This crostini brings together culinary worlds that once seemed far apart—Italian crostini and the classic New York bagel with lox. It’s like a mini bagel reinvented as an elegant Italian appetizer, uniting the smoky richness of Jewish deli tradition with the fresh, herby simplicity of Mediterranean cuisine.

I think any smoked meat can be used in this soup.

This green Greek-style salad highlights ingredients that have been staples in Mediterranean kitchens since antiquity. Dill and feta were commonly paired in Greek home cooking long before tomatoes became widespread, making this fresh, herb-forward salad closer to the oldest forms of Greek salads.

You can use any meat for these patties. I prefer a mixture of beef, pork and veal in a 1:1:1 ratio.

Everything tastes better when it's wrapped in a warm, fluffy hug!