Vegan

These make a wonderful addition to any summer salad or antipasto. They can also be served as a side dish with roasted or grilled lamb.

The relish can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated; add the salt just before serving.

You can substitute 3 tablespoons powdered pectin for the liquid pectin. Dissolve it in 1/2 cup warm water before adding it to the mint mixture.

We like to serve grilled fish over a coulis made by pureeing half the salsa until smooth and adding olive oil until the mixture is the desired consistency.

This is a good vinaigrette for a simple green salad. Use extra-virgin olive oil if you prefer a fruitier flavor.

This goes remarkably well with steak.

Serve with grilled pork or fish, such as red snapper or striped bass.

Serve with grilled shrimp, fish, or pork.

This colorful relish is delicious with grilled chicken or shrimp. It also pairs well with the piquant flavors of quesadillas and crab cakes.

This salsa can also be spooned over grilled shrimp, fish, chicken, or lamb.

For this version, make a basic tomatillo salsa, then puree it with avocado. This recipe makes extra salsa you can serve on its own along with tortilla chips. The salsa’s acidity preserves the color of guacamole; it can be refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

You can substitute dried cranberries or raisins for the dried cherries in this recipe.

This recipe was inspired by the tableside version prepared at Rosa Mexicano in New York City. To ripen hard avocados, leave them in a closed paper bag at room temperature for a few days.

Make a nutritious lunch by spooning this spread into whole-wheat pita halves and layering with tomato slices. Or, for a cocktail hour snack, dab a small amount on cherry tomato halves.

Toss this mix with 2 pounds potatoes before grilling. Once they have finished cooking, sprinkle the potatoes with fresh lime juice, if desired. See page 389 for grilling instructions.

The trick to achieving a good emulsification—suspending the oil in water-based ingredients such as vinegar—is to add the oil toward the end and whisk it in a little bit at a time.