Vegetables

We roasted relatively thick asparagus spears on a preheated baking sheet in a 500-degree oven, which ensured that they browned deeply and quickly. Not moving the spears during cooking allowed them to get a rich sear on one side and remain vibrant green on the other, which helped them retain their freshness and tender snap. We trimmed the base of the spears with a knife and peeled away their tough skin to reduce waste.

If you’re looking for another way to prepare avocados — and who isn’t? — turn on your backyard grill and set the ripe green fruits directly on the hot surface. These grilled avocado halves make a healthy, plant-based meal on their own — here each person is served two avocado halves — or set alongside your favorite grilled fish or meat. Just two to three minutes over the coals imparts a delicious smoky flavor. A chickpea salad, with bright citrus juices and lots of cilantro, comes together quickly. The acids in the mixture contrast brilliantly with the creamy avocado.

To meet the challenge of adding flavor without fuss to broccoli, we tossed uncooked dressings and sauces with steamed broccoli. We found that potent flavorings like chiles, ginger, garlic, citrus juices, and spices, which stand up to the strong flavor of broccoli, were best in our broccoli recipes.

Chefs call it a half-sheet and think it’s used for baking.

That’s because chefs don’t think the same way as home cooks. They’re not as resourceful.

What they call a half-sheet, we call a rimmed baking sheet. What they think is best used for, say, cookies, we picture using to cook a whole meal. It’s simple, it’s convenient, and the best part is that you only have one pan to wash.

Sheet pan meals are up and coming; they’re the new big thing. For those in the know, they’re already a trend. Entire cookbooks are devoted to the trend, along with the inevitable blogs.

Years ago, I was attempting to reverse my daughter Valentine's disdain for cauliflower. She was always my veggie-loving kiddo, so I was stumped by her dislike of one my favorites. Who doesn't love roasted cauliflower florets, with those crispy caramelized golden edges?

Rich bean soups are classic winter comfort food. They are filling, healthy, and inexpensive, making them a worthy addition to the menu rotation. The downside to dried bean cookery is the time it takes to soak and then cook beans. Canned beans are a reasonable substitute, although they cost more than three times the price of their dried, bagged counterparts.

For this holiday-worthy recipe, roasting the butternut with several bay leaves slipped between the slices results in a subtle aromatic backdrop for the chile glaze.

This dish has become a signature of Domenica chef Alon Shaya. Precooking the cauliflower in seasoned poaching liquid infuses it with flavor; roasting makes it crisp.

To achieve maximum charring without drying out the corn, we grilled husked corn directly on the grates over a very hot fire. Coating the corn with oil and chili powder gave it spice and prevented it from sticking to the grill. A mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise proved a good substitute for hard-to-find crema in the sauce used to coat the cooked corn in this authentic-tasting grilled corn recipe.

This is the most minimalist eggplant Parmesan imaginable, really an eggplant gratin with tomatoes. (If memory serves me, that’s how they make it in Parma: no mozz, no meat.) You cook the eggplant in abundant oil. Yes, you can broil it or bake it, but I really think the taste of eggplant slices that have had oil boiled right through them is dreamy. Make a 15-minute tomato sauce of fresh or canned tomatoes, onion and olive oil, then grab a gratin dish and layer the eggplant, sauce and Parmesan. Do this two or three times, and that's it. Bake until it's bubbly and golden brown.