Nut

The pesto can be made up to 1 hour before serving without losing its freshness; store it at room temperature.

You can substitute any variety of ripe tomato for the heirlooms called for here.

Use a store-bought roasted chicken to save time. To take this salad on a picnic, pack it in an airtight container and keep it fresh in a cooler.

We used several varieties of beets, including Golden Globe and Chioggia, for a colorful salad, but you may use any variety you like.

The raw onions in this recipe become milder the longer they stay in the orange juice and vinegar mixture. For a strong onion flavor, let them soak for about 10 minutes; to make them more mellow, marinate for up to 4 hours.

Celery hearts are the tender, pale-green inner stalks in a celery bunch.

Walnut oil can be found at most gourmet markets. Because it is more delicate than other oils, walnut oil should be refrigerated after it has been opened to keep it from going rancid.

For a velvety smooth texture, pass the soup through a fine strainer after the mixture has been processed and before adding the cream.