Pine Nut

These wraps work well as a dinner party dish—either as a starter or as a main course with side dishes, such as warm potato salad or sautéed leeks with zucchini, alongside. You can assemble them beforehand and then bake them when your guests arrive, making for a more relaxing evening for you.

This is the baked terrine I like to make for Sunday lunch, served with all the traditional trimmings of roast vegetables, steamed greens, and Yorkshire puddings . Leftovers can be reheated and served midweek with gravy, steamed green beans, and a generous spoonful of horseradish on the side.

Enjoy this rustic salad as a palate-opening starter or as a hearty side—the combination of robust beets, salty feta, sweet onions, and toasted pine nuts pairs particularly well with the lamb and beef recipes in this book. If you prefer fresh beets, roast them ahead of time and toss them in the dressing once they’ve cooled. Use a combination of red and yellow beets for a more colorful presentation, and to trim some fat and calories, seek out light feta; you’ll never notice the difference.

We love the way Dijon mustard enhances the similarly assertive flavor of the kale, while mellow pine nuts and Parmesan cheese balance it out. You can make this salad a day ahead; the flavors develop and deepen with a little extra time in the fridge. It's also delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Swiss chard, olives, raisins, and pine nuts make this dressing irresistible.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other Italian classics, check out the videos.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other Italian classics, check out the videos.

Spiced Chickpeas with Yogurt and Crunchy Pita
I love tiss'ye for many of the same reasons I'm fond of eggplant fatteh: It packs a variety of textures and bold flavors into one simple, comfort-food dish—which also happens to look elegant when served at dinner parties. My mother's friend Bushra often makes tiss'ye without frying or toasting the bread, preferring to let the soft pieces of pita absorb the sauces more fully. I like that version, too, but am partial to the crunch that comes from frying or toasting the pita. I’ve had this preparation more often at Beirut homes and restaurants, but experiment with both versions and see which you like more.

Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff shared this recipe for one of her favorite salads—it's an updated take on a salad her Mom made when she was growing up in San Diego. We've included quantities for all the ingredients, but Minkoff encourages you to make this dish your own and to taste as you go. For more on Minkoff and to take a video tour of her New York City kitchen, see In the Kitchen with Rebecca Minkoff.

"[W]e seldom had enough coin to buy anything . . . well, except for a sausage now and again, or honeyfingers...do they have honeyfingers in the Seven Kingdoms, the kind they bake in Tyrosh?" —A Game of Thrones Roman Honeyfingers
This recipe is a curiosity. The honeyfingers fry to a crispy crunch on the outside while remaining a bit chewy on the inside. The pieces are easy to cut into shapes, and could probably even be rolled into logs. The flavor is really all about the honey, but the pepper and cinnamon on top, as well as the pine nuts, add a slight complexity. piper, nucleos, mel, rutam et passum teres, cum lacte et tracta coques. coagulum coque cum modicis ovis...ita ut durissimam pultem facias, deinde in patellam expandis. cum refrixerit, concidis quasi dulcia et frigis in oleo optimo. levas, perfundis mel, piper aspargis et inferes. melius feceris, si lac pro aqua miseris. —Apicus, 4th Century

This creamy pesto is indulgent without being overly rich, thanks to heart-healthy avocado and just a touch of olive oil. Also, since it uses a fresh avocado for its creamy consistency, rather than pricey Parmesan cheese, it's less expensive to make than traditional pesto.
It happens to be vegan, but don't let that deter you (if you're the sort of person usually deterred by vegan recipes)—it's fabulous, particularly with fresh heirloom tomatoes. I also like it as a dip for vegetables or slathered over grilled fish or chicken. Use soon after making it though, as the fresh avocado will go brown if it sits for too long.

A generous handful of mint leaves adds a tongue-tingling surprise, reinforcing this salad's zesty freshness.

If you grow pole beans, you know that at first glance, you have only a few beans, and then suddenly there is an onslaught. That's when bean varieties like the green Blue Lake or the yellow wax beans can be stir-grilled with a bit of olive oil for a very simple yet satisfying dish to use the surplus of beans. When you're in the mood for a more robust sauce, try this lemony pesto tossed with the grilled beans right before serving. Editor's note: If you can't find lemon verbena leaves or even fresh lemon balm leaves, substitute basil pesto.

This is a salsa, but whenever I make it I just end up eating it by the spoonful like a salad. The combination of the tart, crisp pomegranate, creamy cheese, and crunchy pine nuts makes a wonderful topping for grilled fish or even a carne asada taco. Pine nuts can be expensive because of the labor-intensive work of extracting them from the pine cones, plus they have a high fat content, which makes them turn rancid quickly. So buy a small quantity and store them in the fridge for no longer than three months.

You’ll find many recipes for swordfish in Sicily, where it is plentiful, often combined with citrus to give the meaty fish a bit of pizzazz. Here the citrus flavors come from the pesto; it’s great over grilled chicken or a steak, too.

In addition to vitamins A, C, and K, parsley contains the phytochemical polyacetylene, which helps reduce cancer risk.

Currants and pine nuts are a classic combination in Sicilian cuisine, so even though I may never see carrots such as these on a restaurant menu in Sicily, the combination feels Sicilian to me. You could make many different vegetables, such as broccoli or cauliflower, using this recipe. It is an ideal vegetable preparation to serve at parties because it can be made ahead of time, and everyone loves it. This dish looks especially pretty made with a mix of carrots in different shapes and colors—such as white, yellow, red, or purple—and carrots that are round, like a golf ball.