I'll be honest. The real star of this salmon dish is the green olive and almond tapenade. No offense to the salmon, which is sublime as always and a no-fail, simple, healthy meal.

But, frankly, it's the tapenade I want to talk about: It's positively addictive with a briny brightness that complements the buttery, rich salmon. It's also versatile. Not only is the tapenade a worthy accompaniment to grilled fish (swordfish, cod and halibut are also good contenders), it's a great stand-alone starter spooned on crostini or sprinkled over pizzas, pasta and grains.

The good news is that this recipe makes a generous amount of tapenade, so you can refrigerate the leftovers. Then you will have extra to smear on a slice of bread or swipe a carrot stick through. You might even find yourself eating it straight from the bowl with a spoon. I'm speaking from experience.

Roasted Salmon With Green Olive Tapenade

Active time: 10 minutes

Total time: about 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings; makes about 1 1/2 cups tapenade

Tapenade:

12 ounces pitted green olives

1/2 cup almonds, toasted

2 anchovies, drained

1 large garlic clove

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, pin bones removed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish

Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus 4 lemon wedges for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Make the tapenade: Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process to a coarse paste, without letting it get mushy. (The tapenade may be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the salmon in one layer in a roasting pan, skin-side down. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and the lemon juice. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the oven until the salmon is just cooked through the center, about 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Transfer to serving plates and top each fillet with about 2 tablespoons of the tapenade. Garnish each fillet with a lemon wedge before serving.

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Surely, you've heard of risotto. Well, when you switch out the rice in risotto with farro, you end up with farrotto. Like rice, the farro grains steep and simmer in a stock, but, unlike arborio rice, there is no need to stir the grains nonstop, which is great for a busy cook. Farro grains have a hearty, chewy texture without the starch found in rice. This means that it won't succumb to mushiness, and each nutty whole-wheat grain maintains its shape while cooking. You can't help but feel healthy when you eat it, and its sturdy wholesomeness makes it an especially satisfying winter dish.

Because farro is so hearty, it teams up nicely with equally earthy ingredients. Umami-rich shiitake mushrooms and sweet, nutty yellow beets are perfect accompaniments to this hefty side dish. For an even more substantial meal, you can add crumbled goat cheese to the farrotto, and call it a vegetarian dinner (just be sure to switch out the chicken stock for mushroom stock). Other sweet root vegetables, such as carrots or rutabagas, may be substituted for the beets.

Farrotto With Shiitake Mushrooms and Yellow Beets

Active time: about 1 hour

Total time: about 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 small shallot, finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Sea salt to taste plus 3/4 teaspoon, divided

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon thyme

1 cup semi-pearled farro, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock (or mushroom stock for vegetarian version)

1 medium yellow beet, about 8 ounces, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese or feta, optional

Melt the butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, lightly season with salt, and cook until they begin to soften and release their juices, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the farro and cook until slightly toasted, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed. Add the stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer until the farro is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 30 to 40 minutes.

While the farro is cooking, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the beets, 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Spread on a small rimmed baking sheet or in a baking pan and roast in the oven until the beets are tender and golden brown in spots, about 20 minutes.

When the farro is ready, stir in the beets, parsley and black pepper. Serve garnished with additional parsley and crumbled fresh goat cheese, if using.

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Come in from the cold and enjoy some cake. Spiced with ginger and not overly sweet, this coffee cake is light enough to enjoy for breakfast, tea or dessert. A double whammy of ginger, both ground and crystallized, in the topping jazzes up the simple, vanilla-infused cake, which is studded with pears and then covered with a generous layer of streusel. While the cake is delicious warm from the oven, the ginger flavor will intensify as the cake cools -- that is, if you can wait that long.

Pear and Ginger Streusel Cake

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Yield: makes 1 (8-inch) cake; 6 to 8 servings

Topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, in small pieces

Cake:

2 firm pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper and butter the parchment.

Make the streusel: Combine the flour, sugar, gingers and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is pea-sized. Set aside.

For the cake: Toss the pears with the lemon juice in a small bowl.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Cream the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix to blend. Add the flour mixture; mix on low speed until just combined without overmixing. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Arrange the pears in a concentric pattern over the batter and spread the streusel evenly over the pears.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Run a knife around the sides of the cake and release the sides of the pan. Cool the cake and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The cake may be covered and stored at room temperature for up to two days.

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