My husband likes nothing more than a good ragù. His perfect meal would involve something saucy, bright, and rich with a bit of meat, falling over a dish of toothsome pasta. A good ragù is nearly a religious experience for him. It expresses the ultimate goodness of the world, a place where people feed one another good food in love and honesty. So when a fennel and sausage ragù at a local restaurant invoked this mystical moment, giving him a cross-eyed moment of pleasure, I felt that the gauntlet was thrown in my lap. More

Iceberg lettuce has fallen into deep disfavor with many cooks and food-lovers. Memories of bad, bland salads from our youth, and pale excuses for greenery on the plates of low-rent restaurants have pushed iceberg to the side in favor of more interesting greens: Arugula, romaine, spicy microgreens.

But iceberg still has a place, and in the heat of summer, I crave it like no other lettuce. Shaved thin, in a feathery pile, iceberg lettuce offers crisp, pure refreshment. In this salad, my own take on the Italian-American chopped salads of pizza parlors and pasta joints, iceberg shines. More

Schiacciata all’uva is a sweet Tuscan focaccia stuffed with Concord grapes, available in Florentine bakeries beginning in September. Florence resident Emiko Davies, tired of waiting for schiacciata season, decided to make her own savory version filled with a layer of ricotta cheese and cherry tomatoes. We'd take this over a plain cheese sandwich any day! More

And just like that, summer feels like it is almost over. Beach vacations are winding down, kids are heading back to school. (Watch for a bunch of back-to-school content, coming up next week!) Getting dinner on the table becomes a less of a leisurely affair and more dependent on thinking ahead.

My own fallback in such times is the pasta casserole. Yes, I wrote an entire book about casseroles, but that hasn't stopped me from making them again and again, pulling in any fresh ingredients at hand, and baking up something bubbly-delicious. More

This is one of those recipes inspired by what we had on hand – half a loaf of stale whole-grain bread, pattypan squash from our CSA, and cherry tomatoes and rosemary from a recent food swap. Panzanella is a rustic Italian salad and although we love more traditional versions with ingredients like fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil, we thought we'd try roasting the vegetables this time. The result was sweet, earthy, and caramelized, with an added depth from the choice of herbs and bread. More

Calzones are a favorite in my house, not only for a relaxed weekend dinner but also for wrapping up, freezing, and eating for lunches all week long. Lunch or dinner, they're the perfect little "hot pockets" (ahem!) of cheese, veggies, and leftover meat. Here's how to make them. More

If you have ever dreamed of spending a summer in Italy, living and eating with a local family, learning the language, then Mark Leslie's book Beyond the Pasta will be a pure wish-fulfillment read for you. And now you can get even closer, with his iPad app, which brings you recipes, narrative, and video from right inside Nonna's kitchen! More

Sometimes there are so many bad renditions of a foreign dish, it takes a trip out of the country to realize how good the original is. That's how it was with focaccia for chef Nancy Silverton. One taste of the real thing in southern Italy sent her on a quest for the secrets of making great focaccia, which she shared in the LA Times last week. More

When it comes to comfort food, pizza tops our list. That said, you don't always want to order in, and making a whole pie can be a little intimidating (especially if you only have a toaster oven). These pizza bites are an easy fix for those with a serious craving — which is everyone after looking at that photo! More

We love making pizza dough, and it's not nearly as hard as you think. But lately we've been using a certain store-bought dough, and to be honest, it's pretty hard to beat. In fact, this pizza is so good (and green! Look at all that kale!) that we haven't ordered a pie in two months. And we live in New York, people. More