Cheese

This is the classic dressing for romaine lettuce, but it is delicious on any tossed salad. Drizzle it on steamed vegetables for something special.

We make this summer salad from the beginning to the end of tomato season, and we love it every time. It’s beautiful made with heirloom tomatoes of different colors.

A perfect balance of flavors and textures, this salad is sure to become a favorite first course to enjoy while supper cooks. Replace the pecans with Sweet Spiced Nuts (page 261) for a special touch.

Sour citrus and spicy peppercorns are perfect foils for salty feta. (See photo)

For a simple supper, we can’t imagine adding anything to this dish other than sliced tomatoes, zydeco music, and a little two-step.

Up to a day before baking, Tortilla Melts can be assembled, wrapped in foil, and refrigerated. Bake in the foil for about 15 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for about 5 minutes more for the tortillas to crisp. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to a week and reheat well.

These burritos, with their creamy spinach filling, are one of the dishes that always elicit customer requests for the recipe when we serve them in the restaurant.

These open-faced sandwiches are not very traditional, rather messy—and very satisfying.

It’s just a short time from getting out the ingredients to sinking your teeth into these crusty rolls with a warm, soft filling.

In about 10 minutes, this simple supper is in the oven, and just when you’re tempted by the aroma, it’s ready.

Crostini are toasted or grilled slices of bread with tasty toppings, often served as an appetizer. For a relaxed supper, put a plate of toasted baguette slices and bowls of various toppings on the table (however many you like or have time to make) and have a make-your-own crostini simple supper night. The Bread: Many bakeries can thinly slice a baguette for you in their slicing machine. You usually get about 25 slices per average baguette. Each of the toppings recipes makes enough topping for 15 to 20 baguette-sized crostini, although the number depends on how high you pile the toppings. Of course, you can make crostini with the larger Italian or French loaves, also. The slices should be 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Toast the baguette slices. There is a difference of opinion on how toasty they should be: Some people like them just lightly toasted, while others like them very dry and crisp, almost like croutons. The bread can be toasted a couple of hours or even days ahead of time. When the slices are cool, store them in a well-sealed container or plastic bag until you’re ready to assemble the crostini.

Mildly spicy, really homey, and satisfying. We’d like to acknowledge our friend Anne Kenney for the idea for this recipe.

This is the quintessential simple supper for many Italian families.

This bread salad makes a perfect summer meal with its ripe juicy tomatoes, basil, olives, and fresh mozzarella all tossed with crusty bread to soak up every drop of the juice!

This polenta, chock-full of earthy spinach, contrasts beautifully in both flavor and color with the sweet-tart tomatoes. (See photo)

Beer and Cheddar aren’t typical ingredients for risotto, but this dish sure is good!