European
Easy Low-Fat Cheese Ravioli
Homemade ravioli are made simple here with readily available gyoza wrappers (look for them in the refrigerated Asian section of your supermarket).
Spanakopita
Things made with phyllo are generally off-limits to dieters. Try this light version of the classic Greek dish with fruit and a tossed salad for a satisfying meal.
Almond Meringues
(GERMINUS)
Sardinia has many interestingly named sweets, and these cookies called germinus are the most famous of all. They are flatter and chewier than classic meringues and get a crisp accent from the nuts.
Garlic Shrimp
Shrimp in a garlicky sauce is a classic— and a classically simple— Spanish tapa. It is usually cooked and presented in individual shallow earthenware casseroles, but it can just as easily be made in a larger casserole or skillet. Offer crusty bread alongside.
Pasta and Garbanzo Bean Soup
Orzo--the small rice-shaped pasta used here--is available at Italian markets and most supermarkets.
By Dede Spaith
Mint-Marinated Leg of Lamb
Sautéed zucchini or spinach makes a delicious accompaniment. Serve with a dry red wine such as a Naoussa from Greece or a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir from California. Baklava from a local Middle Eastern market is the ideal after-dinner sweet.
Pasta with Dino's Marinara Sauce
The sauce is a recipe from Sue Ann's father. She uses it with purchased tortellini in this recipe, but she also pours it over chicken, which is then baked, for an instant cacciatore-style dish.
Vegetable Ragoût with Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar
Ragoût de petits L
égumes au Parmesan et Vinaigre Balsamique
Also nice as a meatless entrée—with some crusty French bread, of course.
Strawberries and Grapes with Mint and Vanilla
(FRAGOLE ED UVE CON MENTA E VINIGLIA)
This colorful salad is accented with mint, a favorite ingredient in native cooking.
Rainbow Cookies
Tracy Tortora of Marion, Massachusetts, calls these cookies Venetians and said they were the best from the assortment her grandmother baked every Christmas.
Meatballs in Red Sauce
You can use purchased sauce here, your own homemade or the versatile This is terrific over pasta.
Moravian Sugar Cake
Many Moravians--a Germanic people from a region in what for most of the twentieth century has been known as Czechoslovakia-- settled in Ohio, southern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois in the last century. The mashed potatoes give this coffee cake, which is good for breakfast or an afternoon break, a distinctive, moist texture.
White Chocolate Mousse
This recipe originally accompanied Frozen White Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise .
Kedgeree
There are innumerable recipes for this favorite English breakfast dish. Some call for Béchamel sauce, some for cheese. This version is easy.
By Philip S. Brown