5 Ingredients or Fewer

Serve warm with fillets of salmon, in scrambled eggs or pasta, or on crostini with goat cheese.

Brandy adds a little kick to this jam. Spread on toast or serve with a cheese plate.

Don't throw those melon seeds away. It's a traditional Mexican technique to use the seeds as a thickener, and here they work their magic in a coulis, adding effortless panache to a straightforward and wonderfully light dessert.

If you've got the grill going anyway, toss your ears on before you butter them to get a quick char and even deeper flavor.

This smooth puréed soup manages the near—impossible feat of being velvety and creamy without any cream. Ribbons of zucchini add a final soupçon of elegance.

Like the best cutlet you can imagine, with a crisp crust and the added hint of sweetness from the cornflakes, this chicken is quintessentially American.

Attention, dill: Please step away from the salmon. Here, the herb gets to show its versatility—and its Greek side.

Honest isn't a word that comes up much when side dishes are being discussed, but that's exactly how these smashed potatoes and peas strike us. Serve them alongside the cornflake fried chicken for a southern-inspired supper for one.

Top round, a muscle from the leg, is starting to pop up in supermarkets around the country. (If your market doesn't carry it yet, ask your butcher.) This small, quick-cooking cut has the succulence you'd expect from lamb but is so convenient that you needn't wait for a special occasion or a large gathering to savor it.

Chunks of chorizo balance the sweetness of spring onions, beans, and peas. A Sherry vinaigrette lends a slight Iberian edge.

Fresh ricotta is sold in cheese shops and specialty delis.

The stems of Swiss chard get short shrift way too often; when they're beautiful rainbow chard, they deserve a dish all their own. Blanched to remove toughness, then grilled—yes, we like our chard charred—their earthiness is a natural complement to meaty fava beans.

The Lisu are one of many distinctive cultural groups who live in the mountains of southwestern Yunnan province.

Surely you've had one too many supersweet sangrias whose fruit chunks overpower the (usually mediocre) wine. This version couldn't be more of a contrast, with a refreshing mintiness and subtly aromatic fruit that still allow the crispness of the white wine to come through.

Use any leftovers as a spread for scones.

Mustard, tarragon, and a touch of sugar flavor the pork and its accompanying slaw.

Grill the vegetables once the chickens have finished cooking. Because the artichokes have been precooked, it takes just a few minutes to finish them on the grill.

This egg-free mousse packs punchy raspberry flavor.