• 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.

• Slice each bun in half, then slice each half into 8 triangles like a pizza. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, orange juice, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a large, shallow bowl and distribute the brioche slices in the mixture, occasionally gently pushing them down to soak until they are well saturated, 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Working in batches, place the brioche slices in the bubbling butter in a single layer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the brioche is just golden brown, 3 minutes on each side.
• Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with powdered sugar and maple syrup, and serve with toothpicks or a large spoon.

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, combine the celery root, carrots, parsnips, beets, sunchokes, apple, shallots, rosemary, and 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss to combine. Distribute the vegetables in one layer on two rimmed baking sheets.
• In the same bowl, toss the chicken legs with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Place the chicken legs on top of the vegetables and roast for 40 minutes on the center oven rack, tossing the vegetables occasionally.
• Set the broiler to low, move one baking sheet to a higher rack, and broil until the chicken skin starts to get crispy and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and repeat with the second baking sheet.
• Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter, drizzle the vinaigrette over them, top with the chicken, and serve.

• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and honey together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Preheat the oven to 475°F. In a large bowl, combine the peppers, fennel, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Toss well to combine, then massage the oil and garlic onto the vegetables.
• Toast the pine nuts in a small dry sauté pan over medium heat, shaking frequently, until the nuts are light brown, about 5 minutes. Immediately transfer to a small bowl.
• Distribute the vegetables in one layer on two rimmed baking sheets and roast for 10 minutes. Top the vegetables with the sausages, brush the sausages with olive oil, and roast for 30 minutes more, turning the sausages halfway through.
• Set the broiler to high and broil the sausages and veggies until the sausages begin to brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables and sausages to a serving platter, garnish with the pine nuts, chopped fennel fronds, and parsley, and serve.

• 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.

• Place the frozen açai puree, banana, and berries in a high-speed blender and puree until smooth like sorbet, adding almond milk slowly and sparingly to avoid a runny consistency. Use the plunger tool if the mixture gets stuck.
• Pour into a bowl, top with your favorite toppings (below), and serve, or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Original Gangster

• Top an Açai Bowl recipe with sliced banana, sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries, coconut shavings, and a drizzle of honey.

Go Nuts

• Top the Açai Bowl recipe with granola, sliced banana, hemp seeds, bee pollen, nuts of choice, and drizzles of peanut butter and honey. 

Green Goliath

• Add a handful of fresh spinach or kale and organic plant-based protein powder to the Açai Bowl recipe and blend to combine. Top with to fresh fruit, coconut shavings, and dried goji berries.

• Pour the milk into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Split the half vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add the seeds and pod to the milk. Over medium heat, bring the milk just to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Nest a metal bowl in a slightly larger bowl filled with enough ice water to come halfway up the side of the smaller bowl. Set aside.
• In another small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk in 1⁄4 cup of the hot milk to temper the egg yolks, then quickly whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan of hot milk. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Make figure eights as you stir so no custard sticks anywhere in the pot.
• Cook until a clean line remains when you dip the spoon in the custard and run your finger through it or an instant-read thermometer registers 175°F, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Quickly strain the custard into the bowl over the ice water bath, discard the solids, and stir until cool. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until chilled.
• In a small bowl, toss together the strawberries, jam, lemon juice, and honey. Let macerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Gently fold in the 2 cups of raspberries and let sit for 5 minutes. Place a layer of berries on the bottom of 6 glasses.
• Place 2 rounded tablespoons of custard in each glass, followed by 2 heaping tablespoons of the whipped cream. Repeat these three layers one more time, then top each parfait with three raspberries. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

• In a food processor, whirl the raspberries and sugar until smooth. Pass the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and discard the seeds. Stir in the vanilla and the rose water.
• In a large bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks, fold in the yogurt, and whip to soft peaks again. Fold in the raspberry puree and whip to soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine 6 cups cold water with the beans, 1⁄4 cup of the oil, the onion half, the celery, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender, about 2-1⁄2 hours. When the beans are just about cooked, season with salt to taste. Discard the onion, bay leaf, and celery and set the soup base aside.
• In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the remaining 1⁄4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes, stir well, and let cook for 1 minute. Stir in the leeks, celery root, carrots, and diced onion. Let the vegetables sizzle for a moment in the oil, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are slightly translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and juices, the reserved beans and soup base, the kale, cabbage, and cheese rind. Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1⁄4 hours, until the flavors have melded and the vegetables are soft.
• To serve the soup, place 1⁄3 cup elbow macaroni in each bowl, top with a ladle or two of soup, and garnish with pesto at the table.

• Place the parsley, oil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor or blender. Process until a loose paste forms. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.