Vegan

This cure also works well for duck confit and to flavor roast pork. It keeps in a sealed container for several weeks. Homemade dried tangerine peel can be made in a few days by leaving fresh peel in a warm, dry spot.

There are chestnut roasting devices—long-handled iron skillets or perforated baskets that allow the flames direct contact with the nuts—but they are not necessary; any way you can get the chestnuts in a hot fire and close to the flames works well. Chestnuts are high in moisture—more like a fruit than a nut—and fairly perishable. Look for nuts that are dark brown, shiny, and heavy and store them in the refrigerator.

I love making sauerkraut and wait to do it on a day when I am alone in the kitchen and it’s hopefully raining.

Both the vinegar and peppers (together or separately) can serve as a condiment for soups like the Red Lentil (page 191), for braised greens and stewed meat, or as a bright winter substitute for dried chiles.

These were introduced to the Lantern kitchen by Fuchsia Dunlop’s exhilarating book Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking. The surprisingly simple method lets you carry the heat and spice of late summer long into the winter months, such as in Roast Moulard Duck with Kumquats (page 214). Pureed along with cider vinegar, garlic, and a little sugar, salt-cured chiles become a vibrant hot sauce for raw oysters (page 188) or rice and beans.

Use small organic pumpkins or squashes. Before peeling, taste their skins. If they are very tender, they can be left on. Pickled pumpkin is good served with crispy roast pork seasoned with five-spice or on its own as part of a pickle plate.

Leftover spice powder can be stored in an airtight container for a few weeks and makes a surprising addition to noodles, soups, and sashimi.

While field peas date back to colonial times, edamame—fresh, young soybeans bred for human consumption, not animal feed—are relatively new to North Carolina, recently promoted to farmers here as a new crop to help replace tobacco. They make a good appetizer for a pea-shelling party since you can actually eat them on the side while shelling the peas for the main course.

The spice level of both shishitos and the fleshier pimiento de padrón are unpredictable—most have a gentle zip, while the occasional pepper, about one in seven, is quite hot, adding some drama to cocktail time.