Side

We already know you like applesauce with pork, but this soft, creamy purée is so much better. It's like a bowl of puréed potatoes that yearns to be dessert.

Delicate with tender stems, Broccolini tastes great simply on its own. Adding a little lemon oil reveals perky new dimensions to its flavor.

The secret to this dish is the touch of Sherry vinegar, added at the last minute; it lends a sprightly note that complements the rest of the meal.

These Southwestern pancakes are vibrant to the eye and the palate. For a spicier version, leave in some — or even all — of the jalapeño seeds.

Cod and potato are the cornerstones of one of the classics of American cooking: fish chowder. Here they take on a new form as the basis for these distinctly New England potato pancakes.

Chef Michael Mina created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. He loves this multicomponent dish because it is the essence of summer.

New potatoes are simply young spuds of any variety that haven't converted all their sugar to starch. We like them because they are small enough to be cooked whole and are excellent boiled or pan-roasted.

This is an unusual use for pistou, a Provençal variant of pesto made of basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt. It's normally stirred into simple vegetable soups to give them some oomph, but it brings the same lively savoriness to green beans, contrasting nicely with their buttery quality. Don't worry about being knocked over by raw onions on top of all the other strong flavors-soaking them in cold water for 15 minutes removes some of their pungency while preserving their crunch.

Steamed quinoa has an unbelievably light and fluffy texture. If you can get fresh-picked corn, you can add it to the salad raw—even without cooking, the kernels will be sweet and tender.

Boiled first to ensure tenderness all the way through, these spuds gain a smoky flavor and crackly roasted skin from a brief stint on the grill. If you have fresh rosemary left over from the Grilled Poussins with Lemon Herb Butter, strip off all but the top 1 inch of leaves and skewer the potatoes on the woody stems—it looks beautiful on the serving plate and gives the potatoes a lovely perfume.

In this vibrant green dish, the bitterness of broccoli rabe comes in second place to the sweetness of the peas and the comforting familiarity of olive oil and garlic.

The beauty of this recipe is that each type of vegetable is cooked on its own skewer for even grilling. The tangy vinaigrette brings out the natural sweetness in the fresh summer vegetables.

Traditionally made from cow's or goat's milk and wrapped in chestnut leaves, Banon cheese is named after the town in northern Provence from which it hails. When the leaves are green, the cheese is fresh, mild, and sweet; when the leaves are brown, it is ripe and soft. Either way, it's a great complement to classic mesclun greens. In the spirit of Provence, we encourage you to bypass the ready-made mesclun mix and create your own blend of peppery, sweet, and tender baby lettuces from the array that you can find at the farmers market.

Improv: Substitute chopped red or yellow bell peppers for the tomatoes in the salad; try basil instead of cilantro in the dressing.

Susan Elizabeth Fallon of Boxford, Massachusetts writes: "I love to create new recipes to share with my husband, nine-year-old son, and friends. For me, that's the fun and adventure of cooking. I believe that eating well means using fresh, high-quality ingredients, so I'm choosy about what I buy and I grow many of my own herbs." Lemon sugar and fresh berries make these muffins special.