European

Truklji These unusual dumplings — fashioned with noodle dough — make a refined dish that isn't at all heavy.

Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread, makes these the panini that kids love best. Since they're as simple as a peanut butter sandwich to prepare, our son Jack helps us make them for his playmate friends. This traditional Italian snack is as compelling for grown-ups as it is for their kids.

Editor's note: This recipe was included with two others from our roundup of great cookbooks for Dad. Lasagna needs to be constructed. That doesn't mean you need blueprints or permits, but it is a whole production. Pizza Noodles are like a sloppy lasagna. You can throw everything together, practically blindfolded. And what kid can resist the name?

Here's a kind of mac and cheese without any effort. Adding goat cheese gives American ricotta the tang it has when it comes from sheep's milk. I learned this trick from Sicilian cooking teacher Anna Tasca Lanza.

Originally introduced in our pages as "an ancient Provençal way of dressing up little green peas," this soup may not qualify as a true bouillabaisse (there is no seafood in sight), but it is comfort in a bowl. And since it uses frozen rather than fresh peas, it can be made at any time of year.

As its name implies, this dish was once thought to be worthy of a blue ribbon. Over the years, however, in its overly meaty interpretation at numerous hotel restaurants and wedding receptions, it lost some of its original delicacy. Here, we make the veal and the layers of cheese and ham much thinner, which results in a truly refined version that's not too heavy — and that's equally suitable for dinner parties and simple family suppers.

This bistro classic is enriched by rounds of smoky, spicy sausage. All you need is a leafy salad and a glass of red wine. The French green lentils that we prefer are prized for their finesse; they also hold their shape better than some other varieties and are less starchy.

It's been decades since this dish was considered ethnic. Now we just think of it as down-home American food of the best kind. The moist, tender meat takes on a deep tomatoey flavor that suggests it's been slowly cooking for days rather than for less than 2 hours.

We've run recipes for this classic salad in various incarnations every few years as far back as the 1940s — with and without raw egg, with and without anchovies, changing up the cheese and even mixing in pasta or shellfish. This version is simply the best.

A boneless center-cut pork loin is incredibly versatile. Infused with the deep sweetness of prunes, it takes on the rich, robust flavors of southwestern France.

Stracci di Pasta Alle Mille Erbe Rags to riches takes on new meaning when such strange bedfellows as basil, tarragon, mint, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary mingle with pasta to create totally new flavors. Every ingredient matters, so don't skimp on quality: If you have time, you owe it to yourself to use homemade pasta.

Introduced to England at the beginning of the 20th century by the wife of the British viceroy of India, this soup, enhanced with cream and a touch of curry, was soon turning up in dining rooms across Europe.

Why a trio of cheeses? Fontina for its melting quality and nutty flavor, Gorgonzola for its biting blue punch, and Parmigiano-Reggiano for its uncanny ability to amplify other cheeses.

Galette des Rois
You can bake this cake to celebrate Epiphany, as they've done in parts of France since the Middle Ages, and bury a trinket (called a fève, after the fava bean that was originally used) in its filling. Whoever finds it will be king or queen for the day. Serving a dessert this buttery, flaky, and downright delicious, however, doesn't require a holiday (or a hidden surprise).

We've run at least a dozen different recipes for steak au poivre since our first one, in 1953 — and there's a reason why, even after we started adorning meat with chiles, salts, and dry rubs, we continue to return to this dish. Why? Because it's so darn good. And despite its somewhat macho image, this particular preparation tastes practically tony. (We found it a good excuse to use fine-quality peppercorns, such as Tellicherry or the smoky, meaty Talamanca del Caribe.)

Palacsinta When crêpes entered the American consciousness, they had an air of fussiness about them. But the truth is they're very easy to make — and a regular nonstick skillet and ordinary spoon work just as well as any crêpe pan or tiny specialty ladle. This Austro-Hungarian dessert strikes just the right balance of lightness and sweetness.

The garlicky sauce in this dish is almost as delicious as the escargots themselves; it's hard to think of a better use for crusty bread than sopping up this luxurious "snail butter." But the main event is the escargots' tender texture and clean, woodsy flavor. When we ran this recipe in 1949, it took a full day's work, most of it cleaning and prepping the fresh snails. We found that canned snails work just as well and turn this appetizer into one that can be whipped up anytime.