Pecorino

Be sure to buy four extra cups of spinach if you plan to make the frittata.

The salads of shaved raw porcini mushrooms that are served throughout Italy are the inspiration here. A big squeeze of lemon and a scattering of herbaceous celery leaves contribute brightness. Speedy yet luxurious, it just may become your new party dish.

If you're under 30, you've probably never heard of rumaki—unless you saw Betty Draper serve the appetizer during the second season of Mad Men. In the 1950s and '60s, the best hostesses wrapped bacon around slices of water chestnut and bits of chicken liver, then broiled the nibble until the bacon was crispy. Rumaki fell out of favor decades ago, but we've noticed that bacon-wrapped dates—the darling of restaurant menus everywhere—have a lot in common with the old-school app. In our version, we stuff the dates with Asiago and brush the bacon with smoked paprika.

This is a true Italian feast: Little meatballs served with the antipasti come just before big meatballs in the ragù. Miraglia Eriquez's grandmother used to fry these snacks while her sauce simmered. As the meatballs spattered in the pan, the family would crowd into the kitchen to eat them hot. Your guests will do the same, whetting their appetites for the food to come.

Jazz up your winter repertoire with a tangy, colorful pomegranate dressing that melds fennel and oranges with salty Pecorino

This bottomless bowl of meat sauce is the stuff of dreams—the American Dream, in particular. In Italy, ragù would have been flavored with a small piece of pork, but because meat was so readily available in the United States, immigrants included beef braciole, meatballs, sweet and hot sausage, and pork shoulder and ribs. This dish requires hours on the stovetop to make the meat tender and juicy and the sauce thick and intense, but it's well worth waiting for.

The fried eggs add extra unctuousness to a clever carbonara.

No need to heat up the oven. Not only is grilling faster than baking, but it also adds a nice smoky flavor to the pizza.

Three varieties of basil combine to make a powerfully fragrant and versatile topping for pasta, chicken, or fish.

To make this appetizer easy to nibble, serve the cheese and mushrooms with toothpicks.

If you like stuffed clams, you'll love this variation. The mussels are steamed open, then topped with garlicky herbed bread crumbs that truly complement the plump bites of briny flavor beneath.

A flavorful light supper or first course.

Here is a quick and tasty way to cook young artichokes: thin-sliced, slowly braised in a skillet in their own juices, and served with a shower of soft pecorino. The method is simple, and will yield delicious results even with the larger, more mature artichokes you'll find in the supermarket. This dish makes a great vegetarian sandwich, or, for a carnivore, a topping for a juicy hamburger. Artichokes prepared this way are also a great appetizer topped with a poached egg or a thin slice of prosciutto.

Capers, a common ingredient in traditional Sicilian cooking, give this gratin a tangy, briny flavor. Serve alongside whole roasted fish, roast pork, or sautéed chicken breasts.

The Italian answer to a French gratin: a dish baked with a crispy cheese (as in this recipe) or breadcrumb topping.

We often take black pepper for granted, grinding it onto every dish in sight. But the classic Roman dish cacio e pepe puts this distinctive spice front and center, which is exactly where we have it in this heartier whole-wheat version. Make sure you keep the robust, rib-sticking pasta as hot as possible—it will not only help melt the salty Pecorino but will also intensify the pepper's flavor.

Food editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez often cooks for hordes of children, including her three-year-old son, Alex, and she knows that meatballs are always an easy sell. Inspired by the tiny meatball sandwiches served at New York City's Little Owl restaurant, she came up with these kid-size treats that can be eaten with one hand (leaving the other one free to wreak kid-size havoc).

Why you'll make it: Because it's the simple version of the omelet, and works as well for breakfast as it does for lunch, a late dinner, even with drinks.

This recipe was created by chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant in Chicago. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.