White Bean

Since lima and fava beans have a shorter growing season than most local tomatoes, we've given frozen edamame, available year-round, as an alternative to make this recipe more versatile.

Head north of Sunset, and you will happen upon this live-music supper club tucked away in the hills of tony Bel Air. The swank venue features a stage surrounded by tables where you can spy toe-tapping regulars such as Nicolette Sheridan and Virginia Madsen taking in the soulful jazz tunes. You can make a meal of chef Sharon Funt's delicious flatbread appetizer; each serving provides more than 8 grams of fiber.

Our food editors think beans cook more evenly and hold their shape better with a long soak — which is why the ones in this recipe are soaked for 6 hours. But, you can use the following quick-soak method if you prefer: In a saucepan cover beans with cold water by 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and boil beans 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and soak beans 1 hour.

The Dijon mustard in the dressing gives this easy salad extra kick

It may be corn season, but canned or frozen corn kernels work just as well as fresh in this corn salad. A mixed green salad rounds out the menu nicely.

For this recipe, the lamb chops are frenched all the way down to the eye of the meat-which involves completely trimming the layers of fat and thin layer of meat that surround the eye and scraping the bones clean of fat and meat. You may want to have this done by your butcher.

The cooking water for these beans becomes a flavorful broth to serve them in.

This Indian-inspired salad can also be served warm as a side dish.

This is a great salad to make when you have leftover grilled salmon.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

Garbure Don't be misled by the plain-looking appearance of this classic Basque soup; it is thoroughly satisfying and delicious. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 10 1/2 hr (includes soaking beans)

Serve these beans with bread to sop up the juices.

In this recipe we used fresh baby lima beans (the frozen ones are excellent, too), but you can substitute any other fresh young shell beans such as fava or cranberry beans.

This dip was inspired by a recipe for bissara, a garlicky purée from Egypt made from dried broad beans, in Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

My recipe was adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've changed the meats (a lot) and the seasonings (a bit). I've also tinkered with cooking times and sequence.

This combination of white beans, tomatoes, and cipolline is exceptionally delicious. Letting your tomatoes cook to the point where they become caramelized and start to fall apart adds sweetness and a layer of deep flavor to the dish. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 9 1/4 hr (includes soaking)

This is a satisfying vegetarian main course that takes full advantage of the flavor possibilities of garlic, here cooked until soft for sweetness and body, sautéed until golden for depth, and added raw for brightness.