Simple Cooking

No ice cream maker? Use store-bought frozen yogurt, or serve this over lightly sweetened Greek yogurt.

Use very ripe—even overripe—tomatoes; they'll give up even more juice.

"Don't try this with iceberg," advises Roberta's chef Carlo Mirarchi. Flavorful, robust lettuces work best, allowing you to get grill marks on one side while the rest wilts.

Make sure you keep your grill at a steady medium-level heat; if it's too hot, the chicken will char without cooking through.

You can also make this dish with littleneck or cherrystone clams instead of mussels.

Making the eggplant spread ahead of time has a double upside: The flavors of the mixture will deepen as it sits, and you get to cross something off the list.

The peppers will go from softened to mushy if they sit too long; you want to serve them with some bite left.

"Cool and bright, this herb-laced corn salad is my new summer staple." —Alfia Muzio, recipe developer

Yes, you can treat parsley as a salad green, as long as your bunch isn't woody. Sweet molasses and tart sumac make it vibrant.

Dress just before serving so that the fennel will still be crunchy and the melon retains its juices.

A super-juicy watermelon is key; it should feel heavy for its size and sound hollow when tapped.

A grown-up shaved ice, with a welcome hit of spice from the pepper.

The flesh immediately surrounding the seeds is the most succulent part of any melon; if you haven't tried eating the crunchy seeds before, hold on to your hat.

For stress-free, no-sweat hosting, grill the lamb a few hours ahead of time and slice it at room temperature.

Sugared, roasted lemons are edible from rind to flesh and give this salsa-like mix a bracing jolt of sourness.

A great way to make use of a glut of summer herbs, this mix suits any grilled meat.