Chicory

I admit, toasting the bread cubes is the hardest part of this recipe for me. I burn a lot of bread, often. Use your favorite method for remembering: the rubber band around the wrist, a timer, or assign someone in the house to stand guard at the oven. (I use John.) It’s always such a drag to have to do a “do over” when it comes to making croutons. It’s humbling.

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!

Wild Alaskan canned salmon is a great staple to keep on hand—it’s packed with good nutrition and calcium. This is my favorite way to use it, but also try it scrambled up with eggs and sweet peas, or tossed with some cream, pasta, and fresh dill or tarragon. It’s so versatile!

This is the at-home version of another perfect meal from France. To make this more of a meal, serve with sliced French sausages and ham.

I had these mini versions of stuffed cabbage, meatballs in radicchio, in Rome, near the Spanish Steps at Enotec’Antica (Ancient Wine Bar), which is a real haunt of mine when in the city. This is a total guess at their recipe, but it’s really tasty—try it, soon! It’s closer to you tonight than Rome is, I bet!

Pancetta gives the soup its deep flavor. It is rolled cured pork that is similar to bacon, but not smoked. It is widely available at the deli counter in larger supermarkets or small Italian import shops.

This is one of the recipes that show how Jews have adapted a local French dish to conform to their dietary laws. Though often sautéed with lardons, braised endives are also frequently served without the bacon in Jewish homes in France, as a first course or as a vegetable side dish.

Chicory is one of the vegetables believed to have been eaten in ancient Egypt. It has a pleasant, slightly bitter taste when it is cooked. In this Lebanese mountain dish, wild chicory is used.