Arugula

More festive than your usual bagel and lox, this jar layers arugula and green beans with smoked salmon and lemony egg salad.

Look for thin zucchini and yellow squash. The squash will have fewer seeds.

Be sure not to overcook the bacon. Seven minutes is just right.

Simple and sophisticated.

Who says main dishes have to be conventional? Here, prosciutto moves aside to put the cheese front and center, and an array of antipasto staples frame the crisp, gooey fried mozzarella. An aromatic anchovy vinaigrette ties it all together.

We were bowled over by Miraglia Eriquez's mother's method for grilled breaded chops—it truly combines the best of both worlds, with the crumbs toasting and crisping up while taking on a hint of smoke. Meanwhile, the meat inside couldn't be juicier. A light, peppery salad gives the chops a freshness that tastes just right at a cookout.

This classic meat sauce gets some oomph from peppery arugula. A real crowd-pleaser.

Baby arugula is sold prepackaged in markets. It has a clean, sharp flavor.

Grilled fruit is a newcomer to the traditional Mediterranean table. This dish was inspired by a friend and chef, Nena Ismirnoglou, and then adapted by me for the menu at Pylos, a Greek restaurant in Manhattan's East Village.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text are from Mario Batali's book Italian Grilling. Reprinted with permission by Ecco. All rights reserved. This was one of the first dishes I put on the menu at my restaurant Pó... a long, long time ago. You can vary it by using different greens, such as spicy young watercress, or other cheeses, including sheep's-milk cheese, semi-soft or aged. The beauty of the dish lies in the seemingly incongruous marriage of anchovies and mushrooms: anchovies plus mushrooms equals steak.

This unorthodox panino—you work in reverse, griddling the bread first, then layering it with prosciutto, Fontina, and arugula before baking—results in a warm, gooey flatbread with a crunchy crust.

The softly fried eggs are a wonderful counterbalance to the rich ingredients in this Spanish take on salade lyonnaise. Migas are Spanish croutons.

Here, a garlic-packed vinaigrette is infused with caramelized sucs—pan drippings—from the roast pork, creating an uncanny fusion of nutty, meaty flavors.

Using lamb slashes fat; mixing a milk-soaked pita into the patty keeps it moist.

Wash the salad greens in a large bowl of cold water. Handle them gently to avoid bruising.

The ciabatta slices make for man-sized crostini, perfect for a Super Bowl party. If you can, always cut the bread into bite-sized chunks for more manageable portions.