Home at 7, Dinner at 8 | Kyle Books, 2011 | Serves 6

A big, toasted, sesame-seeded hamburger bun, juicy meat, and chunky potato wedges dipped and doused in mayo–tell me a better thing to cook for a bunch of rowdy friends, family members, or kids.–Sophie Wright

LC Some Like it Hot… Note: We think the condiment of choice here is most certainly mayo–whether store-bought or homemade. Although those of you who like things hot may wish to take a cue from Melissa Moran, one of our intrepid recipe testers, who stirred a little harissa into her mayo before slathering it onto the bun for this rather bohemian, North African-minded burger. You may never go back to plain–mayo or burger.

Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 55 minutes

Lamb Burgers and Chunky Potato Wedges Recipe

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Pasta Italiana | Kyle Books, 2012 | Serves 4

I have always found artichokes a little bit like Marmite—you love them or you hate them! In my case, I absolutely adore them. If you have never tried them, please have a go at this pasta dish—you won’t be disappointed.

Never ever buy artichokes that are preserved in brine because they aren’t worth eating.–Gino D’Acampo

LC Simple Is As Pasta Does Note: Simple is as simple does…or, in this case, simple is as pasta does, given how a handful of ingredients can come together so well. Subtly, but well. What that means is that each ingredient essentially and effectively has the potential to throw the delicate balance out of wonk if not carefully chosen. Although it’s tweakable to your palate’s content, what we find what works best here are artichokes tinned straight-up in oil, no potpourri-like dried herbs included. Err on the side of using less pasta so as to maximize the lovely sauce. And if you have everything in your pantry except that orange, don’t hesitate to use lemon in its place, as we hear it works without anything seeming amiss. And if you like things with a little zing, shave a little Parmigiano-Reggiano over the pasta at the end. We’re also wondering how some nice, plump, mild Cerignolas would be in place of Kalamatas, but that will have to wait for another day.

Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Rigatoni with Artichokes, Garlic, and Olives Recipe

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Pasta Italiana | Kyle Books, 2012 | Serves 6

Many people would never associate pasta and potato, but in this case you’re really going to have to trust me. This recipe has been in my family for more than 50 years, and considering that so far there have been two chefs in the family, it must be fantastico! Make sure you use a mealy potato like a Russet. [Editor's Note: The word "mealy" may have uncouth associations in some circles, although it's actually quite coveted in this recipe, given how the mealiness lends a lot to the hearty, stew-like consistency of this soup.]–Gino D’Acampo

LC Like Bacon for Pancetta? Note: We’ve a wee caveat to share with anyone tempted to substitute bacon for pancetta in this pantry-minded recipe. While that swap works in some recipes, we don’t encourage trying it here. Pancetta’s sturdy texture and meatiness handily withstand being simmered in this soupy stew without becoming limpid and soggy. Sadly, the same can’t be said about bacon, which turns flabby. Save it for frying up in a pan.

Active time: 25 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes

Pasta Soup with Potatoes, Pancetta and Leeks Recipe

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Pizza: And Other Savory Pies | Touchstone, 2008 | Makes one 12-inch pizza; serves 2 to 4

Pizza is Italian in origin, but this humble flatbread has captured the attention of the entire planet, and in every country where it’s eaten it’s tailored to the cultural palate. Take, for example, Mexico’s ranchera pizza with beans and chorizo and India’s seek kebab pizza with spiced ground meat. Beneath the pepperoni, cheese, and tomato sauce that we have come to know and love in this country is a blank canvas–or dough–that’s primed for all sorts of culinary renditions. In contrast to the Italian approach, in the United States, just as in other parts of the world, many liberties have been taken with the creation of pizza.–Brigit Binns

LC No Pizza Stone? No Problem. Note: No pizza stone? No problem. When baking the meatballs, omit it. When baking your pizza, flip your largest cast-iron skillet upside down or, worst-case scenario, use a baking sheet. (Although surely you have some cast iron in your kitchen, yes? Have we taught you nothing?)

Special Equipment: Pizza stone (or large cast-iron skillet turned upside down)

Active time: 40 minutes | Total time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Meatball Pizza Recipe

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Williams-Sonoma: The World Kitchen | Weldon Owen, 2010 | Serves 4

You can replace the leeks with almost any sautéed vegetable you like, from zucchini to sweet peppers.–Rick Rodgers

LC Vegetable Bin Note: Given the subtle sophistication the oniony leeks and fresh herbs lend this frittata, it’d be a shame to suggest changing anything about it, even one small thing. But as Rodgers notes above, this recipe is truly a handy little number to keep on hand for when you need an easy, elegant solution, something that’s appropriate any time of day, that satisfies all occasions, that unfailingly draws compliments, and that puts to lovely use whatever’s about to languish in that vegetable bin of yours. Shame it can’t lower your husband’s cholesterol, too.

Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes

Frittata with Leeks and Herbs Recipe

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The SFA Community Cookbook | University of Georgia Press, 2010 | Serves 8 to 12

This is one of those recipes that really sort of defines the cliche “more than the sum of it’s parts.” Tasting is understanding.–Sara Roahen and John T. Edge

LC Way More Than the Sum of Its Parts Note: We have to agree with the authors of this book–this brisket is way more than the sum of its parts. And although we appreciate there being only four parts to this recipe, we’ve witnessed about as many different ways to tweak it as there are cooks who’ve made it. Some spice the beef with a dry rub. Or swap ketchup for chili sauce. Toss a heap of sliced onions to the pan. Strew chopped carrots, potatoes, or sweet potatoes around the brisket. Marinate the brisket in a couple cans of Coke overnight before draining and proceeding with a new can of Coke. Slather the final roast with barbecue sauce and return it to the oven, uncovered, for a few minutes. Or, well, we could go on, but you get the idea. Go ahead and make it your own.

One last, but very important, thing. If you’re being observant for Passover, you’ll want to be mindful of seeking out kosher-for-Passover Coca-Cola. But we bet you already knew that.

Special Equipment: Faith

Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 3 hours, 25 minutes

Coca Cola Brisket Recipe

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Home Cooking with Jean-Georges | Clarkson Potter, 2011 | Serves 6

For four generations, the Vongerichten family has been turning out this tart, which is like a quiche but creamier.–Jean-Georges Vongerichten

LC Simple Sophistication Note: “Its greatness lies in its simplicity,” wrote LC recipe tester Susan B. of this tart after making it–and promptly swooning to it. Who are we to argue with such sophisticated logic? What also wowed and wooed us was how satiating it was in those sort of in-between-the-seasons temperatures when the days are warm but the nights still quite cool.

Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes, not including the crust

Creamy Onion Tart Recipe

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The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook | Running Press, 2012 | Serves 4 to 6

Raise your hand if you didn’t glue macaroni to something in elementary school. Yeah, we didn’t think so. There’s something decidedly magical about macaroni in the classroom . . . and the kitchen. Whether the kids are climbing the walls or you’re just in from a night on the town, boxed mac ’n’ cheese is a blessing. But if you want to taste the best homemade macaroni and cheese you’ve ever had, try this ’60s baked cheesy macaroni casserole. Feel free to add tomato slices to the top.

For a milder macaroni and cheese–something of a kitchen time-machine classic–substitute 8 ounces of processed cheese product, such as Velveeta, for the Cheddar cheese and use crushed saltine crackers instead of the bread crumbs.–Rick Rodgers and Heather Maclean

LC Macaroni and Cheese Just Like Mom Used to Make Note: Macaroni and cheese just like Mom used to make. Okay, maybe just pretty darned close. (C’mon, the Velveeta? The crushed saltines?) Regardless, it’s incomparably better than what comes out of a box.

Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 1 hour

Not-from-a-Box Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

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The Homesick Texan Cookbook | Hyperion, 2011 | Serves 4

All Texans have their favorite chicken-fried steak, and I’m no exception: mine is my dad’s. His version was my introduction to the dish, and I was fortunate as a child to be able to eat it at least once a week. I knew dinner was going to be divine if I came home to the smells and sounds of chicken-fried steak frying in the pan. And while I’ve had hundreds of different chicken-fried steaks since, his is still superior to all others. He is renowned for his recipe and method—a craft he learned from his mother, who learned it from her mother. So not only is his the best, but it’s also part of my culinary legacy—a fine inheritance, if I don’t say so myself.

Now, before I outline how to make it, a few words of caution. The preparation of chicken-fried steak is a violent, messy, and dangerous affair. Do not be afraid of small chunks of meat flying from your tenderizer and adhering to your walls. Do not be afraid of being covered head to toe in a paste-like mixture of flour, batter, and grease. And do not be afraid of hot oil splattering and some screechy sizzling as you flip the steaks in the skillet. Be patient: in the midst of this bloody battle, this culinary chaos, you will ultimately find both the beauty and order that is a plate of chicken-fried steak served with cream gravy.

To craft cream gravy is a cinch. This thick, peppery, creamy sauce is poured over everything in Texas. It’s a simple concoction, made from pan drippings, flour, milk, and cracked black pepper. But while it may appear plain, it’s infinitely delicious. Sometimes it goes by the name country gravy or white gravy, but in Texas we call it cream gravy. It’s best cooked with pan drippings, but you can also do it from scratch with either vegetable oil or bacon grease. The history of cream gravy goes back hundreds of years. People of limited means didn’t have the ingredients to make complex meat-stock gravies, but there was always flour, milk, and pepper on hand to add to the pan drippings. My grandma tells me that during the Great Depression, they ate it all the time, pouring it over everything, as it was a great way to stretch a meal. And while cracked black pepper is the traditional seasoning, you can tart it up with chipotles, jalapeños, cayenne, or chile powder.–Lisa Fain

LC We (Heart) You Note: A few more words of caution. For the uninitiated, as Lisa Fani explains, this gravy is poured over everything. Biscuits. Bacon. Babies. (Kidding. Sort of.) But perhaps its most inspired application? Smothering chicken-fried steak. And second, those of you who have an existing heart condition, we trust that you’ll take your meds and practice moderation when it comes to indulging in this recipe. (Kidding. Sort of.)

Active time: 40 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Chicken-Fried Steak with Cream Gravy Recipe

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Cook Italy | Kyle Books, 2010 | Serves 8 to 10

Cooking meat in milk is common throughout north Italy because it results in moist meat and a wonderfully rich and flavorful sauce. The milk transforms during the cooking from liquid to yogurt-like clusters which form a rich brown sauce. Valentina Harris advises me that if you give it a good whisk over the heat just before you are ready to serve, it helps to break up the sauce slightly, giving it a smoother texture.–Katie Caldesi

LC Fatty Fat Fat Note: A stroke of Italian brilliance, this classic tenderizing technique infuses a relatively cheap cut of pork with the subtle sweetness of milk. Thing is, pork loin nowadays is leaner than it once was back in the day. Those who like their pork falling-apart tender and infused with fatty flavor ought to consider swapping the loin for a fattier cut of pork, perhaps something from the shoulder region such as pork butt. (We love saying those words almost as much as we love devouring the tantalizingly tender meat.) Promise you won’t be disappointed. As for that milk sauce, it’s going to look curdled and, truthfully, not exactly come hither. But just wait till you taste it.

Active time: 35 minutes | Total time: 2 hours, 35 minutes

Roast Pork in Milk Recipe

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