European

The word pinzimonio means “combination”—a very simple one of olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s used as a dip for raw vegetables, served as an antipasto in the summer. Try it for the refreshing Italian variation on the tired old plate of crudités with gooky dip.

This breakfast sandwich has been passed down through our family: My grandfather used to make it with my mom, and she would make it with us. Now I’m passing it on to you.

The perfect snack food—sweet and spicy and crunchy and totally satisfying. The nuts can be made two days ahead; store airtight at room temperature.

This is a staple in my kitchen; it’s a fantastic flavoring agent that I can use at a moment’s notice. I even like to pop my popcorn in it (recipe follows). It could also be used for dipping breads or vegetables, or as the base of a salad dressing.

In the past few years, it’s become all the rage for restaurants to serve a little saucer of olive oil, instead of butter, for diners to dip their bread in while they have the aperitivo and wait for their first courses. This simple recipe is not only great for dipping, but can also be used to liven up the flavors in other dishes—as your cooking oil, or in salad dressing, or just drizzled over grilled fish or meat. It’ll keep in the fridge for a month.

For a quick and extremely easy antipasto, whip up this very simple recipe. You can use any single olive variety or combination you want; some are salty and briny, some fresh-tasting, some green or black or brown, some wrinkly and pungent, some smooth and mellow. I like a simple mix of one green and one black variety. This recipe can be made one week ahead and refrigerated.

This recipe is all about assembly. And when you’re having people over at the last minute, having a dish like this on hand is key. You could also serve the tapenade with bread or crackers, instead of the lettuces, for a more portable snack. And tapenade can be made a day ahead, leaving you more time with your guests or family.

This sandwich made of mozzarella, tomato, and basil is my version of a BLT. It’s simple, quick, and oh so yummy! The term alla Margherita was invented in 1889 when an official from the royal palace asked a local to make pizzas for Queen Margherita. Her favorite was the one made with three toppings: tomato (red), cheese (white), and basil (green)—the tricolore of the Italian flag. So anything using those three toppings is known as alla Margherita.

When asparagus is in season in springtime, use it to capture the flavors of the garden with a minimal amount of effort. It cooks quickly by any method—steaming, boiling, grilling, or sautéing, as here—and it’s very easy to prepare. To trim asparagus of its woody stem end, simply hold one end of the spear in one hand, the other end in the other hand, and bend gently until the spear snaps—which it will do exactly where the stem starts to get woody. Asparagus has its own built-in sous chef.

It’s very European to use potatoes in omelets, tarts, and frittatas—even on pizzas. The key is to use small cubes of potato, as here, or very thin slices. You don’t want to be biting into a whole mouthful of starch, and you want your potatoes to cook through in a reasonable amount of time.

This is an easy yet impressive appetizer—especially perfect for a romantic evening for two. While any type of clam would work in this recipe, I use Manilas because they are hard-shelled and have less grit inside—and they are easier to find in supermarkets. But you could also use little necks, cherry stones, or nearly any other large or medium-size clam.

Calamari means “squid” in Italian. Italians love squid and they prepare them in lots of different ways, but one of their favorites is fried, either eaten alone or as part of a fritto misto (a selection of fried seafood). Below is the traditional Italian way to make them, the way I grew up eating them. It’s all about the calamari itself, not about the thick, gooey coating that they are often covered with. But best of all they are super-duper easy.

If your pantry includes a window box of fresh herbs (mine does, and I highly recommend it), you can make this recipe even more delicious by substituting fresh basil and parsley for the dried herbs. Add 1/4 cup of each fresh herb when you add the sun-dried tomato, and top the finished crostini with the fresh leaves for a colorful, lively presentation to go with the great flavors.

Throw these pantry ingredients together and you’ve got a terrific salad. You could add other ingredients to jazz it up, like 1/2 cup capers, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, and some fresh basil leaves, and you could even serve it over 2 cups fresh arugula.

This dip is the Italian version of hummus, and in my opinion it’s smoother and tastier. This is a staple antipasto when I’m entertaining. The pita chips aren’t Italian, but they work really well with this dip.

I made this with my friend’s daughter for a school fund-raiser and it was a huge hit. She helped me crush the ice with a rolling pin, then scooped it up and drizzled on the syrup. We used raspberry because we liked the color, but you can make any flavor you prefer. Serve these with some of the Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes (page 221) and squares of the Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (page 224) and you have a wonderful dessert party for kids or the makings of a great bake sale.

Make these for your little girl’s next tea party; they are pretty and so easy to make. Or feel free to make these in a regular-size muffin tin, increasing the baking time by about 5 minutes.

The kids won’t be the only ones licking their fingers when you serve this. My mother made a dish similar to this when I was a kid and we just couldn’t get enough of it; the leftovers were my favorite after-school snack, eaten cold right out of the fridge. The rosemary and garlic are subtle but make the flavor a little more complex, and brushing the cooked drumettes with the reduced marinade intensifies the flavors even more.

I always think of dishes made with small pasta shapes like orzo as kid food because they are easy to scoop up with a spoon—no twirling required! This is an all-around crowd-pleaser that seems to satisfy kids of all ages. It’s also quite adaptable; if your kids don’t like peppers, leave them out and add more tomatoes. Skip the hot peppers if you don’t want it too spicy; and feel free to use any kind of sausage your family enjoys.

If you love caprese salad but want a meal, this will make you very happy. The hot pasta melts the cheese slightly and makes the garlic and basil smell amazing. I can tell you that in my experience most kids love this.