The key to making these meatballs is to brown them first in a skillet and then braise them in a sauce of red wine and tomatoes. Serve them with crusty bread or spaghetti to sop up the sauce.
Melissa Rubel Jacobson combines roasted almonds, parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for a nutty, fresh-tasting pesto. This pasta dish is terrific served warm, but it can also be refrigerated and served as a cold pasta salad.
Don't forget that something fresh, vibrant, and crunchy is often missing from potluck gatherings; this easy salad will get gobbled up quickly because it satisfies on those levels.
For her outstanding vegetarian dish, chef Suzanne Goin combines creamy polenta, sautéed mushrooms and greens with a garnish of garlicky, tangy gremolata.
Our friend Ellen isn’t responsible for the recipe for this delicious, deceptively simple cake. (We can thank Sister Angela at the Convento de la Purisma Concepcion in Penaranda, Spain for that.) Indirectly, though, she is responsible for introducing us
