Vegan

Broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale. You'll need to cook and cool the rice before you begin.

This is a basic court-bouillon that can be used to poach any kind of shellfish and most firm meaty fish.

This "salsa" is actually a sort of fruit salad, but it does contain the quintessential salsa ingredients, lime juice and jalapeño peppers. The jalapeños are certainly unexpected, but they have an interesting way of intensifying the sweetness of the pineapple.

A salsa this simple lives or dies by the quality of the ingredients—ripe avocado, luscious tomato, and a sweet, crunchy ear of corn. Most of my corn salsa recipes call for grilled corn. This one features the succulent crunch of raw corn to reinforce the sweetness of the fresh avocado.

Tomatoes are great for grilling. The searing heat caramelizes the tomato's natural sugars. Tomatoes readily absorb the flavors of herbs and other seasonings, and their shocking red color looks terrific on a plate along with grilled poultry, seafood, or beef. The tomatoes can be grilled on any sort of indoor grill—for that matter, you could also smoke them in a stove-top smoker.

This fabulous sorbet is a twist on the classic prune Armagnac ice cream. The prunes can macerate in the Armagnac indefinitely if kept in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

The cooking time of lentils varies — the fresher they are, the faster they will cook.

Calabazas are commonly found at Latino markets already cut into large wedges; kabochas are generally sold at natural foods stores.

Insalata di Sedano, Avocado, e Peperone con Olive Nere I find the flavors and texture of this salad to be particularly agreeable immediately following a seafood course.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living. For Maxwell's tips on throwing a summer pool party, click here. Pineapple is the international symbol of welcome, and this light dessert is prepared in advance so all you have to do when guests arrive is serve it. I first had it at the beach. It originated with my friend David Mandel, and he's made many variations of it with different fruits.

Food editor Ruth Cousineau learned this technique in Seville; it ensures the eggplant maintains its shape and flavor perfectly.