Green Bean

There will be more pecan pesto than you need for the beans, but it keeps well and can also be used on pasta, as a sandwich spread, or in potato salad.

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 10 min

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

The easy tomato chutney is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook From Curries to Kebabs. Make the chutney and combine it with the green beans about four hours before serving, which allows plenty of time for the beans to soak up the flavors.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

The onions can be made 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Boiling away the butter and seasonings from the leftover vegetables allows the flavors of the marinade to shine through. (If you don't have any leftover veggies, simply steam a mix of your favorites.)

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Try this with ciabatta or whole wheat bread.

"I recently had lunch at Café Boulud here in New York," says Shelli Rafkin of New York, New York. "My entrée, blanquette de veau, had the most incredible sauce I've ever tasted. The whole dish, in fact, was sensational." In this variation on the classic stew, the veal and the vegetables are cooked separately and combined at the end, when they're topped with a rich white sauce.

When buying green beans, look for the skinniest ones—they have the best texture. Offer plenty of crusty bread, and open a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to go with this hearty main-course salad.

Serve this dish with brown rice.

Wilt the vegetables over low heat, stirring often so they do not burn.