Cookthink

Crostini With Lentils, Ricotta And Basil

The toasted bread is the perfect medium for the interplay of the warm, earthly lentils; the creamy ricotta and the fresh, perfumed basil. Sometimes we like to use walnut oil instead of olive oil. Either way, for a little more flavor, whisk together a quick vinaigrette of oil, Champagne vinegar and Dijon mustard. Lightly drizzle the vinaigrette over the crostini.

Lentil Salad With Garlic Vinaigrette

Mustard and lentils are a classically good combination (especially alongside pork). Here, the mustard and vinegar together are a great foil to the soft, creamy and earthy lentils. For a nuttier vinaigrette, replace the olive oil with walnut oil, which mixes wonderfully with Champagne vinegar.

Chilled Asparagus With Caper-Shallot Vinaigrette

The salty capers compliment the green flavor of asparagus really nicely - this is a great light side dish to go with a heavier main course.

Avocado With Bacon Vinaigrette

Doesn't this recipe sound good? It is. If you'd like some ideas about what to eat with it, click on the "goes with..." tab to the left. For the lowdown on ingredients, techniques and tools, click on "related tips."

Sauteed Mustard Greens With Apple Cider Vinegar

Doesn't this recipe sound good? It is. If you'd like some ideas about what to eat with it, click on the "goes with..." tab to the left. For the lowdown on ingredients, techniques and tools, click on "related tips."

Orange Vinaigrette

We like to think of this as a mimosa reformed as a salad dressing. The lighter, more aromatic Champagne vinegar matches up better with the orange flavor than does a traditional red or white wine vinegar. Try this with any simple salad or drizzled over a grilled piece of meat.

Beet, Escarole, Walnut And Goat Cheese Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

This elegant salad gets its goodness from the range of flavors: sweet, earthy beets, pungent shallot, sour vinegar, sweet and sour orange, slightly bitter olive oil, meaty nuts, bitter escarole and soft, rich cheese. The varied tastes contrast with each other in a dynamic combination.

Quick Pickled Beets

This takes almost no time to do and leaves you with a delicious accompaniment to grilled and roasted meats, a snappy salad topping or sandwich condiment. Be sure to use a nonreactive saucepan and bowl -- the reaction of copper and aluminum to the acid in the vinegar can impart a metallic taste to the dish.

Miso Vinaigrette

Miso paste mixes up for a umami-packed vinaigrette. Pour it over your favorite greens, or use it as a marinade before grilling, roasting or baking proteins or vegetables. For best results choose a smooth miso, as opposed to one with soybean or barley bits still intact.

Shallot Mayonnaise

Doesn't this recipe sound good? It is. If you'd like some ideas about what to eat with it, click on the "goes with..." tab to the left. For the lowdown on ingredients, techniques and tools, click on "related tips."

Chickpeas With Merguez And Kale

Any bean is a good match with sausage, but the earthy, starchy chickpea is a particularly good canvas for a spicy sausage like merguez. The kale adds texture and makes this meal a balanced, self-sufficient one pot.

Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork In Barbecue Sauce

If you think far enough ahead, this pulled pork recipe is an easy, smoker-free way to get a good dose of barbecue. The sauce is a pretty traditional one—vinegary and mustardy. The addition of sambal oelek gives the whole thing a little kick.