Leafy Greens

Speck, lightly smoked pork that is cured and air-dried, adds a richness to this dish. Look for Speck at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, or online at igourmet.com.

These come out extra-crispy when you use a pizza stone. If you don’t have one, a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet works well; invert it so that you can remove the pizza easily.

Instead of the often-leaden, mayo-heavy supermarket slaw, why not try this wonderfully crisp version? The ginger and rice vinegar provide a fresh, clean flavor, and the serrano gives it just the right spark of heat.

Regardless of your foraging skills, you can experience the abundance of the woods with these delectable parcels, which combine the nutty chew of bulgur with rich toasted pine nuts, sweet currants, and smoky trout that could have come from a nearby brook—all neatly wrapped up in a lettuce leaf. And because they're so portable, you can easily enjoy them outdoors on a picnic blanket.

Tzatziki is a popular Greek sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and dill. Here we've subbed in shallots for garlic and used it to top skewers of shrimp. Serve any leftovers with pita chips, as a substitute for mayo on roast chicken sandwiches, or as a sauce for grilled lamb.

Executive food editor Kemp Minifie brought the idea for this restorative pasta from her own home. Everyone in the test kitchen loved the briny intensity of feta and olives offset by sweet currants and slightly bitter chard. The garlic doesn’t stay crisp for long, so be sure to serve immediately.

Classic stuffed cabbage is a time-consuming endeavor. This unorthodox version, which uses dried cranberries and a combination of beef and pork, is much easier—and, we like to think, even better.

Frisée often pops up in salads, but like its cousin escarole, it’s also great for cooking.

Sharp mustard adds edginess to the old standby combination of greens and bacon.

Sturdy forest-green collards provide the wrapping for buttery, juicy mushrooms. Elegance comes easily when it comes to these bundles, since they can be assembled a day ahead.

Ruggiero was so smitten with the kohlrabi salad at St. JOHN Bread & Wine, in London, that she snapped a photo of her plate and vowed to create her own version back in the States. Kohlrabi, which looks a lot like an alien spaceship, is as crisp as celery and has a pleasant mustardy flavor. Here, paper-thin slices get some additional zip from capers. The salad is so refreshing, it’s an ideal interlude between the extravagant meal and the dessert to come.

Smoked sable is as moist as smoked salmon, but with a voluptuous silkiness all its own. To balance its sea-saltiness, top it with earthy roasted beets and fresh watercress. This festive salad makes a wonderfully light start to a lavish Thanksgiving feast.

Juicy Asian pear and a balsamic reduction play against the bitter edge of frisée—further mellowed by leeks hot from the pan.

This rich side dish gets unexpected encouragement from orange, cream, and Chinese five-spice powder.

The keys to this fast, simple dish, which was inspired by a crab-stuffed tomato at Yves Camdeborde's Paris brasserie, Le Comptoir du Relais, are ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and excellent crabmeat.

Chef Christian Constant's unforgettable potatoes stuffed with pigs' trotters at Les Cocottes, in Paris, inspired this homey but adventurous take on an American favorite: the stuffed baked potato. We used breakfast sausage and a savory glaze that does double duty as a salad dressing.

In French bistros, confit duck legs are traditionally served with a very simple, sharply dressed frisée salad. This version of the light meal gilds the lily by switching out frisée for peppery watercress and adding juicy navel oranges and nuggets of toasted walnuts.