Artichoke

This is something like a chunky seafood stew, but it’s lighter thanks to a bigger dose of veggies and herbs. You can make this with any fish you like in place of the shrimp.

Artichokes take a little time to prepare, but it’s time well spent for a dish this extraordinary. The filling becomes hot, bubbly, and creamy, like an individual serving of warm artichoke dip for each diner. You can get most of the prep work out of the way well ahead of time, too; the artichokes can be boiled earlier in the morning and baked later or, if you prefer, the whole dish can be prepared a day in advance, as it reheats very well.

Use this recipe as a guideline and a suggestion, as you could really serve any odds and ends you find in the vegetable bin with this versatile vinaigrette. Think about adding broccoli florets, green beans, or summer squash, just to name a few.

This is the kind of side dish you would find on a steakhouse menu, rich and decadent. Frozen artichokes make this impressive dish quite simple to create. I like to bake it in individual gratin dishes because each serving gets its own crusty browned top, my favorite part!

In Italy the term panini refers to any sandwich, whether warm or cold, pressed or not. What makes this different from your average tuna salad sandwich is the garbanzo bean spread; it lends a creamy, earthy flavor that’s a thousand times better than any mayonnaise-y sauce and keeps the tuna from tasting dry.

Tilapia, a farm-raised fish, has a very delicate flavor, similar to that of sole. In this recipe, tilapia combines superbly with white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts for a dish fit for almost any occasion.

This pleasant pasta salad is even tastier the second day. Enjoy it as an entrée for six or a side dish for twelve.

New Orleans is one of our favorite “kick back” vacation destinations. We go there for the people, the food, the music, and the overall vibe. New Orleans is second only to Memphis in vibeness. We also go there for the sandwiches, and always make a point of digging into one of their most famous, the muffuletta, every time we visit. It’s a killer sandwich, made with spicy Italian meats, cheeses, and a knockout marinated olive salad, the aroma of which is so powerful that when you’re waiting in line it’ll cause you to salivate! Our Memphis Muffuletta has bayou roots for sure. We start with a large round Italian loaf with a sturdy texture, so it can hold up to the delicious mix of ingredients. The meats and cheeses vary, but our favorite is a muffuletta with salami, hot soppressata, mortadella, smoked turkey, Swiss, and aged provolone. Our Memphis kicker is the addition of smoky piquillo peppers from Spain. They infuse the piquant olive salad with an incredible flavor. When it comes to cheese, we go for two flavorful varieties—an imported Swiss and an aged provolone. We call this our backyard sandwich, because it’s actually best if you assemble it in advance and allow it to marinate for about 30 minutes on the cutting board. Then you can cut the big loaf into eight wedges and have dinner on the patio. In New Orleans tradition, serve this sandwich with a cold Abita beer and some spicy Zapp’s potato chips.

Gina: My friends call me the collard-green queen—I love to cook them up any and every way imaginable. So it was only a matter of time before I decided to replace spinach with collards in the classic artichoke dip. Ohmigoodness, the results were even better than I anticipated. If you want to surprise your friends with something delicious and unexpected, this is the appetizer to prepare. You can buy baked pita chips to serve with this dip, but they’re so fun and easy to make that you might just want to do it yourself (which also gives you a little more control over the amount of salt and oil used). This dip goes well with salsa and sour cream on the side.

Tiny artichokes—about 2 to 3 inches long—are ideal for this recipe. The larger an artichoke grows, the more developed the inedible choke becomes and the tougher the leaves that surround the choke. You can make this recipe with all artichokes, but the largest globe artichokes are the least desirable. Follow the directions on page 15 for stripping tough leaves and removing the choke from artichokes. Whatever type of artichokes you are using, the end result should be artichokes that almost “melt” into the sauce. That’s why I have called for a variable amount of stock to be added while the sauce simmers.

The flavorings in this dish are zesty—a combination of the traditional and a few touches of my own. The anchovies add a lot of flavor, but if you don’t like them, don’t use them. Lemon zest lightens the flavor of this hearty dish a little. (You might find that adding just a little bit of zest to other robust dishes will do the same for them.) It may seem strange to chop the crushed red pepper—especially as they fly around the chopping board a bit while you’re trying to do so—but it prevents you from biting down on a big flake of pepper in the stuffing. If you have vegetable stock or chicken stock, you may use it in place of the water called for in the recipe. It will surely add flavor.

Although artichokes are delicious, don’t try to take down a fresh one. Even chefs have a hard time with them. Instead, use the best quality canned or jarred artichokes you can find. Just stay away from oil-packed artichokes, unless you want to turn this classic dip back into a high-fat dish. Using water-packed artichokes gives us wiggle room to use astonishingly tasty Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

High in protein, with practically no carbs—this salad rocks and makes a great lunch or dinner!

I really love grilled chicken salad as a go-to, no-brainer supper solution, but the Chicken Caesar is so over for me—I need a few years off! So here’s another fresh chicken salad idea; eat your heart out, Caesar!