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Serve the stew with Mexican beer, dosed with a squirt of lime, or with a ripe Argentine chardonnay or New York State riesling.

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

1 ounce dried pasilla chiles (2 to 4 large chiles), stemmed and seeded

1 large red onion, halved and sliced into thin half-moons (about 1¾ cups)

1 medium tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped (¾ cup)

One 36.5-ounce can white hominy, drained and rinsed

Two 14.5-ounce cans (3 generous cups) chicken broth

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup dry white wine

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped (about ½ cup)

3 scallions (white and green parts), cut into thin disks

2 limes, quartered

1 Pour the olive oil into a 3-quart pot and set it over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chiles and cook, flattening them occasionally with a spatula, until they begin to turn fragrant, about 30 seconds per side, and reserve. Add the onion and tomato and cook, stirring every minute or so, until the onions begin to brown at the edges and the mixture smells sweet, about 5 minutes.

2 Add the hominy, chicken broth, and toasted chiles. Cover, and when the brew begins to simmer, turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, by which time you should smell the fragrance of corn and chiles in equal measure emanating from the pot.

3 Add the salt and puree the mixture, in batches if necessary, in a blender or food processor.

4 While the puree is in the blender, add the chicken and the wine to the empty pot, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When the wine has simmered for 2 full minutes and the chicken is beginning to soften, return the puree to the pot and stir to incorporate. Season with salt if necessary, return to a simmer, and you’re done. Stir once before serving. Garnish each bowl with a couple generous pinches of chopped cilantro, plenty of sliced scallions, and a lime quarter, squeezed into the bowl. (Covered, the stew will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.)

CHERRY TOMATO AND SOYBEAN SALAD

We believe even routine weeknight meals can be symphonic, with complementary layers of flavor, texture, and color, as well as thrilling changes of tempo and mood. The main course on the plate—say, the Pork Tenderloins with Madeira and Fig Gravy, or Mushroom and Okra Purloo—might be the largo passage, whose comforting, languorous proteins lull you into savory bliss, while the salads and cold side dishes—cool, crisp slaws and leafy, green lettuces slicked with citrusy dressings—are the allegro: zesty, uptempo, pulse-quickening forkfuls that reawaken your palate.

In this chapter, we’ve collected our favorite salads and cold side dishes. All are easy to make and easy to eat, but they’re designed to draw maximum flavor and potential from the ingredients. For example, in our Cucumber, Tomato, and Okra Salad, we toast sliced okra in a skillet, which brings out a warm, caramelized flavor, then scatter the pieces like croutons over a cucumber and tomato salad. And you’ll find segmented citrus—whole lime sections—tossed into our Cabbage and Lime Salad with Roasted Peanuts: we think the lime is the perfect tonic to the spice and crunch of the cabbages.

We close the chapter with a cooled-down riff on the warm gingered beets we typically encounter in the South served as a side dish. Our Field Pea Salad with Gingered Beets and Lemon, is a hearty salad whose earthiness is brightened up with the zing of lemon and ginger. That’s music to our ears!

RECIPES

Cherry Tomato and Soybean Salad

Easy Ambrosia

Cucumber, Tomato, and Okra Salad

Green Goddess Potato Salad

Cabbage and Lime Salad with Roasted Peanuts

Carrot and Turnip Slaw with Dill

Snow Pea and Carrot Salad with Ginger Dressing

Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Salad with Tuna

Curried New Potato Salad

Field Pea Salad with Gingered Beets and Lemon

Red Rice Salad

CHERRY TOMATO AND SOYBEAN SALAD

serves 4 • TIME: 15 minutes

Although soybeans have been grown