I'll be honest with you: I don't care for focaccia that's topped with a lot of stuff. I like my focaccia to be a simple, herby bread with the emphasis on salt and olive oil. I may allow for one or two additions besides the sea salt, olive oil and herbs. But that's it. You may feel differently, and of course, that's just fine. You can use this recipe as a base for all your favorite focaccia toppings. But just for today, try it plain and simple with a glass of deep red wine and maybe a wedge of cheese on the side. It's really quite delicious! More

We had some friends over for potluck dinner a few weeks ago, and one couple brought some fennel and citrus to roast, inspired by a recipe in the Jerusalem cookbook. Right before pulling them out of the oven, my friend Olaiya tossed in a generous handful of kalamata olives. The result was one of the more glorious things I've tasted coming out of a roasting pan: warm and citrusy with a salty kick from the olives and a slight bite from a mustard vinaigrette. Since we shared the steps for making perfect stovetop millet with you yesterday, I decided to recreate this flavor combo for you in make a substantial millet side dish. More

You may be thinking that a recipe for a thick, hearty soup is a bit odd considering that yesterday was the first day of spring. But this Spanish bean soup is not just any soup. Rather, it is a soup sent straight from the soup gods (if the soup gods took the form of my future mother-in-law).

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Millet is an ancient seed, originally hailing from Africa and northern China, and it remains a staple in the diets of about a third of the world's population. Rich in iron, B vitamins and calcium, millet has a mild corn flavor and is naturally gluten-free. Sure, on first glance you might be tempted to think that raw millet looks like birdseed. But these little yellow beads have a really lovely and light texture when cooked, are relatively quick-cooking because of their small size, and are incredibly versatile in dishes ranging all the way from breakfast to dinner. More

This week in Gatherings from The Kitchn, we're sharing the details of an Italian Polenta Supper featuring lots of toppings, like hearty braised beef, on a bed of creamy cornmeal polenta. For a lighter, vegan-friendly accompaniment to polenta, let me suggest this spring vegetable ragout. Like the braised beef, it's rustic and uncomplicated yet completely dinner-party worthy. Make it now if you're already basking in the glow of peas and asparagus, or save this recipe so you can celebrate the moment spring arrives. More

When I think about throwing a dinner party, especially a big one like this polenta supper I'm sharing with you this week, my thoughts immediately go to: What can I make ahead? Last week, I had an easy answer: a shredded, succulent mess of beef braised in red wine and tomatoes, falling apart in its juices. It's a terrific make-ahead dish, since like most braises, this beef gets better overnight, and takes all the stress of a main dish off your hands entirely. Sound good? It gets better. 

Frozen pizzas have their time and place, like as back-up meals when we don't have time to shop and easy heat-and-serve dinners for babysitters. Nothing wrong with a good store-bought frozen pizza in these situations, but making your own homemade frozen pizzas from scratch will probably save you some pennies — plus you get exactly the toppings you want! It's easy to do: just two little tricks and you can fill your freezer with all the made-ahead frozen pizzas you could ever want.

Lately I've been looking to add more healthy seafood to my diet without breaking the bank, and while canned fish will never have the allure of a fresh filet, today's good-quality canned salmon is not the fishy, bone-studded mush you may be picturing. The boneless and skinless fish — once flaked and mixed with brown rice, cilantro, shallots and lime juice — cooks up into crisp-edged cakes that make an easy and satisfying weeknight meal, especially when topped with a dollop of Sriracha-spiked mayonnaise.

I picked up a bunch of asparagus and a spaghetti squash at the farmers' market over the weekend, which is an excellent reflection of the season right now: the very end of winter transitioning into the briefest hint of spring. What fun it would be to come up with a light supper dish that uses both of these ingredients! Inspired by Emily's Spaghetti Squash with Ricotta, Sage and Pine Nuts recipe, I roasted the squash and the asparagus and combined them with ricotta and pine nuts for richness. I used lemon and thyme to add brightness and acidity, resulting in a fresh, tasty dish that hints at spring's arrival while still anchored in a favorite winter staple. More

Scallops are such an easy and underrated weeknight meal, and I know this from experience: I never seem to think about them as a dinner option, but when I do it's always a slap-hand-to-forehead kind of moment. Scallops sear in mere seconds, and while whipping up a beurre blanc (a.k.a. white butter sauce) may seem intimidating to the uninitiated, it's actually one of the easiest and tastiest classic sauces to know.
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