Tomato

This is the dish that first got me into cooking. Talking about it got me my first job in a kitchen, and together with the help of friends, local restaurants, and family it’s the recipe we have worked on the most for this book, because we all know how good it should be. If I could only eat one thing in the world it would probably be my grandma’s jollof. She would regularly cook a big pot with care and patience and insist that everyone took home a small container of it. Cooking the rice and storing it for the following day or to give to friends to take away is part of a sharing culture that surrounds jollof—just remember to return the Tupperware!

Chef Renee Erickson has access to the best seafood anywhere; when it comes to sardines, she goes with Matiz sardines in olive oil.

Bring store-bought rotisserie chicken back to life with the flavor of a slow-cooked braise in a fraction of the time.

I like to make things in my cupcake tray that are not cupcakes. Often. And these quasi-muffin omelettes are one of my favorite. A good thing to do is to make a whole load and store them in the fridge for lunches, brunches, and snacks for the family to enjoy without having to make them fresh each time. They will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

If we had to give this salsa a heat index rating, it would get three out of five chiles.

This warming curry comes together in under an hour with all the deep flavor of a slow-simmered sauce.

Swap cauliflower “rice” for bulgur in the classic Middle Eastern salad for a totally grain-free lunch.

Roasting the tomatoes—which can be done several days in advance—turns this easy tomato soup into something extraordinary.

An elegant Mediterranean-inspired fish dinner with green beans, tomatoes, and olives is just a push of the microwave button away.

With the crunch of the iceberg and onions, the soft richness of the avocado, the saltiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the tomato, and the bite of the blue cheese, this salad has it all! And it is beautiful to boot.

The iceberg lettuce is sliced into rounds instead of angled wedges, exposing the entire surface to the blue cheese dressing and toppings.

It truly doesn’t get any easier than this one-pot sensation.

All your favorite classic Italian flavors plus a hit of fresh mint make these braised artichokes an absolutely irresistible spring side.

Four Horsemen’s glorious take on patatas bravas requires cooking the potatoes three times (once blanched, twice fried). We wouldn’t make you go through all that if it wasn’t worth it.

Sub in whatever you have on hand in Dana Cowin's mix-and-match chili recipe