Carrot

We come back to this basic stock recipe year after year because we love the depth and dark hue that come from roasting the meat and vegetables beforehand—they translate to a terrific gravy.

We typically think of pickling as involving mainly vinegar or, as is the case with kimchi, a fermenting process. In India, however, oil is the secret ingredient, employed to carry the flavor of spices. Here, mustard seeds and ground turmeric bring brightness to the mix.

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière.

To add richness, sauté three ounces sliced pancetta until crisp; crumble over before serving. Varietal honeys are available at specialty foods stores and online at chefshop.com.

Roasted carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas add great depth of flavor.

This excellent, all-purpose broth can be made three days ahead; keep it covered and chilled.

Few Asian meals are complete without pickles, which function variously as appetizers, condiments, salads, palate cleansers, and relishes. Here, Chang breaks down the process so you do the work once but get four very different quick pickles out of it.

This lamb-rich, Uzbek-style pilaf is typical of the fare served by northern Afghans to mark festive occasions. Despite the absence of spices and herbs, it is a surprisingly complex dish.

To give this salad more crunch, add blanched soybeans (edamame) or fried wonton strips.

Does the idea of kids wolfing down their vegetables seem utterly improbable? This faintly sweet, gingery dip, reminiscent of that addictive Japanese-restaurant salad dressing, is made mostly from carrots, so you'll be delighted by the compulsive dipping and crunching that's bound to ensue when you put it out.

The carrot ribbons are simple: Use a vegetable peeler to make long strips.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body, by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg. This tasty curry goes wonderfully on top of couscous and makes for a filling meal.

Bibimbop A glorious combination of fresh stir-fried vegetables, each cooked separately to allow its flavors to stay true, is liberally seasoned with garlic and sesame oil. To gild the lily, every serving is topped off with a rich fried egg that gets added just before eating.

This vegetarian showstopper will bowl you over with its layers of flavor — one bite is enough to understand why it's often called one of the world's great dishes. Barley couscous, lighter and more aromatic than the well-known semolina version, serves as a nutty, fluffy base; tender-firm vegetables and a fragrant, golden broth are ladled over; and crunchy fried almonds and sweet onion confit add even more texture and flavor to the beguiling complexity.

The ubiquity of pomegranates in Morocco inspired food editor Maggie Ruggiero to add one nontraditional ingredient — pomegranate juice — to this very traditional meze; its tartness turns up the volume on all the flavors, and its color lends a beautiful mahogany sheen.

The spice in this dish from Jennifer Maeng, executive chef at Korean Temple Cuisine in New York City, adds more than taste. A compound found in red-hot pepper may also rev up your metabolism. Wok star!

A serrated kinpira peeler ($15 online at amazon.com) makes quick work of a carrot-and-celery julienne.

In India, lentil-based dals are often served as a side dish, but adding a host of vibrant vegetables turns this into a main course. Brightened with turmeric and infused with garlic, ginger, and spices, the red lentils are cooked down into a creamy purée. Best of all, the flavor improves with time, so make it ahead for a night when you need a quick supper.

Treat your taste buds to meals that incorporate all six flavors, like this one from Teresa Long, in-house nutritionist at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.