Cookbooks

If you like, snip the prickly points of the leaves with scissors before you cook the artichokes. The tender leaves and hearts are delicious dipped in Aïoli (page 305).

Flageolet, pale green kidney beans, are prevalent in French cooking. Their delicate flavor is well suited for simple preparations and is particularly good with lamb.

Don’t worry if your pan seems overcrowded with the chard; it will quickly wilt and lose most of its volume as it cooks. Cooking the stems a bit longer than the leaves will ensure they become perfectly tender. If you prefer, seed the jalapeño pepper before using.

We used frozen pearl onions, but you could use fresh instead. To peel, place them in boiling water for 1 minute, and then let them cool slightly before slipping off their papery skins.

If you can’t find fresh edamame (soybeans), frozen works just as well. Look for them in the freezer section of your grocery store.

This savory dish is named for one of the streets in historical Charleston, South Carolina. Crookneck squash is a summer squash that is available year-round in certain regions. You can substitute zucchini or even a winter squash, such as butternut or acorn, depending on what’s in season in your area.

Brussels sprouts are members of the cabbage family. They are in season from late August through March.

You will need sweet, fully ripened plantains (plátanos maduros, in Spanish) for this Cuban-inspired side dish. They are soft, with peels that are mostly brown or black, and are available in Latin-American markets and many grocery stores.

We used small potatoes for this recipe. If your potatoes are larger, adjust the cooking time.

The easiest way to peel butternut squash is with a vegetable peeler; the harp-shaped variety works particularly well.