Salad

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

This midsummer fare is adapted from a dish I enjoyed at 192, our favorite wine-bar-restaurant in London's Kensington: its inspiration is, I am sure, from Spain. You can buy a whole chunk of chorizo sausage — or a string of smaller ones — to slice yourself. Most good gourmet stores stock chorizo (mild or spicy), and many supermarkets do, too.

A delicious side dish from Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Start this meal with canned black-bean soup; add some chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. If you like, serve the salad on a bed of greens and pass warm French rolls. Finish with lemon squares from the bakery.

The aged goat cheese called for in this recipe is firmer than fresh and has a dry rind. Two kinds work best in this dish, Bucheron and Pouligny-St.-Pierre, both of which have just the right amount of tang — but ask at the cheese counter for comparable substitutes if you have trouble finding them. Cafe Pasqual's, in Santa Fe, serves its version of this dish — "pigs 'n' figs" — with blue cheese. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

This recipe is an accompaniment for Old-Fashioned Potato Salad.

Look for Gold or Strawberry papayas. Their sweet flavor complements this tangy crab salad beautifully.

The flavors of this salad go well with honey-glazed grilled chicken or pork chops.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Crumbled feta cheese makes a nice topping.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

This recipe yields enough dressing for both the seafood salad and the rice .

Drizzling sweet pickle juice over the warm potatoes is the secret to this delicious salad.

Colorful, refreshing and delicious.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.