The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

The classic Middle Eastern salad shifts from bulgur wheat to quinoa. The tiny nutritional powerhouse is loaded with protein, making this dish both a delicious vegetarian main course and a summer-suitable side.

Small, sweet wild Maine shrimp are sold frozen from brownetrading.com when not in season. You can also substitute other shrimp cut into 1/2" pieces. This recipe makes extra horseradish mayo. Put it out to spread on other sandwiches.

Use this orange-tinted sauce on sandwiches with salmon or cucumbers.

Create endless riffs on this salad by using the bright herb dressing with your favorite grains and vegetables.

Serve this chunky, all-purpose tomato sauce with fish, chicken, pasta, or disks of polenta (shown here).

Store-bought rotisserie chicken adds protein to this lively, aromatic dish; omit it for a satisfying vegetarian main course. If you can't find spelt, use semi-pearled farro or whole wheat berries.

Toasted seeds and nuts add bite to this nutrition-packed salad. We use dried sprouted legumes, which are even more healthful than ordinary beans and more convenient than sprouting your own. (Cooked lentils and mung beans work well, too.) A vibrant chive vinaigrette brings it all together.

Mixing visually striking black barley with raw and cooked vegetables creates lots of flavors and textures. Feel free to substitute the more readily available pearl barley instead.

Polish sausage gives the onions and chiles a rich, smoky flavor.

Stew fruit in parcels to infuse it with vanilla and bourbon, then serve it with a dollop of Greek yogurt (or ice cream).

Simmer butter until its milk solids brown to unleash its nutty alter ego. Use it to bring deep flavor to baked goods, or as a sauce for fish or pasta.

Drape plastic wrap over the prepared sandwiches until serving. It’ll keep the bread from drying out.

High-heat roasting concentrates vegetables' flavor and brings out their sweetness— a big reward for little effort. Use this recipe as a template. Most important: Cut into similar-size pieces, and don't overcrowd the pan.

Oil-poach garlic to make confit, which yields tender, sweet cloves and infused oil. Add the cloves to pan sauces, use the oil for drizzling, or purée them both into a dressing.

A mix of chopped aromatics, like the Italian blend soffritto, is the base for countless recipes because it lends character to simple dishes. That's why we always have soffritto on hand. Freeze the extra from this recipe, then thaw, and you'll have the foundation for soups and sauces ready to go—no chopping required.