Weeknight Meals

This Italian classic typically showcases four cheeses (“quattro formaggi”) with different characteristics. For our rendition, we topped the crust with fontina (semifirm), mozzarella (soft and fresh), Gorgonzola (blue-veined), and Pecorino Romano (hard and aged).

Peperonata is an Italian mixture of stewed sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. In this dish, the peperonata is combined with classic Provençal ingredients to make a flavorful topping for toast.

This recipe works equally well with other cheeses: Try a mild fontina or Comté in place of the Gruyère.

Tangy homemade pickles and onions bring intense flavor and satisfying heft to these sandwiches. However, you can omit step 1 and use jarred pickles; just do keep in mind that these may increase your sodium intake.

To make slicing easier and more precise, make the beef a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight.

The chicken and the mango dressing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately.

We topped these burgers with smoked Cheddar cheese, but you can use another type of cheese, or omit it entirely. To clean the mushroom caps, wipe them with a damp paper towel; do not rinse or soak them because they will remain soggy even after cooking.

Thai chiles are small, fresh red or green chiles, and are very hot. For a milder flavor, remove the seeds. You can substitute 1 fresh serrano chile. The flavors of Southeast Asia were the inspiration for these lean burgers, which are wrapped, Vietnamese-style, in lettuce.

If your grill is large enough, you can cook everything at once. Give the hamburgers about a 2-minute head start so everything is ready to come off the grill at the same time.

Top-split buns are the time-honored choice for lobster rolls, but side-split buns can be used instead. Some people like only mayonnaise or melted butter on their lobster meat, but we love the added flavor that fresh herbs provide.

The spice rub can be stored in an airtight plastic container for up to 1 month.

Remade as a club, the lobster roll trades its usual bun for brioche and takes on the customary bacon, lettuce, and tomato.