Side

A beautiful winter-white salad; the natural bitterness of the endive is balanced by sweet roasted parsnips and a tad of sugar in the dressing.

Slicing the cauliflower into steaks from the middle helps the head stay intact as you cut.

Use whatever type of eggplant looks most appealing at the market; they should be firm to the touch, with glossy skin. Small globe eggplants are easy to find, but this is also a terrific time to use long Asian types, small round white ones, or any of the cool-looking striped varieties.

If this were our party, we’d get all the grilling out of the way early in the day and toss this Mediterranean fantasy of a salad together in our caftans.

Be patient: The goal is to char the eggplants beyond recognition.

There’s a method to making baba ghanoush. And it applies to way more than eggplant.

No soaking, husking, or de-silking required. The corn cobs will slip right out of their husks when cooked. If camping, make the spice mixture at home before you go.

No one will know this umami-packed creamy dressing is made with tofu; they’ll just think it’s delicious.

Double the chile oil, keep it chilled, and drizzle it over flatbreads, pastas, and all of your grilled meats and vegetables all summer long.

The usual slaw suspects get a modern upgrade thanks to a salty-cheesy walnut pesto.

You wouldn’t blanch tender herbs such as basil, but doing so here softens the collards and kale.

There’s a method to making baba ghanoush. And it applies to way more than eggplant.

Poaching the shrimp with their shells on locks in their flavor.

When you leave lemon peels behind on the cutting board, you’re (literally) throwing away free flavor. The peel adds a mild bitterness that we love, plus a bit of texture that instantly makes a salad dressing interesting.

There’s a method to making baba ghanoush. And it applies to way more than eggplant.

If you're camping, make the rice before you leave and pack the vinaigrette in a little jar on the side. You’ll thank us, Scout’s honor.

This creamed Swiss chard with lemony bread crumbs is everything creamed spinach wishes it could be.

A texture riot of a salad; it gets crunch and creaminess from toasted pecans and almond butter(!).

Why waste time with a knife? A simple whack to a cucumber yields jagged surfaces eager to soak up this tangy dressing.

Egg salad and potato salad: Unite! We like how the still-soft yolks dress the salad, but you can cook the eggs a minute or two longer if you like them more set.

This uncooked mole gets heat from jalapeño, cooling freshness from lettuce and herbs, and a touch of richness from toasted seeds. Use any extra as a dip for crudités.

When not using this pesto to dress this very green salad, you could schmear it on just about any sandwich, or stir it into scrambled eggs.

Other not-too-hot chiles are great with the same seasonings if you can’t find Padróns. Look for shishitos or Italian frying peppers instead.

The parcooking is essential for a tender result, but the extra effort’s worth it.