Food
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Arugula Salad with Strawberries, Heirloom Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
Edible flowers make this salad as beautiful as it is delicious, though they are a finishing touch that can be skipped when not available. Fortunately, we are so early in the growing season that you can plant seeds now and pick flowers from the garden rather soon. In the meantime, farmers markets and shops often sell edible pansies, violas, and other varieties, and these tips will help make sure you’re enjoying them safely. With or without colorful petals, the recipe below yields a light and fresh salad tossed with a tasty vinaigrette that’s perfect for enjoying under sunny skies. The peppery flavor of arugula pairs well with sweet strawberries and…
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Carrot and Cabbage Slaw
Light and bright with just enough sweetness, this carrot and cabbage slaw is practically designed for outdoor dining. As an accompaniment to the main dish, it makes a plate more beautiful and lends some tang. Include it in a picnic spread, and it livens up the rest of the offerings. For subtle variations in raw carrot flavor and the most gorgeous assemblage of vegetables, opt for a bunch of rainbow carrots or make your own mix with varieties such as atomic red (my favorite), solar yellow, and cosmic purple. In place of the raisins which often appear in a carrot slaw, this recipe includes chopped pitted dates for a more…
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Tortellini Salad with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Green, how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches. – Federico García Lorca Spring jolts us with awakenings, fresh flavors, and everything green arriving at the market. For that reason, I choose spinach-filled tortellini and spears of asparagus when making this dish, which can be served room temperature or cold. With both green ingredients in season, consider this the ideal way to start cooking with a fresh crop of vegetables. Set this on the table for dinner or as a side dish and be reminded of the stirrings in the ground and in ourselves. Ingredients ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons red wine vinegar¾ teaspoon honey¼…
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Beef Braised in Red Wine
Winter has arrived with the call for us to make the coziest dinners of the year, and this is a recipe you will want to make well into January and beyond. Beef braised in red wine becomes incredibly tender and will entice you to settle in for a warm night at home. The long braise means plenty of hands-off cooking time during which to enjoy other pursuits while everything cooks up to perfection in the oven. Alongside aromatics, I prefer to include whole baby carrots in this dish and a generous handful of sweet cherry tomatoes, which burst in the pot. Give everything a good stir before nestling the carrots…
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Root Vegetable Gratin
Spiraled in a baking dish, root vegetables form the base of a delicious gratin that can be served as fittingly for Thanksgiving or any holiday as it can be for an indulgent weeknight dinner. Potatoes give a familiar and comforting flavor while beets, turnips, rutabaga, and other varieties lend a bit more interest, with the choice of customization completely yours. Red beets are particularly delicious, though they do cause the entire dish to become quite tinged with their color. For this reason, you may wish to opt for the golden variety. As a holiday dish, this one disappears quickly and can take the place of mashed potatoes if you are…
