Quick

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

The key to this sauce is a creamy emulsion of the oil, cheese, and pasta water. Toss and stir—and stir and toss—adding liquid freely, until it comes together.

The best blue cheese for this is salty but creamy, not too sharp or funky.

Use very ripe—even overripe—tomatoes; they'll give up even more juice.

"Don't try this with iceberg," advises Roberta's chef Carlo Mirarchi. Flavorful, robust lettuces work best, allowing you to get grill marks on one side while the rest wilts.

You can also make this dish with littleneck or cherrystone clams instead of mussels.

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.

"Cool and bright, this herb-laced corn salad is my new summer staple." —Alfia Muzio, recipe developer

Dress just before serving so that the fennel will still be crunchy and the melon retains its juices.

The flesh immediately surrounding the seeds is the most succulent part of any melon; if you haven't tried eating the crunchy seeds before, hold on to your hat.

This addictive peanut-and-seed mix has "unbeatable summer snack" written all over it. It's got just the right amount of salty-spicy crunch to keep you reaching for another beer, and another handful, and another beer... —A.M.

Delicate squash blossoms are a farmers' market treasure. Look for flowers with perky, intact petals and a generous length of stem still attached. Wrap them loosely in damp paper towels and tuck them into a zip-top bag; they'll keep this way in the fridge for a few days. Or bypass the storage completely and turn them into a predinner bite as soon as you get home.—Alison Roman