Beet

The inspiration for this salad came to chef Hugh Acheson as he spoke to a friend who'd eaten at the Spotted Pig in New York City. "He'd had a salad and was telling me all the components," says Acheson. "It sounded wonderful, so I came up with my own version of it, using local ingredients from Georgia."

Slice the red beets last and keep them separate until serving so their color won't bleed onto the other vegetables.

You'll want to pickle the beets a day ahead.

For the best results, chill the produce first.

Candy-stripe beets (also known as Chioggia beets) won't bleed into this yogurt dressing as their red cousins would, so they make this summer slaw beautiful. They're available in better supermarkets and at farmers' markets.

Beets and apples add filling fiber to each bowl; plus, apples' antioxidants may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by excess belly fat.

The recipe for red velvet cake has been around since the 1920s, when the cake was the signature dessert at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The cake captured my heart-and it plays hard to get. It took me forever to come up with a magical adaptation that would capture the richness of its namesake. These bars get their health benefits, velvety texture, and deep red color from a paste made of beets, red beans, cocoa powder, and red food coloring. I took a slight departure from the traditional red velvet cake flavor by adding a touch of almond extract, and that, my friends, is where the magic happened.

Roasted potatoes are good and all, but a roasted root vegetable medley is just as easy to make and a little bit fancy too. Substitute any root vegetable, including starchy potatoes, turnip, parsnip, celery root, or rutabaga. While the veggies are roasting, toss a garlic bulb or two into the pan at about the 30-minute mark—the result: easy, creamy garlic! Yum.

Salads need not focus on the lettuce. Here the greens take a back seat to vibrant golden beets. The salty, creamy blue cheese and the crunchy walnuts complement the sweet beets. Roasting the beets in water prevents them from drying out.

Season: June to August. I love the sweet, earthy flavor of beets and I hate to see it swamped in strong-tasting vinegar, as so often happens. This light preserve is quite a different proposition: roasting the young roots really concentrates their robust flavor, while the sharp pungency of horseradish adds a liveliness to the sweet beet. Serve this summery relish alongside smoked mackerel. It’s also fantastic in sandwiches with cold meats.

The product: Kefir is a drink that looks and tastes like yogurt, usually made from cow's milk or goat's milk. It's in the dairy section.
The payoff: Body and tanginess in soups.

For this colorful and festive starter, be sure to grate the peel from the tangerines before cutting off the rind and slicing them into rounds.

The secret to a roast chicken with crispy skin and tender meat? Salting the chicken and letting it sit for at least a few hours. A little bit of beer really amps up the pan juices.

This striking side dish (it's bright pink) is a delicious new way to dress up humble beets. Pair the gratin with roasted lamb.

The shredding disc on the food processor makes quick work of grating the beets and carrots. For a pretty presentation, spoon the salad onto a bed of beet greens, spinach, or arugula. Serve with burgers or fish.

MOROCCAN COOKS USUALLY MAKE this tasty salad with Swiss chard, but I have seen it also with beet leaves. Eaten all year round, it is prepared by Moroccans on Rosh Hashanah for their Sephardic Seder, when they say a series of blessings over squash, leeks, dates, pomegranates, black-eyed peas, apples, the head of a fish or a lamb, and Swiss chard and beet greens.

Hari Pulapaka, chef and owner of Cress Restaurant in DeLand, Florida, scored a spot at a local community garden to sprout his organic produce for vitamin-packed salads like this one. The homemade dressing he created stays fresh in the fridge for a week.

Farro, an ancient variety of wheat, has a hearty texture and a nutty flavor. Here, the whole grain is tossed with bitter radicchio and earthy beets for a pretty, delicious, and healthful salad.