Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti with thinly sliced garlic, plenty of good olive oil and a pinch of chili. The pantry dish that comes together in the time the pasta takes.
Amatriciana
Guanciale rendered until crisp, crushed tomatoes and a shower of Pecorino Romano over bucatini. One of Rome's four essential pasta dishes.
Gricia
Carbonara without the egg, amatriciana without the tomato. Guanciale, Pecorino Romano and black pepper over rigatoni.
Carbonara
Guanciale, egg yolks and Pecorino Romano brought together with pasta water. No cream, and the pan comes off the heat before the eggs go in.
Cacio e Pepe
Four ingredients and no cream. Spaghetti, Pecorino Romano, toasted black pepper and starchy pasta water emulsified into a silky sauce.
Pumpkin Pie
Roasted pie pumpkin or butternut pureed with condensed milk and warm spices, including a little black pepper for lift.
Apple Pie
Grandma Foster's apple pie: Honey Crisp and Granny Smith apples with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter under a proper crust.
Pecan Whiskey Pie
Brown butter, whiskey and three cups of pecans in a blind-baked shell. Richer and less cloying than the pecan pie you grew up with.
Italian Gazpacho
Jim's cold soup of heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, onion and garlic blended with olive oil and balsamic. Nothing to cook, everything to chill.
Chicken Piccata
Chicken breasts pounded thin, seared, and finished in a lemon, caper and butter pan sauce over spaghetti.
Fried Zucchini and Squash
Zucchini and yellow squash sliced into rounds, dredged and fried until golden. Equally at home as an appetizer or a side.
Candied Nuts
Nuts tumbled in melted sugar with cardamom, ginger and a pinch of chili. Sweet, savory, and dangerous to leave within reach.