Leek

A good fritto misto crust is light and crunchy (thanks, cornstarch!). If the batter thickens as you work, thin it with a bit of soda water as needed.

For a beautiful, almost bone-white soup, don't let the leeks and onion take on any color as they soften.

We love leeks. All you need are olive oil, salt, and the heat of the oven to coax some magic out of leeks.

Broiled shallot, leek, and scallions deliver a triple-onion punch to this creamy dip.

Chipotle aioli and sushi-grade tuna crown these modern tostadas, which come from Contramar, a lauded Mexico City seafood restaurant.

David Chang's buttermilk dressing is our kind of ranch. Use the freshest beans possible: You want that tender snap.

Zucchini may not be the most loved vegetable, but when shallow-fried into patties, even kids will go crazy for them.

This hefty frittata is cooked entirely on the grill—from the vegetables to the eggs themselves. While it's ok to cook the frittata over direct heat, you want to make sure the grill isn't so hot that the bottom burns before the center is set. Ideally, you should grill the frittata over moderate heat--when you can hold your hand 4 to 5 inches from the grill for 4 to 5 seconds.

In addition to the tuna, the leeks and garlic are also grilled, giving this simple Mediterranean-inspired pasta sauce complex flavor.

We like the texture of the leeks and zucchini when left al dente-if grilled too long, they'll both go floppy.

Stir the mushrooms and leeks frequently enough so they caramelize without burning, then serve on top of steak.

Editor's Note: Use this stock to make Neven Maguire's Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

Coconut milk is one of my favourite ingredients and it makes a fantastic creamy base for all the other robust flavours in this Asian-style soup. Choose firm sweet potatoes with orange flesh for their vibrant colour.

When cooked with aromatics and rich tomato sauce, lentils are anything but bland.

A light yet flavorful "stew" of tender leeks that comes together practically à la minute.

I began making frittatas regularly when our family transitioned from the pancakes-or-waffles-every-weekend phase into more "grown-up" breakfasts. As in much of my cooking, I believe I first learned to make a frittata from Julia Child, in one of her books or her television shows. You can whip up a frittata for any meal: for a weekend breakfast, or with a green salad for lunch, or supper. The frizzled leeks are inspired by a dish served at Union Square Cafe in its early years. It was the first time I saw the word "frizzled." "Fun word," I thought, and asked Danny Meyer where it came from. "My grandmother. Louise Meyer used to serve mashed potatoes with fried onions on top," he said. "When we opened Union Square Cafe in 1985, we substituted rutabaga for the potatoes, and leeks for the onions. That became our 'Mashed Turnips with Frizzled Leeks.' To avoid using the word 'fried,' I landed upon 'frizzled.' After that, frizzled leeks found their way onto everything from mashed potatoes to scallops, an omelet, red snapper, and just about everything except for ice cream." If you don't have leeks, then thinly sliced onions, pan-roasted asparagus tips, crisped bacon all work fine. Concerning culinary substitution, I think of the Russian proverb that my grandpa Jan would trot out about many things in life: "If no fish, then lobster will do." Apparently, lobster prices under the czar were less steep than they are in present-day America, but I took his point. As I noted earlier, Parmesan cheese has a lot of umami, which contributes to the high FPC of this recipe, especially when I top the finished frittata with some cherry tomatoes charred at high heat and pepped up with crushed red-pepper flakes.

Add the prosciutto at the last minute to preserve the pretty pink color.