Pancetta

The technique: High heat equals great flavor—roasting the new potatoes browns and crisps the skin, providing a little bit of crunch.
The payoff: Hearty potato taste and texture with only 25 minutes of prep.

Vinny Dotolo & Jon Shook, Animal, Los Angeles, California
James Birch, Flora Bella Farm, Three Rivers, California (bitter greens) In 1991, Jim started selling all sorts of his seasonal vegetables and fruit to the most popular restaurants in Los Angeles. Jon and Vinny love the flavors and textures of this dish—the smokiness of grilled bitter greens cooled with a creamy soft-cooked egg and balanced with the sweet and salty pancetta dressing, finished with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. This makes a great supper in itself. Use escarole or kale if you can't find broccoli rabe.

Cooking the fish in olive oil makes it amazingly moist.

Lemon peel and lemon juice, rosemary, and an olive oil dressing give this a nice lightness. If you prefer a creamy potato salad, use 2/3 cup mayonnaise in place of the olive oil.

Naturally sweet, fresh figs get an all-over taste treatment with tangy goat cheese, smoky pancetta, slightly bitter fruit liqueur, and heat from black pepper. Serve these figs as finger-food appetizers or place them on top of dressed greens for a salad. High-heat planking caramelizes the figs and burnishes the goat cheese, adding another level of flavor. The high heat cooks the fruit quickly, resulting in an outer charred fruit and warm center that has texture and bite but is not mushy. This is an excellent way to plank most fruits and vegetables. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to lightly douse flare-ups. Suggested plank: 2 maple or oak grilling planks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

Traditionally, the broth, meats, and vegetables are all served separately, but feel free to serve everything in the same bowl. The beans need to soak overnight, so start this recipe one day ahead.

Pancetta (Italian bacon) is available in the deli section of many markets.

My favorite American sandwich is a BLT, yet it almost didn't make it into this book; the world doesn't need another recipe for it. But after eating at 'ino, a tiny sandwich shop in Greenwich Village in New York, I decided their version—a PLT—was a different story. P is for pancetta, sold at Italian delis and upscale markets. Cut from a large salami-like roll, it is the Italian version of bacon, unsmoked and cured with salt and spices. This is strictly a seasonal sandwich; I forbid you to make it at any time except when tomatoes are at their prime—ripe, juicy, and sweet.

There's something about salty-sweet treats that we find irresistible (and we know we're not alone). Here, as the dates bake they get deliciously sweet and caramely. And the salty part? That comes from the crispy pancetta-and the warm cheese.

This classic and delectable pasta dish originated in the region of Abruzzi, in the little town of Amatrice, northeast of Rome, where it was traditionally prepared without tomatoes. But it is the Roman version of pasta all’amatriciana, with tomatoes, that I share with you here—the version that is best known and deservedly popular. Lots of onions; chips of guanciale (cured pork cheek, now available in the United States, see Sources, page 340), pancetta, or bacon; and San Marzano tomatoes are the essential elements of the sauce, Roma style. Note that the onions are first softened in water, before olive oil is added to the pan—a traditional but unusual step that is said to make the onions sweeter. The standard pasta used is bucatini or perciatelli (spaghetti are only tolerated). The long, dry strands of perciatelli resemble very thick spaghetti but are hollow like a drinking straw. When cooked, they are wild and wiggly, so you might be tempted to cut them. Do not—once you’ve got them on your fork, they’re delicious and fun to eat. It is quite all right to slurp them. Indeed, as kids we would suck them in so fast that the end of the noodle would whip us in the nose, splattering sauce all over our faces. What a wonderful memory!

This Italian take on shrimp and grits comes together in just 25 minutes for a creamy, comforting dinner.

How good does a pot of this soup on the stove on a chilly, soccer-packed fall Saturday sound?

Here's an excellent reason to make a beeline for the ground-chicken section of the meat department: moist, flavorful meatballs speckled with pancetta and glazed with tomato paste. These are wonderful made with white or dark meat.

These colorful tartlets are quite simple to put together. One easy custard recipe is the basis for a trio of very different fillings (the ingredients can be doubled or tripled if one is a real favorite).

Remember those sun-dried tomatoes lurking in the back of your refrigerator? Their punch gives pasta an instant boost.