Once overshadowed by its’ cruciferous cousin, broccoli, cauliflower can now claim center stage. A star in its own right when roasted to caramelized nutty perfection, it adds nutritious substance to once carb heavy dishes, as well as a creamy, velvety texture for cauliflower soup.

Simplicity is a tenet of Provencal cooking, so is knowing just how to combine the simple ingredients into something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Alain Ducasse’s cookpot of vegetables is the ratatouille that dreams are made of. Roasted tomatoes and onions add rich and deep layers of flavor to eggplant and zucchini that only vaguely resemble any dish of stewed ratatouille I have ever tasted.

Several years ago, when I lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, my family and I bought a small cottage in Sweden, about an hour’s drive away. We bought the house on a whim after falling for the Swedish landscape and nature over the course of several road trips.

Soft, sweet, and caramelized to perfection, roasted garlic adds a beautiful depth of flavor, intensified with hints of fresh rosemary.

Southeast Asian flavors and just a little bit of heat make this oven-roasted Dungeness crab a delicious mess to be enjoyed with lots of napkins.

The truth is, most tomato salads don’t need a recipe. Vinegar, olive oil, plenty of crunchy salt, and call it a day. If you have some herbs on hand, throw those in.

In In the scorching summer days of southern Ukraine, where I grew up, when the heat hangs heavily in the air and the sun blazes down upon us, one dish comes to our rescue — kholodnyk, the fuchsia-colored cold borshch that brings instant relief from the heat and the blissful feeling of rejuvenation.

It all begins with an idea.