Weeknight Kitchen

Creamy beans, salty pancetta, and bright color from the spinach -- a winning combination on the fly!

If Mexican colonists laid down roots among the Old World delicatessens of New York City, I like to imagine that this is the taco they’d cook.

With the crunch of the cornmeal crust and kick of the Jamaican spice blend, this chicken is brimming with flavor and texture reminiscent of the much more time-consuming traditional Jamaican jerk marinade and fried chicken.

Alla barese, in the Bari style, always means this favorite preparation, made with the spicy greens called broccoli rabe or rapini in America, a little garlic, a pinch of chili pepper, and a few anchovies for the salt.

1. Toast the anise seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and coarsely grind.

Iranians love eggs, whatever way they are cooked, but they are especially fond of kuku, a type of open-faced omelet similar to the Italian frittata and the Arab eggah.

In a large pot, combine the chicken, onions, yam, fennel, dill, and wine, and season with salt and pepper. Add enough cold water to cover. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until the vegetables break up easily with a fork, 1 1/2-2 hours.

One of the reasons I like to cook mostly healthy food is so I can justify the occasional dish like this one.

I use medium-size raw shrimp and puree the tails in a food processor, then combine the puree with pieces of the shrimp to form thick burgers.

A combination of salty, buttery, crispy, carb-y goodness, with the umami hit of the tomatoes.