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1 cup loosely packed watercress

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread out the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with a little salt, and toast in the oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 325°F. In a shallow baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the beets, place the golden and red beets, head of garlic, and thyme. Add enough water to reach ¼ inch up the sides of the pan. Season the beets with salt and pepper. Cover the pan snugly with foil and roast the beets until tender—a sharp knife will slide through to the center of each beet with little resistance when it’s done—1 to 1½ hours. Remove the foil and allow the beets to cool. Trim the root and stem ends from the beets and peel them. Cut each beet into wedges.

In a large bowl, combine the shallot, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, the orange zest and juice, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk to incorporate, check for seasoning, and add more salt if needed. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the beets, tossing gently to coat with vinaigrette. Taste again for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Divide the beets among four plates and top each portion with some of the toasted walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, and watercress. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette from the bottom of the bowl and finish with a few grinds of pepper.

TOMATO SALAD WITH RED ONION, DILL, AND FETA

Nothing gets me amped up like local heirloom tomatoes. It means summer is full on, and with summer comes rides on the Harley, golf, and this great salad. It’s all about the tomato. Please be patient and wait until you can find tomatoes grown locally or, better yet, from your own garden. To put it bluntly, this is NOT a winter salad to be made with bland tomatoes shipped from halfway around the world that are red and round and taste like dry wall. Your patience will pay off. This dish can be served individually, but I prefer to put it on a platter to be served family style.

I love Mt. Vikos feta (see Sources), which is aged for four months in birch barrels and develops a rich flavor and creamy texture.

Serves 4

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ red onion, shaved paper thin on a mandoline and soaked in ice water to cover for 10 minutes

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks

⅓ medium cucumber, thinly sliced

1 cup pitted whole kalamata olives

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

1 pound heirloom tomatoes (use an assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors), cut into bite-size chunks

1 cup crumbled barrel-aged feta

Combine the garlic, a pinch of salt, a grinding of pepper, and the vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Drain the onion, pat dry, and add to the bowl along with the bell pepper, cucumber, and olives. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the dill, mint, tomatoes, and feta, and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto a large platter and serve immediately.

Store tomatoes at room temperature, never in the refrigerator—it kills their sweetness and makes them grainy. Cut tomatoes close to serving time so you don’t lose a lot of their juices. If you buy too many, thinly slice them, sprinkle them with salt and thyme, and put on a cookie sheet. Dry them in a 150°F oven for 4 hours and they will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.

ZUCCHINI CRUDO

This is a version of a salad Jonathan Waxman is known for and that I fell in love with when I first tasted it. Who’d have thought, after decades of cooking, that zucchini could be an epiphany. But it was. I simply never thought of eating it raw. Seriously, it was a jaw-dropping surprise. I think he dressed it only with salt, lemon, and olive oil. I’ve added some garlic and shallot—building the dressing on top of these raw aromatics—along with dill, because I love dill, and with almonds