Melissa Hamilton

Easy to make and super versatile, this simple grilled salmon goes with anything you want to serve alongside.

Like many long-simmered sauces, this one, perhaps the most delicious of all the Italian meat sauces, is more flavorful and balanced the following day.

Use this rich, creamy Italian white sauce for lasagna, gratins, and mac and cheese.

A crunchy crust gives way to the tender egg inside, and the crumbs soak up the velvety yolk.

Newsflash: you're messing up your tomato sauce by cooking it.

The success of this simple soup depends on using the freshest watercress available. Choose the full-grown, thick-stemmed variety; it has more of the green's characteristic bold, peppery flavor.

For this classic garlic bread, you can cut and butter the bread well in advance, but don’t bake it until guests arrive. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

To prevent the pasta from getting too soft, we cook it separately and toss it with olive oil and chopped parsley, then spoon it into each bowl of soup.

Using mature arugula leaves instead of the baby variety will make for a more peppery salsa. For a nice variation, try it with fresh basil and/or parsley.

We developed this thick, garlicky yogurt sauce sprinkled with tart sumac to pair with eggplants that had been roasted directly on a bed of hot coals. They get so smoky and silky, that this cold, creamy sauce paired perfectly—especially when served with grilled naan. That said, you can use it on just about anything. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings besides sumac, like lemon zest, za'atar, or crushed red pepper flakes.

This bright vinaigrette is good for a lot more than just grilled eggplant.

Grill the tomatoes just before you place the eggplants in the coals.

Once you've charred them, you can drizzle these eggplants with your best extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some coarse salt for a simple side.