Arugula

To brie or not to brie . . . that is the quandary for many. Well, now that I’ve found ways to stave off the cravings without overindulging, I’m definitely a happy camper. Though the flavor is subtle here, the brie is great paired with the cranberry sauce and arugula leaves. In minutes, you’ll feel like you’re eating at a gourmet sandwich shop, but without the gourmet sandwich consequences.

“Frenching” the chops—cleaning up the bone—prevents the “eye” of the meat, which is pounded out, from overcooking before the meat next to the bone is cooked, and it does make the finished chops look pretty. It is something I do for guests in my restaurants, and it is easy enough for you to learn and do at home. You can, of course, prepare this recipe without Frenching the chops; just be careful that the meat next to the bones is fully cooked before you serve the chops. You can prepare most of the ingredients—even bread the pork chops—in advance, but don’t fry the pork, slice the onion, or toss the salad until the last minute. Without the mozzarella in the salad, these chops are perfect for lunch or a light dinner. With the mozzarella, they are more substantial. You can use balsamic vinegar in place of all or part of the wine vinegar if you like. As always, dress the salad first with olive oil to coat the leaves, then sprinkle in vinegar to taste.

You can make this salad with Braised Cannellini, and save the rest for a side dish, or you can soak and cook an extra 1/2 cup of beans when you make the Escarole and White-Bean Soup on page 86. In that case, remove the beans for this salad before you stir in the escarole and finish the soup. If you do make this salad when you’re making escarole soup, substitute some of the tender, inner leaves of escarole for the arugula, and use the tougher, outer escarole leaves for the soup. You don’t have to use cannellini beans. Kidney beans, chickpeas, or just about any beans you like can go into this salad. Whichever beans you use, cut the onion thin and at the last minute so it stays crunchy.

This was one of the first dishes that brought the taste of contemporary Italy to the Italian-American restaurant scene. It came into vogue in the early seventies when red radicchio and arugula became available in the States. While the Italians will toss any vegetable in their salads, I think the addition of endive was a play on the color of the red, green, and white Italian flag. This salad is a great base for additions, from walnuts and pine nuts to different cheeses and cold cuts, such as salami or turkey, and even fish such as tuna, shrimp, or poached whitefish.

Most crab cakes are made of breadcrumbs and crab-flavored mayonnaise. And while I agree that mayonnaise is damn good, I just wish it wasn’t so fattening. By broiling instead of pan frying, and using low-fat mayo with some green veggies, this very lean version of crab cakes is a new kind of good.

We eat a lot of swordfish when we are in Sicily, where my mom is from. She always orders a salad of oranges and fennel or oranges and onions to accompany it. When I cook swordfish anything at home, I always have oranges in the salad, for Mama.

High in protein, with practically no carbs—this salad rocks and makes a great lunch or dinner!

Talk about flexible, this chicken is a cheerleader. Yes, it’s equally good steaming hot or icebox cold. Eat this dish four seasons of the year, hot or not, indoors or out. It’s G-R-E-A-T . . . great!

This sammy is so hearty you won’t think to ask “where’s the beef?”

This meal is high protein and high fiber, so it gets high marks.