Quick

When I thought about writing a cookbook, I didn’t want to create one like many of the ones I saw on the market already—books that had a bunch of made-up barbecue recipes for things like grilled peaches. Then I realized that I actually do grill peaches in the summertime when I want a little something sweet for dessert! You can read other people’s versions, but mine is the best. Tip: Make these when you’re already smoking something in the smoker, so it’s already hot and you can just lay them in there; don’t make it hard for yourself. If you are using wooden skewers, they must be soaked in water for at least 12 hours before using. If you have stainless steel or other metal skewers, soaking is not a concern.

Pimiento cheese is the bright orange spread that Southerners are crazy for because it’s comforting and delicious and traditional. It’s most often served as a dip or spread, but it’s also good in a sandwich all by itself or as a topping on burgers. I like to make up a big batch for family gatherings and barbecues, and if I have some left over, I’ll eat it in a sandwich the next day. I’m going to give you a big recipe, too, so you can do the same.

There’s no better side dish for a barbecue on a hot summer’s day than this layered salad, which is sweet and salty all at once. If you like Hawaiian pizza, with bacon and pineapple on it, this salad is for you.

A porterhouse is a big hunk of a steak that combines two cuts that are separated by a bone: there’s the soft, rich tenderloin on one side, and the firm and juicy sirloin on the other. There are two secrets to a great grilled steak: the quality of the meat (see the note about wagyu beef on page 92), and the seared crust that locks in the steak’s juices and flavors. You get the crust by cooking the steak over dry heat in a very hot grill or smoker.

Soft-shell crabs are one of the great luxuries of spring. They may be expensive if you’re feeding them to a crowd. But just for one person, why not treat yourself ? If the soft-shell crabs are good-sized, I’ll eat only two, but I prefer the small ones and can devour three easily along with a spring vegetable. I usually buy them from a fishmonger at the end of the day. That way, he can do the killing and the cleaning, because they will be popped into the pan as soon as I get home.

I prefer using French lentils here, but any kind will do. You can use leftover cooked lentils, but if they are refrigerator-cold, heat them and let them absorb the flavors. I like to eat this salad slightly warm, or at least at room temperature.

Recently I’ve discovered an imported 1-minute polenta that works very well. So try it, and you can whip up a satisfying polenta supper in about 15 minutes.

Preparing a fine dish of Moroccan couscous used to be a labor of love—steaming, sifting , and fluffing up the little pearl granules made from semolina durum wheat all required quite a lot of time. But now we get a precooked couscous that takes minutes to prepare. It may not have quite the light finish of the old way, but it is a boon to a cook coming home at the end of a day and wanting to put an easy, well-balanced meal together. I remember Claudia Roden, years ago, introducing me to this North African grain product. We were cooking for a dinner party she was giving , working together in her comfortable kitchen, decorated with Middle Eastern tiles, at Wild Hatch, on the edge of Hampstead Heath in London. She had me fluffing the couscous, teaching me all the steps, as we gossiped and got to know each other better. It reminded me of her description—in her first, ground-breaking book, A Book of Middle Eastern Food—of the women in her extended family in Cairo, where she grew up, who would spend afternoons shaping and stuffing tempting mezze pastries and enjoying every moment. I’m afraid we’ve forgotten how cooking together gives that kind of pleasure. But here’s the easy formula for one serving of couscous.

This is apt to be a messy-looking pancake. But who cares? It’s just for you, and it’s delicious. I particularly like it with a slice or two of smoked salmon and a dollop of sour cream, or of the creamy top of good whole-milk yogurt. But the pancake goes with so many things.

This is a recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s first book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, written when none of us knew the spices and hot peppers that she introduced us to. It’s a simple dish that makes your leftover rice come alive in surprising ways. You can eat it just as is for a light lunch or supper, or as an accompaniment to a Western meat course. I like it alone with some Cucumber Raita (page 163) alongside.

Jane Grigson points out in her book English Food that this dish, borrowed from a Hindu creation of rice and lentils called khichri, became a favorite breakfast item among the Brits. However, she warns, it is only as good as the fish that goes into it, so don’t use tired leftovers. But good fish that has been recently and carefully prepared (i.e., not overcooked) is fine, and be generous with the butter and the cream. I have made this with salmon, flounder, and red snapper—all good.

Here’s a simple Japanese way with cooked rice that Hiroko Shimbo showed me when I asked her one day what she would do with leftover rice. It’s called sushi salad because it’s made with sushi rice. As Hiroko points out so persuasively in her book The Sushi Experience, it’s the rice that makes it sushi, not all the various garnishes or tasty bits that are wrapped—or, in this case, tossed—in the seasoned rice. This is one of those dishes that are subject to variations depending on the season, but it’s hard to improve on the following intoxicatingly delicious summer version.

“Tian” is a Provençal word for a shallow pottery dish, and there are almost as many tians as there are vegetables. The common ingredient is usually cooked rice enlivened with a green vegetable, aromatic seasonings, and cheese. To make it for one, use a shallow, single portion baking dish.