Recipes with salt

Classic leek and potato soup that pulls double duty: hot with croutons or chilled with milk, chives, and Tabasco for homemade vichyssoise. French bistro basics, two ways.

North Indian chana masala with whole spices, finished with amchoor (mango powder), dried pomegranate seeds, and a sizzling ghee tadka poured over the top.

Sweet and sour shrimp dip combines pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, and bell pepper into a glossy red dipping sauce for fried shrimp. The classic restaurant sauce, made at home.

Very nice flavor to this dish. Simple to make and satisfying.

Brazilian-style sauteed collard greens (couve) for feijoada. Finely shredded collards cooked quick with onion in shortening, a traditional side for Brazil's national black bean stew.

Molded chocolate mousse set in a loaf pan with gelatin, coffee, rum, and whipped egg whites for lift. Sliceable dinner-party dessert topped with vanilla whipped cream.

This 45-minute stovetop vegetable soup layers sweet potatoes, zucchini, and broccoli in chicken broth with shredded potatoes for natural thickness. Celery seed and cumin add unexpected warmth to the silky cream finish.

Moist carrot cake baked in a tube pan with walnuts and cinnamon, finished with a glossy cooked orange glaze instead of the usual cream cheese frosting.

Deep-fried chicken wings marinated overnight in a sweet soy garlic mixture with egg and cornstarch, fried golden and topped with sesame seeds and scallions.

Fresh asparagus salad with a bright lemon Dijon vinaigrette, finished with crumbled bacon and black olives. Blanched until bright green then shocked in ice water for snap and color, this is a sharp, elegant spring side.

This is an excellent holiday bread: very pretty and festive looking.

Yogurt cucumber salad with dill, dry mustard, and white vinegar. A cool, creamy, low-fat vegetarian side dish that comes together in 10 minutes flat.

Zucchini Apple Bread: a fall-leaning loaf where grated apple meets shredded zucchini, walnuts, and a full tablespoon of cinnamon. Two-loaf yield with a moist, fruit-forward crumb.

Easy refrigerator pickles with thin-sliced cucumbers and onions in a sweet-tangy brine of vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric. No canning equipment, no processing, just four days in the fridge.

Hearty minestrone: vegetable soup with leeks, potatoes, white beans, zucchini, orzo pasta, and spinach in chicken broth. Lighter weeknight take on the Italian classic in 30 minutes.

Bourbon pecan pie with cane syrup, dark brown sugar, and a pre-cooked filling for a deeper, less cloying caramel base. Toasted pecans bake into a glossy, crackly top.