Sides

My friend Didier Frayssou, a wine master who can match any dish to its soul-mate wine, has a quality I adore in French men: a sophisticated palate and a love of his mom's home cooking. I don't think I'd known him five minutes before he started telling me about his mother's farçous, a type of crepe or galette that's loaded with greens, most especially Swiss chard. Didier comes from Laguiole in the Auvergne, but farçous are a staple throughout Southwest France, where all the moms have their own way of making them.

Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Be sure they are cooked! Pour out most of the water and place the pot in the sink. Run cold water over the potatoes for about 2 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Drain well. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in a large bowl.

To most of the country, coleslaw is crisp and sharp, but down south it's sometimes so soft and sweet it might be dessert. 

A scattering of ruby-colored pomegranate seeds makes a memorable finish to this dish.

Ingredients

Crushing cooked edamame makes a thick, jade sauce that is popular in the Tohoku (northeast) region of Japan. There, the dish is called zunda, written with the calligraphy for "crushing" and "beans." Here is the savory version of zunda aé, most often used to dress fried or sautéed chunks of eggplant. Traditionally, zunda aé was made by grinding the soybeans in a mortar. In the modern washoku kitchen, a food processor simplifies the process.

This salad is sure to be a showstopper at any picnic and is not impossible to make.