For an easy and warming weeknight meal, nothing beats a hearty vegetable soup or stew. Soups are often quick to prepare and nonjudgmental when it comes to emptying the contents of the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator, and they always portend a healthy and resourceful dinner. One of my favorite go-to soup stocks is Italian-inspired and tomato-based, sometimes with a splash of wine, and often with a rind of cheese added into the mix to exude delicious umami flavor while the soup simmers. I'll then finish with beans or grains and handfuls of sturdy greens, which obligingly wilt when simmered in the stock just long enough to soften without discoloring.

For this soup, I tweaked my favorite method and took a detour farther south and east to Greece for inspiration. A splash of ouzo and a handful of feta cheese made me do it. Ouzo is a Greek anise-flavored liqueur, which nicely amplifies the fennel in the soup while smoothing out the natural acidity of the tomatoes. And rather than my usual hunk of parmesan rind, I remained in Greece for inspiration and sprinkled crumbled feta over the soup for sharp and salty oomph. I must say I was pleased with this little detour, and I hope you are too.

Greek White Bean Stew With Tomato, Feta and Ouzo

Active time: 35 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Yield: serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved for garnish

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, with juices

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)

2 tablespoons anise liqueur, such as ouzo

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small bunch, about 6 leaves, Swiss chard or lacinato kale

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Crumbled feta for garnish

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the fennel softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste to blend and then add the wine. Simmer until the wine is reduced by about one-third, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, ouzo, bay leaf, sugar, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning, and add another tablespoon of ouzo if desired.

While the stew is simmering, remove the tough stems from the chard or kale, stack the leaves, and slice crosswise into thin ribbons. Stir the greens and the white beans into the stew and cook until the greens wilt, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. If the stew is too thick, top off with additional chicken stock and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls and serve garnished with crumbled feta and the reserved fennel fronds.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Cool, clean salads may not seem appropriate for March, when the weather wobbles between the tentative spring rays of sunshine and the stubborn gray remnants of winter. But maybe that's why this salad is perfectly timed. You can apply the cliches "less is more" and "what you see is what you get," but why not view this bright salad as a cleanse -- a refreshing and nourishing plate of unpretentious and seasonally inspired ingredients, pure in their own right, and deliciously united with an uncomplicated splash of olive oil and lime juice.

As with most simple dishes, each ingredient and how it's presented counts. There are three important techniques to assembling the ingredients in this salad. The first is to briefly soak the onions, which helps to extract their pungent sulfuric juices and allows their natural sweetness to shine. The second is to supreme the grapefruit, or to remove the membrane from each segment. It may sound fussy, but the membrane is bitter and relatively tough. When it's removed, the sweetness of the grapefruit is heightened, and you are left with a supple and glistening segment of pink citrus.

Finally, don't skimp on the fresh herbs for garnish. You can use all of the herbs listed below, or simply one or two, but don't hold back on showering the plate with a generous amount -- they will add a crisp, bright and aromatic garnish to this healthy and cleansing salad.

Shrimp, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 large (16/20) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large Hass avocado

2 pink grapefruits

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Combine the onions and the 1/4 cup lime juice in a small bowl. If the onions are not submerged, add just enough cold water or more lime juice to cover. Let stand for 15 minutes, then drain and blot the onions dry with a kitchen towel.

Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and black pepper. Arrange in one layer in the skillet and cook until brightly colored on both sides and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Halve and pit the avocado, and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

Cut away the skin and pith of the grapefruits. With a paring knife, cut away the membranes and seed the segments.

On individual serving plates, arrange a spiral of avocado. Top with the grapefruit segments, onions and shrimp.

Whisk the 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Combine the herbs in a separate bowl. Drizzle each salad with some of the dressing and generously garnish with the herbs. Serve immediately.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

When it comes to baking, I like my desserts messy, which is to say that I like desserts that are free-form, imprecise and often referred to as "rustic." Thank goodness for the generations of country kitchens that devised homey, family-style desserts. Often involving fruit and usually containing folksy and forgiving words such as "crumble," "slump," "crisp" and "fool," these desserts revel in imprecision, delightfully embracing dribbles, lopsidedness and even mistakes (tarte Tatin, we are looking at you). Sure, some technique is involved, but the overriding rule is a relaxed unfussiness with a big helping of simplicity. Bring on the mess.

Which brings me to these slightly disheveled crostatas (actually, I believe that's "crostate" in the plural). Citrus is abundant right now, and with that comes the ruby blood orange. Sweet and tart, murky and winey, the blood orange is more nuanced than its navel counterpart, and its brilliant hue is a sight to behold when presented in desserts. I bought a bag of these oranges recently and made this recipe. It takes inspiration from a recipe I found years ago on The Kitchn, to which I've added my own tweaks -- including a sour cream crust and a luscious salted caramel sauce for drizzling.

Blood Orange Crostate With Salted Caramel Sauce

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time

Yield: makes 8 (4-inch) crostate and 1 cup caramel sauce

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut in cubes

1/2 cup sour cream

For the filling:

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 navel oranges, skin and pith cut away, sliced crosswise, about 1/4-inch thick

3 blood oranges, skin and pith cut away, seeded and sliced crosswise, about 1/4-inch thick, each slice cut into 3 to 4 sections

1 egg beaten

8 teaspoons demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Make the crust: Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Briefly pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse to achieve a crumbly consistency. Add the sour cream and pulse a few times until the dough just begins to stick together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the filling: Whisk the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl to lighten and combine.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 8 equal portions. Roll out each portion in a circle about 6 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Place a tablespoon of mascarpone mixture in the center of the dough, spreading it slightly, while keeping about 1 inch clear around the border of the dough. Place a navel orange slice in the center. Top with 3 to 4 blood orange sections. Fold the exposed edges of the dough in around the oranges, shaping and pinching to create a rim of crust (the centers will still be exposed).

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment and repeat this process with the remaining dough.

Brush the pastry dough with the egg and sprinkle each crostata with about 1 teaspoon demerara sugar.

Bake the crostate until the crusts are firm to the touch and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe below).

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons European-style unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

1 teaspoon fleur de sel sea salt flakes, such Maldon

Pour the sugar into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar melts, whisking occasionally and swirling the pan to ensure even cooking. The sugar may clump, but that's OK -- keep stirring until it melts. When the sugar is the color of dark amber, carefully whisk in the butter (it will foam).

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream (it will foam again) and whisk until smooth. Add the sea salt flakes. Cool for about 10 minutes and then pour into a glass jar and cool to room temperature. The sauce may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS