Simple Cooking

To fry the sage leaves for garnish, place them in hot oil until they start to curl, about 3 seconds; remove with a slotted spoon.

Roasting the garlic in its skin mellows and sweetens its flavor; to remove the cloves, squeeze them with your fingers or press on the cloves with a butter knife.

Red onions, cut at an angle, form a V-shaped roasting rack for the chicken.

For a side dish, try basmati rice cooked with a pinch of saffron.

Serve this dish with arugula, tomatoes, blanched green beans, and crumbled Parmesan cheese tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar.

Make the chile-lime marinade the day before, and let the pork marinate overnight before cooking.

Brine-curing the pork makes it soft, tender, and juicy. The pork is cut into small pieces, so it only needs to be cured for 4 hours.

Brush on fish, chicken, and burgers.

Five-spice powder is a pungent seasoning mix used widely in Chinese cooking. It is made of equal parts ground cloves, cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. For a recipe, see page 650.

Save extra pesto to use on other grilled meats or fish. It will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Leave a cool spot on the grill for cooking the roasts after they are glazed; turn them frequently to avoid burning.

Low-fat plain yogurt can be used instead.