I love falafel, but they can be messy and oily to deep-fry. The solution? Pan-frying. Not only does pan-frying require much less oil, but the flattened patties have more surface area to brown. The edges become crumbly and crisp, and the little bits that break off are good enough to eat on their own -- just saying.

When making your own falafel, you must begin with dried chickpeas, which yield the right crumbly and mealy texture. Falafel should not be soggy or mushy, which is what will happen when you use canned chickpeas. So begin your falafel-making process the night before cooking by soaking the chickpeas overnight in water. The next day, the chickpeas will have tripled in size and will be firm yet tender to the bite. Drain, rinse them well, and pat dry. Then simply blitz them with the remaining ingredients until you have a sticky, mealy texture.

Now, I understand that the overnight soaking defeats any cravings demanding instant gratification -- as most cravings do. With this in mind, I recommend soaking more chickpeas than you need. This way, you can refrigerate or freeze any unused chickpeas for later use. Or make a double batch of the falafel mixture and freeze some of that, instead. Then you will be set the next time the craving for falafel strikes -- because you know it will.

Falafel Fritters

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking and 1 hour chilling time

Yield: Makes about 24 patties

1 pound dried chickpeas

1 small onion, chopped, about 1/2 cup

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped

1/2 cup (packed) Italian parsley, leaves and tender stems

1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems

1/4 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Grapeseed oil for pan-frying

Yogurt Tahini Sauce:

1 cup whole-milk yogurt

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons Sriracha

Pinch of salt

The night before making, place the chickpeas in a large bowl. Cover with 3 inches of cold water and let stand overnight. The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse well, then spread on a kitchen towel and pat dry.

Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped with a consistency of coarse sand. Transfer half of the chickpeas to a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor bowl and process to form a coarse paste. Add the reserved chickpeas and pulse to finely blend. The overall consistency should be slightly sticky but not mushy, with small pieces of the chickpeas evident. Transfer to a bowl and taste for seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Gather the falafel mixture, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and gently form into 1 1/2- to 2-inch patties. Add to the skillet and gently press in the center and around the edges with a spatula to compact. Pan-fry until the fritters are deep golden in color on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes, using the spatula to carefully flip. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and repeat with the remaining mixture.

Whisk the Yogurt Tahini Sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve the falafel with the sauce, lemon wedges and additional Sriracha if desired.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Yes, you can eat warm soup in the summer -- especially when it’s chowder. Clam and fish chowders evoke sunshine, seafood and the seashore. While clam chowder is always a favorite, I prefer to make fish chowders, loaded with chunky fish swimming in a smoky, creamy broth.

When making a fish chowder, always choose a firm-fleshed fish, which will hold its shape when cooking in the soup. Delicate, flat filets will flake and dissolve in the broth. While halibut, sea bass and cod are always good options, I prefer salmon. Salmon’s buttery-rich flesh complements the creamy stock, and when possible, I’ll combine chunks of warm-smoked salmon with fresh salmon. Warm-smoked salmon adds the salty, smoky note essential to a deeply flavorful chowder (this is often achieved with bacon in clam chowders), and has a dry and firm consistency, unlike cold-smoked salmon, which is soft and slippery.

Potatoes are another key ingredient, adding thickening starch and substance. And while you can certainly stop there, I encourage adding additional vegetables, such as leafy greens and crucifers, such as cauliflower or broccoli. Then you can pat yourself on the back and call your bowl of chowder a complete meal.

In this recipe, handfuls of fresh spinach and cauliflower florets are included. If you’re skeptical about the extra veggies, don’t worry -- the creamy, robust chowder can handle them. In fact, the vegetables add a welcome earthiness to the rich soup and balance the creaminess. If you are cauliflower-averse, feel free to omit it and add more spinach.

Be sure to taste for seasoning when the soup is finished. Depending on the saltiness of the smoked salmon, you may need more salt, and don’t (ever) skimp on the freshly ground black pepper.

Salmon and Spinach Chowder

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped, about 1 cup

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups water

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (peeling optional -- I like keeping the skin on)

1 1/2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound salmon filet, skin and pin-bones removed, cut in 3/4-inch chunks

1/2 pound warm-smoked salmon filet, skin and pin-bones removed, broken into bite-size chunks

1 large handful baby spinach leaves

Fresh dill for garnish

Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened without coloring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook until slightly toasty in aroma, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in the water and whisk to blend. Add the potatoes and cauliflower. The vegetables should be submerged in the soup. If not, add more water to cover. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the cream, Tabasco, paprika, salt and black pepper.

Add the fresh and smoked salmon and simmer until the fresh salmon is cooked, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the spinach and simmer until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Taste for seasoning.

Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with dill. Serve immediately.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Now that it’s officially June, I am obsessed with strawberries. When June rolls around, I behave as though I haven’t seen a strawberry since, well, forever. (Full disclosure: I live in California, so this is not the actual case.) However, this reflex -- which I fully embrace -- stretches back to when I lived in Denmark.

Danish strawberry season is fleeting and fickle. It begins in June (hopefully), and stretches into August (potentially), but you can never count on the season’s start, end or (heaven forbid) existence, as Nordic summers can produce rain and chill as easily as the famous midnight sun. If you are lucky, the season cooperates, and strawberries will flower in late spring and grow, almost before your eyes, in June.

It’s a window of time when there’s no holding back; when the name of the game is to gorge on the berries while you can, ever aware that this moment may quickly pass. Any surplus that you can’t devour (bless you) or bake into a nightly rotation of berry-full desserts are frozen and preserved for later consumption as a nostalgic taste of summer sunshine during the dark winter months.

Now I live in California, and while there’s less urgency in stocking up on these summery berries, I still revel in the memory and indulge in over-consumption. And when I’ve tired of stuffing my face with fresh berries, I add them to easy desserts, such as this fruit crisp.

Strawberry Crisp With Orange and Cardamom

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 to 65 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Topping:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Filling:

2 pounds strawberries, hulled, halved if small, quartered if large

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of salt

Make the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, cardamom, cinnamon and salt in bowl of a food processor. Pulse once or twice to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the topping resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the almonds, if using. Cover the bowl and chill until use. (The topping may be made up to one day in advance.)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine all of the filling ingredients together in a bowl and gently stir to combine. Spoon the filling into an 8-by-8-inch baking dish or 6 to 8 individual ramekins. Evenly cover with the topping. Transfer to the oven and bake until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes for the baking dish, 30 to 35 minutes for the ramekins.

Remove from the oven and cool to lukewarm or room temperature before serving, to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS