Root Vegetable

In this simple pasta, fresh dill brightens up an array of pantry items, including spaghetti, sardines, and capers.

Flank steak is flavorful and juicy when completely unadorned, but it gets added personality from bitter greens, grilled onion, and a lively vinaigrette.

Editor's note:
The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Grace Young's book The Breath of a Wok. Young also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. A high-quality curry is key to this recipe's success. I prefer curry paste, which I think has greater depth of flavor than curry powder. Be sure to stir the coconut milk in the can; the cream always floats to the top.

Bake the potato in the microwave to save time. You can use any mild white fish instead of cod.

This lighter take on the classic recipe will be gobbled up as quickly as the original—and is still best served with applesauce and sour cream.

In the past, the only fish many home cooks could get was nondescript frozen, breaded white fish that was pretty bland. Today, even landlocked cities have seafood counters swimming with delicious (and colorful) options. One of our favorites is beautifully pink wild salmon. It looks great, tastes wonderful, and is packed with good-for-you omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, wild salmon (ideally from Alaska) is better for the environment than farmed salmon. Round out the meal with a side of your favorite mix of seasonal vegetables (preferably from your local farmers' market) and—if you're craving yet more color—lemon wedges.

It's the possibilities in that blank crust that make pizza so much fun. Lately, we've been obsessed with white pizza. Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with mozzarella, and then let the fun begin. Without the acidity of the tomato sauce to contend with, you can really experiment. In this version, asparagus adds freshness and a hit of color, goat cheese brings a creamy tang, and fingerling potatoes (yes, potatoes) round out the pie with their richness.

If you use commercial pork in this recipe, you might want to rub the chops with the salt mixture and let them sit for a full day in the fridge. The long rest will make the meat extra-juicy. Bone-in heirloom rib chops have ample marbling, so the meat will be naturally moist. They don’t need to rest as long with the salt rub—an hour or two should be sufficient. These are some big chops, so you might be able to share.

Ask any butcher: Humble cuts are hot. They're full of flavor and far less expensive than prime cuts. Of the humble cuts, short ribs are one of our favorites. They’re meaty and fatty (in the best possible way) and still on the bone, which adds delicious depth of flavor. And who says you have to throw all the veggies into the stew? Here, we toss some parsnips into the pot and serve a great potato-parsnip mash on the side.

Yellow miso (also known as shinshu miso) is available in the refrigerated Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Japanese markets. It adds a mellow, salty flavor to this healthful dish. Look for mirin in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Japanese markets.

Chile verde—slow-cooked pork in a tomatillo sauce—gets a speedy update.

Beef with broccoli, the popular Chinese restaurant dish, is even better with the addition of sweet yam.

Use a mild (sweet) curry powder.

This light and satisfying soup highlights the earthy flavor of the greens.

Making moussaka is something of an undertaking—a rich meat sauce (made here with lamb, but you can substitute other ground meats such as turkey, veal, or even pork, if you prefer), layered with tender eggplant and a cheese sauce. You can make the moussaka in two smaller casserole dishes to serve one now and freeze one to bake later.

Chef Michael Skibitcky tweaked this Joan Nathan recipe , deleting the cilantro and adding ground coriander. For an authentic Israeli presentation, load the just-fried balls into pita bread and top them with chopped veggies, pickles, harissa hot sauce, and piquant tahini sauce.

This recipe is a tribute to the chickpea salad they sell at the prepared-foods counter at Zabar's market in New York City, which my wife, Beverly, and I have always enjoyed. The key to this recipe is letting the beans soak after they've cooked. Rather than seasoning the beans while they're cooking, which keeps them from softening, you season them after they've cooked and then give them time to absorb the salt and garlic. Ideally, this recipe should be made a day or so ahead of time to let the flavors develop even further. Alot of people use parsley as a "default herb" to garnish a dish without really thinking about whether another herb might work better. But the flavor of parsley here truly matters; it completes the balance of the salad.

There's no trick to this straightforward, old-fashioned side dish—just delicious ingredients simply prepared. Store-bought peas have been picked and frozen at their peak freshness; their delicate sweetness and bright color require little embellishment.

The fact that Algeria shares culinary traditions with Spain, Italy, and France is evident in many of its dishes, like this skabetch (which is quite similar in spirit to Spanish escabeche). The shrimp is pickled in a gently tangy spice mixture for a subtle play of flavors. Charmoula refers to the North African combination of ingredients in the marinade—though every country, town, and even family that makes charmoula creates its own special blend.