Chicken Legs with Braised Peas and Onions

Mark Sargeant, my head chef at Claridge\’s, in London, and general right-hand man, considers this his most favorite dish. The braised peas and onions are similar to petits pois à la française, a French classic that even featured on Mark\’s retro menu for his wedding reception—served with homemade sausages and mash. Yield: SERVES 4 ...

Braised Leeks with Lemon

I make these each year for Thanksgiving, using some jealously guarded turkey stock made the year before. (A recipe for turkey stock is in my book Soup, A Way of Life.) These stay pale in color and can be happily prepared using canned chicken broth. They are good for vegetarians and excellent hot or cold. The leeks vinaigrette variation is a traditional French bistro dish made with non-meat stock. Using the leek broth will give a more...

Chicken Basque

This easy chicken bistro dish with its Spanish flavors is one of my favorite ways of incorporating rice into a dish. Serve the comforting stew with crisp steamed broccoli. ...

Fragrant Indian Carrot and Lentil Soup

I have given a classic vegetarian soup a bit of a spicy twist, adding ginger, coriander, and curry powder. Blending only half the soup keeps the G.I. low and gives it texture. Yield: Serves 6-8 ...

Pasta E Fagioli

This is that life-saving, thick, pasta-and-bean meal of a soup as sung about by Dean Martin in “That’s Amore.” It’s just the thing you want to eat when the rain’s battering against the windowpanes and just what you need to cook to make you feel that you’re safe and warm, happy and occupied within. I have to say, it’s the first time I’ve included a knee-high hosiery sock among any list of...