Citrus

One of the easiest pasta dishes you’ll ever make, this is great as a light meal or as a side dish, especially for grilled fish.

For a quick and extremely easy antipasto, whip up this very simple recipe. You can use any single olive variety or combination you want; some are salty and briny, some fresh-tasting, some green or black or brown, some wrinkly and pungent, some smooth and mellow. I like a simple mix of one green and one black variety. This recipe can be made one week ahead and refrigerated.

I made this with my friend’s daughter for a school fund-raiser and it was a huge hit. She helped me crush the ice with a rolling pin, then scooped it up and drizzled on the syrup. We used raspberry because we liked the color, but you can make any flavor you prefer. Serve these with some of the Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes (page 221) and squares of the Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (page 224) and you have a wonderful dessert party for kids or the makings of a great bake sale.

More cakey than crispy, these ladylike little tea cakes puff up as they bake, almost like little muffin tops. The lemon glaze on top adds a tart, crunchy layer.

Zeppole are little doughnuts that are sold on the street in Naples and at street fairs. They are usually served with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, but the combination of chocolate and orange in this version is just to die for. Eat these warm, because they become heavy and doughy once they cool (if they stay around that long!).

If you’re intimidated by the prospect of making a mousse, this recipe is pretty cool. Once you’ve warmed up the milk, just combine everything in the blender, then pop it in the fridge to chill. Desserts don’t get any easier than that. Top individual servings with any kind of flavored cream you like; I like orange with chocolate, but a cinnamon cream would be nice, too.

If you have always wanted to try making ice cream at home but haven’t wanted to invest in an ice-cream maker, give this recipe a try. Semifreddo is a very rich, creamy dessert, but the lemon juice and limoncello make this one seem very light, despite all the egg yolks and cream.

This dish is a perfect embodiment of the way I like to eat. The colors just say spring, it’s light, and everything tastes really fresh and bright.

When I meet with fans I often hear this recipe mentioned as a favorite. People really seem to enjoy the bright combination of flavors in the salsa topping.

Traditionally saltimbocca is made with veal cutlets, rather than chops, but a thicker cut of meat makes for a heartier dish. When you sauté the chops the prosciutto forms a great, salty crust on the outside and the lemon gets caramelized, making a yummy, savory package.

Here’s an osso buco everyone will love. Consider this a nontraditional Thanksgiving meal; you’ll get both dark and light meat without having to cook a whole turkey. Using a gremolata to spark up the flavor of a long-cooked dish like this one is a very traditional Italian touch that makes a huge difference in the finished dish.

This variation on my favorite arugula and shrimp salad—served over pasta—tastes as good as it looks. If you keep frozen shrimp in the freezer, a practice I always recommend, this is actually a quick pantry meal, perfect for those late winter/early spring days when everyone wants to start eating a bit lighter.

Creamy, lemony, and delicious, either as an entrée or a side dish. For a fun, elegant touch, serve individual side-dish portions in a hollowed-out lemon cup (see Note). It would make a pretty, festive accompaniment to almost any springtime meal.

If you’re looking for a healthy pasta dish, you can’t go wrong with this one. The spinach doesn’t really cook, it just gets wilted by the heat of the warm pasta. When I eat this I feel I’ve both indulged a craving for pasta and treated myself to something especially healthful and nutritious!

Fregola is a toasted semolina pasta that is very popular in Sardinia. You can substitute any small shape pasta, such as orzo, which it resembles, but do make the effort to seek it out at a specialty food shop; its nutty flavor makes this pasta salad really unusual and delicious.

In Italy the term panini refers to any sandwich, whether warm or cold, pressed or not. What makes this different from your average tuna salad sandwich is the garbanzo bean spread; it lends a creamy, earthy flavor that’s a thousand times better than any mayonnaise-y sauce and keeps the tuna from tasting dry.

Olive oil in a muffin? It may sound strange, but the first impression you’ll get from these muffins is the citrus zests and almonds, not the fruity flavor of the olive oil. What the oil contributes is a more delicate, cakey consistency and a moist, rich texture.

A perfectly baked golden buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard and topped with a light and fluffy meringue is pretty much heaven. Well, now you can have your pie and drink it, too. Top this one off with a large dollop of “Fluffy” Whipped Cream and garnish it with a vanilla cookie for crunch. Yum! Are you in the mood for a Key lime pie? Substitute Key lime curd, lime zest, and lime juice for the lemon.

Pickled onions such as these are most often used as a garnish for tacos, burritos, and guacamole in Mexican cuisine. I think they are just as delicious on most of the burgers in this book, and they add a level of intrigue that raw onion slices could never do. The fresh lime juice is essential for its fresh, clean flavor as well as its acidity. If you want to pump up the volume on flavor and add a bit of heat, try adding a few whole jalapeño or serrano chiles to the mix.