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As the co-founder of La Brea Bakery and Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles, Nancy Silverton made her name as a brilliant baker. She has since shown her mastery of Italian food at Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, getting the biggest flavor from the simplest ingredients. She does just that with this salad, which combines crisp iceberg lettuce, milky mozzarella, spicy-tangy peperoncini and salty olives and salami.Nancy Silverton, the cofounder of Campanile and La Brea Bakery (for which she was named a F&W Best New Chef in 1990) and co-owner of Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, is famous for her baking, but she’s also a master of Italian flavors. Case in point: this smart and delicious play on a classic antipasto plate. Shredded iceberg lettuce serves as the crunchy base for a salad made with creamy mozzarella balls (bocconcini), Genoa salami, peperoncini, and green olives. It’s one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” dishes that hits all of the right notes.

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 3 tablespoons green-olive tapenade from a jar
• 1/4 cup peperoncini—stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups bocconcini (mozzarella balls) (about 9 ounces)
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small head of iceberg lettuce, halved, cored and finely shredded (4 cups)
• 6 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami, cut into thin strips (1 1/2 cups)
• 6 small basil leaves
• 1/2 cup green olives, such as Picholine

Directions

• Step 1
  In a medium bowl, mix the green-olive tapenade with the peperoncini and 1/4 cup of the oil. Add the bocconcini and toss.
• Step 2
  In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the vinegar, garlic and oregano. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and season the dressing with salt and pepper.
• Step 3
  In a bowl, combine the shredded lettuce and salami. Add the marinated bocconcini and half of the dressing and toss well. Transfer the antipasto salad to a large platter. Top with the basil and olives. Drizzle the remaining dressing around the salad and serve.

Make Ahead

The recipe can be prepared through step 2 and refrigerated overnight.

Suggested Pairing

Frothy, berry-scented Lambrusco: NV Venturini Baldini Lambrusco dell’Emilia.

The usual Indian way of preparing okra is to cut it into rounds. But when Suvir Saran was seven, he insisted that the family cook slice the okra into wispy strips. The supercrunchy result was a hit and became a family legend; today he serves it at both of his restaurants, Dévi and Véda. Is any other vegetable as polarizing as okra? Much maligned, it definitely falls into the love-it-or-hate-it category, and even the food-loving F&W team has some naysayers. But this method for preparing okra, where it’s sliced into thin strips and fried until crispy, sways even the biggest haters. Melissa Rubel Jacobson, former F&W Test Kitchen associate, says, “I hated okra, but I had never tried it like this before. It was a total eye-opener.” It’s the brainchild of Indian chef Suvir Saran, who first thought to cut the vegetable into strips and not rounds when he was just a kid. As an adult, he took it one step further and incorporated the crispy okra into a spiced salad with crunchy onions and fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon amchoor powder (optional, see Note)
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 pound young okra—halved lengthwise and cut into long, thin strips
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
• 1 medium tomato—cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

• Step 1
  In a small bowl, combine the garam masala with the amchoor powder.
• Step 2
  In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350°. Working in batches, fry the okra strips, stirring a few times, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried okra to a large paper towel–lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with some of the spice mixture and salt.
• Step 3
  In a large bowl, gently toss the fried okra with the red onion, tomato, cilantro and lemon juice. Season the salad with more of the spice mixture and salt and serve immediately.

This classic masala is often the first dish many try when exploring Indian food. We love Grace Parisi’s version because it’s easy to prepare and its slightly spicy tomato cream sauce is addictive. The chicken needs to marinate overnight, so plan accordingly.Big-flavored, creamy, and comforting, chicken tikka masala is the perfect gateway dish to Indian cooking. This version, from former F&W Senior Test Kitchen Associate Grace Parisi, is relatively easy to prepare— and highly addictive, thanks to the slightly spicy tomato cream sauce. (For many years, this was the most popular recipe on foodandwine.com!) The chicken does need to marinate overnight, so plan accordingly.

Ingredients

Masala Marinade

• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Chicken

• 2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• One 35-ounce can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

• Step 1
  In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.
• Step 2
  Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate overnight.
• Step 3
  Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut it into 2-inch pieces.
• Step 4
  Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.
• Step 5
  In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.

Make Ahead

The Chicken Tikka Masala can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Notes

Variation The marinade and sauce here are also delicious with shrimp, lamb and vegetables.

Serve With

Steamed basmati rice, rice pilaf or warm nan.

In matching spicy sausage with a creamy mustard sauce and fragrant basil, British cookbook author Nigel Slater created a quick pasta supper with warm, mildly spicy flavors, perfect for a cool fall or winter evening.

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne, rigatoni or medium shells
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 hot Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced basil

Directions

• Step 1
  Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, mustard and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil and toss to coat. Serve at once.

Suggested Pairing

The ripe flavors of a soft, round California Merlot best complement this hearty pasta.

We got our first taste of kouign-amann, the irresistibly sweet and flaky pastry from Brittany in northwestern France, in 2004 from authors Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford, who traveled the world in pursuit of recipes. Making kouign-amann is not too different from making croissants, wherein butter is folded into a rich, yeasty dough, but here it melts and browns as it bakes, producing an aroma that’s both dreamy and homey. Kouign-amann also includes sugar, which creates crisp, golden caramelized bits that are truly impossible to resist. Duguid and Alford’s brilliant version is prepared with store-bought bread or pizza dough.

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 pound frozen bread or pizza dough, thawed
• 1 stick (4 ounces) chilled salted butter, cut into 16 slices, plus 1 tablespoon melted salted butter
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

• Step 1
  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a rough 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 25 minutes. Lightly flour the rolling pin and roll out the dough to a 14-by-18-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest again for 25 minutes.
• Step 2
  Butter a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Flour the work surface. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible, keeping a rectangular shape. Scatter 5 slices of the butter over two-thirds of the dough and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Fold the bare dough into the center and fold in the opposite side, like folding a letter. Dust with flour and roll out again as thinly as possible, retaining the rectangular shape. Top with another 5 slices of butter and 1/4 cup of sugar, folding, dusting with flour and rolling out the dough again as before. Repeat the process one last time, using the remaining 6 slices of butter and 1/4 cup of the sugar, folding and rolling it out as thinly as possible.
• Step 3
  Fold in the corners of the dough to make a slightly round shape and transfer it to the prepared skillet. With a sharp knife, make six 2-inch-long cuts all the way through the dough in a starburst pattern. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. Place a baking stone or baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450°.
• Step 4
  Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Put the skillet on the stone in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until richly browned on top. With a spatula, transfer the cake to a large, round plate and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Make Ahead

The cake can be kept at room temperature overnight, but it’s best eaten the day it’s made.

Suggested Pairing

This buttery cake and its caramel-like topping are a great showcase for a tangy-sweet tawny port or Madeira.