Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Pizza Night, Part II: Summer Wedge Salad with Charred Corn, Tomatoes, and Herby Ranch Dressing

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A wedge salad that epitomizes summer.
A wedge salad that epitomizes summer.

Iceberg may not be my favorite lettuce. (Cue music for Little Gem and arugula.)

But it certainly has its time and place.

Most notably in a wedge salad, where its sturdy, crunchy leaves really shine and hold up to all manner — let’s be honest, overload — of toppings and dressings.

You’re sure to agree after one taste of “Summer Wedge Salad with Charred Corn, Tomatoes, and Herby Ranch Dressing.”

This take on a wedge salad is from “Pizza Night” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy, a cookbook by Alexandra Stafford, the New York-based creator of the blog, Alexandra’s Kitchen.

Arranged by the seasons, the recipes in this book pair a different pizza with a different salad to make planning dinner even easier.

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Pizza Night, Part I: Grilled Ortolona Pizza with Zucchini, Eggplant, and Olives

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Ortolana pizza? That's just the Italian word for "vegetable.''
Ortolana pizza? That’s just the Italian word for “vegetable.”

If left to his own devices, my husband would happily eat pizza every day. For every meal.

So, it’s no wonder that we’re always up for trying a new pizza recipe.

The latest: “Grilled Ortolona Pizza with Zucchini, Eggplant, and Olives.”

It’s a recipe from “Pizza Night” (Clarkson Potter) of which I received a review copy. Written by Alexandra Stafford, the New York-based creator of the blog, Alexandra’s Kitchen, it has a two-for-one format: Every pizza recipe comes complete with an accompanying salad recipe.

Stafford divides the book by seasons, and includes five different dough recipes: “Neapolitanish,” “Sourdough Neapolitanish,” “Thin-Crust,” “Pan Pizza,” and “Gluten-Free Pizza.”

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Summer’s Sensational Tonnato With Tomatoes

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A simple way to dress up fresh summer tomatoes spectacularly.
A simple way to dress up fresh summer tomatoes spectacularly.

Years ago, I went to a summer potluck, where the first dish to be demolished was a friend’s homegrown tomatoes, simply sliced, arranged on a pretty platter, and dressed with olive oil, and sea salt.

Not that the other dishes weren’t fabulous. It was just that tomatoes like that, ripened on the vine to let their deep, natural sweetness, tartness and mouthwatering savoriness develop to their fullest are absolutely impossible to resist.

When summer provides tomatoes that good, you don’t have to do much to them. That’s why “Tonnato with Tomatoes” is such a winning recipe.

It’s little more than an assortment of sliced tomatoes drizzled with the creamy Italian sauce of tuna, anchovies, capers, and lemon juice that’s traditionally spooned over cold slices of veal. It’s like the taste of a tuna salad sandwich with slices of fresh tomatoes inside — but turned on its bread with the tomatoes the star and the tuna a supporting yet major player.

This super easy recipe is from “Big Night” (Union Square & Co.), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Katherine Lewin, who went from a career as a copywriter at J.Crew to a food writer and editor at The Infatuation to opening two Big Night gourmet stores in New York City.

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A Taste of West Africa With Ivorian Roasted Chicken

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This delicious roast chicken has its roots in the Ivory Coast.
This delicious roast chicken has its roots in the Ivory Coast.

With the searing heat we’ve been having of late, the last thing you probably want to do is crank your oven up to a blazing 500 degrees.

But hear me out.

“Ivorian Roasted Chicken” does involve roasting a spatchcocked or cut-up chicken in the oven for at least 40 minutes. But we Californians know very well that this chicken could easily be grilled, too, thereby keeping the inside of our abodes cooler. So, do keep that option in mind.

Moreover, this juicy chicken is served with a delightfully named “Moyo Sauce Goes with Everything” that’s a chunky, salsa-like sauce that’s bright, refreshing, and stars summery cherry tomatoes, making it perfect for this time of year.

Lastly, this recipe was inspired by the roasted chicken served at open-air markets in the Cote d’Ivoire, giving you a beachy taste of a place most of us have never had the pleasure of visiting.

Thankfully, Pierre Thiam shows us the way in his cookbook, “Simply West African” (Clarkson Potter, 2023), of which I received a review copy.

Thiem lives in El Cerrito with his wife Lisa Katayama, a Tokyo-born writer and the co-author of the book, and their daughter Na’ia. Raised in Senegal, he is the executive chef of Nok by Alara restaurant in Lagos, Nigeria; the chef of the Pullman Hotel in Dakar, Senegal; and the executive chef and co-owner of Teranga in New York City.

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Lamb-Spice Lamb Chops That Are Kismet

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A quick spice mix gives these lamb rib chops incomparable flavor.
A quick spice mix gives these lamb rib chops incomparable flavor.

Dare I say that smoky, juicy, and flavorfully spiced little lamb rib chops are your destiny?

They definitely are if you follow this recipe from the new “Kismet” cookbook (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

“Lamb-Spice Lamb Chops” is one of more than 100 mouthwatering recipes in this book by the chef-owners of Los Angeles restaurants, Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson were named among the “Best New Chefs” in 2017 by Food & Wine magazine.

You have to love a cookbook that states from the get-go: “Yes, we’re restaurant chefs. No, this isn’t a restaurant book. Why? Because we want you to actually cook these recipes.”

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