Sally Pasley Vargas

1 week ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Dutch baby, a large, puffy, baked eggy pancake, is perfect for a Mother's Day brunch. As the story of its origin goes (true or not, food legends persist), in Seattle in the early 20th century, Manca's Cafe served German pancakes. The owner's daughter could not pronounce the word ''Deutsch'' (which means German), so the specialty became Dutch Baby. It's a nice story, but the big pancake goes by another name in Germany, writes Karen Lodder on the blog German Girl in America.

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

A taco bar at home is fun and festive. All the filling components can be made ahead, placed in small serving bowls, and refrigerated. Start by roasting salmon slathered with an easy chile paste, then run it under the broiler to crisp and brown the top. Make a colorful salad of kale, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and jalapeno. Mexican crema is like thinned sour cream, and this green version, flavored with cilantro and jalapenos, takes these tacos up a notch.

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Pizza Crackers with Potato and ProsciuttoSally Pasley Vargas for The Boston GlobeServes 4 as dinner or 8 cut into piecesThese thin, elongated flatbreads, which we're calling pizza crackers, topped with potato and prosciutto, are inspired by Italian lingue pizzas (lingue means ''tongue'' in Italian). They're ideal for snacking, a light lunch, or serving with an aperitif.

4 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Makes one 9-inch roundThis gorgeous strawberry ricotta tart makes a show-stopping dessert for your Easter gathering. Make it easy on yourself by prepping the components in stages. Start by making a sweet cookie dough crust a few days ahead; roll it out and freeze it for up to three months. Once you have the dough in hand, you'll need to line it with parchment and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Partially prebake it to ensure it stays crisp once you add the filling.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

A one-pan chicken dish for Passover begins with shallots, potatoes, fennel, and carrots roasted until almost tender. The vegetables are topped with chicken pieces (cut up a whole chicken or use parts) with some chicken stock and a touch of vinegar added to the pan. When they finish roasting, the delicious juices produce a flavorful sauce. Add short lengths of asparagus to the vegetables at the last minute. To keep the spears bright and appealing, steam them on the stovetop while the chicken roasts.