Thyme

Black drum is a terrific fish—meaty and satisfying but still delicate. It’s often compared to overfished grouper but is more flavorful and less tough, and its skin cooks up crisp and savory. If you can’t find drum, black cod (sablefish) from Alaska or wild striped bass is a good substitute.

Make one of these sauces in the hot skillet after you have cooked chicken breasts or pork chops.

Rack of lamb is the rib section of the lamb, extending from the shoulder to the loin. The majority of lamb is graded as choice or prime, so it is not difficult to find a good-quality rack. Lamb is available at most quality butcher houses or grocery stores. When selecting a rack of lamb, make sure that the backbone, or chine, has been removed. This will make slicing each lamb chop easier, prior to serving. If you’ve shied away from serving lamb to your picky eaters, give this recipe a spin; it is one of my family’s favorites. Keep in mind that my kids are just as picky eaters as yours. Rack of lamb is the best way to introduce children to the distinct deep flavor of lamb meat, the only downside being the relatively high price per pound. There is something about “lamb on a stick” that appeals to the young ones. In the end, though, it is the flavor of this recipe that will have the kids requesting second helpings.

Flank steak is the only steak that comprises a single large muscle. It is located in the underbelly muscles of a cow, between the rib and the hip. This oval-shaped cut ranges from 1 to 1 1/2 pounds and is long, thin, and very fibrous. Select a bright red flank steak that has plenty of marbling. If prepared incorrectly, flank steak is one of the toughest cuts of beef, but when cooked properly it is one of the best-tasting grilled meats. The large, thin cut results in more surface area to form a flavorful bark. The secrets to cooking a great flank steak are grilling quickly over a hot fire and slicing the meat across the grain. One of the most popular ways to flavor meat is marination. However, a marinade doesn’t need to be liquid to be effective; the same effect can be achieved with a dry rub or a paste rather than a highly seasoned liquid. In this recipe a long soak in a blend of fresh herbs and seasonings makes the thin steak explode with flavor.

In the Caribbean, red beans and rice are cooked together, but at Moosewood we like to ladle saucy red beans over a bed of fragrant coconut rice and garnish with a little greenery.

Sometimes you don’t need to manipulate an ingredient to get the most out of it. The simple roasting here gets to the best flavors in the apricots.

I’m not giving quantities here, since you can make as much as you like. Crystallized herbs bring a bright, sweet herb flavor to the plate when you use them as a garnish. You can follow the same procedure with rose petals, too; just make sure they are unsprayed, or pesticide-free.

I freely admit that the tonnato preparation is an idea that takes some getting used to: It means that a meat, usually veal, is topped with tuna sauce—and it’s usually served cold. But before you say “Ugh” and turn the page, please give it a try. It’s really a wonderful combination of flavors. Instead of veal, I prefer the lighter taste of turkey paired with the relatively strong sauce, and I like this dish warm, not cold.

Pork is a very popular meat in Italy, but it is eaten more often in the form of sausage or cured. It wasn’t until I started to work as a private chef that I realized what a fixture pork chops are on American tables. This is my Italian take on an American classic, pork chops and applesauce; the onions cook down to a jam-like condiment.

Intimidated by roasting and carving a whole chicken? This dish is just as aromatic and comforting, but is a lot easier to handle and serve. Everything cooks together in one pan, including the sauce.

Here’s an osso buco everyone will love. Consider this a nontraditional Thanksgiving meal; you’ll get both dark and light meat without having to cook a whole turkey. Using a gremolata to spark up the flavor of a long-cooked dish like this one is a very traditional Italian touch that makes a huge difference in the finished dish.

This is comfort food that’s good for you. Farro is an ancient grain that was used to make cereals and pasta before wheat was widely available. It is somewhat similar to Israeli couscous in texture, but if you can’t find it, any small pasta shape, such as orzo, makes a good substitute. Don’t overwork the pesto; it should still have distinct pieces of the individual herbs, which keeps the flavors clearer and more distinct.

In Seattle, where I first had a version of this drink, martinis come garnished with a sprig of Douglas fir. Thyme syrup contributes a similar herbaceous zing, and little balls of apple are a whimsical touch. This is a great cocktail.

During my travels for the old Food Network show Food Nation, I had the opportunity to go foraging for mushrooms with an expert while in Washington State. I can’t think of mushrooms without remembering that trip. Now I do NOT recommend hunting for your own mushrooms—let’s leave that to the experts—but I do recommend using a variety of what your supermarket has to offer. They may not be technically “wild,” but a blend from your market will still be delicious and, more important, not deadly! I think that any cheddar would pair well with the mushrooms, but if you can find a sharp Tillamook cheddar from Oregon, it would be all the better.