I love a dish that’s simple to prepare, yet presents with such elegance everyone assumes you’ve toiled all afternoon in the kitchen. The sort of culinary sleight of hand that leaves a cook quietly smiling, as diners gush with equal amounts of enthusiasm and incredulity. Having a few such tricks tucked away in your recipe box will save you in a pinch.
These beans are a cinch to make yet they’re loaded with complex flavor. The tomatoes, onions and garlic cook down slowly, together in the pan, while the beans steam on top. You may be tempted to stop cooking before the beans turn olive green. Resist. Crisp, bright-colored, barely-cooked beans aren’t the only way to go. So keep on cooking, you’ll be rewarded if you do.
A bottled jar each of basil pesto and roasted peppers turns this dish into an easy weeknight meal. But if you feel inclined, it’s always better to make your own. Roasting peppers is as simple as lightly coating seeded bell pepper halves with olive oil and cooking skin-side down at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If you want, place the roasted peppers into a covered bowl for 10 minutes to steam, then remove the skins. Otherwise, just chop, with the skins on.
The combination of ingredients here is easy to love—a bowl full of pure comfort. That just happens to make use of summer’s finest produce.
Named for the ancient Persian city of Shiraz—reknown for it’s connection to wine, poetry and flowers—this simple salad is best at the height of summer when juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers abound. Persian cucumbers are delicate with few seeds. If your cucumbers have larger seeds, just scoop them out with a spoon and use the remaining flesh. Peeling is not necessary if you’re using organic fruit—much of the nutritional content is concentrated in the skin and seeds.
This easy sauté features crunchy sweet corn and summer tomatoes, stirred up with the spices of Mexico. Wrap some in a warm tortilla, scoop it with corn chips or serve as a side dish. Add a can of rinsed and drained black beans for a more substantial main course. Or a minced jalapeño for spice.