1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups onion, finely chopped
2 cups fennel bulbs, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, slightly crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces lean ground pork
¼ cup dry white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
(1) 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
8 ounces rigatoni, preferably whole grain

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat a large non nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in olive oil and add onion, fennel and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes, until onion is translucent.

Add fennel seeds, oregano, pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper, and pork to pan with onions and fennel. Stir to combine and brown pork for 3-4 minutes, chopping it up with the edge of a stiff spatula. Pour in wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan while wine evaporates.

Add tomato and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes (or more if you have time), stirring occasionally. While sauce is simmering, boil pasta, drain and return to pot. Scrape sauce into pot with pasta and toss to coat well.

Serves 4

12 ounces whole grain pasta
2 chicken sausages, cooked and thinly sliced
1 recipe Melted Squash
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
sea salt
¼ cup walnuts
1 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil and start pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat sausage and squash in a large, covered saute pan over medium heat.

Pound garlic to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of sea salt. Add walnuts and continue to pound. Add a handful of basil leaves and pound to a paste. Add another handful and pound that to a paste. Whisk in olive oil and vinegar. (Alternatively, you could just blend all the pesto ingredients in a food processor … but it’s not as fun

Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water, and return pasta to pot. Toss squash and sausage with pasta. Whisk pasta water into pesto and add to pot. Toss for 2 minutes to thoroughly coat.

Serves 4

6 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (approximately 1-1/3 cups)
3 ounces white whole-wheat flour (approximately 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
6 ounces (by weight) warm (100 F to 110 F) water (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Stir together flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Create a well in center of flour mixture and pour in warm water and oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too heavy to stir, then switch to a rounded bowl scraper until you have a sticky, ragged mass. Cover with plastic wrap (or a shower cap—a handy reusable alternative to plastic wrap) and let stand at room temperature for 18-24 hours.

15 minutes after mixing dough, scrape around the edge of the bowl with a bowl scraper, pulling the dough into the center. Repeat (if you have time) 15 minutes later. (If you have time during the first 2 hours, fold the dough over on itself every half-hour: After a couple of repeats, the mass will come together into a smooth, wet dough. The folding also helps distribute the yeast more quickly.)

When the dough is very bubbly (18-24 hours), scrape it down with the dough scraper. Dust a counter with flour (more heavily if the dough seems really wet). Dust the top with more flour. Divide the dough in half. Place 1 portion on the work surface (cover remaining portion to keep it from drying out). Fold the dough over onto itself—pick up one side and fold it to the middle, then the opposite side, then the top, and then the bottom. Press down lightly, adding more flour as needed, and repeat the folding one more time. Flip the dough over and shape it very gently, cupping it between your palms and rotating it, into a ball. Repeat with remaining portion. (At this point, you can either roll the dough out to use, or put each portion of dough in a plastic zip-top bag and freeze them to use another time. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator.)

Dust a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently shape 1 dough portion into a 10- to 12-inch round on a lightly floured work surface (you can do this by hand or with a rolling pin). Transfer the dough to the dusted pizza peel or baking sheet. Pile on the toppings and transfer the pizza* to a hot pizza stone preheated to 500 degrees F on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake 9-12 minutes or until the toppings are bubbly and the crust is golden.

Yields 2 (10- to 12-inch) pizza crusts

* The pizza should easily slide from the cornmeal-dusted peel onto the stone, but this is a maneuver that can take some practice. An alternative is to shape the dough, transfer it to a square of parchment paper that’s slightly larger than your pizza, top it as desired, and then place the parchment paper with the pizza onto the hot stone.

Pesto
2 cups arugula, trimmed
4 cloves garlic, mashed
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt

(makes a double batch of pesto)

Pasta
2 spicy Italian chicken sausages, removed from casing
1/2 pound farfalle pasta (preferably whole wheat)
kosher salt
2cups arugula, trimmed

Blend arugula through vinegar in a blender or food processor until smooth. Slowly pour in olive oil until the mixture has formed an emulsion. Pulse in cheese, season to taste with salt and set aside.

Saute sausage in a large pot over medium heat until browned, breaking up into pieces with the edge of a spatula. Set sausage aside to drain on paper towel and wipe out the pot. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil with a generous pinch of salt.

Cook pasta as directed and drain. Toss pasta with arugula, sausage and 1/2 the pesto and serve.

Serves 4

15 ounces unbleached, organic bread flour, plus extra for shaping
5 ounces white whole wheat flour
3/8 ounce sea salt
1 cup coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
16 ounces (by weight) water
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast OR 1 ounce sourdough starter*

Put a 3-quart bowl on a kitchen scale. Weigh out the flours and salt. Add the olives and rosemary. Stir with a wooden spoon; make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the water and yeast or sourdough starter. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too heavy, and then switch to a rounded bowl scraper. Dribble in more water, if needed, to make a sticky, ragged mass. Cover with plastic wrap (Wisner likes to use a travel shower cap, which works like a charm), and let stand at room temperature for 18-24 hours.

If you have time, during the first 2 hours or so, use the dough scraper to fold the dough over on itself about every half-hour: scrape around the edge of the bowl, pulling the dough into the center. After a couple of repeats, the mass will come together into a smooth, wet dough. The folding also helps distribute the yeast more quickly. If you’re going out, do at least one turn 15 minutes after the initial mixing and, if you can squeeze it in, another 15 minutes after the first.

When the dough is very bubbly and at about the top of the bowl (18-24 hours), scrape it down with the dough scraper. Dust a counter fairly heavily with bread flour (more heavily if the dough seems scarily wet). Dust the top with more flour (observing same principle as before). Fold the dough over onto itself—pick up one side and fold it to the middle, then the opposite side, then the top, and then the bottom. Press down lightly, adding more flour as needed, and repeat the folding one more time. Flip the dough over and shape it very gently, cupping it between your palms and rotating it, into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap (or the shower cap, or upend the bowl over the dough) and let it rest 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, get out a medium-sized cutting board or the bottom of a cookie sheet and lay a clean tea towel on it. Dust the towel lightly with flour and then generously with polenta. (This prevents the dough from sticking to the towel during its final rise/proofing.)

Gently reshape the rested dough into a ball and place it, seam-side-down, on the tea towel. Dust it lightly with bread flour and then with polenta. Cover with another tea towel and place the board and dough in a large plastic bag (a kitchen garbage bag works well) to proof. Let stand 1 hour.

While the dough proofs, place a 5-quart cast-iron Dutch oven and lid in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Remove the dough from the plastic bag; set it somewhere where it will be easy to transfer the dough into the preheated Dutch oven. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Remove the top tea towel and flip the dough into the pot. The dough will now be seam-side up. (This is important—the loaf will open along the seam as it rises. If the dough drops seam-side-down into the pot, just use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the top of the dough so it can rise properly.) Grasp the pot with your hot pads and give it a good shake to make sure the bread rolls easily in the pot and is not sticking. Recover the pot and return it to the oven.

Immediately lower the heat to 425 degrees F. Bake 30 minutes. Remove lid from Dutch oven and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the bread is dark gold on top. Immediately turn the loaf out onto a rack to cool.

Yields 1 (2-1/2 pound) loaf

*If your yeast is fresh, there’s no need to bloom it in warm water. But if, like me, you keep it in a jar in the fridge or it’s been sitting in the pantry for a long time, go ahead and bloom it in warm 100-110F water for 5 minutes. I usually warm up a portion of the water used for the recipe and bloom the yeast in that.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces (1 medium head)
Sea salt
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 ounces pepperoni slices, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons nonpareil capers, drained
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
10 ounces whole grain spaghetti

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti to al dente and drain.

While pasta is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat with the oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook for 5-8 minutes, flipping occasionally, until cauliflower is browned and just almost tender all the way through.

Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil, and the garlic and pepperoni. Toss to coat. Cook another 3-5 minutes, until garlic is toasted and cauliflower can be pierced with a fork. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add capers and pepper flakes and toss again.

Add drained spaghetti to pan and toss well to coat with sauce.

Serves 4

3 spicy Italian sausages, removed from casings
Sea salt, to taste
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
2 bunches of broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Finishing salt (such as Maldon salt) OR grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Sauté sausage in a large pot over medium heat until browned, breaking up into pieces with the edge of a spatula. Set sausage aside to drain on paper towel and wipe out the pot. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil with a generous pinch of salt.

While waiting for water to boil, mash the garlic to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt. Whisk in chile flakes, olive oil and chicken stock, and set aside.

When the water comes to a rapid boil, pour the pasta into the pot. Cook for 8 minutes and add broccoli rabe to pot. Cook another 3 minutes, until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta and broccoli rabe, return to the pot and toss with the garlic and olive oil over low heat. Add sausage and toss well.

Top with an extra dose of sea salt (Maldon is our favorite) or a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Serves 4

6 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 (8-ounce) container sliced button or cremini mushrooms
Sea salt, to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
4 ounces (1 cup) preshredded Swiss and Gruyere cheese (or any blend you like)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and return pasta to the pan you used to cook it. Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onion, and saute 2 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Saute 5 minutes or until the mushrooms release their liquid and are slightly browned. Set aside.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add butter; cook until melted. Whisk in flour, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk; cook 1 minute or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Whisk in nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add cheese and mushroom mixtures to cooked pasta, stirring to combine thoroughly.

Scrape pasta mixture into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with wheat germ. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons oyster sauce, divided
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 ounces wide rice noodles
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup water, divided
3 cloves garlic
1 serrano pepper, stemmed and seeded
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 cup cremini mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup green beans, topped and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup onion, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup Asian basil, roughly chopped or torn
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and soy sauce. Add tofu to bowl and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (if you can, do this step the night before, then cover and leave in the fridge).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn off heat and add noodles. Stir to immerse noodles and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining tablespoon of oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.

Pound garlic and chile to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a small pinch of salt (or mince finely with a knife). Set aside.

Gather all the ingredients near the stove before beginning to cook. Heat a large stainless steel pan or wok over high heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon Canola oil. Add the tofu and veggies and toss well. Spread out into a single layer and let set for 30-45 seconds, until color forms where there’s contact with the pan. Use a flat, stiff spatula to flip the veggies and then flatten them out again. Repeat the set-flip every 30-45 seconds for 5 minutes, until the veggies are crisp tender and charred in places. Scrape the veggies into a large bowl and set aside.

Return pan to stove and lower heat to medium. Swirl in remaining 2 tablespoons oil and add garlic-chile paste to pan. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, until fragrant, then add noodles and toss well to coat with oil. Add remaining 2 tablespoons water to pan and spread noodles out into a single layer. Let them sit for 30-45 seconds, again until color forms where there’s contact with the pan, and then toss and flip them with tongs and your spatula. Repeat the set-flip every 30-45 seconds for 2-3 minutes.

When noodles are tender to the bite (yes, taste them), push them to the side of the pan and add the egg to the open space. Let the egg set a bit and then lightly scramble with your tongs. Add the veggies back to the pan and toss everything to incorporate.

Pour the reserved sauce over all and toss several times to coat well.

Stir in Asian basil and cilantro and serve.

Serves 4

Pearled barley yields a creamy, toothsome risotto. And here’s your language lesson for the day: The Italian word for barley is orzo (not to be confused with the rice-shaped pasta of the same name), and risotto made with barley is called orzotto. Yes, we probably should call this orzotto, but most people will think of this as risotto. In any case, it’s delicious by any name. This recipe also would be tasty with pearled farro (labeled farro perlato) if you find it at gourmet markets, in which case, this would be farrotto.

1 cup pearled barley
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
Sea salt, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce prosciutto, chopped
1 cup shelled fresh English peas (about 1 pound in pod) OR 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus additional shaved cheese for garnish

Place barley in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water by 1-1/2 inches. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 8-12 hours.

Place stock in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Drain the barley. Spread it on a clean kitchen towel and blot it dry.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and a pinch of salt, and cook 2 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add barley and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine and cook 3 minutes, or until wine is absorbed. Add 3 cups of the warm stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook at a low boil for 12-15 minutes or until the barley is tender and creamy, stirring occasionally.

While the barley cooks, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto and cook 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove prosciutto from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Raise heat to medium. Add peas and remaining 1/2 cup warm stock to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until the peas are tender and stock evaporates.

Stir peas and grated cheese into barley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with prosciutto and shaved cheese.

Serves 4