This is so much more than a salad; it's a plate of light, crisp, dressed leaves partnered with a leek-topped crostini that gives it enough heft to turn it into a meal. The leeks are perfumed with lemons and thyme, and cooked until they are browned and jammy. The aïoli is rich, garlicky, and bright; along with the briny, marinated anchovies, it cuts through the richness of the leeks and soft-cooked eggs.
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Roasting beets with the skins intact is a trick chef Nancy Silverton picked up from the restaurant North Abraxas in Tel Aviv, and uses to great effect in this salad. Roasting the beets with the skins on means you get both the bright, colorful flesh and the crinkled papery skin. Don't skip eating the beet tails, which emerge from the roasting pan crispy and salty. This salad is especially delicious with late summer and fall beets.
Nancy Silverton says the first sign of spring is when she puts this salad on the menu at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. She dresses the asparagus, peas, radishes, and sugar snap peas with a lemon vinaigrette, then offers toasts topped with labneh alongside, turning this ode to spring produce into a light lunch or first course for dinner. The herbs are an important part of the mix; if you can't find chervil, substitute equal parts Italian parsley and tarragon.
Nancy Silverton’s L.A. restaurant Pizzeria Mozza celebrates unfussy, straightforward, focused food that uses fresh California produce. This upgraded grilled cheese by the 1990 BNC alum is filled with a charred sweet corn-studded blend of nutty English-cheddar, sharp caciocavallo, and just enough mayonnaise to bind it all together. Thick slices of sourdough get a beautifully buttery, golden crust in a cast iron skillet, while Calibrian chile sneaks in with just the right amount of heat. Satisfyingly rich, sharp, and indulgent, cheese filling is a knockout on burgers, or even as a hot dip with crackers and crudités.Related: More Grilled Cheese RecipesThe Best Way to Make Grilled Cheese
Star chef Nancy Silverton has strong opinions about frittatas. She likes them to be creamy like scrambled eggs, with various toppings like prosciutto, cheese and a generous amount of herbs. At her dinner parties, she often serves this 15-minute frittata as a side dish, so guests can cut wedges at the table. Slideshow: More Frittata Recipes
For this single-serving frittata, Silverton cooks the eggs gently, then tops them with asparagus, prosciutto and crème fraîche. Since the frittata is not warmed in the oven, it’s best to have the toppings at room temperature. Also, keep them near the pan so you can work quickly once the eggs are cooked. Slideshow: More Egg RecipesRecipe from Food & Wine Best New Chefs All-Star Cookbook
"In every little restaurant in Umbria, there are sautéed greens on the menu," says star chef Nancy Silverton. Here, she blanches spinach, then sautés it in garlic-spiked oil until all the leaves are thoroughly coated.
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To make this rich pasta, chef Nancy Silverton sautés guanciale (cured pork jowl) and then cooks the radicchio and red onions in the rendered fat. She likes to use a little-known pasta called calamarata—which looks like thick squid rings—to catch the sauce, but any wide, tubular pasta is great. Slideshow: More Pasta Recipes
The key to these delicious bruschetta from chef Nancy Silverton is lots of olive oil. After she bakes the chickpeas with a variety of flavorings—including onions, pancetta and carrots—she purees them with a good amount of oil, spreads the puree on toasts and drizzles with a little more oil. Slideshow: More Bruchetta Recipes