Salad

Chioggia beets are pink on the outside and striped on the inside. Because they are not cooked in this recipe, choose tender baby beets. You can use red or golden beets if Chioggia beets are unavailable. After your grill becomes hot, grill the lemon halves, cut side down, until lightly charred. Remove, let cool slightly, and squeeze their warm juice over the vegetables.

Ricotta salata is a firmer version of fresh ricotta; it is perfect for shaving over salads.

To keep watercress fresh, wrap it in damp paper towels and place it in a resealable plastic bag. Stored this way, it can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Just before making the salad, “crisp” the watercress by soaking it in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes, then gently pat dry.

French feta is creamier, milder, and less salty than the Greek version. Arrange this salad on a platter, and let your guests serve themselves.

The raw onions in this recipe become milder the longer they stay in the orange juice and vinegar mixture. For a strong onion flavor, let them soak for about 10 minutes; to make them more mellow, marinate for up to 4 hours.

Celery hearts are the tender, pale-green inner stalks in a celery bunch.

Walnut oil can be found at most gourmet markets. Because it is more delicate than other oils, walnut oil should be refrigerated after it has been opened to keep it from going rancid.

If fresh is unavailable, look for packages of prewashed baby spinach. Blood oranges are named for their vivid red-streaked flesh.