Sicilians serve cauliflower sautéed with onions, raisins, and capers as a topping over warm pasta. Eating some cold leftovers of the topping, I discovered that it also makes a good salad. Adding tuna turns it into a satisfying main dish.
Fast Fact: Mark Twain called cauliflower “cabbage with a college education.”
Quick Tip: Adding some lemon juice or vinegar to the water keeps cauliflower white when you cook it.

To make this smoky-flavored eggplant salad the center of a meal, serve it accompanied by oil-cured Moroccan black olives, feta cheese, and warmed pita breads. It also makes a great dip or even a filling for a sandwich. I like making it a day ahead to let the garlic flavor develop and meld with the other seasonings.
Fast Fact: Eggplants with a dimple in the bottom are female and have more seeds than the flat-bottomed male eggplants.
Quick Tip: To make this salad, I prefer using a golden olive oil that has the softer, more fruity flavor of ripe olives.

Two things stand out in this salad. One is its jewel-tone colors of bright green, ruby red, and pumpkin orange. The other is the balanced flavors of sweet-tart persimmons and pomegranates contrasting with the tangy blue cheese and the subtle bitterness of walnuts. A ripe Fuyu persimmon is vivid orange, firm to the touch, and slightly crisp when sliced.
Fast Fact: A persimmon provides 50 percent more fiber than a serving of oatmeal.
Quick Tip: To remove seeds from a pomegranate, cut it in half and place the halves in a bowl of cold water deep enough that the entire fruit is underwater. Run you fingers over the pale membrane to remove seeds; it won’t splatter because the juices stay underwater. Bits of membrane will float to the surface and can easily be discarded. Drain the seeds before using.

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