Turnip

Strong beef broth and garlic, not sugar, make a true Ukrainian borscht delicious. Fresh root vegetables and roasted beets provide plenty of sweetness which is balanced by an acid edge of lemon.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"I love green vegetables and always make an effort to do something special with them for dinner parties," says Jeanne Thiel Kelley, contributing editor to Bon Appétit. "Brussels sprouts are a Thanksgiving staple at our house, and this year I'm dressing them up with colorful golden beets that I buy at farmers' markets, as well as crunchy turnips and sautéed hazelnuts. For convenience, the vegetables can be cooked a day ahead and then reheated. You can use regular beets instead of golden, but they should be sautéed separately and combined with the other vegetables just before serving, or the beets will turn everything red."

Uncork a Zinfandel or a dry Riesling.

This dish is delicious over couscous, which will absorb the flavorful broth.

With such hearty vegetables, this can easily be served as a meatless main course.

The lavish efforts involved — the vegetables are braised, then marinated, and finally sautéed — result in a succulent savory casserole that's spicy with pepper and juniper berries and sweet and sour with cherry nectar and vinegar; each vegetable gives the sweet and sour a slightly different twist. The chestnuts, cooked with salt pork, are particularly wonderful, salty and satisfying. Begin preparations at least 7 hours ahead of serving, since the vegetables must marinate for 6 hours.

The shanks need to marinate overnight, so plan ahead. Uncork a spicy Syrah, Pinot Noir or Merlot to go with dinner.

For a simple dinner, present this flavorful soup with some warm crusty bread and a mixed green salad.

In classic Chinese cooking, noodles destined for soup are cooked separately and added at the last minute so that the starch from the pasta doesn't cloud the broth. Because we were aiming for a rib-sticking dish, we broke with tradition and cooked the noodles right in the stock, allowing the starch to thicken the soup slightly.

This recipe was created to accompany Crown Roast of Lamb .

This recipe originally accompanied Braised Beef Short Ribs with Root Vegetable Ragout.

The salty nut topping provides a nice contrast to the sweet mashed turnips.

I leave the roots on the leeks until after cooking, so they don't fall apart. Just wash and trim beforehand.

This is the delicious savory cake served in dim sum houses throughout the year and, most auspiciously, on New Year's Day as a symbol of prosperity and rising fortunes. Turnip cake is made with Chinese turnip, law bock, which is a type of daikon radish. There is also a daikon radish called Japanese daikon radish, which is similar to the Chinese turnip in appearance. To make matters more confusing, law bock, translated into English, means turnip. Some produce vendors do not realize there is a distinction, but the Chinese turnip is more blemished looking than the Japanese daikon, which has a creamier white color. Although Chinese turnip is best for this recipe, whichever one you use, choose a firm heavy vegetable. The turnip should ideally be 8 to 12 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Some people remove only the rind of the Chinese bacon and finely chop the whole piece, using all the fat. But I find this too rich, so I discard the layer of fat under the rind. In recipes that call for Chinese bacon to be sliced, all that is required is a sturdy cook's knife or cleaver. However, when the bacon needs to be finely chopped, as in this recipe, the bacon should be steamed first to make it easier. Make sure to use rice flour and not glutinous rice flour. I've never met anyone who served the entire cake at once. During the first ten days of the New Year's celebration a few slices of all the different New Year's cakes are fried every morning for breakfast or when friends or family stop by. The cake will keep nicely in the refrigerator for ten days if wrapped in plastic wrap.