Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Frugality in the kitchen is on many people’s minds these days, and for good reason. According to the USDA’s Consumer Price Index for Food, the cost of groceries has increased by over 11% just in the past year. This prompts me to be clever with meal ideas that stretch quality ingredients while still satisfying my palate and my belly.

Enter the humble loaf of bread.

What if, instead of treating bread as an accessory to a meal, it becomes the centerpiece? A crusty batard from a local bakery is indeed worthy of the spotlight, especially when topped with beautiful spring produce like fava beans, radishes, spring herbs, rhubarb or asparagus. It’s an economical (and low-effort) approach to eating. A few slices of poached chicken on their own could seem pretty measly, but fan them out over a garlic-rubbed piece of toast, drizzle with a punchy sauce and suddenly you have something much more substantial. Add a nice green salad and it’s dinner.

The concept is not revolutionary, but it is endlessly adaptable. With bread as your canvas, you can transform a few seasonal ingredients into something sweet or savory: for brunch, lunch or supper. The 12 recipes that follow are more like loose guidelines or starting points. Tweak as you see fit and have fun with what you’ve got on hand.

There is one matter to take seriously, and that is the bread itself. Though it might seem silly to give instructions for toast, I do have a few words of advice. First, start with a great loaf of bread. There are so many excellent artisan bakeries in Greater Boston, and even some supermarkets carry local pain au levains or farmhouse sourdough rounds. Seek one out. Next, determine if your tartine (French for open-faced sandwich) will be sweet or savory. For the latter, I like to griddle thick slices of rustic sourdough in a cast-iron pan slicked with olive oil. Both sides should be golden brown. For things like mushrooms, brandade or Welsh rarebit, I might then rub one side with the cut end of a garlic clove before layering on the rest. If your bread is a day or two old, you can give it a second life with a quick dunk in water or chicken stock before griddling (think giant piece of stuffing). If sweet is where you’re headed, try cooking in butter instead of olive oil. You can also save stale slices of your prized artisan bread from the compost heap by soaking them in milk mixed with an egg or two—like French toast, but without the cinnamon and vanilla. A neutral canvas will let your toppings shine.

It’s true that one cannot live “by bread alone,” so let the arrival of spring bring some inspiration to your plate, and a little Yankee thriftiness bring some relief to your wallet.

This story appeared in the Spring 2023 issue.