Dinner

To give steaks a boost, chef David Myers of Hinoki & the Bird in Los Angeles, makes an herb rub (he likes to dry the herbs himself; if you don’t have a microwave, sub in 1 tsp. of each dried herb) and pairs the meat with a tart ponzu sauce (ponzu is available at Asian markets and some supermarkets).

Thanks to two very hands-off methods for the lamb and polenta, this is an excellent choice for a dinner party.

Chef Rene Ortiz of Sway in Austin, cooks a lot of tofu for his young vegetarian son. “He loves it,” says Ortiz, “and in order for all of us to eat it, it has to taste like something.” Ortiz’s solution: Let the porous tofu soak up the flavors of malty Chinese black vinegar and soy sauce.

At Lafayette restaurant in New York City, the lamb is served with cooked quinoa that’s folded into couscous, but you could simply choose one or the other as a side dish.

Reheating the chicken in broth magnifies the flavors of both, and because you’re using rice noodles, the soup won’t get cloudy or starchy. And if it’s a cold you’re fighting, jalapeño and sriracha will help clear those sinuses.

This dish is equally as good at room temperature (read: picnics).

The jalapeño's ribs and seeds are the spiciest parts; be careful not to rub your eyes after handling (or wear gloves)!

This cooling and refreshing salad—with cilantro standing in for the lettuce—is great alongside spicy foods, like our Sambal Chicken Skewers (click for recipe).

Burgers aren't the only grilled things we want to eat with our hands. Thanks to a flavorful brine and a supershort cook time, sandwich-friendly boneless breasts take on a whole new life between two slices of bread.

We love using farmers' market heirloom varieties in this tomato salad recipe.

Keep a resealable bag of leftover Parmesan rinds in the freezer for recipes like this; they add great depth to tomato sauces and vegetable-centric soups, too.

A club salad is a great way to use grilled chicken leftovers for lunch

An at-home version of the whole fish recipe from Brooklyn’s Talde restaurant. 

Spatchcocking is the speediest, easiest way to grill a whole bird. It cuts down on time and leaves you with crisp, crackly skin. Weighing it down with bricks means more grill-to-bird contact, which ensures super crackling-crisp skin.

To keep these Turkey-Spinach Sliders juicy, don't pack the meat too tightly.

An herb marinade is your secret weapon for these grilled chicken wings. And pretty much everything else.

Chef Kenney says that combining the herbs for the salsa verde with seaweed really gives this dish that "fresh-from-the-sea flavor." In oahu, he uses just-harvested lime, but hijiki, which is widely available, works well, too.

These chicken tacos are made with thighs, which are more flavorful than chicken breasts; plus, they're less expensive. Put them to work in any fast weeknight preparation, starting with these spiced tacos.

Avoid rookie mistakes when it comes to barbecuing chicken. If you apply the sauce too early, it will scorch. And most bottled sauces are too sweet, which is where this vinegary version comes in.

Rinsing the cooked couscous stops the cooking and prevents it from sticking together as it cools.