Carrot

Pickling the onion in lemon juice gives it a fresh, less acidic finish. If you like, soak the carrot ribbons in ice water for 10 minutes to make them curl.

If you only have an 8½x4½" pan, there’s no need to go out and get a new one. Simply hold back about 1¾ cups batter for later—it makes a mean waffle!

Wait, whipped cream in a salad? Yep. This rich, bright lemon cream is perfectly suited for Little Gems. “The cream takes over your whole mouth,” says chef Joshua McFadden, “while the lemon juice acts as a bridge.” Learn more here.

For this showstopping tart, make sure to scatter the carrot mixture in an even layer for best results.

We love the color and texture you get from using a combination, but any single root vegetable can be used here, too.

Cold-brine is just another way of saying pickled. Packing the vegetables separately prevents the colors from bleeding.

This salad was inspired by the classic French bistro salad, in which sturdy winter greens are laced with crisp lardons of bacon and a silky poached egg. We’ll never begrudge you a bit of bacon, but here vegetables are roasted to give the salad a leaner form of texture, flavor, and color.

The classic carrot-ginger combo gets extra zesty with lime juice.

What’s vadouvan, you ask? It’s just one of our new favorite exotic spice blends, a French-Indian formula that includes onion, shallots, and garlic added to a currylike mix.

Chef Sara Kramer cooks the chops medium-rare so they stay juicy; you can also use rib chops.

This one-dish wonder grants you immunity from even the most gluten-averse, meat-abstaining, fat-conscious houseguests. And it tastes as good as ever reheated.

A colorful and spicy (but not fiery!) side breaks up all the heavy, rich dishes on the table.

A silky, subtly sweet little number that makes fall vegetables feel downright swanky.

Homemade stock made from a whole bird has two upsides: You get a rich, balanced liquid for the gumbo, and plenty of tender poached chicken meat.

Chicago chef at Mott Street Edward Kim uses mild rice vinegar and a fair amount of sugar to yield a less acidic brine and a bright-tasting pickle.

The nutty, woodsy mushrooms play up the sweetness of the carrots. Memorize the dressing—it’s great on pretty much everything.

With a texture somewhere between a latke and a pancake, these vegetarian fritters are also gluten-free. (Thanks, chickpea flour!)

Call all your vegan friends! This incredibly moist, expertly spiced carrot cake is worth throwing a party for.

Weighing down the salmon fillet with heavy cans as it cures will press excess liquid out of the flesh to ensure a firm texture.

Using your food processor’s shredding blade makes this simple bistro salad a very doable weeknight option.

The dressing for this salad is on the less acidic side: Once the tart pickled vegetables are in the mix, it will be perfectly balanced.

Romesco is to Spain what pesto is to Italy. Typically made with red peppers, this carrot version led to some new ideas.

This impressive-looking roast is easy to carve once you get started.