Beet

This soup combines two separate recipes attributed to the agriculturalist and linguist Varro. As a remedy it could be drunk to aid the digestion, and it also served as a soup with the chicken included. I choose to leave the meat in, to give some texture to the soup. The dish is quite unusual in not using fish sauce. The sweet/savoury balance is surprisingly good.

Our youth culture has even reached the green market: Baby vegetables are among the most sought-after produce, whether we buy them because they are sweeter and more tender than their full-grown counterparts or just because they look great on the plate. Seek out golden yellow, chioggia (an Italian heirloom variety that has white and pink rings inside), and Albino beets at farmers' markets.

For easy serving, ladle the soup into pretty bowls, and set them on the buffet table.

He may be executive chef at London's luxe Conservatory at The Lanesborough, but Paul Gayler knows a thing or two about American cuisine, too. In The Gourmet Burger, he rethinks the barbecue classic using premium and international ingredients. Here, he adds mildly spicy North African flavors.

This dramatic, gorgeous terrine isn't just visually arresting; it's also absolutely delicious — and such a sophisticated change of pace from a salad to start the meal. We used beets, haricots verts, and wax beans here, but feel free to improvise if other vegetables look tempting at your local farmers market; you'll need a total of 6 cups of cooked vegetables. Since the vegetables are cooked until very tender — a knife should be able to cut through them without resistance — the terrine slices beautifully.

Greek cuisine is famed for its appetizer dips — no meze party would be complete without at least one.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Katie Brown's Weekends. To read more about Katie Brown and to get her tips on throwing a headache-free cocktail party, click here.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from David Bouley, Mario Lohninger, and Melissa Clark's book East of Paris: The New Cuisines of Austria and the Danube. Lohninger also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Lohninger and Austrian cooking, click here. David Bouley: Mario and I wanted to put fresh herring on the menu, but we couldn't find a consistent source for the best product from the North Sea. So we came up with this dish using mackerel, an underused fish in this country. When you marinate the raw mackerel, it becomes very mellow in flavor. It's a clean-tasting fish, not a bit "fishy" or strong. We marinate the mackerel in Bibb lettuce and cucumber juices, then mix it with beet and apple for sweetness and a little crunch. It's both light and refreshing.

Actress Bridget Moynahan is fueled both by stardom and foods that keep her in top form. "I love beets," Moynahan says. She can get her fix with this dish from Axe, her healthy eatery of choice. Pick up organic fixings at a farmers' market and enjoy!

The health benefits: 1/2 cup cooked cauliflower has 36 percent of the RDA for vitamin C; beets deliver nearly 20 percent of your folate needs; good amounts of potassium and fiber in both vegetables.

Try a milder domestic Gorgonzola (rather than the equally delicious but more pungent Italian version). Using an assortment of different colored beets makes the salad more vibrant.

Replacing this Czech dish's traditional pork stuffing with confit duck results in a much shorter cooking time without sacrificing any mouthwatering flavor.

Few stuffed pastas are as pretty as these traditional ravioli from Veneto. The rich, sweet filling of roasted beets is complemented by the unique flavor of tiny black poppy seeds. If you don't have time to make fresh pasta, use purchased wonton wrappers.