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Nothing Fancy

From the book that gave you Slow Roasted Chicken with Tomatoes and Brown Buttered Salmon with Red Onion, Capers and Dill, it’s Nothing Fancy. Published in 2019! Imagine!

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Fancy Citrusy Olives

I love setting these out for any potluck/picnic/barbecue as a briny, spicy little snack to eat between sips of spritzes or beers on ice.

Farro with Toasted Fennel, Lemon, and Basil

This accidentally vegan springy farro gets better as it sits, making it an ideal candidate to have on hand for lunch for the week.

Spicy Caramelized Leeks with Fresh Lemon

Leeks are criminally slept-on, and this recipe really lets them shine. The frizzled ends gets as crispy as a potato chip, the middle gets tender and creamy, and you’re going to want to make them once a week.

Baked Potato Bar

Even though I find it hard to improve on the simple “lots of butter, salt, and too many scallions” combo, I do love to get dressed up for company and break out the picked herbs, sour cream, and fancy fish eggs.

Wine-Roasted Artichokes

Once these artichokes are cooked in their oily, white wine bath, you can eat them without teaching anyone how to navigate the thorny beast or deal with the feathery choke.

Vinegar-Marinated Butter Beans

These butter beans are just as much a snack as a side for me; I love them as part of a larger spread, alongside raw vegetables, and/or all the cheeses.

Your Very Own Marinated Artichoke Hearts

I will happily eat these all on their own, pierced with a tiny fork or toothpick in between bites of hard, salty cheese or maybe very thin slices of cured meat, but they also make an excellent topper for long, thin crackers or thick pieces of toast smeared with a creamy cheese.

Little Gems with Garlicky Lemon and Pistachio

This salad goes with everything, but it’s especially nice for a chicken dinner.

Low and Slow Rib Roast with Anchovy and Rosemary

When it comes to cooking for special occasions or large groups of people, I am a huge fan of focusing all your emotional and financial efforts on one, glorious, foolproof thing. Say, a very large piece of more expensive than usual red meat.

A Very Good Lasagna

A recipe for a Very Good Lasagna. Nothing insane, no sneaky anchovies (just kidding—there are anchovies if you want) or expensive, hard-to-find cheeses. Just some good ol’ basic stuff layered in a baking dish and baked until melty, bubbly, and satisfying as well.

Coconut Banana Cream Pudding

Layer that pudding with limey bananas and whipped tangy yogurt, and top it with a festive maraschino cherry, and all of a sudden it’s like in the movies when the “nerdy girl” takes off her glasses, lets her hair down, and reveals that she was, indeed, “a total babe” this whole time.

Spiced, Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Potatoes

These are a lot, flavor and texture-wise, and but because they are a one-pot meat and potatoes kind of dish, they don’t need much more than a good tangy salad and a light, maybe chilled, red wine.