Radish

Make sure the radishes you choose are roughly the same size and have healthy-looking greens attached. If you find baby turnips in your supermarket or farmers’ market , try them the same way. These radishes go very well with the Veal Chops Stuffed with Taleggio and Broccoli on page 220 or the Chicken Breast Valdostana on page 271.

Cheese fondue is a puddle of warm melted cheese flavored with wine, and I adore it. When it’s done right, the cheese coats a piece of fruit or bread with a perfectly satin layer of fatty unctuousness that transforms both parties into something miraculous. Getting that singular texture without all of the fat is a matter of making a thickened wine-shallot reduction and using high-quality low-fat cheddar. I threw in a little bit of bacon because everything’s better with it. If you leave it out, though, this reformed fondue contains one tenth the fat of the original.

The herbed butter in the center of the burger adds great flavor and tons of moisture and is a good-time, exploding centerpiece to this fast and simple meal.

Just like Grandma might have made for you, if she were Hungarian.

When we think of kimchi we tend to picture the classic kind found in Asian supermarkets, which is made primarily with Napa cabbage stained red from the chili powder and pungent with garlic. Interestingly, although that is indisputably the most popular variation, kimchi can be made with a wide array of vegetables and spices, with regional variations that affect the ingredients used and levels of heat and spice. Here we’ve used red cabbage for two reasons. The first is because we like its sweet flavor and slightly sturdy texture. The second, more practical, reason is that these fermented pickles are generally deemed ready when enough lactic acid is produced to change the pH from 6.5 to approximately 3.5. Red cabbage juice changes color at this pH and becomes a bright reddish-purple, giving you a visual cue when fermentation is complete. Kimchi is a surprisingly good condiment for grilled hot dogs. It is a great way to doctor up packaged ramen at home. In place of coleslaw on a sandwich, it can add an unexpected kick to anything from corned beef on rye to pulled pork on soft white bread. Its heat and tang are wonderful for cutting through rich ingredients, and as a substitute for sauerkraut in choucroute, it is utterly delicious.

I love these radishes and cannot stop eating them. I like to serve them with drinks, but you may serve them with grilled meats or as a relish with a meal.

Here’s a light grain salad using versatile, quick-cooking couscous.

Radishes and breadcrumbs give this greens-packed vegetarian pasta its crunchy texture.

Forget the salad. This colorful assortment of vegetables will stay fresh and snappy on the buffet all night long.

Hakurei turnips are a small, delicately flavored Japanese variety that will win over even the harshest turnip critic. If you can't find them, use another small turnip like the Tokyo, or substitute with red radishes. Lo advocates using the whole turnip, from bitter, leafy-green tops to sweet roots.