Green Bean

Sortilège is a blend of Canadian whiskey and maple syrup. Here it infuses the chestnuts with maple flavor and picks up the sweetness of the green beans. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The onions can be made 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Soupe au Pistou During Marion Cunningham’s last visit with Richard Olney, he made a version of this recipe, which comes from Simple French Food. As he made it, he told her that he thought the trick to cooking is tasting — in the case of the soup that day, adding the right amount of salt and pepper, then cheese, then a little olive oil, and finally some macaroni. After making the soup in our own kitchens, following the recipe from the book (it's highly adaptable to seasonal produce or the contents of your larder), we can understand why this recipe is so loved among Olney’s fans.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Pae Thee Thoke Chinese long beans, also known as yard-long beans, really are long — about 18 inches.

Toss salad with the Sunshine Vinaigrette just before serving, so that the greens won't discolor.

Throughout World War II, everyone who had even a little plot of land was encouraged to grow a vegetable garden. Back then, this comforting soup would most frequently be made from water and contain no chicken, which was a Sunday treat. For convenience, you can skip the first part of this recipe and use six cups of stock or canned broth and omit the chicken altogether. But if you want to make the stock from scratch, be sure to do so a day ahead.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 50 min

There will be more pecan pesto than you need for the beans, but it keeps well and can also be used on pasta, as a sandwich spread, or in potato salad.

Ensalada de Ejote, Espinaca, y Betabel The green beans and the poblano chiles in the salad dressing may be the only ingredients that are indigenous to Mexico, but the colorful combination of vegetables, with their contrasting textures, results in a fitting accompaniment to any Mexican dinner.

Add rice or soft oriental noodles, and this becomes a quick supper. Look for wasabi powder and sesame oil in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

While staying at the Hotel Villa Flori, which overlooks Italy's Lake Como, I had an outstanding pasta with a chunky pesto sauce," says Patty Owens of Walnut Creek, California. "Is there any chance the chef would share the recipe?" This pesto sauce includes walnuts, a variation on the classic recipe. To give the dish a creamy quality, add some of the pasta cooking water to the sauce.

If you trim and blanch the green beans and turnips one day ahead of time, this dish will come together in just minutes.

Lemongrass lends a delicate flavor to this simple roast chicken from Market. Begin marinating the chicken one day ahead.