Vegan

These tomatoes hold up well for up to 2 days when stored in the refrigerator; serve as a sandwich filling or pasta topping.

If you like, snip the prickly points of the leaves with scissors before you cook the artichokes. The tender leaves and hearts are delicious dipped in Aïoli (page 305).

Flageolet, pale green kidney beans, are prevalent in French cooking. Their delicate flavor is well suited for simple preparations and is particularly good with lamb.

Don’t worry if your pan seems overcrowded with the chard; it will quickly wilt and lose most of its volume as it cooks. Cooking the stems a bit longer than the leaves will ensure they become perfectly tender. If you prefer, seed the jalapeño pepper before using.

You will need sweet, fully ripened plantains (plátanos maduros, in Spanish) for this Cuban-inspired side dish. They are soft, with peels that are mostly brown or black, and are available in Latin-American markets and many grocery stores.

Drain the noodles well before coating with sauce.

Look for precooked polenta logs in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. If using fresh plum tomatoes, peel them by scoring an X in the bottom with a paring knife and plunging them into boiling water for several seconds; transfer to an ice-water bath, and let cool. Slip off and discard the peels and seeds.