As food lovers, we can easily complicate our menus—and our lives—by thinking more is better when oftentimes less is more. Keep it simple. Remember this when you try new recipes and present the food you’ve prepared.

Side dishes illustrate the pleasure of simplicity. I’ll share some approaches on shopping, priorities when cooking, and recipes, along with some great complimentary wines.

Eating local keeps things simple. When considering side dishes to serve with the marinated tri-tip for dinner tonight, start at your local farmers’ market or at a grocer who supports local farms. Eating locally means eating seasonally. And this means your food will taste better. Because food grown locally is often picked and sold within 24 hours, you will have fresher, better ingredients. Just strolling the aisles can be inspiring. You may have forgotten that persimmons and pomegranates are in season. Perhaps the beautiful array of fi ngerling potatoes started you thinking about a potato gallete. You can also purchase an assortment of fresh herbs to cook with or to garnish your plates and table. Go to the market, observe what’s fresh and beautiful, make your purchases, and there you have it!

Once you’ve come home with your treasures, look through your purchases if you don’t already have an idea of the side dish you want to make. For inspiration, consult food periodicals such as Saveur, Food and Wine, Fine Cooking, and one of my personal favorites—Cooks. One can spend hours turning the pages, looking at every photo, reading recipes, and becoming overwhelmed with all the colors, textures, and complexities of the recipes. May I then remind you of our new mantra—keep it simple!

Perhaps you’ve invited a few friends over for a casual dinner party and would like to fi nd a recipe for the recently purchased cabbage or sweet potatoes that will complement the big, beautiful salmon steaks your father left in your freezer. Pull out one of those food periodicals to find the perfect something, with sauce and herbs and ooh la la to accompany and impress. Just remember that while cooking with recipes can be a wonderful adventure, it can also wreck havoc on what was supposed to be a simple supper. Go through and fi nd a few that perhaps have a mere four or five ingredients or require little preparation and cook time. Planning a dinner party is work. Your life is likely filled with friends, commitments, work, children, and some time for yourself. So make it easy by selecting a side dish that incorporates one main vegetable with a few other ingredients that enhance its fl avor: for instance, cabbage salad with jalapenos and red onions, or sliced cucumbers with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Limit preparation to chopping, tossing, and drizzling. Ta-da! Simple and flavorful.

I hope these tips help you create habits that making cooking a delight. Side dishes can be a wonderful outlet for your culinary curiosity. Below are some recipes that are delicious, seasonal, and simple.

I love serving artichokes with grilled or pan-roasted fish, such as sole, halibut, or sea bass. Wine suggestions: Zaca Mesa, 2005 Santa Ynez Valley Viognier

Ingredients
4 medium globe artichokes
1/2 lemon
For the sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 anchovy fillet
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
In a food processor, combine cilantro, garlic, anchovy, and crushed red pepper. Puree until coarse paste forms, scraping down sides occasionally. Transfer to medium bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Lay 1 artichoke on its side and cut off top third; cut off stem at base of artichoke. Using scissors, cut top 1/2 inch off each remaining leaf. Rub all cut surfaces with lemon, squeezing slightly to release juice. Repeat with remaining artichokes.

Place rack on bottom of large pot. Add enough water just to touch rack. Bring to boil. Place artichokes on rack in pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and steam artichokes until tender, adding more water if necessary—about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Arrange artichokes on a platter and serve cilantro sauce in small bowl alongside artichokes. Provide a bowl to discard artichoke leaves. Serves 4.

This salad pairs well with marinated lamb skewers or fl at iron steak. Wine suggestion: Petite Rousse, 2005 Paso Robles, Syrah (made by Clos Mimi)

Ingredients
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. minced garlic
7 medium-large beets (about 3" in diameter)
1 cup water
2 tbsp. chopped pepitas (roasted, salted pumpkin seeds)
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (about 3 oz.)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk oil, vinegar, and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Cut green tops off beets. Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish; add 1 cup water. Cover and bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife—about 1 hour 10 minutes. Peel beets while warm. Quarter beets. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in pepitas and 1/4 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange beets in center of platter. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with any remaining dressing. Serves 6.

This slaw will become your next great favorite — it’s so easy and goes with everything. My favorite pairing is seared tuna or pork loin with a hint of cinnamon. Wine suggestion: Mary Elke, 2005, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, Chardonnay

Ingredients
1 1/2-pound white or green cabbage
1/2-pound red cabbage
1 small red onion, sliced thin
½ small jalapeno diced, seeds removed (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
Cut cabbage into thin shreds—or use a mandolin slicer if you have one. In a small bowl, whisk together jalapeno, mustard, vinegar, and salt until combined. Whisk in oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, onion, vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste. Th e secret to a good salad is all in the toss—so after washing your hands, get in there and toss away until the dressing is gracing every piece of cabbage.

Chill salad, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Serves 6.

Polenta can be a very rich dish. Adding the gorgonzola makes it even richer, but oh-so-good. I would serve this with grilled beef tenderloin or tri-tip. Wine Suggestions: Norman, 2003, “The Classic,” Paso Robles, Zinfandel or Tudal Family Winery, 2003, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon

Ingredients
2 small shallots, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal)*
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (not packed)

Preparation
Heat heavy saucepan. Once hot, add the olive oil and sauté shallots until clear. Add milk and heavy cream and boil over medium heat. Gradually whisk polenta into milk mixture in slow, steady stream. Reduce heat to medium-low. Polenta can turn clumpy very quickly, so it’s important to keep whisking the whole time it’s cooking. Cook polenta until creamy and tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Transfer cooked polenta to 9-inch glass pie dish. Sprinkle Gorgonzola over polenta. Broil until cheese melts.

*Polenta is available at natural foods stores and some supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal and cook mixture for about 12 minutes rather than 20 minutes. Serves 4.