Olive Oil

A while back, I wrote about my adventures stuffing some huge nasturtium leaves . I had blanched them and filled them with the rice mixture normally used for dolmades, which are grape leaves stuffed the traditional Greek way. For comparison I stuffed grape leaves, too, but that late in summer they were disappointingly tough, even after blanching. "You're supposed to pick them when they first come out," a friend said with withering scorn. So this year I gathered them at the perfect moment and tried again.

Squash plants don't just produce squash for the table, they also produce squash blossoms. These are delicious stuffed with cheese, rolled in a thin batter of whole-wheat flour and water, then fried quickly in hot olive oil. I make them with the male blossoms of bush-type squash such as zucchini, because unlike the female flowers that generate the fruits, the males are expendable; you only need a few for pollination. Rumor has it, though, that squash plants aren't just for fruits or flowers.

For centuries, olive harvesting here has been a mostly local industry. Farmers, their relatives and neighbors beat the trees with sticks or strip the olives from branches by hand, then cart them to a local press and sell or trade the oil in nearby markets. Harvest workers keep a share of the crop for their labor, and olive press owners keep a share of the oil -- a testament to the small-scale, bartered nature of the undertaking. That model can help sustain a household, but in a new factory on the outskirts of this northern West Bank village, an effort is underway to reshape the olive industry so it can help sustain a wider Palestinian economy.

There's a reason for the line out the door every day here. "Kostas's food is the best," one regular tells me as he waits for the daily special. "That meatloaf," another woman whispers. "It will make you want to smack your mother. " Clearly, the word is out among workers in this area of downtown Washington, a culinary wasteland of chain coffee and sandwich shops. For 18 years, they have lined up for Kostas Fostieris's Greek specialties. There's spanakopita, homey meatballs, gyros, hearty platters of roast meat served with orzo pasta and salad, plus revolving specials.

As a substitute teacher in Prince George's County, Kim Carrington, 44, has stepped up to the head of a lot of different classes, from kindergarten to high school French. But it was the food and nutrition class she taught at Surrattsville High in Clinton that came to mind when she got an e-mail one day about grants available from a nonprofit organization called Youth Service America. This is a subject dear to Carrington's heart. "I taught my kids to cook, and most of them love cooking," she said.

Ingredients For the relish 2 large red bell peppers (may substitute 3 / 4 cup diced jarred roasted red bell peppers) 1 / 4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting the peppers 1 / 2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for roasting the peppers 1 / 2 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped (see NOTE) 3 pickled Peppadew peppers, finely chopped 1 pickled red cherry pepper, stem and seeds discarded, finely chopped 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar For the broccolini 2 tablespoons kosher salt 16 stalks broccolini (12 to 16 ounces)

Celery root lends itself to many preparations. Here are my favorites: Make a mash: Cook cubed celery root with or without cubed russet potatoes until the vegetables are tender; mash with some butter and cream. Add herbs and/or garlic, if desired. Fry like a potato: The root can be thinly sliced and fried for chips. It also makes a worthy substitute for shredded potatoes in pancakes (see recipe, Page F8). Hash it up: Cook diced celery root with onions and smoked ham in a little olive oil until the vegetables are tender.

· At Di Palo's in New York's Little Italy, customers sometimes arrive with a suitcase and fill it to the brim with cheeses, salamis and imported pasta. That's no longer necessary. Last month the 83-year-old institution launched a new Web site, Di Palo Selects . The site offers 37 types of cheese, including seven Italian pecorinos and Parmigiano-Reggianos made with fall or spring milk. There is also salami, olive oil, vinegar, coffee, honey and imported pasta and sweets. Overnight shipping is a flat rate of $9.99 on orders over $85. Order at http://www.dipaloselects.com.

While you are in the Mediterranean zone, you can make that other great, feisty Moroccan sauce -- the chermoula -- and slap it on a piece of chicken or a piece of white fish such as cod. This will make enough for 4 to 6 servings: Toast 1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a small skillet for 1 minute, crush them and put them in a food processor with a small onion that is coarsely chopped, 3 cloves of coarsely chopped garlic, a...

2 to 3 servings Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil or olive oil in the pot . Add 5 chopped cloves garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add 28-ounce can of tomatoes (plus juices) and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover, allowing the tomatoes to break down. Discard the bay leaf and puree the tomatoes, using a blender or an immersion blender, until smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper . Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet and add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ; stir.