Saute

This dish was inspired by my friend and mentor Frank Crispo. To satisfy those deep creamy-pasta cravings, you’re not gonna get more decadent than carbonara sauce. Pasta bathed in butter, oil, eggs, bacon, and cheese—it’s a rich dish but enjoy it; you don’t eat this every day.

Similar to ratatouille, this Sicilian classic is a vibrant stew made with eggplant, roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, raisins, and olives mixed together with lots of good olive oil. It’s one of those dishes where the final product exceeds the sum of its parts. Fruity olive oil is essential to the success of this dish; it is the facilitator of all the ingredients. Caponata can be served warm or at room temperature, as an antipasto, a side dish, or a topping for Crostini (page 27) or pizza.

A good recipe for chicken liver pâté is critical. This is not your grandmother’s chopped liver; my version is supremely silky and light, with a hint of brandy. The chicken liver as well as the crostini toasts can easily be made a day ahead: refrigerate the liver, pressing plastic wrap directly on the surface, and store the crostini in an airtight container.

These small turnips are typically sold with their tender green leaves attached, and those can be braised like any other winter green (see page 219).

If you are using larger carrots, cut them into 2- to 3-inch batons.

A jar of rendered golden chicken fat, or schmaltz, is a faithful friend in the kitchen—tossed with noodles and toasted bread crumbs, added to dumplings in chicken broth, or smeared on flatbread with herbs before baking. These livers are a good companion to a hearty vegetable dish like the Warm Mushroom Salad (page 198).

Browning butter is one of the fastest, simplest ways of creating deep, satisfying flavor. Removing the leaves from Brussels sprouts allows them to cook quickly and evenly, avoiding the overcooking and resulting mushiness that many associate with the vegetable.

Dark green curly spinach varieties like Savoy or Bloomsdale have a deeper, richer flavor than the lighter green, grassier flat-leaf spinach, but any spinach pairs wonderfully with cardamom.