Mona Talbott

If you can't find flat runner beans, use any color snap, wax, or French beans and reduce the cooking time.

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.

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.

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

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

We love the rich, salty flavor of anchovies, especially with lamb, but we don't really want to bite into one. Chop until they're practically a paste.