Onion

Serve this as a side dish in shallow bowls, or over rice as a main dish.

There’s something enticing about simmering beans for hours until they begin to “melt” into soupiness. This is a superb activity (or nonactivity, more accurately) for a snow-bound day.

Pungent miso makes an offbeat flavoring for red beans. For more on miso, see page 21.

Serve over rice or wrapped in a tortilla (see Black Bean Burritos, page 167). You can serve them both ways in the same meal, as in the menu here. That way, everyone can decide for themselves how they’d like to enjoy this tasty dish.

Bulgur is delicious with lightly browned onion and cabbage. The green beans add a companionable flavor and texture.

This easy casserole offers maximum nourishment. Serve with microwaved or baked sweet potatoes (start the sweet potatoes in the oven about 45 minutes before starting to bake the casserole) and a salad of dark greens and ripe tomatoes.

Two revered ancient grains in one simple, tasty dish.

This mild rice dish can be used as a side dish, or, in larger portions, as an entrée, accompanied by a tossed salad and a variety of steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

The darker mushrooms yield a richer flavor, so give them a try. As always, my favorite seasoning for barley is fresh dill. See menu on page 206.

Look for long-grain and wild rice mixes near other rice products on supermarket shelves. Wild rice adds an invigorating, nutty flavor and texture to pilaf.

Frozen chopped spinach dresses up plain brown rice with little extra effort.

This tasty Slavic dish can be made in a snap with shredded coleslaw cabbage. For a complete meal, accompany each serving with a couple of links of sautéed soy “sausages” and a salad of dark green lettuce and tomatoes.

What luscious flavor from such basic ingredients! Pureed soft tofu or white beans make a deceptively rich base for a soup sure to please mushroom enthusiasts. Serve this soup as an introduction to light pasta or potato dishes.

Mild and light, this is a good introduction to nearly any kind of meal. Use sweet, fresh carrots that aren’t the least bitter. Organically grown carrots are a good bet for optimal flavor.

This comforting classic thickens considerably as it stands, resulting in a generous quantity of soup. Each time you reheat it, thin it with additional water, and adjust the seasonings. Or, once your original batch cools, consider freezing half of it for later use. This soup is a meal in itself. All you need is a good bread and a salad—simple or bountiful, as you prefer.

This is a soothing remedy when you are coming down with a cold—though you need not wait for a cold to try it!

This soup is simple but labor intensive. If you want to immerse yourself in the summery, sensory experience of peeling fresh tomatoes and scraping kernels off of corn cobs, you won’t regret it. This is an appealing accompaniment to a late summer meal of grilled vegetables and veggie burgers.

Fresh herbal overtones lift the flavor of this instant soup. White beans make a creamy base for soups, dips, and sauces.

Very unpretentious and delicious. There’s no need to trim the onion roots; the dish looks more rustic with them as is.

I order steak tartare in restaurants whenever it’s on the menu. When you serve it at home it’s important to seek a fine butcher who can provide you with the best-quality beef. You can make the Parmigiano baskets the morning of the party and store them covered at room temperature; they will still have an amazing snap hours later. The trick for success with this is not to use “green can” grated cheese, which will not melt evenly; you have to buy the good stuff. Once you get the hang of making Parmigiano-Reggiano frico you can really crank them out. The tops of water or soda bottles are ideal for forming the Parmigiano cups. I also like to make flat frico as a crunchy garnish for Caesar salads.