Onion

Not to be confused with the annual Gaelic Gourmet events in Boston since the year 2000, Marty Lynch and Kevin O'Grady's Gaelic Gourmet BBQ Team has been burning sticks and wowing barbeque judges since the early 1980s. When Marty gave Ardie [Davis] a taste of CAM Onions at the 2008 Great American Barbecue, Ardie said, "You've gotta give me your recipe for the next KCBS cookbook!" Marty gladly obliged. He adapted this from Rick Browne's Oz Onion Pudding in Rick's Grilling America book (2003). Rick gave us permission to share this version, tweaked by Carolyn Wells, Amy Winn, and Marty Lynch—hence the CAM acronym.

I've been a big fan of the plump and succulent wonders of oysters for a long time—since even before I started frequenting one of my favorite raw bars: the one in the Blue Ribbon, in Tribeca. Something about the charm of this particular example of our sea's bounty has always intrigued me. These days I prefer local (like Cape Cod) over other types of oysters, but, still, I'm open! The accompanying salsita—which is tasty all by itself or even spread on a small salad of your favorite greens—offers a wonderful flavor and texture balance. I suggest making the accompanying sauce ahead of time so you can visit with your guests. Then just grill the oysters, plate them, and serve.

We sympathize with the purists when it comes to tuna salad sandwiches: the combo of canned tuna, just a little mayo, and just good white bread is an eternal verity. But we have developed this fancier variation that is also delicious. It preserves the tuna flavor, it's not too rich, it's loaded with crunchy vegetables, and it flies out of the store every day.

A relish best made when tomatoes are at their peak of summer flavor, this is versatile and zesty. Serve it with Huevos Rancheros , with chips, or to top an omelet. It would go very nicely with the Spanish Omelet with Chorizo and Avocado. Once you get started making it, you'll think of many uses. Pico de gallo means "rooster's beak" in Spanish. This relish apparently got its name because it used to be eaten with finger and thumb, and the action looked like the pecking beak of a rooster.

This is a different sort of frittata, not the neat golden round of well-set eggs that’s probably most familiar. Here the eggs are in the skillet for barely a minute, just long enough to gather in soft, loose folds, filled with morsels of asparagus and shreds of prosciutto. In fact, when I make this frittata or the “dragged” eggs—uova strapazzate, page 143—I leave my eggs still wet and glistening so I can mop up the plate with a crust of country bread. That’s the best part of all.

Sweet crabmeat and sweet peas make a great match in this springlike risotto.

These Provençal eggs, laced with softened onions and chard, never fail to elicit sighs of appreciation. I'm forever grateful to Nathalie Waag for making trouchia when she came to visit—it has since become a favorite. The trick to its success is to cook everything slowly so that the flavors really deepen and sweeten.

This is a lovely dish to serve with grilled pita bread, either alongside a couple of other mezze, while you have a drink before supper, or as an appetizer in its own right, or as a light lunch with a good salad on the side. In the summer, please use fresh peas; at all other times of year the wondrous frozen pea will do. You can make this dish in advance, put it in the fridge, and bring it back to room temperature when you want it.

Potato latkes are really just potato kugel in pancake form.

Without the grated onion, matzo meal latkes are a little on the bland side. However, you can always take a different, more Sephardic, approach: omit the onion; sprinkle the cooked latkes with a mixture of confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and finely chopped nuts; and serve them with honey.

My idea of party perfection is a backyard fajita fest. I have the guys roast the peppers until blistery and browned, then I send them into the kitchen to seed and slice them. Next they grill up the steaks and cut them into nice, thin strips. Meanwhile I've already set out bowls of guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and chips. We all gather around my outdoor table, each of us making our dream fajita with just the right balance of steak and peppers, sour cream and guacamole.

A take on the Provençal tart known as pissaladiére, this galette can be served as an hors d'oeuvre or, with a salad, as a light lunch. It gets fullness of flavor from a tangle of sweet caramelized onions that tops a smear of tomato paste enlivened with garlic and anchovies (left over from Mediterranean Eggplant Relish). A flaky homemade pastry crust ups the richness even more.

Get the irresistible flavor of samosas without all the frying. Phyllo (left over from Roasted Winter Vegetable Baklava ) makes an ingenious wrapper for our take on the popular Indian snacks, although the filling of garam–masala–spiced potatoes and peas is quite traditional. They bake up light and crisp, ready for a dip in chutney or raita. Serve these samosas with a salad for a vegetarian main course, or make smaller ones as appetizers.

It's only natural to use leftover chicken broth (from Blade Steaks with Rosemary White–Bean Purée ) to make chicken soup. But what a soup! Steeping ginger and scallion greens in the stock and then poaching the chicken in it is a quick way to achieve a depth of flavor. The final soup is enriched with silky ribbons of just–cooked eggs, shreds of tender chicken, and fresh rings of scallion. Best of all, this satisfying soup is easy enough to pull together after work.

Nothing could be easier than stirring together chopped scallions with a dollop of mayonnaise, and this quick coating adds considerable verve and oniony bite to meaty arctic char fillets. And it looks great, too—the green of the scallions contrasts nicely against the pink flesh of the fish. For this recipe, we use the leftover scallions from our Tuna Steak au Poivre recipe, but it would also work fine with a full bunch.