Dairy

To reduce the fat, we eliminated the cheese and toasted the corn tortillas in the oven rather than frying them in oil.

Use a store-bought roasted chicken to save time. To take this salad on a picnic, pack it in an airtight container and keep it fresh in a cooler.

Traditional rémoulade is made with mayonnaise. We have lightened this traditional side dish with a lemony yogurt dressing.

You can prepare the vegetables up to 2 hours before serving and keep them covered in the refrigerator. If desired, include some poblano or other chiles along with the peppers. You can substitute feta cheese for the ricotta salata.

This salad tastes best up to 1 hour after making it. To make ahead store the salad components separately (up to 3 hours), and toss before serving.

If you can find it, use Zephyr squash, which is yellow with a pale-green tip. You can also use a mix of young green and yellow squashes.

We used several varieties of beets, including Golden Globe and Chioggia, for a colorful salad, but you may use any variety you like.

The small inner leaves of romaine lettuce are tender and crisp, perfect for this salad. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the Pecorino Romano.

Ricotta salata is a firmer version of fresh ricotta; it is perfect for shaving over salads.

French feta is creamier, milder, and less salty than the Greek version. Arrange this salad on a platter, and let your guests serve themselves.

Frico, or “little trifles” in Italian, are very thin and crisp. When sprinkling the cheese mixture in the skillet, don’t worry if there are spaces; the cheese will melt into a lacy whole. In Italy, frico are traditionally made with Montasio cheese, but other cheeses, such as Cheddar, Asiago, and Parmesan, produce excellent results.

Look for pumpkinseed oil in gourmet shops or health-food stores.