• Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain them and put them into a large, heavy pot. Add 1⁄2 cup olive oil, the peeled intact onion half, the celery stalk, bay leaf, and 10 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender, about 2 1⁄2 hours. Season with salt to taste. Remove and discard the onion, bay leaf, and celery.
• In a heavy, 5-quart saucepan, heat the remaining 1⁄2 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion, minced celery, and carrot, stirring briefly. Let the vegetables sizzle for a moment in the oil, then lower the heat to medium-low or low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes to the pot, stir well, and let cook for a minute or so. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the beans and the bean cooking liquid to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove 2 cups of beans from the pot and puree them with 1 1⁄2 cups water in a blender until smooth. Stir the pureed beans back into the pot and return to a boil. Stir the pasta into the pot and lower the heat to simmer, stirring often. Cook until the pasta is tender yet still retains a slight firmness in the center, about 20 minutes. Stir in the fennel and 1⁄2 cup cold water. Season generously, to taste, with salt and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
• Drizzle with Pequin Chile Oil or an extremely good, grassy extra-virgin olive oil, and serve.

PEQUIN CHILE OIL

• In a small saucepan, heat 1⁄2 cup of olive oil over medium-low heat until hot to the touch, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of pequin chile flakes or other hot red pepper flakes and let them steep for at least 30 minutes. Cool the chile oil, and then transfer it to a covered container. Stir well before using to ensure chile flakes are suspended in each spoonful of oil. You can store the oil, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the beets and 1⁄4 cup water in a small roasting pan, cover with foil, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the beets are just tender to the touch. Cool and peel the beets with a paring knife, and then cut each beet into quarters and set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine the lentils and 3 cups of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat to a low simmer, add the salt and olive oil and cook, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes, for 15 minutes, or until the lentils are still firm and intact, but starting to be creamy inside.
• Drain any excess water, stir in the vinegar and garam masala, remove the pot from the heat, and transfer the lentils to a bowl to cool. If desired, add more salt, oil, vinegar, or garam masala to taste, then transfer lentils to a serving dish, garnish with the beets and greens, and serve warm or cold.

• Preheat the broiler, then broil the bell peppers a few inches from the heat, turning so all sides are roasted and blackened. Place the peppers in a closed paper bag and allow to cool. Rub off the blackened skin, discard the seeds and stems, and chop the peppers.
• In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina, salt, and 1 1⁄4 cups warm water. Stir until smooth, soft, and moist like Play-Doh, adding more water if needed. Divide the dough into 4 balls and cover with a damp cloth.
• Using a tortilla press or a glass pie dish, press each ball into a sope 6 inches wide and 1⁄4 inch thick. Heat an ungreased cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then cook each sope until just dry, about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan and cover it with a dry kitchen towel to cool for 45 seconds, then form a slight lip around the sope by pinching its edges with your fingers. Repeat to cook the remaining sopes and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the peppers, onion, cilantro, and the lime juice.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Top each sope with beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove, top with avocado slices, red pepper salsa, queso fresco, lettuce, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

• Strain the grated vegetables in a colander over the sink, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• In a large bowl, mix together the egg, salt, and spices. Add the grated vegetables and stir to combine.
• Working in batches, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, gently drop 2-tablespoon mounds of potato mixture into the skillet, pressing gently to flatten. Fry the latkes until crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven. Garnish and serve.

• Strain the grated potato and onion in a colander over the sink, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• In a large bowl, mix together the egg, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and herbs.
• Working in batches, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, gently drop 2-tablespoon mounds of potato mixture into the skillet, pressing gently to flatten. Fry the latkes until crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven. Garnish with smoked salmon, sour cream, and a sprig of dill. Serve.

• Remove the cores from the heads of butter lettuce. Wash, dry, and tear the leaves into large pieces, leaving the smaller, inner leaves whole. Place an asparagus spear on a cutting board, hold it down at the stem, and using a peeler, peel long strips of asparagus from close to the stem through the tip until you can no longer do so. Repeat with the remaining asparagus spears. Reserve the asparagus ribbons.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil. Whisk in the crème fraîche, then slowly whisk in the cream. Season with a few pinches of salt.
• Place the lettuce, asparagus, and radishes in a medium bowl. Gently toss the salad with the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to a platter, sprinkle with the chives, and serve.

• In a medium saucepan over medium- high heat, warm the 2 tablespoons
oil. When shimmering, add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder and stir for 1 minute. 
• Add the black beans with the can's juices. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are thick, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately mash the beans with a potato masher until most are mashed and the mixture is thick. Season to taste with salt. Let cool slightly.
• Heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Warm the tortillas one at a time until they are very flexible, about 1 minute per side, then immediately wrap them tightly in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm so they don’t cool and break when you try to roll them.
• In a large, deep frying pan over medium heat, pour enough oil to reach 1 inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil until a deep-frying thermometer reads 350°F, about 10 minutes. If you don’t have a thermometer, the oil is ready when a small cube of GF bread browns in the oil in 30 seconds.
• Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels and set near the stove. Arrange 4 of the warm tortillas on a clean work surface. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the bean mixture to the bottom third of each tortilla. Gently
roll the tortilla up over the filling into
a tight cylinder. Using a toothpick, gently fasten the flap of the overlapped tortilla to the rest of the tortilla like a sewing stitch.
• Working in batches of 4 to avoid crowding, carefully place the taquitos
in the hot oil, toothpick side down,
and fry until brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, about 1 minute longer. Remove with tongs to the prepared baking sheet and repeat. Remove the toothpicks and serve immediately.

• Remove and discard the tough outer leaves of the frisée and escarole to use their tender, sweeter pale center leaves. Wash and dry, then chop or tear into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl. Trim off the bases of the Belgian endives to free the leaves and add the leaves whole to the bowl. Cover with a paper towels and refrigerate until use.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg vigorously, then whisk in the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, vinegar, cheese, and pepper, creating a thick but not emulsified dressing. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss thoroughly, using your hands to help coat the leaves if necessary. Season to taste with salt.
• Arrange the salad on a cold serving platter, grate more cheese over the top, and serve right away.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Poke 8 to 12 deep holes with a fork all over the potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, peel, and rice or mash them.
• Place the potatoes, egg, baking powder, cornstarch, Parmesan, white pepper, salt, and cheddar into a medium bowl and mix well.
• Using your hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the potato mixture into a ball. Place it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate the balls for 3 hours.
• In a small pot, heat enough oil so it’s at least 3 inches deep until it registers 330°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Fry the balls in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Serve hot, garnished with the sour cream and caviar if desired.