Salad

"Years ago, I was working on a client at my hair salon when we realized that our conversations always led to food," writes Sandy Ercolano of Ridgewood, New Jersey. "She happened to be taking classes at a local cooking school and suggested that I come along. After one class, I was hooked. Now, in addition to running the salon, I’m an instructor at that same school." In this recipe the steak is broiled, but you can also grill it on your barbecue (over a medium-hot fire).

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

This midsummer fare is adapted from a dish I enjoyed at 192, our favorite wine-bar-restaurant in London's Kensington: its inspiration is, I am sure, from Spain. You can buy a whole chunk of chorizo sausage — or a string of smaller ones — to slice yourself. Most good gourmet stores stock chorizo (mild or spicy), and many supermarkets do, too.

A delicious side dish from Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Start this meal with canned black-bean soup; add some chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. If you like, serve the salad on a bed of greens and pass warm French rolls. Finish with lemon squares from the bakery.

The aged goat cheese called for in this recipe is firmer than fresh and has a dry rind. Two kinds work best in this dish, Bucheron and Pouligny-St.-Pierre, both of which have just the right amount of tang — but ask at the cheese counter for comparable substitutes if you have trouble finding them. Cafe Pasqual's, in Santa Fe, serves its version of this dish — "pigs 'n' figs" — with blue cheese. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

This recipe is an accompaniment for Old-Fashioned Potato Salad.

Look for Gold or Strawberry papayas. Their sweet flavor complements this tangy crab salad beautifully.

The flavors of this salad go well with honey-glazed grilled chicken or pork chops.

This recipe yields enough dressing for both the seafood salad and the rice .

Drizzling sweet pickle juice over the warm potatoes is the secret to this delicious salad.

Like many recipes, Cobb salad evolved as a solution to a rather mundane problem. In the late 1920s, Bob Cobb, manager of the original Brown Derby in Hollywood, California, was becoming tired of his daily meals, which consisted mostly of hamburgers and hot dogs. Then one day he chopped up an avocado, along with lettuce, tomato, and bacon, added some salad dressing, and had the result for dinner. A few days later he elaborated on his creation, adding other ingredients he had picked up on his way to the restaurant: chicken breast, chives, egg, watercress, and a wedge of Roquefort. This salad became a staple at the Brown Derby and, eventually, an American classic.

Vinegar and mustard give the dressing in this salad an assertive flavor that contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the beets.

Colorful, refreshing and delicious.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.