Starter

My mom used to make this yummy, Parmesan-and-broccoli-flecked pasta a lot when we were growing up because it was a relatively painless way to get us kids to eat broccoli. And when I went to college, she packed up the recipe for me as part of a set of family recipes that she thought would be easy enough for me to make in my new apartment. This was one of the first dishes I had the courage to cook on my own, and it became a staple of my college years. But leaving home isn't so easy. I remember the first time I set out to cook this in my new life. It wasn't until I was at the grocery store with recipe in hand that I realized that I couldn't actually read it: I never could read my mom's handwriting—I'm forever calling her up to ask her to translate her scrawl. But there I was, first time out, walking up to strangers in the supermarket asking, "Can you read this?" These days, my friends have a habit of calling me from the supermarket at five p.m., looking for a suggestion for dinner. This is the recipe I give them because it's completely easy and if it's five o'clock and you're still in the supermarket, you can still be eating by six fifteen (assuming you don't live too far away). Note that the broccoli cooks long enough to turn soft and buttery. When you work it all together with your wooden spoon—broccoli, olive oil, and cheese—the broccoli turns into the sauce. Use a colander with fairly small holes (or a mesh strainer) so that the broccoli buds don't escape into the sink when you drain the pasta.

I can't think of a more rustically elegant (is that a contradiction in terms?) starter. Serve with some robust white bread or pita and you are, literally, in food heaven. In the recipe you'll find Sami Tamimi's technique for getting the seeds out of the pomegranate, which I am afraid is now a very well-known secret.

Editor's note: Chef, nutritionist, and cooking teacher Lourdes Castro shared this recipe from her cookbook, Latin Grilling. It's the first course in a festive Cuban party menu she created for Epicurious. Here I have taken a Cuban classic, camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce), and adapted it for backyard entertaining. I was also inspired by the crowd-pleasing mounds of cold poached shrimp with sides of cocktail sauce you see at buffets. So I grilled jumbo shrimp, piled them on a platter, and served them with mojo, the addictively delicious citrus-garlic sauce that has become synonymous with Cuban cooking.

This is a traditional appetizer that we probably made for just about every reception. Everyone loved them, which is no surprise. After all, they are layers of smoked ham and Gruyère cheese sandwiched between heavily buttered bread and then broiled. What is not to like?

The anchovy butter would also be terrific on grilled meats or steamed green beans.

These zucchini fritters are the perfect way to start the meal. Serve the keftedes, grape leaves , octopus , and feta and olives as mezedes (appetizers).

These potato chips will intrigue your guests. As the chips bake, the anchovy melts into the potato for an intense one-bite amuse. While no one would want to eat a bowl of these chips, a single one packs a flavor punch. I was inspired to make these by David Bouley, the brilliant chef-owner of Bouley Bakery and Danube in New York, who was a guest chef at Tru soon after it opened in 1999. He wove an anchovy between potato slices and fried them. I was hooked and had to develop my own method, which is to thread a white anchovy through slits in a potato slice and then bake the chips in a hot oven until lightly browned. If you can't find white anchovies, use the familiar dark anchovies instead.

Kale goes by another name, one much more dashing, especially in Italian. Cavolo Nero, black cabbage, may not evoke superhero status, but it's close. Kale does seem invincible and it's known to make the eater more so, too. It's also called dinosaur kale (also called lacinato), maybe because its leaves look like the back of a lizard. Those thin knobby leaves squeak. Do not confuse cavolo, accent on the first syllable, with cavallo, accent on the second, or you'll be ordering black horse, and in certain parts of the world will find it. Hearty and good for the spirit. I like soaked and cooked cannellini better than canned ones.

This recipe is a great one to impress guests at your next cocktail party (though you'll have to multiply it). It's really quick and simple, yet it looks very decadent and time-consuming. To make the roll-ups extra elegant for entertaining, wrap the roast beef close to the bottom of the spears, then stand them on a platter.

The French like to cook using small amounts of intensely flavored ingredients, such as balsamic vinegar and goat cheese.

Serve this classic quick soup with brown rice crackers to increase the fiber and for dipping

When Jack’s cousin Baby Lizzie first started picking up food and feeding herself, we started making macaroni and cheese in mini muffin pans for her. Big cousin Jack likes to take a large bite, so for him regular muffin pans fit the bill. You can make these in either one. The crispy Ritz cracker crumbs on the outside form a little crust for these pies, making them perfect to eat with your hands. We’re not saying they will be much neater than regular mac and cheese, but these sure are fun and delicious.

Editor's note: Susie Fishbein's signature Tricolor Matzo Ball Soup is a "fun, funky twist" on a very traditional dish. The combination of spinach, tomato, and turmeric matzo balls is unexpected and makes for a visually striking presentation. Meat or Parve
Gebrokts