Italian American

The hearty greens in this dish retain a bit of their pleasing crunch.

Use the season's first wild mushrooms in this satisfying vegetarian pasta.

Good sausages are amazing but there just aren't enough occasions to eat them, so you've got to seize the opportunity when you can. Your living room tailgate is the perfect venue. Stick a fat sausage in a fresh long roll along with a healthy helping of peppers and juice, and you've got yourself a living room feast. The three different colors of peppers really make this dish a standout. Dave's Take: Pick up a very cheap, very clever splatter shield the next time you're in a dollar store. They look like a round piece of screening and have a plastic or metal handle. Set it over the skillet when you're frying or sautéing, and it'll keep the splattering (and cleanup) to a minimum.

One of Cat Cora's signature dishes is a watermelon, feta, and mint salad (a nod to her Greek heritage). Here, she gives the recipe an Italian accent.

A childhood favorite gets fancy: Root beer granita is topped with vanilla ice cream, then drizzled with root beer syrup. Try making this with a microbrew root beer.

Alexis Watson of Irvine, California, writes: "You could say I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to cooking. Often I'll take a particular recipe and spend months perfecting it, as I've done with the Caesar salad here. My wife wanted an easy do-ahead dressing that was creamy but didn't use egg yolks. Now we make this salad several times a week, so it was certainly well worth the effort."

We all have memories either of great or terrible meatloaf meals from childhood. My mom's meatloaf is a fond food memory. It was always moist and juicy, with a touch of Italy from the tomatoes and pecorino Romano cheese. It also passed the test of any respectable meatloaf: it made good sandwiches the next day.

Food Editor: Shelley Wiseman
Father: John Wiseman, Somerset, England
When my father and stepmother moved from Mexico to England, my father started to help with the cooking. The first thing he learned to make was this Caesar salad.

I grew up in a household where we didn't eat meat on Friday, which presented a problem because when I was a child, I didn't like most fish or shellfish. My mother solved this dilemma by making me pasta with canned tuna and tomato sauce. This is my adult version of that recipe, made with high-quality preserved tuna with capers and anchovies added to hit the notes one expects in such a classic seafood pasta.

For best results, use fresh ricotta, which is sold at Italian delis and specialty cheese shops. Avoid packaged brands that include gelatin and preservatives, as these can be watery and have a grainy texture. Prepared cannoli shells are sold at Italian markets.

The pasta is divided among four 3 1/2-quart baking dishes so they can be baked individually for open-house-style serving. But you can use any size bake-and-serve dishes — even a roasting pan or a paella pan.

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business. "The idea behind Salumi was to create a restaurant, deli, and meat factory in one place, just like the salumerias in Italy. We're known for homemade sausages and salami, but we also attract a large lunchtime crowd. Some of the specials, like the meat loaf and frittata, have been in our family for years. They're also easy to make at home." This Italian-inspired version is filled with sausage, mozzarella cheese, and basil.

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business." Batali calls these soft cookies unscotti because they are baked once, unlike biscotti, which are crisp and baked twice.

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business. "The idea behind Salumi was to create a restaurant, deli, and meat factory in one place, just like the salumerias in Italy. We're known for homemade sausages and salami, but we also attract a large lunchtime crowd. Some of the specials, like the meat loaf and frittata, have been in our family for years. They're also easy to make at home." Here's a great way to use leftover pasta or any pasta or marinara sauce.

(PASTA PICCANTE CON POMODORI E RUCOLA) Fresh-tasting, easy to make and perfect for weekday entertaining.

Plenty of black pepper is what makes this simple chicken dish so good. It's also terrific cooked on a grill. Pour your favorite Chianti.