I'm always surprised by how flavorful sautéing meat in a skillet and then deglazing the pan with wine can be. But as this fascinating recipe from Mario Batali proves, even minor adjusts can dramatically change the outcome. More

Seafood in the summer is great because it's quick to cook (limiting time over a hot stove) and doesn't leave you feeling weighted down. This recipe from Food52 takes seared scallops and adds a fresh spring onion and tarragon cream to the equation. The result is a sweet scallop that's balanced by an herby and fresh cream sauce. It's easy to cook and looks stunning on the plate. More

I first encountered the combination of squid and white beans in the famous tapas bar Bar Pintxo in the Boqueria market of Barcelona. There, tiny white runner beans are the bed for squid seared on a screaming hot flattop; a sauce of olive oil and the squid's ink gives the whole plate a round, salty tang. In a country of incredible food, it remains one of the best things I've eaten. More

This summer dinner replaces the usual beef and pork with a lighter option: shrimp. The thing that takes the most time is the aioli, but it's the most important part of the dish. It's not only used as a condiment, it also binds the shrimp together to form the burger. The patty is light, but the aioli provides the richness you'd expect from a good burger. More

I started cooking from Ruta Kahate's Quick-Fix Indian the moment I got my hands on it. I'm always looking to cook more Indian meals, and this one promised that most of recipes could be cooked in a Rachel-Ray-inspired speed of 30 minutes or less. Though I tried a few, including the very good "instant chicken biryani," this recipe for coriander shrimp with zucchini was by far my favorite. More

In this recipe from Food52, tinned sardines are tempered by caramelized fennel, crushed tomatoes, and acidic lemon juice and zest. While it might seem like an unusual combination, the linguine binds the whole thing together by soaking up all the bright and savory cooking liquid. Best of all, it's an extremely cheap and quick meal. More

Chimichurri with steak is certainly not a new idea, and in fact it's probably the most common way that this Argentinian sauce is used (and they know a thing or two about steak in that country). The garlicky, herbal flavors marry beautifully with the richness and fattiness of steak, not to mention its visually stunning contrast of green against red. Flipping through this month's Esquire magazine, I was immediately drawn in by this variation on chimmichurry from Ted Allen's new book In My Kitchen. More

We love our kale at the Serious Eats office and quinoa, the little grain-that's-not-actually-a-grain from the mountains of South America, has been making some serious inroads into replacing the rice and pasta in our pantries. This recipe combines the two in a simple one-pot pilaf (our favorite kind of dinner recipe) flavored with toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, walnut oil, and a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese. More

When asparagus is truly in season, like at this exact moment, the vegetable is so sweet and tender it doesn't even need to be cooked. Just thinly slice the stalks, dress them with a vinaigrette, and you're left with a stunningly simple fresh asparagus salad. The only catch is that these salads are often light, bordering on insubstantial. That might make a fine first course, but what if you only want to make one dish for dinner? This recipe from Mindy Fox's Salads: Beyond the Bowl solves that problem by adding quinoa, pine nuts, and shaved Parmesan. More

Kung Pao chicken is a dish often bastardized in Chinese-American eateries into a bland, stir-fried hodge podge of chicken, bell peppers, celery, and peanuts in a gloppy sweet soy-based sauce. The real deal, on the other hand, packs a flavorful punch; savory soy balanced with a touch of sweetness, a splash of dark Chinese vinegar for a fragrant acidity, and plenty of chilis and Sichuan peppercorns for that characteristic ma-la (hot and numbing) profile. More