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Basque Veggie Kabobs with Key Lime Sauce

Serves 6 to 8

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon dried orange rind

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

3 bell peppers, all colors, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 red onion, cut into 8 pieces

2 portobello mushrooms, cut into quarters

2 zucchini, cut into 2-inch rounds

Olive oil

Combine salt, pepper, orange rind, and chili powder, and rub onto cut vegetables; set aside. Preheat a grill pan and soak some 10-inch wooden skewers in water.

Key Lime Sauce

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 dried bay leaves

1 fresh poblano pepper, coarsely chopped with the seeds left in

1 fresh serrano chile, coarsely chopped with the seeds left in

1/2 tablespoon sea salt

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

3 key limes

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

To make the Key Lime Sauce: While vegetables are absorbing the rub, make the sauce by combining the garlic, bay leaves, peppers, and sea salt in a mortar and mash with a pestle until a smooth paste is formed. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle, put the ingredients in a blender with a teaspoon or so of vinegar.) Transfer paste to a mixing bowl and add the parsley, oregano, and basil. Juice the limes into the bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and oil until well combined; set aside.

Skewer the vegetables, layering by type and varying color, and grill on all sides until tender.

How to Plate: Arrange the kabobs on a large plate and drizzle with Key Lime Sauce. Use any remaining sauce as a dip.

Curried Cauliflower with Currants and Pine Nuts

Serves 6 to 8

Dressing

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons Madras curry powder, or garam masala

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

To make the Dressing: In a large bowl, mix rice wine vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the curry powder, salt, and pepper. Very slowly, drizzle the olive oil and whisk into the vinegar mixture until incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired; set dressing aside.

Cauliflower

2 pounds cauliflower crowns

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 cup dried currants

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 small red onion, finely chopped

To make the Cauliflower: Blanch cauliflower in water with salt. Drain and add pine nuts, currants, sunflower seeds, and onion. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing lightly to mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Garnish

Cilantro leaves

How to Plate: Mound salad onto plate in a pyramid shape. Garnish with a few cilantro leaves.

Kiwi Parfait

Serves 6

5 kiwis, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1 pint soy yogurt

1 cup crushed graham crackers

Curried Cashews (recipe below)

Place a spoonful of kiwi pieces in the bottom of a martini glass. Top with soy yogurt to cover, and then add a layer of graham crackers. Notice how the layers are shaping from the outside of the glass. Repeat layers of kiwi and yogurt. Top with Curried Cashews and a few kiwi pieces.

Curried Cashews

1 cup raw cashews

1/2 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Salt to taste

To make the Curried Cashews: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cashews on an unlined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly browned. Toss nuts with canola oil and curry powder in a bowl. Add salt, if desired, and then cool.

Charlie Trotter with Matthias Merges

“For far too long vegetables have held a place on the back burner. As cuisiniers, we must hold the simple potato with the same reverence as we hold all parts of the meal.”

Charlie Trotter, one of the brightest stars of American gastronomy, is renowned for his innovative cuisine that embraces organically raised seasonal products. His brilliant flavor combinations are reflective of the