Grilling

No need to heat up the oven. Not only is grilling faster than baking, but it also adds a nice smoky flavor to the pizza.

The richness of the lamb is balanced by the sweet-tart lemon sauce. To make things easier, ask the butcher to trim the lamb for you.

Also great made with ground lamb.

The Japanese flavors at work here are a great way to add stylishness and exoticism to an inexpensive cut. And the whole thing really sings when you pair it with the <epi recipelink="" id="350696">Napa cabbage slaw</epi>.

While traditional couscous with its exotic spices is the stuff of cold winter nights, I love that the same spices—ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin—can make a cool couscous salad that's perfect on even the sultriest days. My favorite go-along is grilled chicken, but the salad is also good with grilled fish. When I've got leftover couscous, I spoon it onto a bed of lightly dressed greens, surround it with slices of tomato (and sometimes hard-boiled eggs), and call it lunch.

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes—with its corn, tomatoes, basil, and unexpected nectarine, it sings out "summer." The first time I made this warm salad, I served it to Michael Newburg and Amelia Hunt, the owners of Falls Brook Organic Farm. Everything was from the market, including the scallops, so Michael and Amelia knew the provenance of every ingredient (including their own basil and tomatoes), which made this delicious dish even better.

Bright, fresh, and vinegary-tart, this is a fun play on Sicilian caponata, a dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and olives. For a twist on the classic, I like to serve slices of eggplant topped with chunky tomato salsa. The dish can be a first course or part of an easy buffet lunch.

If you like things spicy, you'll love this dish. The marinade for the steak gets its heat from sambal oelek, an Indonesian chili paste, and some grated ginger, while the peppers get their spark from sriracha, a Thai chili sauce. Fresh watermelon cubes cool it all down, but not so much that you won't welcome an icy beer. Keep the pepper recipe handy—it’s also good with chicken and white fish. Be sure to start marinating the steak at least two hours ahead.

For such a rich fish, tuna is a good team player—it takes well to all kinds of seasoning. Here, I give it some tang by marinating it with lemon juice and zest, onions, capers, rosemary, and the most surprising ingredient: some of the juice from the caper jar. Have fun playing around with the herbs in the salad; just make sure not to toss them with the dressing until you're ready to serve—tender leaves wilt quickly.

Hoisin adds a bit of rich, sweet flavor to this corn.

A popular cut in the West, tri-tip is also called "triangle roast." It comes from the bottom sirloin.

Soybeans replace potatoes in this clever take on skordalia (a garlicky Greek dip). It's perfect with the grilled chicken.

Tzatziki is a popular Greek sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and dill. Here we've subbed in shallots for garlic and used it to top skewers of shrimp. Serve any leftovers with pita chips, as a substitute for mayo on roast chicken sandwiches, or as a sauce for grilled lamb.

We've added an editor's note about broiling the chicken rather than grilling it. If you use regular skewers without decorations, feel free to skewer the chicken before you place it on the grill.

This recipe yields two extra portions for second helpings. The hens are brined for at least six hours, so be sure to plan ahead. To make things easier, ask the butcher to halve the hens for you.

Fresh leaves give the classic lamb and mint sauce pairing a new twist. Great with jasmine rice and bok choy.

This shrimp appetizer almost has the iron of steak but far fewer calories.

Whether used as a marinade or as a sauce, a versatile chimichurri complements most any grilled fish, chicken, or meat.