Arugula

Nick was inspired to make this dish while living in Philadelphia, where the sandwich is king. It's great for breakfast, or even a Sunday supper.

Roasting the fish in salt makes it very moist — without, surprisingly, making it taste too salty. The lemony salsa verde adds zing and freshness that contrast nicely with the roasted fish.

Homemade ravioli are well worth the effort, and making them is the perfect task to share with a kitchen full of cooks (even novices can get in on the fun). Mixing the pasta dough is a breeze in the food processor, but if you don't have one, don't worry — we've given the method for making the dough by hand as well. A brown-butter pine-nut sauce is light enough to let your efforts on the pasta really shine through.

Super-easy to make and packed with flavor. Look for panko in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Piquillos are sweet Spanish peppers with a rich, full flavor.

A colorful and satisfying stew is priceless this time of year, and you can't do much better than a tomatoey broth full of hearty cannellini beans, baby greens, and cubes of baked ham.

Chickpeas add meaty body to a home-style vegetable soup; round out the flavors with a sprinkling of grated cheese.

Amy's favorite workweek dinner.

This rich take on an Italian classic comes from Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Nancy Silverton's restaurant, Mozza, in Los Angeles. Use the best-quality aged balsamic for drizzling over the dish just before serving.

No time to heat up a pizza stone? This easy alternative method yields a crisp crust in just minutes. Good-quality cheese, olive oil, and prosciutto go a long way toward making the pie truly memorable.

Super-simple and super-satisfying — for breakfast, brunch, or supper.

Fork to the bottom of your bowl and you'll put away six servings of veggies! You can thank Michael Dunn, chef at Yankee Pier Santana Row in San Jose, California.

Shake up your standard skewer with a smoky, tangy marinade created by Elissa Meadow, chef-owner of Solar Harvest in Beverly Hills, California. This recipe fills 40 percent of your daily potassium needs and supplies vitamins C and B6, as well.

Moderately priced avruga caviar (smoked herring roe from Spain) gives cooks a chance to throw caution to the wind and experiment. Stephen Harris purées it into a slate-gray emulsion, bringing visual drama and a smoky flavor to delicate salmon. Fleur de sel is a good substitute for his house-made sea salt.