Gazpacho MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 20 minutes No one can definitively say what gazpacho is—you see it with grapes, with almonds, even with melon. This basic recipe is what you probably expect when you hear the word gazpacho, but, as the variations show, you can...
Garlic Fideo Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes Browned noodles are a real treat; one classic example is Garlicky Vermicelli or Fideo, the paellalike dish where broken strands of thin noodles are panfried before liquid and the other ingredients are added. Here I...
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Hard-Cooked Eggs MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 20 minutes This straightforward chopped salad with tomato wedges is wonderfully complex, especially if you use a mixture of heirloom tomatoes at the peak of summer. Hard-cooked eggs add a nice chew...
Grilled Shiitake or Portobello Salad with Soy Vinaigrette MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes, including heating the grill This salad is as simple as can be. You might double the number of mushrooms (a mix is nice) and serve it as a main course. 8 large or 16 small...
Faux Pho MAKES: 4 appetizer or 2 lunch servings TIME: About 1 hour, depending on garnishes The Vietnamese meal-in-a-bowl soup known as pho is always tricky for vegetarians because fish and meat are normally included, and prominently. But there are vegetarian options,...
Farro Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 11/2 hours or more, largely unattended Farro is an ancient grain, a form of wheat that has enjoyed a popular revival in the last couple of decades thanks to our quest for “new” ingredients and the popularity of classic regional...
Greens with Fruit, Cheese, and Nuts MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 20 to 30 minutes The classic combination here, a restaurant standard from the nineties, is pears, Gorgonzola, and walnuts. But all sorts of trios are possible, ranging from an all-American mix of apples,...
Green Salad with Caramelized Onion-Thyme Dressing MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour The sweetness of the slow-cooked onions, accentuated by a bit of honey and offset by the perfumed bitterness of thyme and olives, perfectly complements a mound of bitter greens. The...
Egg Noodle Soup with Mushrooms MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 45 minutes The noodles in this soup are made entirely of beaten eggs, which are cooked in a thin layer just until set (you can do this ahead of time or while the soup is simmering). Once the sheet of egg...
Egg Drop Soup, Eight Ways MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 15 to 30 minutes, depending on variation The idea of scrambling eggs into a pot of simmering liquid is not unique to Chinese restaurants or even to China. In fact, my starting point is a Colombian dish, enriched with...
Five-Layer Avocado Salad MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 20 minutes Serve this festive salad family style, as part of a Mexican buffet, with Naked Tamales with Chile Cheese Filling, or as the centerpiece of a light lunch. Whenever you serve it, you’ll enjoy the...
Endive and Roquefort Salad MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 15 minutes I like a salad you can eat with your fingers, and this is a beaut because the endive serves as both an ingredient and a spoon (you can even eat it standing up). Each of the major ingredients can be swapped...