Gluten Free

This relish is good with a bit of minced jalapeño or habanero chile if you like hot food. If you have them on hand, don’t hesitate to add up to a quarter cup of fresh herbs, like basil, oregano, or marjoram.

Marjoram is related to and resembles oregano, but its flavor is better. Oregano is a good but not perfect substitute. This sauce is excellent over simply cooked seafood.

“Chiles in Adobo” are chipotles (wood-smoked jalapeños) in tomato sauce, sold in cans. They’re available at any market with a good selection of Mexican foods. If you can’t find one, substitute hot chile powder or even cayenne. This is lovely with any grilled meat.

This recipe is basic make it a few times and you’ll find ways to vary it to perfectly suit your tastes.

This is what most Americans are talking about when they say salsa. You can make it hot or not, as you like; it’s a good use for less-than-perfect tomatoes and an excellent sauce–side dish accompaniment for anything grilled, particularly seafood.

Here’s my take on Pad Thai. There are a lot of ingredients here, but most of them keep well in your pantry, and substituting is easy—you could use finely chopped cabbage in place of the bean sprouts or substitute soy or hoisin sauce for the nam pla.

In a stir fry like this, you can get away with simply soaking rice noodles, but I believe boiling the noodles for 30 seconds or so after soaking improves them a bit. Try it and see. Substitute soy sauce for the nam pla if you like. Thai basil, which looks different from regular basil, can be found at many Asian markets; it’s fabulously fragrant.

The spanish tortilla has nothing in common with the Mexican tortilla except its name, which comes from the Latin torta—a round cake. In its most basic form, the Spanish tortilla is a potato-and-egg frittata, or omelet, which derives most of its flavor from olive oil. Although the ingredients are simple and minimal, when made correctly—and there is a straightforward but very definite series of techniques involved—this tortilla is wonderfully juicy. And because it is better at room temperature than hot, it can and in fact should be made in advance. (How much in advance is up to you. It can be fifteen minutes or a few hours.)

There are a number of ways to make simple dishes of greens more appealing. Among my favorites is to prepare a topping of crisp-fried shallots. By themselves, these are irresistible; when combined with tender greens they create an alluring contrast in flavor and texture. Furthermore, the oil in which the shallots have been fried is a great addition to the greens and, in the days following, to many other dishes.

Treat new potatoes simply, using what little work you need to do to highlight their fresh and full potato flavor. I like to use heartier herbs, like rosemary, lavender, or thyme, to flavor roasted potatoes. This preparation is classic and easy, as long as you remember it’s better to overcook the potatoes than undercook them.

This is a fast method for producing a delicious potato gratin. I discovered it accidentally, and it’s since become a personal favorite.

The late, great Pierre Franey—author of The 60-Minute Gourmet showed me how to make these twenty years ago (of course he used butter), and I have been making them weekly ever since.

To season boiled potatoes, I like to use delicate herbs like mint, tarragon, or parsley. Mint makes a huge difference here, countering the potatoes’ earthiness with its bright flavor.

The standard grilled pepper should be a part of every home cook’s repertoire. They’re a perfect accompaniment to nearly any simply grilled dish. Feel free to use a mix of yellow, orange, and red bell peppers if it appeals to you.

A classic preparation, useful year-round, and especially convenient when you want to cook the greens in advance.

I know portobello mushrooms are all the rage, but shiitakes are the closest thing you can find to wild mushrooms without going to a specialist. To me, they are invaluable, and prepared this simple, traditional way, they are spectacular. If you do happen to have some chanterelle, morel, or other wild mushrooms on hand, this is an excellent way to cook them.

How to get great flavor out of ordinary white mushrooms? Add a handful of dried porcini. You will not believe the difference.

We usually think of custards as desserts, but they may be savory as well, and in that form they make luxurious starters or light, flavorful main courses. Custards like garlic flan are often served in top restaurants, but the simplicity and ease of this preparation makes them good options for home cooks. Here’s one with a surprise in it: cooked shiitakes. It will be a hit.

Roasting gives amazing depth to vegetables, especially peppers. The simplest way to serve these is to drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, along with some salt and pepper, but you can also add a few drops of vinegar. The next step is to garnish with anchovies, capers, and/or herbs.

The ease with which this dish can be thrown together and the range of meals it happily accompanies (menus with European, Middle Eastern, or Northern African accents are game, as are good old American cookouts) guarantee that it makes regular and frequent appearances on my dinner table. An assortment of olives is far preferable to just one kind. Try, for example, some oil cured, some big fat green Sicilians, and some Kalamatas just that simple combination will look bright and pretty. If you can lay your hands on more varieties, so much the better.