Fresno Chile

It's not traditional, but we love the heat that fresh ginger adds to salsa.

I make tomato sauce often. I make a batch to use that same night, and freeze what is left over to pull out and cook with when I want to throw something together quickly, like a grilled pizza or a pasta. A ricer or food mill is an inexpensive piece of kitchen equipment and there are many sizes. This is the best way to puree this sauce.

Trust us: No one will complain if you double the shrimp and omit the lobster in this tart and beachy seafood salad. Just be sure to sear the shrimp quickly on a hot grill: The char plays nicely with lime juice.

Keep this versatile oil in your fridge so you can use it to enliven salads and anything grilled—especially flatbreads, fish, steak, and vegetables.

Use this easy, vibrant homemade harissa to transform charred green beans (or any grilled veggies) into a wonderful side dish all season long.

Cerciello marinates small chickens with garlic and herbs, then roasts them until golden. In summer, he serves them with a quick, piquant sauté of corn and peppers along with a chunky pistachio sauce that's so good, you'll want to make it all season long.

An achiote rub is the classic Yucatan way of marinating fish. I tasted this rub for the first time in Isla Mujeres in the early 1970s, when you could still live on the beach in a palapa and hammock, eat great seafood, and drink cold beers for a few dollars per day. The fishermen would rub fish with an achiote-citrus paste and grill them on the beach over fires made from coconut husks. When I worked at Chez Panisse in the late 1970s, I duplicated this rub from my taste memory for some of their famous garlic festivals. The light citrus flavors of the achiote paste are a beautiful contrast to the oily texture of the swordfish. If you don’t have swordfish, use another meaty ocean fish such as wahoo or mahi mahi.

We pickle Fresno chiles (also called red jalapeño peppers) for the pasta dish Fiorentini with Guanciale, Tomato, and Spicy Pickled Peppers (page 203). It seemed silly to have you pickle just enough peppers for one dish, since they will keep, refrigerated, for at least several weeks and probably much longer. Slice the peppers and add them to grilled cheese or sliced meat sandwiches, or use them in place of the roasted peppers on the pizza with White Anchovy, Tomato, and Spicy Fresno Chiles (page 139) or the Spicy Salami, Mozzarella, and Fresno Chiles pizza (page 140). If you can wait, the peppers are even better a few days after you make them.

No matter how creative we like to be with our pizzas, we also have a big place in our hearts for the classics such as this—essentially a pepperoni pizza with roasted chiles added for extra kick.

We use these fiery, sweet roasted chiles on the White Anchovy, Tomato, and Spicy Fresno Chiles pizza (page 139) and the Spicy Salami, Mozzarella, and Fresno Chiles pizza (below). If you are making a variety of pizzas, it might be convenient to include these two to use up all the peppers.

This is my answer to that controversial phenomenon of the mainstream pizza world—anchovy pizza. I use marinated white anchovies, which you can get at specialty stores both in the deli and in the fish departments. They are silvery and slightly plump, like sardines—very different from salt-packed anchovies or those sold in cans and jars. I love their flavor and vinegary quality.

Matt added pancetta to this classic dish. It’s such a perfect addition that it feels as if it’s always been there.

I love the charred flavor of grilled pizza. You can top it with anything, of course, but this version is one of my favorites. It’s crispy and crunchy, kind of like a grilled cracker. Whenever I eat pizza I always give it a sprinkey-dink of crushed red pepper—it’s just better with a little kick! That’s why I make this infused oil for my pizzetta. It’s an amazing way to get a big flavor bump, and while I love this chili oil on pizza, it’s great on lots and lots of things.

I always say everything tastes better with bacon. And when fresh corn is at its peak and just screaming to be eaten, this recipe is unbeatable (it also reminds me of summer as a kid because it was always my job to shuck the corn). It’s the perfect combination of smoky, sweet, spicy, and bright—what more could you ask for, except maybe MORE!

To add a pungent touch of crunchiness to this classic Italian salad, after grilling the bread, rub it with garlic before tossing it with juicy tomatoes.

This soup is equally delicious served hot or chilled.

Enough to marinate 2 pounds of pork (tenderloin or chops) or fish (oily or white-fleshed; shrimp or scallops).