European

The classic dish is updated by adding oven-roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions to deepen the flavors. What to drink: A soft, fruity Sangiovese.

This fun dish combines classic antipasto platter ingredients with pasta. If you're in a hurry, omit the sautéed mushrooms.

This recipe is a variation on mushy peas, a beloved British street food. Ours have a much brighter color and flavor, making them sophisticated enough for entertaining.

Extra-sharp Cheddar and malty English ale balance perfectly in this hearty soup.

Stout and brown sugar give these tender ribs a hint of sweetness.

If you're making this entire menu in a single oven, you will have to make the cracklings ahead (see cooks' note, below) and reheat them in the upper third of oven during the last 10 minutes of roasting the Roasted Potatoes with Lemon Salt Roasted Potatoes with Lemon Salt. Cracklings are commonplace in Britain, and we hope these crisp bits gain more popularity here, too.

We used a food mill to coarsely purée the tomatoes, but you could use a blender.

The unofficial national dish of Spain, paella makes a fantastic main course for entertaining. Once you've prepped the components a couple of hours ahead, the finished product comes together in about 30 minutes. Just add a green salad dressed with Sherry vinaigrette. What to drink: Chilled Spanish rosé (called rosado); Rick Rodgers likes Las Rocas de San Alejandro Rosado.

Don't be tempted to use a dark dry Sherry for the syrup or topping — it will muddy the beautiful green-gold color of the cake and tint the cream topping brown.

Bubble and Squeak This British dish is said to have been named after the sounds that the potato and cabbage mixture makes as it fries.

Don't be concerned if the pudding cracks a bit when you invert it onto the plate; it will taste just as good.

Our food editors were truly impressed with the flavorful pork they found in London restaurants — chefs there are making the most of heirloom breeds and natural feed, with delicious results.

Fresh pizza dough is now available at some supermarkets; look for it in the refrigerated deli case or use thin Boboli crusts. Piave is similar to, but a bit creamier than, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Look for it at Italian markets and specialty cheese stores.

The bubbles in the stout act as a leavening agent, so only a small amount of baking soda is needed for the rich, moist cake to rise.

This is my friend Paule Caillat's recipe, with its meltingly tender all-butter crust. Instructions for poaching fresh pears are included, but if you want to save time, do what Paule and other French women in a hurry do — use canned pear halves. Just drain the canned pears, dry them very well, and carry on.