Side

Mixing visually striking black barley with raw and cooked vegetables creates lots of flavors and textures. Feel free to substitute the more readily available pearl barley instead.

This is a gem from my mother's notebook of Nonna Mary's recipes. I remember Nonna Mary serving these tomatoes along with assorted grilled meats during the summer in Cesenatico. They are also a perfect accompaniment to veal cutlets, and together they make a great sandwich, one of my favorite lunches that my mother would pack for me to take to school.

{like his mother made} Rösti or hash browns done well are potatoes perfected. I learned this from my husband's mother in Hungary, but you'll find similar versions that are the pride of many a mother and a young bride in homes all over Central Europe. In our home, few things raise bigger enthusiasm than the smell of rösti cooking when András walks through the door. You'll love them for brunch or dinner, or a whole meal {vegetarians take note} with a poached egg and chopped herbs. Add in rosemary and you've got a really heady, flavorful substitute for French fries with your steak dinner. They key to a crispy outside and soft inside not laden with oil is to get the oil very hot before you add the potatoes, in which case they will absorb very little of it and leave nothing but flavor and crunch for you to devour the instant it hits the plate.

{sweet and toothsome} Roasting is a no-fuss way to put a lot of vegetables on the table. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in fall root veggies and winter squash. Roast them in big batches to top Baked Risotto , and throw them into fall and winter salads.

With different girls

Every Southeast asian country has some variation of green papaya or mango salad. Since it doesn't taste like much (nice texture, though), it's all about the supporting cast as far as delivering flavor goes. And in this version there's such a big cast that you can lose one or two items and the salad will still taste real good. You can even lose the papaya (shhhh) and make it with all the other goodies. Just don't lose the fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, or chili—deal? LISTEN
Mayafra Combo, "Iffilah Ha-Ha"—Sonnie Taylor from Trinidad backed up by some Italian musicians. Beautiful vocals and a moving jazz-funk vibe to keep you dancing and cooking. DRINK
A tall glass of water a little cooler than room temp. Seriously.

I love flageolets, the immature kidney beans that the French have been cultivating since the 1800s. They come in a variety of colors; I prefer the green ones, which are slightly firmer than a kidney bean, because they have a wonderful flavor and are really elegant in salads and stews. A little fresh bacon goes a long way toward making these beans remarkable. Curing it for a few hours in salt and sugar helps the bacon retain its flavor in the cooking process. For the greens, I like to use kale and mustard greens, but this dish is wonderful with any hearty green like dandelion greens or even cabbage. The pressure cooker helps to cook the beans easily and imparts all the wonderful porky-ness of the bacon.

Sweet nectarines balance the earthy green peppers in this colorful side.

Briefly blanching whole onions makes them easy to separate and fill.

A salad this simple requires the finest ingredients to make it shine.

High-heat roasting concentrates vegetables' flavor and brings out their sweetness— a big reward for little effort. Use this recipe as a template. Most important: Cut into similar-size pieces, and don't overcrowd the pan.

A healthy, full-flavored side dish that will sell you on an undersung grain.

Sweet pickle juice and a mashed consistency give this Southern potato salad, inspired by one at Sally Bell's Kitchen, its character.

Coating the toasted pita in olive oil prevents it from getting soggy when mixed with the vegetables and dressing.

"I use miso as a unique salt. It adds depth to even simple preparations, like this compound butter."

Sprinkle salt and sugar on produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, or berries (hold the salt!); let stand for 20-40 minutes. This process, also called maceration, draws out the juices, creating a natural sauce.

There's so much more to leafy greens than lettuce. Here, they're tossed with a light vinaigrette and spooned over sliced stone fruit, nuts, and blue cheese.

This take on a Roman vignole showcases the best and brightest of the season's bounty.

A generous handful of mint leaves adds a tongue-tingling surprise, reinforcing this salad's zesty freshness.

Quinoa is native to the Andes, not the Middle East, so it was unknown to the Jews fleeing Egypt during biblical times. With the recent rise of quinoa's popularity in the United States, and the fact that it's not a true grain but rather the seed of a broadleaf plant, some circles of Judaism have approved of and welcomed it to the Passover table, while others have not. If you feel comfortable serving it this Passover, you will love how it absorbs the vinaigrette, bright with lemon and enriched with finely grated hard-boiled eggs, and how it forms a tender bed for the ribbons of scallion and raw asparagus. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Passover. Menu also includes Wine-Braised Brisket with Tart Cherries and Amaretto Olive Oil Cake.