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Steak Skewers with Scallion Dipping Sauce

Pelaccio flips the kebab script by cubing luxurious cuts of steak and marinating them in coconut milk, garlic, and chiles. Try this with tri-tip, top sirloin cap steak, or rib eye; just make sure a strip of fat is still intact; you'll use it to thread onto the skewers.

Chicken Under a Brick with Avocados and Chiles

This technique encourages even cooking with the crispiest skin imaginable. The key to success is to cook the chicken over medium-low coals so the skin slowly renders out the fat. As for those grilled avocados, you're in for a treat. They're already our go-to side this summer.

Tuna Burgers

Spicy Turkey Burgers

Clinched Double-Wide Loin Lamb Chops

When Pete and I tried this in London, we were amazed. It's probably what made us decide to do a whole chapter in clinching. Lamb that doesn't flare up, leaving a slick black residue, is the Holy Grail of every lamb griller. You can cook these chops quickly, with no flame, to produce a beautiful crust and, on the inside, á point (perfect) lamb. For the most part I avoid clinching with bone-in pieces, but here the bone doesn't affect the cooking at all—it's essentially just a way of holding the two loin sections together, which makes for a different presentation from a typical lamb chop. You'll need to get these chops from a specialty butcher. This cut—two sections of loin joined by a bone—is called a Barnsley chop in England and an English chop among old-time American butchers.

Cast-Iron Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese can be a time-consuming proposition. My version is on the table in just about 30 minutes total. The spark for this recipe came from my friend Taryn, who casually combines ingredients without using a particular formula. She goes by feel, adding handfuls of cheese and spoonfuls of flour until the mixture feels right. Then she stirs in the cooked macaroni, pours everything into a casserole dish, and runs it under the broiler for a few minutes. The blast of heat creates an instant crust—no need for breadcrumbs. I've modified Taryn's technique to make things even easier. I prepare the cheese sauce in a large cast-iron skillet, which can safely go under the broiler. It saves on cleanup since there's no casserole dish, and the pan itself makes the dish more nutritious. That's right, cooking in cast iron will actually impart iron to food. Women and toddlers need plenty of that mineral, so it makes this quickie method downright indispensable, as far as I'm concerned. Since this recipe moves so quickly, make sure you've got everything measured and lined up on the counter before you start.

Chicken (Pot) Handpies

All the flavors of chicken pot pie, but handheld!

Herbes de Provence Rotisserie Chickens

This recipe is designed for rotisseries that don't sit directly over the flames. If your rotisserie does sit over the flames (or if you don't have a rotisserie), use the indirect grilling method described in the note below.

Sole en Papillote with Tomatoes and Olives

Delicately flavored sole is a dieter's BFF, with only 73 calories per 3-ounce fillet.

Bacon-Wrapped Pig Wings

Who says pigs can't fly? Take a few boneless pork chops, add some bacon and a little creativity, and Pig Wings are on the menu! The bacon adds great flavor and keeps the loin meat from getting dry. These look delicious and are a little unusual, so they make a fabulous smoked appetizer with barbecue sauce for dipping. The kids will love them.

Double-Smoked Ham with Apricot Glaze

A ham may be fully cooked and usually smoked as well, but another round in the smoker and a tasty glaze really take it to the next level. The apricot-soy combo here adds a sweet/salty taste to the outside of the ham. This recipe calls for a bone-in ham, but you can easily adapt it to any cooked ham. This is a great way to impress the family for the holidays and leave the oven available for other dishes.

Soy-Glazed Salmon with Lime Drizzle

Heart-healthy fats in salmon also help your skin stay healthy.

Arctic Char with Orange-Lentil Salad

Can't find Arctic char? Salmon works just as well. Opt for green (aka French) lentils, which hold their shape better when tossed into a salad.

Summer Corn and Cod Chowder

No-fry zone: We let the fish 'n' chips fave go au naturel.

Tequila-Lime Mahi Mahi Tacos

Mild mahi Mahi takes on the flavors of our zesty marinade.

Ramp Tagliatelle

Every spring people make a hullabaloo about ramps, the wild leeks that grow in the forests of the East Coast, for good reason: they're wonderful, with a garlic-heavy leek flavor and a subtle sweetness. I pickle the ramps, put them in just about everything we eat (they're particularly great in omelets), and give them away by the armload. This pasta is a simple way to highlight their flavor.

Pasta with Garlic-Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes are the soft, lime-green-colored stems and unopened flower buds of hard-neck garlic varieties. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness, which makes them a prized addition in the kitchen. You can find them in the early summer and midfall at farmers' markets. If you grow your own garlic (which is easy), trim the scapes off before their flowers open. This forces the plant to focus on bulb production and increases the size of the garlic cloves. My Aunt Denise introduced me to the idea of garlic-scape pesto. Here I use it to sauce pasta; you can also spread it on crostini or use as a pungent dip for crunchy vegetables. If all you have are salted pistachios, forgo the salt in the recipe and add salt to taste at the end.

Halibut with Spring Onion and Summer Squash Saute

The keys to this dish? Use as many types of squash as you can, and heat the oil in the skillet until it's almost smoking.

Grilled Pork Chops with Peaches and Pole Beans

A quick Dijon-herb mixture serves as both a marinade for the grilled pork and a tart dressing for the bean salad.

Shrimp in Adobo

Use Mexican adobo, a vinegary chile paste, to season any protein. For this recipe, the shrimp is chopped, so there's no need to splurge on a larger size.
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