Julia Turshen

The first thing I ever cooked for my wife, Grace, were these meatballs

I adore simplicity and I think restraint, especially when it comes to cooking, is one of the most elegant things to practice. I haven’t always been this way. True story: I am a recovered snob. When I first started cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my entire family and our extended tables of friends, which was when I was in middle school, I insisted that everyone try my warm panzanella with sausage and autumnal vegetables.

It's one of the easiest baking recipes for summer.