Vegetables

Boiled, even steamed, cauliflower can be insipid and reminiscent of the veggie combo in your grocer’s freezer. Roasting brings out the vegetable’s nuttiness and enhances the crunchy texture, making it the perfect vehicle for savory ingredients like olive oil and Parmesan. Some chefs use lemon juice to contrast the richness, but this dish calls for briny capers. Stir during baking to prevent the garlic from burning. One quick toss will send Clarence Birdseye packing - leaving more room in the freezer for ice cream.

Carrots are like a quiet but secretly remarkable child who doesn't attract much attention. Most often they're simply what you throw into a soup or a braised dish to "add a little sweetness." But it's because of that inner sweetness that they're so suited to charring on a chapa. The sugar caramelizes and produces a delicious crust. They are tossed with nutty garlic chips, peppery arugula, and creamy goat cheese.

The French have a saying, "You must watch what you're cooking like milk on the stove," referring, of course, to the fact that milk can boil over in a flash. Case in point: Garlic chips are sweet and nutty when cooked just right, but let them go just a little too long, and they become burnt and acrid.

I first ate a version of this wonderful dish at Gilaneh restaurant in Tehran, on a late spring day at the end of May, weeks before Iran’s presidential election and the disputed voting results that brought turmoil to the city.

On that day, nothing could have been more peaceful than lunch by an open window two stories above a bustling street: lamb kebabs, chicken in a tangy pomegranate sauce and a dish of beans in a buttery sauce tinted pale yellow from turmeric and flecked with garlic and dill.

Napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, has crunchy leaves that pair well with a light sauce. Similar to bok choy, but more delicate (use either in this recipe), Napa cabbage is more elegant than regular firm-headed green cabbage. Slice the head of Napa lengthwise in half and remove the core. Roughly chop into 2-inch pieces. Then cook the cabbage in a searing hot skillet - high heat is essential - to caramelize the leaves. Saute in two batches so overcrowding doesn’t steam the vegetables. It’s fast and good for you.

The weather is cooling off, but there’s still plenty of succulent fresh zucchini, yellow crookneck, and pattypan squash at farmers’ markets. This dish tops grilled squash with gremolata, the classic Italian condiment made by chopping flat-leaf parsley, garlic, and lemon rind together. Citrusy and spicy, the relish also adds a garden-fresh brightness when sprinkled on sliced tomatoes, oven-roasted potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, seafood, and chicken. Gremolata is the classic garnish for osso buco, the dish of braised veal shanks.

If you're making the beans to use for the soup or the sausages, be sure to save the cooking liquid.

1 pound dried cannellini (white kidney beans)
8 cups room-temperature water