Starter

Café Med in Los Angeles serves a salad like this over paper-thin beef carpaccio that I love to order because it’s so light and fresh. When I make it at home, I skip the beef but pile on the greens.

This marinade is my favorite for shrimp, chicken, and flank steak or any other red meat. As with any marinade, the longer you let the shrimp or meat marinate, the better, but on many occasions I’ve had only enough time to throw it together and put it straight on the grill, and the results are still great.

This soup can be pulled together in minutes, and it’s one of the most soul-satisfying things I make. It should be very brothy so the orzo just floats in the rich, lemony broth. The pasta will absorb the broth as it sits, so serve as soon as it’s ready.

I love the refreshing flavor and heat of fresh ginger and this soup shows it off beautifully, especially if you use the full three tablespoons of ginger listed below. It even causes a pleasant burn in the back of your throat. If you prefer a little less assertiveness, use just two tablespoons. Either way, keep in mind that ginger becomes more pronounced over time, so although the soup stores very well, the ginger’s bite will become stronger. Many recipes for carrot and other pureed vegetable soups call for toppings of one kind or another, but I really prefer to let the natural flavors of the soup and veggies shine through, so I skip them. You can always top with a scattering of whatever fresh herb is in the soup, though, which is very pretty and highlights the flavors already in the soup. Be sure to cook the carrots until they are very tender so that they’ll puree to a silky smooth soup.

When I was a kid we grew all our own vegetables, especially calabasa, or squash. LOTS of squash. To be honest, I got a little sick of it (don’t worry—my mom already knows). Then I grew up and figured out a few surefire ways to show off the delicious earthiness and sweetness of summer squash. This soup is one of them; the lemon gives it great tang and the soup is unexpectedly creamy, even though there’s not a bit of cream or milk in it. Be sure to puree this soup in batches—don’t pour the soup over the level of the top of the food processor blade. This soup is brothy before it’s pureed, and it’ll seep out of the work bowl and all over the counter if you’re not careful.

My friends request this recipe more often than any other. I am often asked if it’s a family recipe. I take it as a compliment that people always seem so surprised to hear that I found it in a magazine when I was about twelve years old. I’ve made it so many times since then and it has evolved into what it is today. I think it’s so delicious—and popular!—because of its clear but very flavorful broth. So often tortilla soup is heavy, but this one is hearty without being unpleasantly thick. In fact, I make such a large batch because everyone always wants seconds and thirds. On the rare occasions that I’ve had leftovers, I’ve discovered that the soup keeps very well, and even gets better, stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. The garnishes keep well stored in zip-top bags; keep the fried tortilla strips at room temperature and everything else in the refrigerator. When serving the second day, just place all the garnishes at the bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup over. I use two kinds of dried chiles—ancho and pasilla—because they add more depth and smoky notes to the broth. Use more or fewer chiles depending on how strong you want their flavor to be. For more on dried chiles, see page 96.

This soup is as smooth as velvet and has the warm, orange hue of autumn that always looks beautiful in the soup bowl. The cream adds richness, but you can leave it out for a lighter soup that is nonetheless very satisfying.

These are not the empanadas I grew up with, and until my Argentinean friend Lorena came over one day and made them with me, I would never have considered combining beef with olives and egg whites—but I took one taste and was hooked. Each bite offers an exciting combination of flavors and textures. The secret is that a little cube of Manchego, a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese, is nestled into the center of each empanada. When the empanadas are baked or fried, the cheese melts and adds a subtle creaminess, the source of which is elusive to anyone who didn’t see you put in the cheese. Empanada dough disks can be found in the frozen section of many grocery stores or Latin markets. They are made with regular shortening dough or puff pastry; either works beautifully for this recipe. These empanadas are amazing when deep-fried, but they’re also really delicious when simply baked; directions for both are below. Read more about deep-frying on page 37.

Empanadas are a quintessential example of what traditional Latin food is made of: rock-solid and time-tested techniques that can be adapted to accommodate what’s available regionally, or in the case of my Aunt Elsa, what was in her pantry. She could pull together the most delicious combinations of ingredients out of what appeared to be thin air and then fill and fry a few dozen pastry wrappers in a flash. When Thanksgiving rolled around, these were our version of the classic American pumpkin pie. Tender, flaky, and lightly sweet, these little “Mexican pumpkin pies” make delicious appetizers, too.

When I first tasted goat cheese, it was definitely not love at first bite. However, when I combined it with two of my favorite ingredients—lemon and Japanese bread crumbs called panko (page 80)—these addictive little morsels were born! These are especially good in place of the crumbled goat cheese on the Baby Spinach with Beets and Goat Cheese (page 55). The balls are surprisingly easy to make, but they are extremely delicate, so handle them with care. Don’t skip the freezer step, which firms them up so they can more easily be breaded and fried, and don’t try to handle them with tongs as you might usually do when deep frying. Use a thin, long-handled tool such as a spider (a stainless steel handheld strainer) or slotted spoon. Read about deep-frying on page 37.

In the beach towns of Mexico, where fresh seafood is abundant, people happily eat raw fish and shellfish. I, however, do not. I make ceviche with cooked shrimp and crab. I do, however, serve my ceviche on traditional Mexican tostadas—crispy, fried corn tortillas available at the grocery store. Use crab that you buy in the refrigerated section of the store. Don’t use the shelf-stable crab sold with the canned tuna fish; it doesn’t taste nearly as good in this fresh dish. The serrano pepper adds a great, spicy kick, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer. Clamato juice is a combination of tomato and clam juices. It can be found with other cocktail mixers at the grocery store. Cholula hot sauce is made in Mexico; it has a mild flavor and good heat. You’ll find it on the same grocery aisle with other hot sauces and condiments.

As typically Mexican as the previous recipe is, this one is just as typically American, right down to the Miracle Whip, which I have always preferred to mayonnaise. Naturally sweet shrimp is highlighted by a creamy, mildly sweet, tangy dressing and rich, buttery avocado. This is one of my favorite summer appetizers.

Growing up in the beach town of Corpus Christi, I spent many long hours shrimping, crabbing, and fishing with my dad. I remember my mom frequently asking him, “How on earth am I going to cook all of this?” One way she coped was regular “you-peel-’em” nights, when she would put a couple of enormous bowls of hot, steamed shrimp on the table with many small dishes of Tabasco-infused cocktail sauce. My dad, sisters, and I would happily stay at that table until every bowl was empty. In Mexico they have their own way of coping with abundant shrimp. No matter where you go, you will find a variation of this traditional appetizer, which is one of my dad’s favorite dishes. He loves Tabasco so much that he usually uses double the amount here! Sweet shrimp and velvety avocado temper the heat of the tangy cocktail sauce. Even if you don’t like it as spicy as my dad does, it should definitely have a little kick. Mexican shrimp cocktail is typically served out of individual small dishes—I like cocktail glasses—and eaten with a spoon.

The key to this recipe is to use butter from the northern French region of Normandy, or at the very least a European butter, either of which can be found in grocery stores or specialty food shops. Normandy butter contains more fat than American butter and tastes out of this world, especially in a recipe like this one that has just two main ingredients: succulent shrimp and rich butter.

I first had this dish at a restaurant in Florence, Italy. I took a bite and immediately asked the waiter to tell me exactly what was in it. When he told me, I had the same reaction I’ve had so many times after tasting something delicious in Europe: “That’s it?!” I don’t know if it comes from wisdom or restraint or both, but Europeans can take the simplest ingredients and extract from them the most exquisite flavors. My introduction to this dish coincided with my one-year stint as a vegetarian, when I practically lived on beans, relying on them for protein and to fill me up. If you have lemon- or herb-infused olive oil on hand—such as that used in the Butterhead Lettuce Salad with Strawberries (page 59)—use it here to add depth to the flavor of this dip. Depending on the potency of your flavored oil, it may be overpowering if used alone, so start with 1 teaspoon and taste it. If you feel the extra flavor it adds is enough, add the remaining 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil.

I frequently have friends over to play games at my house, and it’s become a game night tradition that I put out heaping bowls of Pico de Gallo and guacamole along with a big basket of tortilla chips. Pico de Gallo improves with time and I serve it with chips, of course, but also spooned over any red meat, in tacos, or with scrambled eggs for huevos rancheros. For an extra chunky salsa, simply mix all the ingredients together without pureeing. Whatever texture you prefer, the burst of fresh flavor this salsa offers depends on using ripe, in-season tomatoes and lime—never lemon—juice. For a spicier salsa, leave some or all of the seeds in the serrano peppers.

Among all the dishes I make, this one is definitely a favorite. This is why the batch is so big—no one can stop eating it! I have a few tricks that give my guacamole great flavor and texture. First and most important, I use lemon, not lime, juice. Lemon has a little sweetness that brings out all the other flavors. Also key is that I never skimp on the lemon or the kosher salt. I sometimes laugh that I basically make a salty lemonade for the avocado and other ingredients to swim in—trust me, it makes all the difference! Serrano peppers give it a great kick, much better than jalapeños. And finally, never stir as you add each ingredient to the bowl or the guacamole will become too watery. This is especially beautiful served in a dish that shows off the guacamole’s green, white, and red, such as a molcajete—a Mexican mortar and pestle—or a bright and fun serving bowl. Serve with tortilla chips for an appetizer or on top of steak, such as in Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos (page 102).

I love this dip for company because you can whip it together and put it in the oven just as your guests arrive. In the time it takes to stow their coats and serve them drinks, the dip becomes hot and bubbly and can be brought from the oven straight to serving, trailing along with it an enticing aroma of warm Parmesan cheese and artichokes. If you have time, prepare the dip by processing it in the food processor, place it in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate it overnight. With time, the flavors blend and become even better. If you don’t have that kind of time, don’t worry! This is still a creamy, tangy, wonderful dip even when pulled together at the last possible minute.

These may resemble traditional Buffalo wings in appearance, but a blend of soy sauce, tahini, ginger, garlic, and Asian chile sauce (available at Asian markets) makes these wings major-killer. This sauce is bangin’ and can be used on grilled anything. Instead of typical celery and blue cheese, a cool side of cucumbers, Greek-style yogurt, and fresh mint finishes this dish.