes from the verb sbricolare, which means “to crumble.” The cookie was once upon a time prepared by farmers using simple ingredients that they were likely to have on hand—flour, cornmeal, sugar, a little lard or butter, and almonds. It was eaten as a snack to revive them after a long morning of work.
When assembling your sbrisolona, resist patting the sandy dough into the pan too firmly. It needs to be loosely packed in order to yield that fall-apart texture that makes it so irresistible. Once baked, it is customary to break this cookie into irregular pieces for serving, though you can cut it with a knife for a neater presentation.
I love crisping rice in a skillet: Simply cook it with butter until it turns deeply golden. It’s an easy technique that creates the most incredible crunchy bits to complement the fluffy softness of steamed rice. I’ve experimented with many different crispy rice bowls, but this version with sautéed mushrooms is hands down my favorite.
The mushrooms have a subtle Asian flavor from the soy sauce and are finished with a splash of vinegar for a bright tang. The real magic happens when you break the runny egg yolk and mix it into the rice, adding a lush richness to every bite. It’s the kind of vegetarian dish that even a meat lover will devour.
This cake is the epitome of summer: it’s sticky, jammy, fresh, and not too sweet. The browned butter and ground almonds give it a beautiful nuttiness, and it’s just dreamy with a dollop of crème fraîche on top, on a warm summer’s day.
I love coconut everything, but didn’t know I needed coconut cake in my life—that is, until I tried the perfection that the pastry team at Stissing House in Pine Plains, New York, has achieved. Since that first bite, I’ve been on a quest to eat all the coconut cake possible and in the process realized that it is the perfect “plain” cake. In my recipe, a moist plain cake is poked with holes which allows all the liquid coconut to soak inside. It’s light, rich, clean and spiced all at the same time. Serve it alone or with vanilla ice cream. Delicacy!
A buckle was one of my signature cakes when I worked as pastry chef for the Gjelina Group. Every bite is tangy, tart, and deliciously rich. I love this cake with mixed berries, but using one single variety can also be nice. If you’re serving it after dinner, add some fresh berries and a little whipped cream on the side.
A total winner of a Tuesday dinner. What takes the longest is the marinating of the shrimp—the rest happens in 5. How can you beat that?
Historically, jollof rice was a one-pot dish made with protein and carrots, peppers, and leafy vegetables. Today, it’s all about the rice; the vegetables tend to show up as a side, à la Nigerian Salad . A seasoned tomato base spiced with curry powder gives this rice its orange-red color. For great jollof, the tomato mix for the stew base is cooked twice—first to soften and round out the raw, tart flavors, and a second time to fry and season it, concentrating the flavors.
To get grains that are “one-one” (fluffy) and well seasoned to the core of each grain, start with parboiled (not parcooked) or converted rice (husk-on rice that is partly cooked before dehusking). The result is golden grains of raw rice that are sturdy and capable of absorbing stews without turning to mush. Cook the rice over low heat so it absorbs the sauce properly and doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Stirring occasionally ensures evenly cooked rice.
Serve with Dòdò, Mọ́ínmọ́ín Elewe, an assortment of meat or fish, and Nigerian Salad.