Root Vegetable

Making your own ketchup may seem a bit over-the-top, but we promise it's worth it. It's easy to do, and homemade is so much more delicious than supermarket varieties, which are loaded with corn syrup.

Serve with: Parslied new potatoes and a frisée salad with goat cheese. Dessert: Pineapple sorbet with sliced strawberries.

Most vegetable gratins need to be bound with a white sauce. This is not true of gratins made from starchy vegetables, which will release enough starch to thicken the liquid around them. Here the sweet potatoes are baked first to concentrate their sweetness and then cooked a second time with just enough cream to mellow them out. This dish is an ideal accompaniment to roast poultry or pork.

This light, refreshing salad is from Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix.

This slaw would pair nicely with grilled chicken breasts or roasted chicken.

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

Try a glass of Rioja and some crusty bread with this lovely autumn dish.

This glaze adds a rich shine to the turkey and also enhances the flavor of the gravy. The glaze may be prepared 2 days ahead. This recipe is an accompaniment for Maple Ginger Roasted Turkey.

Offer a colorful side of steamed broccoli with slivers of red and yellow bell peppers and a lemon dressing. Finish lavishly with chocolate pecan pie à la mode.

Salsa de Chile Habanero The Mayan word for this mixture (xnipec) means "nose of the dog," a vivid description of its sinus-clearing effects. For a truly incendiary salsa, add an extra habanero.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Braised Pork with Mojo Sauce .

Frijoles Meneados Frijoles meneados are an ideal addition to any meal featuring tacos, and they are especially good alongside a grilled steak. In Mexico's frontier region, flour tortillas would be used to scoop up the last remaining bean on the plate.

"My husband and I celebrated my fiftieth birthday on the island of St. John, where we enjoyed many terrific meals," says Eileen Hruby of Tom's River, NJ. "One day, we had lunch at Pusser's Ltd. in Cruz Bay. The coleslaw they served was extraordinary: cool and hot at the same time. I have no idea how it was made." Serrano chilies give this dish a real kick; the lime juice makes it refreshing.

Carnitas con Salsa de Aguacate y Salsa Mexicana In Uruapan and other parts of Michoacán, large copper cauldrons made in Santa Clara del Cobre are used to fry delicious carnitas in pork lard. This recipe has been adapted for the home cook: Meaty pork ribs are boiled, then fried in their own fat until browned. Use either purchased fresh tomato salsa or Tomato, Onion, and Serrano Chile Salsa . Accompany the carnitas with Classic Red Rice and beans.

This salad, crunchy with red pepper and fennel, pairs well with the broiled trout or with grilled lamb or chicken.