Cast Iron Skillet

Pat: Broccoli in cornbread—who knew? But sometimes you need to go to great lengths, and be very crafty, to get your kids to eat more vegetables. The result in this instance is a moist, incredibly satisfying cornbread that gets added richness from both cottage and cheddar cheese. We call for frozen broccoli, which makes this recipe easy enough to whip together in the time it takes your oven to preheat. (You can also use 2 1/2 cups of fresh steamed broccoli.)

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.

There's character to spare in this layered flatbread, called msemmen in Arabic. The dough is rubbed with spiced oil, rolled into a spiral, flattened, and then cooked on a griddle, for a flakiness that's surprisingly substantial. Zadi likes pairing the flatbread with an acidic dish, which is why we recommend it with the <epi:recipelink id="241504"" target="_new">shrimp charmoula</epi:recipelink>; but, as he points out, the bread actually goes well with the entire meal, so plan on leaving it on the table from Start to finish.

Fried chicken in the South has many variations. Here, a buttermilk marinade helps keep the meat tender and juicy underneath crisp, golden skin; pepper-speckled gravy and bacon add savor and smoke.

Turnips are appreciated in Algeria not only for their faithful ubiquity but also for how their characteristics change throughout the winter—sweet and mild at the beginning and assertively earthy toward the end. Here, to emphasize their natural nuttiness and complexity, they're gently glazed with butter, then sprinkled with garlicky toasted bread crumbs and abundant poppy seeds.

Tonkatsu—deep-fried breaded pork—is a European-inspired dish that evolved during the late 19th century in Japan. Here, the pork is pounded thin and simply panfried. Pickled carrots offer a cool bite.

A Dutch Baby—basically a cross between a pancake and a popover—is tremendously popular in Seattle; according to local lore, it originated at a restaurant there called Manca's. Serve it with fresh berries or nothing more than jam or a lavish sprinkling of lemon sugar.

Ruggiero freely admits that she developed this recipe out of laziness. Tiny pearl onions require fiddly peeling, but replacing some of the onions with red grapes alleviates much of that tedious work. It's a shortcut that pays delicious dividends: The grapes' juicy pop plays nicely against the pork. A Sherry-vinegar glaze contributes a winey complexity to the sweet onions and fruit, tying the dish together.

Top the dough with the onion mixture, then add your toppings. Blue cheese and halved Kalamata olives would work well with the onions.

Tender baby artichokes add richness to the potato hash. Aleppo pepper, from northern Syria, gives a sweet, earthy flavor to the steak and its accompanying aioli. Look for it at specialty foods stores and online at wholespice.com. If you can't find it, substitute 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika and 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder.

These mouthwatering sandwiches are packed with zesty flavor. Wrap them up and serve at a picnic.

The gjetost or brown goat cheese in this recipe is not made from milk but from whey that is cooked until caramelized. It is also known as fudge cheese, and a version called Ski Queen can be found in many American markets. Lars Tyssebotn's brown goat cheese makes this dish one of my favorites.

Along with the Seared Kobe Beef on Mini Yorkshire Pudding and the Truffled Gruyère Fondue, this item has never left the lounge menu. I remember briefly intimating to a customer that I might be replacing the grilled cheese, and I was practically accosted! Because this snack is only available in the lounge and at the dining bar, people will go to sneaky lengths to order it. There have been guests who have left the table, walked to the lounge, ordered a sandwich, eaten it—and then returned to the table as if nothing had happened! Like a cheesesteak to a Philadelphian, grilled cheese and short rib sandwiches are my comfort food for late-night lounging. And I can't get enough of the slow-cooked short rib. There are myriad uses for it, from picking and shredding it into a hash with roasted potatoes, garlic, and herbs to a hearty breakfast with poached or fried eggs and toast. Slice it and serve it with mashed potatoes. It may be a little time-consuming to braise anything, especially without a slow cooker, but it's a dish that everyone should try at least once.

The combination of fennel and roast pork is an Italian classic. Here, fennel bulbs become a tender, almost silky partner for pork, but to create another layer of flavor, we’ve added some crushed fennel seeds.

Chimichurri, the traditional accompaniment for steak in Argentina, is an olive oil-based sauce with vinegar, parsley, and other seasonings. In Argentina, cattle are grass-fed, and the vinegary relish complements the herbal beef beautifully. The meat is very lean, so it's best rare.

Most recipes for steamed mussels call for crusty bread on the side. Here, slices of bread are baked right on top of the mussels. To be sure everyone can enjoy the delicious juices in the bottom of the pans, serve this entrée straight from the cast-iron skillets (use trivets to protect the table).

These beautiful, gossamer soft rolls make the perfect complement to any dinner. Mashed sweet potato is responsible for the moist texture and gorgeous color. TIME SCHEDULE
Dough starter (sponge): minimum 1 hour, maximum 4 hours (or overnight refrigerated)
Minimum rising time (including starter): about 4 1/2 hours
Oven temperature: 400&Deg;F
**Baking time:**12 minutes