When the weather is frigid, and the garden has hunkered down for the winter, it’s time to turn to chicories. These leafy vegetables are our cold-season friends, packed with vitamins and nutrients, and winter’s replacement for sweet summer greens. While chicories are also referred to as “greens,” whites, reds and purples may be a more accurate description. This broad group of leafy “greens” includes endive, escarole, frisee, Treviso and radicchio.

Chicory leaves are hardy and often bitter, so it’s best to lean into their robust qualities, rather than pretend they are a substitute for mild-mannered lettuce. Team them up with equally strong flavors: sweet and sharp dressings, astringent citrus, smoky bacon, fruit and nuts. And thanks to their sturdiness, you can also braise them, which can be an appealing way to get your veggies in the dead of winter. Not only will the cooking process tame their bitterness, it will coax out their flavors and natural sugars and enhance their sweetness.

Balsamic Braised Chicories

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves: 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds chicories, such as endive, radicchio, escarole

1/4 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 to 3 thyme sprigs, plus extra for garnish

Trim the bases of the chicories. Halve the endive lengthwise and cut the radicchio and escarole into wedges.

Whisk the chicken stock, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Arrange the chicories cut-side down in the skillet and cook until they begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes, turning once.

Add the chicken stock mixture and scatter the thyme sprigs over the chicories. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet and simmer until the chicories are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid is reduced and the chicories are slightly caramelized. Season with additional salt to taste and serve garnished with fresh thyme.

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If it’s not broken, then don’t fix it. This pertains to great recipes, baking techniques and, more specifically, these scones. I discovered this recipe years ago, published by Cooks Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen, and it’s a keeper. Since then, I have made these scones countless times with only the tiniest of tweaks. And, like any tradition worth repeating, these dense, moist and crumbly scones have become a part of our breakfast rotation when the family is gathered together over the holidays, when it’s a wintry day outside, or we are expecting friends for brunch.

The technique is specific -- namely, all ingredients should be as cold as possible. And while the method has steps that dance around this requirement, the good news is that the scones can be formed and cut, and then frozen in advance of baking. Simply pop them into zipper bags and freeze for up to one month. The morning of serving, remove the scones from the freezer and bake them frozen, adding an additional five minutes or so for baking to compensate for their chilliness.

The original recipe calls for blueberries, which are a lovely springtime addition. I am partial to currants, so often add them instead, along with a generous sprinkle of lemon zest.

Currant Scones

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Yield: Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) frozen butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing

1/2 cup dried currants

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to blend.

Whisk the milk and sour cream in a separate bowl and refrigerate while you grate the butter.

Coarsely grate the frozen butter and place in a bowl. Freeze for 5 minutes and then add the butter to the flour mixture. Quickly mix with the tips of your fingers to combine. Pour in the milk and stir until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to a floured work surface and knead several times until the dough holds together in a ragged ball. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch square, adding a little flour as needed. Fold the dough 3 ways into a rectangle, like a business letter, using a metal spatula to lift the dough from the surface as necessary. Fold the short ends of the dough into the center, overlapping, so you have an approximate 4-inch square. Freeze the dough for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out again on a floured surface into a 12-inch square. Sprinkle the currants over the dough, lightly pressing them in to adhere. Roll the dough up into a tight log, then press into a 12-by-4-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 4 equal sections and then cut each section on the diagonal to form 8 triangles.

If freezing, place the triangles in one layer in a large zipper bag, press the air out, and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and proceed with next step.

Transfer the triangles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the tops and bottoms are golden, about 20 minutes (or 25 to 27 minutes if frozen).

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If you don’t have a recipe like this in your winter repertoire, then you should. In our house, we refer to this dish as Pasta Bolognese. Now, before you raise your hand to point out that this is not an authentic Bolognese sauce, I’ll save you the time and announce it right here: This is not an authentic Bolognese sauce.

You might, instead, call this sauce a distant relative, the result of numerous family dinners, and the evolution of a sauce tweaked to ensure ease of preparation, ingredient access and unanimous approval.

Let me explain. Bolognese sauce is a meaty Italian ragu, often containing a combination of beef, pork, pancetta and/or veal. It may also include tomatoes, although they are not typically predominant, since meat is the principal component (which is why Bolognese is often called a ragu). This recipe calls exclusively for ground beef, because that’s the meat I can easily find in my market and likely have stashed in my freezer. And it includes a generous amount of tomatoes, which always lend bright acidity to meat sauce.

Other traits of traditional Bolognese sauce are the minimal use of spices (salt, pepper, nutmeg), no garlic (gasp!), and the inclusion of white wine and milk. For the record, you can be sure there will be garlic in the following recipe, as well as oregano and thyme. And there will be no trace of milk; otherwise, at least one young family member would have rebelled years ago due to a mystifying bias against dairy. And, in place of white wine, I always add red, because I prefer how it deepens flavor and adds fruity acidity to meaty sauces -- and (for some reason) there’s always red wine in our house.

Finally, Bolognese is hearty, traditionally served with equally hearty pasta, such as pappardelle. We love these thick, ribbon-y noodles, but, unlike red wine, there’s rarely pappardelle on hand in our house for an impromptu dinner, so spaghetti is the go-to staple of choice.

The point here is that this is a flexible pasta sauce that tastes great no matter its name or origin. In our home, it’s a beloved family staple we’ve called Bolognese, and we’re sticking to it.

Pasta Bolognese

Active Time: 50 minute

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 small carrot, finely diced

1 small celery stalk, finely diced

1 pound ground beef

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup full-bodied red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (28-ounce) can crushed or whole Italian plum tomatoes with juice

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Spaghetti or other pasta

Fresh parsley

Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pot. Add the beef and cook until colored and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by about half, stirring up any brown bits in the pan, and then add the tomato paste and stir to blend.

Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot and simmer the sauce for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up any of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Taste for seasoning. If desired add 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to taste.

Serve ladled over cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

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