Bean and Legume

Tender lima beans and fresh corn kernels straight off the cob team up to create a beautiful—and delicious—side dish that's perfect with almost any meal.

Chef Michael Schlow of Boston's Via Matta created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Serve with Schlow's Red Snapper with Black Olives, Capers, and Tomatoes.

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Hummus and guacamole served with breadsticks and veggie sticks make great finger foods for toddlers. Older children love these too, but make sure you offer a selection of breadsticks, chips, and pita bread for those few kids who turn up their noses at the sight of raw vegetables, however sweet and juicy they are.

For a heartier dish, add sliced grilled steak or chicken. Hoisin sauce can be found in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.

A hint of cumin and a touch of salsa make this quesadilla a standout.

Cinnamon, clove, cumin, and other spices perfume your house as this cooks.

Normally we consider ourselves chili purists, but this quickie version — made with a really good bottled salsa — satisfied our craving.

The secret to this dish is the touch of Sherry vinegar, added at the last minute; it lends a sprightly note that complements the rest of the meal.

Inspired by aloo paratha, Indian potato bread, these pancakes are loaded with flavorful herbs and spices.

This is an unusual use for pistou, a Provençal variant of pesto made of basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt. It's normally stirred into simple vegetable soups to give them some oomph, but it brings the same lively savoriness to green beans, contrasting nicely with their buttery quality. Don't worry about being knocked over by raw onions on top of all the other strong flavors-soaking them in cold water for 15 minutes removes some of their pungency while preserving their crunch.

In this vibrant green dish, the bitterness of broccoli rabe comes in second place to the sweetness of the peas and the comforting familiarity of olive oil and garlic.

Juicy skirt steak cooks up fast and has an amazingly robust flavor.

Tender chunks of lamb served kebab-style are paired with a traditional Mediterranean-inspired salad in this simple grilled dish.

Duqqa is a spice mixture that is sprinkled on bread and eaten with boiled eggs or soft cheese for breakfast, snacks, and appetizers. There are two types of duqqa: the regular variety, a mixture of salt, cumin, and sesame seeds, and a version with thyme, called zaatar. For both, the proportions of ingredients can vary depending on the cook's preference. Here is my version of zaatar.

Lentils are a very ancient food staple, and have been the basis of diets in the Middle East for millennia. To perk up the flavor of this soup, cooks often add a spritz of lemon juice to each serving at the last minute.

Minestra di farro
Puréed-bean soups can sometimes be monotonous, but here farro's seductively chewy texture is anything but boring. This recipe has the comforting appeal of pasta e fagioli. Farro is available from Far Away Foods (farawayfoods.com).

Charlotte Fekete of Athens, Georgia writes: "I'm a junior in college, and I'm planning to go to cooking school after graduation. I've already had some experience decorating cakes and working for a caterer, but it was my mom who taught me how to cook. I've also learned a lot from reading magazines and cookbooks." Marinating the vegetables gives them a lively pickled flavor.