5 Ingredients or Fewer

For a flavor change, replace beef or chicken broth with this tasty, so-easy-to-make broth. If you have extra broth, see the Cook’s Tip on Freezing Broth (page 51).

Lower in sodium than commercially baked chips, these crunchy snacks are very easy to make, especially if you have a mandolin or a food processor to slice the veggies quickly and uniformly.

Garlic can be enhanced in a number of ways, each having their own flavor profile. Blanching in water prevents oxidation (and therefore harshness). Poaching in olive oil does the same thing, and yields garlic-flavored olive oil that can be used for basting, coating, and vinaigrettes. Roasted garlic can be sliced as cloves or mashed into a luscious puree that will melt into sauces. Toasting garlic gives it a nutty flavor that is all its own.

Roasting lemons and shallots brings out their natural sugars and imparts a smoky flavor as well. Try variations, too, such as oranges and large cloves of garlic.

Smoked sea salts add a burst of flavor to raw and cooked foods when used as finishing or condiment salts. The options and flavors you can create are limitless. Anything from the aromatics list (opposite) will impart magical flavor to pure sea salt. Take it a step further and add other flavorings by tossing them into the salt before smoking.

This dessert is so simple, yet so tasty. It’s fun to do at a campfire or in a backyard fire pit. Once the pineapple is secured to the spit with prongs, all you need to do is baste it with the rum syrup every few minutes until it’s beautifully golden. The aromas from the syrup and the caramelizing pineapple are mouthwatering! Serve it with a slice of pound cake or, better still, with ice cream.

This version of a classic clambake was designed a La Caja China box roaster. If you don’t have one, use a large stockpot layered with 4 inches of seaweed, then loaded and cooked as directed, using a wood-fired grill or a wood-fired oven. Cover and cook for about 1 hour, then remove the lid and cook until tender. Note: You’ll need about 5 pounds (1 gallon) of seaweed for this recipe.

This was the first dish I learned to cook on the Big Green Egg, at the masterful hands of Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ. This recipe yields a very succulent, lightly cooked, smoky fish. It calls for salmon, but any seasonal fish such as halibut or even trout can be substituted. I like to keep the seasoning to a minimum so the flavor of the fresh fish comes through. If you choose to add more herbs to your version, dried herbs work best. Adding fruit wood chips to the hot coals contributes another layer of flavor. I like apple wood best for maintaining a sweet flavor. Serve with lightly dressed baby greens.

Luscious cannellini beans are one of my favorites, whether plain, drizzled with olive oil, or baked with melting garlic and rosemary. They can be cooked in a wood-fired oven, in embers in the fireplace, or over indirect heat on a grill. Cook the sausage at the same time. This recipe is extraordinarily easy to make, letting the clay pot and the fire be the star flavor contributors, along with the sausage.

As soon as it’s artichoke season, I often make this dish when I’m firing the oven for making bread or pizza. It’s so very simple in both ingredients and technique, you’ll want to make it often. After you’ve baked your bread, throw this dish in the oven for a quick accompaniment to your meal. The heat from the oven slightly caramelizes the outer leaves of the artichokes and the skins of the lemons. You’ll be amazed at how flavorful and sweet artichokes taste cooked this way! The lemons and juices are used to make a dipping sauce.

Brussels sprouts are misunderstood. They are often served overcooked, mushy, with not a lot of flavor. When wood-fire roasted along with shallots, however, they become caramelized, subtly smoky, and sweet.

These potatoes are the best roasted potatoes you’ve ever tasted! The radiant heat from the salt crisps the skin while holding in the natural moisture of the potatoes. This method can be used for roasting other vegetables, such as beets, sweet potatoes, and even small acorn squash. The salt can be saved and reused for roasting another batch of vegetables. Or you can place some of the salt in a jar to add to the flavored-salt collection in your pantry.

Plank cooking is a great technique for other foods besides fish. Steak cooked on a plank stays moist because of the damp smoke created by the soaked wood. The plank keeps the meat from drying out, and it also helps prevent flare-ups when grilling. In this recipe, the plank lends subtle smoky tones that harmonize with the roasted-mushroom rub. A garnish of smoked sea salt complements the earthy flavors. Aromatic wood planks for cooking can be purchased today at many kitchenware stores. More choices are available online (see Resources). Alder, cedar, hickory, maple, and oak are best for cooking. (see wood chart, page 11.)