Cherry Tomato Salad with Soy Sauce MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 15 to 30 minutes The combination of soy sauce and tomatoes is fantastic, and because cherry and grape tomatoes are among the few supermarket fruits that are actually worth eating in winter, this dish can help...
Celery Remoulade MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 20 minutes The basis for this salad is the rГ©moulade dressing of tangy, mustardy, homemade mayonnaise, one that can make practically anything taste good. The classic French-bistro preparation is for celery root, but...
Cold Cucumber and Seaweed Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 20 minutes Japanese and Koreans make good use of both cucumbers and seaweed, and this is an example of how the two combine with their love of cold soups. Add a little shredded daikon or thinly sliced red radish...
Classic Lentil Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour This recipe is about as easy as cooking can be, especially for a dish so filling and nutritious. Unlike the overly thick versions that put so many people off, this lentil soup is nicely balanced. 1 cup dried...
Cauliflower Salad with Olives and Bread Crumbs MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes, including cooking the cauliflower Bread crumbs give this crunchy dish, which is common in southern Italy, enough body to stand on its own; I like to serve it family style, passing more...
Carrot Salad with Cumin MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 15 minutes Here’s a simple salad in a typically North African style that features the sweetness of fresh oranges offset nicely by the tang of ground cumin. You can also combine carrot and celeriac, jГcama, or...
Chile Bisque MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 11/2 hours, largely unattended This is one of those pure and simple soups flavored by a single ingredient. Well, almost. The only other things between you and the complex taste of mild dried chile are a touch of garlic and a...
Chickpea Soup with Saffron and Almonds MAKES: 4 servings TIME: At least 2 hours (much less with cooked or canned chickpeas) The combination of chickpeas, almonds, and saffron is found throughout the Mediterranean, but especially in Spain. Both intense flavor and a...
Carrot or Celery Salad MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 20 minutes This is so easy it barely qualifies as a salad, yet celery and carrots are so readily overlooked, and this is so good. Consider using this ultra-basic lemon juice–olive oil dressing—just as you would a...
Broiled Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 30 minutes Though fresh plum tomatoes are acceptable even in the off-season, they’re decidedly improved by being broiled for a couple minutes. Add blue cheese (or virtually any other kind of grated...
Cauliflower Soup, Italian Style MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes This is how many people cook vegetables in Italy, a technique that can then turn the vegetable into a soup or pasta sauce in a sec. Garlic, pepper, and oil are the distinguishing characteristics, and...
Bread Soup Zuppa di Pane MAKES: 4 servings TIME: At least 1 hour Not literally bread soup but bean and vegetable soup with bread. When I first ate this in Tuscany, it was served with 2 condiments extra virgin olive oil and chopped onion and I've made it that way ever...