Serrano Ham

Pair fancy ham, funky cheese, and juicy fruit with a black-pepper-spiked agrodolce drizzle to elevate this simple summer side.

It’s aioli-slathered toast doused in brothy butter beans, clams, and crispy ham. What else do you need to know?

Use prosciutto if Serrano is unavailable, and make sure the relish is nice and acidic to stand up to the richness of the ham and eggs. This recipe is from Morcilla, one of the Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Thanks to both canned tuna and store-bought frozen puff pastry, this Galician empanada is very easy to make.

This isn't just a recipe for any ole ham sandwich. It's a Monte Cristo sandwich, and that's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Use prosciutto if Serrano is unavailable, and make sure the relish is nice and acidic to stand up to the richness of the ham and eggs. This recipe is from Morcilla, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Mexican chef Roberto Santibañez invented this dish. Fresh corn adds a bright note to the buttery pudding, which pairs well with ribs, chicken, or salmon. Not a meat eater? Omit the ham without missing out on the bold variety of flavors. The pudding calls for instant corn masa mix, sometimes called masa harina, which can be found in the international aisle of the grocery store. This recipe easily doubles or triples for larger gatherings.

A tartine is an open-faced sandwich usually composed of a slice of crusty artisan bread topped with a spread, vegetables, and sometimes meat or fish. They are usually served along with a soup or a salad to make a complete meal—definitely one of my favorites. In this recipe, figs, Serrano ham, goat cheese, and greens are piled on top of a savory hazelnut crust.

I see no reason why salads should be limited to greens. This one has a ton of different textures and flavors and is as visually rewarding as it is delicious. Vermont is famous for its fall color, so when I thought of this dish, I wanted all the components to come together on a platter in the same way that autumn leaves fall together in a collage of color on the forest floor. There are bits of roasted squash, blanched squash, pickled squash, and even toasted squash seeds. While I don't like dishes that are so fussy and manipulated they look less like food and more like art, I can't deny that we eat first with our eyes.

Try this tasty, nutritious combination from Gene Briggs, executive chef of Blue and Table restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina. Folate in the asparagus helps prevent anemia; grapes contribute good-for-your-heart flavonoids.