Gluten Free

Heirloom carrots, with their deep varied hues of orange, yellow, and purple, are ideal for this salad, but you can use regular carrots and it will be just as delicious. Just make sure they’re organic and smaller in size to ensure the same tender, sweet results. You can use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline to make the ribbons. The vegetable peeler takes a little longer, but produces beautifully thin, delicate strips. A mandoline, on the other hand, is faster but makes thicker ribbons if you are not careful. If you go this route, let the ribbons sit for a few minutes after tossing with the dressing so they soften somewhat.

Because of its seductive red color, this granita is the sexiest slushy on earth. It’s incredibly easy to make and requires the simplest of equipment. To take it over the top, serve with whipped cream or, for that Creamsicle effect, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If blood oranges are not available, you can also use ruby grapefruit, Valencia oranges, pomelos, or Meyer lemons. Tarter citruses will require additional sugar, so taste a bit of the mixture before you freeze it.

Letting the broccolini brown slightly in the pan gives it a boost of flavor. To accomplish this, the broccolini must be absolutely dry when it goes into the pan; otherwise, it’ll steam and won’t take on any color. A large cast-iron skillet is the ideal cooking vessel for this dish.

This simple but luscious soup has all the basic elements of minestrone: broth, beans, and veggies. If you can find it, erbette chard is my favorite variety to use. It’s sweet and nutty, with an incredible silky texture when cooked. Serve with grilled or toasted crusty bread, rubbed with the cut side of a halved garlic clove, and drizzle with olive oil.

Plain roasted veggies are fantastic as is, but tossing them with butter, capers, and lemon really takes them over the top.

This salad demonstrates how fresh winter can taste. The raw fennel is clean, aromatic, and crisp, the citrus sweet and a touch bitter, and the avocado rich and smooth. You can substitute other citrus with similar success or even use several types. To really take this salad over the top, I love to top it with fresh plucked Dungeness crab meat (another winter wonder); about 8 ounces is perfect for four servings.

This salad is inspired by the incredible version I had at New York City’s Il Buco restaurant. One bite will convince you that compared to romaine, kale is a better match for assertive Caesar dressing. You can omit the egg yolk if you want to play it safe, but don’t try this without anchovy; it makes the dish. This version is crouton-less; if you add them, make a bit more dressing.

This colorful and refreshing salad is one of the most eagerly anticipated items in our deli case. We don’t start making it until the tomatoes are really ripe and the corn is sweet and abundant. Because the ingredients are fairly sturdy, this salad holds up for quite a while after you make it. It’s a great candidate for bringing to a picnic or barbecue, and it’s the perfect side for a burger! It’s also nice as a salsa or spooned onto a grilled fish fillet.

This unique combination of ice cream, citrus-infused olive oil, and salt is one of the Creamery’s best-selling sundaes; it was even featured on the Food Network’s show The Best Thing I Ever Ate. It may seem strange, but believe me, it’s really good. The oil congeals as it cools and creates a luscious mouthfeel, while the salt brightens the flavors and provides an interesting crunchy texture. The whipped cream is optional but really balances out the richness of the sundae. Our friend Giuseppe Cagnoni, an artisan food producer in Umbria, inspired this dessert when I tasted his Eturia brand oil infused with bergamot (which gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive taste). You can also try other intensely flavored oils, including orange or lemon oil, citrus-infused olive oil, or even toasted sesame oil.

These pots de crème are ridiculously easy and ridiculously good. Don’t despair if you don’t have eight 4-ounce ramekins; you can use a variety of teacups, prep bowls, or even canning jars of any size. You can also make these a few days ahead of time if you like. Just be sure to wrap them tightly in plastic and remove any particularly stinky items from the refrigerator (chocolate is prone to absorbing neighboring odors).

Far too few people are familiar with the vinegar spritzer. It may sound strange to the uninitiated, but it’s actually a lovely and highly refreshing drink. It’s the perfect thing to wake up your taste buds or cleanse your palate.

This silky, sophisticated soup is proof that beans can be so much more than humble peasant food. Serve it as a warming first course or main dish. You can use cannellini beans or white navy beans in this soup, but given the choice, I prefer the cannellinis. They’re larger and have comparatively less skin, so they produce a creamier soup.

This flexible salad relies on pantry staples and long-lasting veggies, so it’s easy to keep the ingredients around for making on the fly. It’s also the perfect place to use infused olive oils, especially herby ones like tarragon oil.

Even if you think you hate tofu, or if you’ve never cooked quinoa, do try this salad. Together, the quinoa and tofu offer a variety of chewy textures, which get a refreshing lift of flavor from ginger, rice vinegar, and daikon radish. It’s also a favorite among the staff at the Market; the wallop of protein offers steady fuel for working a hectic shift!

Bagna cauda (“warm bath”) is a traditional Tuscan condiment for dressing veggies and greens. It is meant to showcase the two simple ingredients of anchovy and garlic, which are brought together with oil and butter and tempered by lemon juice. Raw or lightly steamed vegetables are the simplest pairing, but you can also use it to dress fish, especially tuna or swordfish, or dress beans. With a little extra lemon juice, it makes a fantastic salad dressing for sturdy greens.

This incredible sauce is particularly versatile and serves as the backbone for the Romesco Chicken Salad on page 187. It’s important to avoid overprocessing the sauce; not only does heat cause the mixture to become gelatinous, but the sauce simply tastes better when left a little chunky. If you can’t find piquillo peppers, roasted red bell peppers would work, too. Roasting and peeling them yourself is the ideal, because it gives you more of that nice smoky flavor.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to stop buying bottled salad dressing, this is it. Delicate and well balanced, this dressing complements just about any veggie or grain you choose—in fact, it is the backbone of some of our most popular deli salads. One batch is enough for many salads, so make this, keep it in the fridge, and don’t look back. You can use different vinegars with equally successful results, but you might need to adjust the quantity of vinegar depending on its acidity. Use good-quality extra-virgin olive oil—the flavor will be well worth it on your beautiful greens.

Any fish market that fillets whole fish can provide fresh bones for your stock. Call ahead to reserve the bones as some markets put them in their own stock. When you have shrimp, lobster, or crab for dinner, freeze the shells for the next time you make fish stock. The stock tastes best when freshly made, but you can freeze it.

It’s easy to overwhelm oysters with a topping that’s too bold or too rich, but chef Rick Moonen knows just when to stop. His hors d’oeuvre, served at the 2008 Workshop, elevates the oysters’ briny flavor, and frankly, it’s just fun to eat. Each oyster makes a tangy splash in your mouth, with cool, warm, brisk, and sweet elements in perfect balance.

A staple of the Moroccan kitchen, preserved lemons have a tangy, fermented taste. For most recipes, the pulpy flesh is cut away and only the thick peel is used. Brian uses preserved lemons in a flavored butter for Grilled Mahimahi with Preserved Lemon Butter (page 113) and in Manila Clams, Arugula, and White Beans with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette (page 54).