Beet

Use baby beets or the smallest you can find.

During June through September, when the garden was most productive, Miss O'Keeffe would often walk with me to pick the vegetables she wanted for supper. She would consider what was ripe and what flavors would be pleasing,then supper would be served near six o'clock. Meals were generally prepared according to the following preferred schedule: breakfast at 7 a.m., the noon meal at 12 o'clock, and supper at 6 p.m. This schedule is one example of the patterns that suited the artist in her nineties.

Roast chicken or smoked turkey can step in for the pork, or meat can be omitted entirely for a great side dish. The roasting can be done all at once or in stages. This dish can also be served hot.

To make this borscht into a full meal, serve the butter-braised oysters as a starter, or vice versa.

At her restaurant, Lynch includes black truffle in the vinaigrette for this salad, but it's so flavorful as it is that we didn't feel the truffle was necessary.

Salmon fillets can be substituted for the char. For a shortcut version of the horseradish cream, just mix 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream with prepared white horseradish to taste.

This simple side dish is even easier to prepare if you roast the beets the day before you plan to serve them.

These sandwiches would go well with the vegetable and bean chili.

Start preparing this at least a day ahead.