Saute

Any simple grilled meat would work well alongside this stunning side dish—the long, thin folds of zucchini have visual élan to spare, perking up every plate they touch.

The combination of cherry juice and fresh cherries gives the sauce its depth.

A clever, deconstructed BLT: Bread coats chicken in the form of breadcrumbs,bacon is cooked with lettuce and tomato for a simple side, and a dollop of seasoned mayonnaise acts as a sauce.

A satisfying first-course salad with beautifully balanced Asian flavors.

The tropical relish that tops these chops is a nod to the Caribbean climes and palm-tree breezes that are the stuff Jimmy Buffett songs are practically made of—a veritable paradise in this dish for two.

Here, quickly sautéed greens get some spice and a kick of heat (thanks to red-pepper flakes)—and they become an ideal partner for the Buffalo salmon<\a>.

Pretty protein-rich bites by Jarett Brodie, chef at FR.OG in New York City.

If using dried shrimp, grind to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder or use mortar and pestle. Seasoning paste can be made ahead and chilled, covered, up to 1 week or frozen 1 month.

This South Indian dish—also known as xec-xec—is full of tamarind, cumin, coriander, and roasted coconut. The spices meld with the tomato to form a flavorful sauce that clings to the shrimp.

Visually, this dish speaks softly, but it combines quite a number of sensations: a buttery fish, sautéed for a crisp skin, and a broth of such depth you'll never believe it was simmered for just five minutes. The mixture of enoki and shimeji mushrooms looks gorgeous and lends a meatiness, punctuated by an elusive woodsy smokiness, to the sansho-flecked broth.

Slender Asian eggplant magically holds its shape as you sauté it, without going mushy, and yet it collapses in the mouth with a final suggestion of its glaze, bold with Japanese seven-spice powder and the gentle heat of fresh ginger.

Travel editor William Sertl took a weeklong boot-camp course at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. For this classic French dish, students were taught how to sauté the chicken on one side—without touching it—until it's golden, before turning it only once. The pan-sauce lesson that followed yielded a simple, elegant cloak for the very juicy chicken.

Here, sturdy Bibb leaves from the center of the head do the work of traditional dumpling wrappers. If that's not an easy enough sell, the dipping sauce will be.

The roasted chops are finished with a mix of asparagus, morels, and herbs.

"What grows together, goes together" is a concept that often holds true, but disparate denizens of the garden sometimes need coaxing to harmonize. Ferrigno sets about the task with wise restraint—just a little butter, shallot, and fresh basil turns asparagus and peas into the best of friends.