Weeknight Meals

Channel your inner charcuterie artisan with this rolled pork, which is stuffed with garlic, spinach, and bacon and served in thin slices, either cold or at room temperature. The end result is a sort of fancy cold cut that will have the guests at your next picnic raving.

Since emigrating from Vietnam in the 1970s, Kia Dickinson has been generously sharing her incredible recipes with everyone she meets, including food editor Ian Knauer. This colorful mix of moist poached chicken, cabbage, carrots, and fresh herbs tossed with a wild, tongue-searing dressing is the quintessential summer salad—cool, colorful, and very fresh. When preparing this recipe, Dickinson uses the leftover poaching liquid to make rice.

This simple, delicious dish hails from China's Shanghai region. It's a great way to use up leftover rice—if your rice is already cooked, you'll need 3 cups of it.

This fish is steamed on plates, which hold the marinade and juices around the fillets. Be sure that the plates you use have enough of a rim to hold some liquid, and are not larger in diameter than the pan you'll be using to steam. In order to fit the plate on top of the steamer, you'll need a steamer basket that's flat all the way across, without a central protrusion. Many Asian bamboo and stainless-steel steamers have this shape but, if you don't have one, you can substitute a ramekin: Simply place the ramekin on the bottom of the pan, fill the pan with water just to the height of the ramekin, and place the plate on top of the ramekin. In her video demonstration, Chef Cheng uses sole fillets for this dish, but any white, flaky fish such as halibut or flounder, would work well.

Melted cheese is a nice way to set off the blossoms' tangy green flavor.

In this Spanish-style frittata, the potatoes and zucchini are characteristically creamy and filling. The dish is also a host's friend, since it tastes just right at room temperature.

What may seem like an incongruous mixture is actually a harmonious blend of ingredients and textures. There are few dishes that illustrate how the seemingly disparate flavors of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty can be successfully combined. One tip: While the melon should be chilled, the other ingredients are their most flavorful at room temperature, so combine the salad just before serving.

This classic goes best with a tart berry sauce.

A slightly tart dressing and a perfectly crisp-sweet cucumber salad are wonderful foils for rich, meaty chunks of crab.

Delivering a lot of summer glamor for very little work, this gorgeous dish balances the baritone flavor and fat of the steak with the tomatoes' coloratura acidity. Take care not to overcook the tomatoes—they should be in the hot pan just long enough to release some of their juices, which create a natural sauce for the steak.

Favorite Mediterranean ingredients come together in this creamy risotto. Adding the liquid from the tomatoes to the chicken stock underscores the flavor of the fresh tomatoes added at the very end. This is delicious made with any ripe red or orange tomatoes.

This homey dish made everyone in the test kitchen swoon. Roma tomatoes become even more intense when roasted, and this comforting, custardy bread pudding proves the perfect match for their bright flavor. Take it to a potluck, serve it with something grilled, or make it a vegetarian main dish with a green salad.

This creamy fettuccine Alfredo is truly luxurious and yet so simple. You'll be rewarded for using the very best pasta and Parmesan.

Larry Forgione, a chef dedicated to preserving regional American cuisine and crops, inspired our wilted salad. In his cookbook An American Place, collards are softened in a warm Sherry dressing. We found that the cream Sherry's sweet nuttiness also works especially well with baby fall greens like mizuna or beet tops. But choose the highest-quality leafy vegetables in season.

This quickly braised lamb brings a bit of French country straight into your kitchen.

Quick-cooking scallopini are perfect for breathing new life into busy weeknights. And the brown butter doesn't hurt either.

A bit of Spanish chorizo goes a long way, lending another dimension to a skillet full of mouthwatering clams and potatoes.

Cremini mushrooms give added meaty depth to flavorful (yet inexpensive) chicken thighs in a rustic but light ragù.

Everyone—not just whiskey fans and pyromaniacs—will love this steak and its rich, tangy sauce. The type of whiskey you use will leave its own imprint on the sauce: Bourbon will make for a sweeter sauce, while rye will add some nice yeasty notes. Scotch will take it in a smokier direction. Do be careful when flambéing: Because this recipe calls for a generous amount of whiskey, the flames may shoot quite high (it’s a necessary step to take the edge off the alcohol).