Summer

If you don’t feel like smoking up your kitchen by charring the beans on the stovetop, try grilling or just blanching them instead.

You don’t have to use mozzarella; other fresh cheeses like ricotta, goat, or feta will work, though you might miss that stretchy molten-cheese effect.

If you’d like, soak the beans overnight before cooking; it will help them cook more quickly and evenly.

A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is your friend here. If, despite your best efforts, the frittata sticks when you turn it out, just flip it back over so that any imperfections are hidden underneath.

This recipe packs in all the punches puttanesca is known for—salty! briny! olive-y!—without the need to cook a sauce. Two types of tomatoes are involved: beefsteaks get blended until smooth, and then tossed with cherry tomato halves.

Herby cumin-spiced lamb and squash over a bed of creamy hummus makes for a delicious and simple dinner. Serve it with lots of toasted pita for scooping everything up.

Lamb chops need enough time on the grill to let the fat render. You’ll get flare-ups as the fat melts onto the coals—that’s inevitable—but instead of letting the chops char, just move them to a new spot as needed and keep going.

If you’re going to turn on the oven in August, it better be for a good reason: This sauce, made from broiled tomatoes and peppers, is tangy, smoky, juicy, and definitely worth it.

Sweet corn is perfectly paired with briny clams in this dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight, but elegant enough for a special occasion. Serve it with plenty of good bread to dunk in the broth.

The method for marinating the feta in this salad is also a good trick for other fresh cheeses—try goat, mozzarella, or paneer.

You can use various heirloom cucumbers for this savory-sweet salad recipe; if you can find them, flaunt them.

Spoiler alert: We broke with tradition. Instead of rubbing toast with cut tomatoes, we grated the tomatoes to make a raw sauce that the bread can really absorb.