Mozzarella

Keep dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day; before using, let it come to room temperature. If freezing, dough should be shaped and wrapped well in plastic first. Thaw completely in the refrigerator.

This pie combines the ease of a galette—no need to attach a top crust or crimp any edges—with the convenience of oven-to-table serving. Before the tender dough is fitted in the pie plate, it is cut into flaps around the edge for neat, even folding over the filling. When the pie emerges from the oven, the tomatoes will be near bursting, their juices mingling with the cheeses, zucchini, and basil. It just might remind you of another delicious savory pie: pizza.

There’s almost no turn in Tuscany that doesn’t provide some sensory joy. Driving its curvy roads through low hills gently swelling up from narrow, verdant valleys, you discover olive groves that produce some of the world’s finest olive oil and vineyards that yield some of the world’s most renowned wines. Exploring the region’s old towns and cities on foot, you wind your way through dozens of museums full of famous artworks and wander into back-alley churches and quaint shops stacked with Tuscan treasures. And everywhere, there is fabulous food. The Tuscans have long produced delicious salumi, that special form of pork cookery, called charcuterie in France, that comprises prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, salamis and other cured meats, along with fresh sausages particular to the region. In this recipe, sundried tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella flavor fresh pork sausage to deliver the taste of Tuscany.

I first came across these tasty Colombian fried corn cakes stuffed with oozin’, stringy cheese at a Miami street festival. Back home, I messed around with the recipe and added whole corn kernels to the dough to make ‘em more interesting. In the restaurant we serve arepas with a pile of pulled pork in the center for a real Memphis-meets-Miami dish. But if you don’t have the pork on hand, they’re just as good served with some Fire-Roasted Garlic Salsa.

Everybody has a tried and true basic lasagne recipe, but occasionally it’s nice to try something different. Somewhere along the way, I decided to replace the meat with beans, and the result was a hit. This lasagne keeps well in the refrigerator, and if you have leftovers, they freeze well. When I was single and living in Nashville, I would cool this lasagne and freeze portions in individual freezer bags. It was perfect to pull one out of the freezer in the morning before I went to work in the studio, then microwave it for a minute or two when I got home in the evening.

It takes a little more attention to grill a pizza than to bake one, but the smoky touch of the grill is appealing—the next best thing to baking in a wood-fired oven. When Brian teaches pizza classes at the winery in summer, he demonstrates the grilling technique because so few people have a wood oven at home. The trick is to start the pizza crust in a hot zone to set it, and then flip it and move it to a cooler zone to add the topping and finish cooking. This topping is vegetarian, but you could add some crumbled sausage or pancetta, if you like.

Serve this rich, velvety dip with crostini (page 365), breadsticks, or crackers. Or try it as a delectable accompaniment for roast chicken or pork.

If you like eggplant parmigiana, you’ll love these open-face sandwiches. For the best flavor, make the tomato sauce and bread crumbs yourself.

THIS RECIPE WAS INSPIRED BY TWO DISHES: the French-Canadian poutine and the Swiss raclette. Poutine is a popular dish comprising French fries, gravy, and cheese curds that is sold on the streets of Quebec and in the finest restaurants of Montreal. Raclette is both a hard French cow’s-milk cheese and a Swiss dish prepared by melting thin slices of cheese over broiled potatoes, pickles, and sausage. Our version combines the best of both, with meat, potatoes, green beans, and cheese in one hearty winter dish. Chicken rosemary sausage gives the most flavor to this dish, but pork sausage will work just as well.

WHILE FRESH MOZZARELLA IS USED IN AN ENDLESS VARIETY of pastas, pizzas, and salads, smoked mozzarella adds more flavor. It is made by smoking cheese over wood to produce a smoky, creamy result. This easy pasta salad makes a standout lunch dish, with the mayonnaise lending extra creaminess. You can adjust the amount of dressing according to taste.

THIS SALAD SHOWS OFF PERFECTLY RIPE TOMATOES and creamy cheese curds. Cheese curds are a type of fresh cheese that remains when the whey is drained. The curds are compressed, cut into loaves, and then milled into larger curds. The reduced tomato liquid adds to the salad’s savory flavor without creating excess liquid in the bowl, preventing the salad from getting soggy. Skip this recipe if tomatoes aren’t in season; only the ripest summer tomatoes will do.

SMART SUBSTITUTION Whole-wheat tortillas contain fewer calories than traditional pizza crusts, and they crisp quickly in the oven. Topping each round with just a sprinkle of part-skim mozzarella and a few shavings of pecorino cheese also results in a lighter pizza. Complete the low-calorie meal with an arugula salad.

WHY IT’S LIGHT This Italian restaurant standby turns virtuous with baked (instead of fried) eggplant and a healthier béchamel made from skim milk, which is then combined with some marinara sauce. Using less cheese also helps; here, the two cheeses are sprinkled only on top, rather than in each layer.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Only one side of the chicken is breaded here, and an egg white instead of a whole egg is used to bind the whole-wheat crumbs to the meat. Serve the chicken with a side of whole-wheat spaghetti tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs, or a simple salad.

A great filling for tacos or topping for any grilled meat, these creamy poblano strips (rajas) showed up on the table a few times a week while I was growing up. You can cream virtually any chile, but mild poblanos add the perfect amount of spice to any dish. My favorite pairing is with sweet Torta de Elote (page 153).

Melted and slightly browned Oaxaca cheese mellows out bitter cabbage for this wonderful side dish. My son loves this with a little bit of lime juice sprinkled over it, and I like the edges, where the cheese is crisp and almost charred. When cutting the cabbage, cut on an angle so that there is a piece of the core on each wedge; it will hold the individual leaves together. For an impressive presentation, create a lattice with the strings of cheese.