Root Vegetable

A popular kimchi enjoyed in the summer, this dish is a good example of the ying and the yang in Korean cuisine. The coolness of the cucumbers is balanced with the spiciness of the chile powder. Even in the fermentation process, the cucumbers stay nice and crisp. You'll need a 1/2-gallon glass jar to hold the cucumbers.

The lamb (grass-fed, ideally) needs to marinate overnight, so be sure to begin one day ahead. Ask the butcher to bone and butterfly the lamb for you.

Because it's such a tender cut, pork tenderloin is relatively quick-cooking—and it's impressive to serve. Add steamed rice to complete the meal.

Poblanos Rellenos con Papas y Aguacate What a wonderful dish this is, full of unexpected flavors and textures. Roasted poblano chiles are stuffed with mashed potatoes and avocados, then marinated in a sweet-and-sour mixture seasoned with roasted garlic.

Vichyssoise (pronounced vih-shee-swazh) is a cold potato and leek soup. This version adds the pure flavor of asparagus, along with a hint of mint.

This vegetarian main course is satisfying and flavorful.

This recipe calls for aged Sherry (instead of vinegar), which gives the dressing an added kick.

One 16-ounce container of ricotta is enough for this recipe and leftovers.

The dip gets better the longer it sits, so make it a day ahead.

This recipe makes enough salad for a picnic in the park, or to pack in your lunch all week.

Start steaming some rice right after you preheat the barbecue to make this a complete meal.

Gina: This colorful salad is one of my go-to recipes when I need something to satisfy a crowd, whether at a church potluck supper or a backyard barbecue. The champagne vinaigrette gives the beans a fresh, zippy flavor. For the best results, add the fresh beans to the salad just before serving, so they do not discolor.

Here's a more contemporary take on potato salad: Two kinds of potatoes give it eye appeal and a richer flavor. Tossing the potatoes with arugula and bacon adds a peppery crunch and plenty of smoky goodness (and you know how we feel about the smoke!)—and practically makes this salad a meal. Because sweet potatoes are so dense, and they take a few minutes longer to cook than regular potatoes, we cook them separately. This salad doubles easily for a party, and goes great with barbecued brisket or grilled sausages.

In Philippine cuisine, dark, fairly harsh soy sauce is favored, but it's often combined with sugar to create a syrupy dressing for vegetables. The added garlic gives this sweet and salty sauce a pleasant kick. This recipe originally accompanied Lumpia Rolls .

This wonderful slaw is a great twist on classic cole slaw. If you like your slaw crunchier, make it just before the party.

Steamed Uku Laulau with Ginger-Scallion Sauce Laulau is the traditional Hawaiian method of wrapping salted fish in taro and ti leaves and then steaming it in the imu. Later, the method was used for salted pork. In this recipe, we get much the same effect using ti leaves in a steamer. Like other snappers, the delicate flesh of the uku is best steamed. The Chinese-style sauce gives the perfect finishing touch without overwhelming the subtle flavors of the fish.

The traditional Egyptian breakfast of dried fava beans is also the national dish, eaten at all times of the day, in the fields, in village mud-houses, and in the cities. Restaurants serve it as a mezze, and it is sold in the streets. Vendors put the beans in large, round, narrow-necked vessels, which they bury through the night in the dying embers of the public baths. Ful medames is pre-Ottoman and pre-Islamic. It is probably as old as the Pharaohs. According to an Arab saying: “Beans have satisfied even the Pharaohs.” Egyptians gleefully tell you that the little brown beans have been found in pharaonic tombs and have been made to germinate. There are fields of them, and promotional explanations on fake papyrus by the Ministry of Agriculture. Of course, they could have been put there by tomb robbers. There are many types of dried fava beans—small, middle-sized, and large, all of which can be used—and there are very good-quality canned ones. Most expatriates are happy with canned ones, which they improve on with flavorings and trimmings. These need to be turned into a pan with their juice and cooked for 15 minutes.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this lunch. Store this tasty salad in a wide-mouthed thermal container, use several Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves to wrap around the salad instead of bread, and pack the nuts separately in a little plastic bag for sprinkling. For those who can take the heat, add a splash of Chinese hot oil or hot sesame oil to the salad.

These roll-ups are great for school and burst with tuna and veggies. If your child likes wasabi's heat, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon to the tuna mixture.

This dish is sumptuous but a snap to make. Once you've browned the chicken, simply pop it into the oven and baste it occasionally. Serve it over buttered noodles to soak up all the luscious juices.