The Splendid Table Recipes

Baked Pork Chop Rice

# This is the dish that could define cha chaan teng: a fried pork chop, a searing orange tomato sauce, a pan of golden fried rice, luxuriant cheese melted and blistered on top. Making it the long way means understanding, finally, the extravagance that cha chaan teng cooks can serve in ten minutes.

Ricotta Dip

# Y’all, this ricotta dip SLAPS! It’s my favorite dip from the cookbook shoot, as well. The lemony, mild cheesiness is mind-blowingly good. It’s soooo simple but so perfect in so many ways. Please put a limit on yourself quickly, because as soon as it leaves the oven and you pierce that top golden layer of cheese, it’s over! It’s so hard to stop eating it; you’ve been warned!

Sneaky Turkey Meatballs

# These turkey meatballs go out to all the wannabe lentil haters, aka my kids and their friends. Trust me when I say this is a don’t-ask-don’t-tell kinda situation. I love mixing beans or lentils in with meat to stretch the portion as a budget hack. Plus, most of us could use a bit more fiber anyway. Add these meatballs to my Hidden Veggie Pasta Primavera (page 95), or serve them on their own with ketchup for dipping. I like to freeze half after cooking for a future meal, which I usually reheat in the air fryer from frozen.

Coconut-Caramel Brownies

# I wanted a brownie that tasted like a certain coconut-and-chocolate Girl Scout cookie without that bland cookie getting in the way. At first, I wanted a gooey, melty caramel on top of these brownies, but on my first attempt, the caramel-coconut mixture cooked more than I had planned. But that slight crunch really hit the spot—an excellent textural contrast to the fudgy brownies. So I kept it that way.

Parmesan Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Tomato Basil Cream Cheese

# These delectable sandwiches are decidedly savory, made with a good aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (those crystals in the Parm season the dough and really bring the flavor) and filled with tomato and basil cream cheese. Serve them with cocktails, or as part of an afternoon tea spread to balance the sweeter treats. Look for jarred, roasted tomatoes at the supermarket. They’re more flavorful and less leathery than sun-dried tomatoes and meld better with cream cheese.

Cold Corn Soup with Tomato Salsa and Basil

# When summer corn is in season and you can’t think of enough ways to enjoy it, make this cold soup. It’s refreshing as a light lunch or the start to a warm-weather dinner of grilled meat or fish. Just remember not to season it until it’s fully chilled, because the temperature really affects what and how you taste. Salty-ass corn is no bueno.

Sweetcorn & Feta Pasta Salad

# A classic tuna pasta salad remains one of my all-time favourite salad recipes, holding strong nostalgic links to my childhood, and it’s something I make for my family regularly today. But my tuna-hating husband doesn’t partake, so this is an alternative version featuring feta and Cheddar instead that we all love.

Tomato Aspic

# One of the most recognizable mid-century recipes is undoubtedly aspic, a type of gelatin dish. An aspic is essentially a savory jelly made from slowly rendered meat stock, which is rich in collagen. When this collagen breaks down, it transforms into gelatin. This technique has been used for centuries, with some of the earliest printed mentions dating back to around the year 1300. Typically, these dishes served more as a lavish centerpiece for admiration than as something you would actually eat. However, I find that tomato aspic is quite enjoyable! I’ve experimented with many recipes, but I particularly love this version, which includes horseradish for a peppery kick that really awakens the palate. Not only will it be a stunning salad to share with friends, but it also offers a delightful retro taste!

Grilled Provolone with Olive Chimichurri

# Provoleta, or grilled provolone, is a popular appetizer in Argentina, typically eaten before a meal of grilled meats. Provoleta is also the name of the cheese used for the dish—it’s a low-moisture variety that is designed to be grilled. That being said, provoleta isn’t easy to find in the United States, so grab some run-of-the-mill provolone and cook it in a cast-iron skillet, either on a grill or on the stovetop. Heck, you can even toss it in a hot oven to heat it up and make it a tad gooey. I love chimichurri, an herby, vinegary sauce that pairs nicely with the saltiness of provolone, which is usually finished aging right in time for summer. I like to add Castelvetrano olives to my chimichurri for a bit of texture and because, well, I love olives. Feel free to skip them if you don’t feel the same way.

Fennel Caesar Salad

# When people say they love a Caesar salad, what they’re saying they love is the creamy anchovy lemony dressing. Romaine, the typical green for this salad, is great, but has nothing going on flavorwise. Fennel, on the other hand, now, fennel has character—a slightly licorice-y flavor that’s crunchy at the bottom (the bulb) and herby up top (the fronds). This recipe uses both aspects of fennel, as well as swapping out the croutons (the second best part of a Caesar salad) for a delicious savory granola. More flavors; better crunch. The cheffiest thing about this recipe is also the easiest: the fennel oil. The bright pop of green from the oil is an impressive touch. Here I use the leftover tops and trimmings from the fennel to make the oil, but you can use any greens you have lying around—spinach, chives, basil, parsley. Whatever you use, make sure to cool it quickly, as that’s how you maintain the brightness of the color.