Bean and Legume

Brandade, a specialty of Languedoc and Provence, inspired the following recipe. Also called brandade de morue ("ragout of cod"), it is classically a purée of salt cod, olive oil, and milk, often thickened with bread or potato. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In this recipe we used fresh baby lima beans (the frozen ones are excellent, too), but you can substitute any other fresh young shell beans such as fava or cranberry beans.

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast."

Borracho means drunk, and it refers to the beer in the cooking liquid. If you're cooking beans and pork roast at the same time, you can use the fatty pieces of pork that you remove while carving to add flavor to the beans. Otherwise, use some bacon.

This recipe works best with ordinary chili powder, which typically includes not only ground dried chiles but other spices as well. Pure chile powder will be too strong.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

It may seem odd that we use frozen green peas, but, sadly, even the best fresh ones can taste starchy by the time they make it to the supermarket. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

A hearty soup that tastes just as good when rewarmed the next day.

A great way to make a different and light meal with leftover lamb.

You can find the ethnic ingredients for this tasty one-dish meal in the oriental section of your supermarket.

Harira Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 12 1/2 hr

Offer this healthful Moroccan grain dish as a main course or as an accompaniment to roasted chicken.

We've suggested toasted French bread as an accompaniment to this soup, but bear in mind it is not included in our calorie count. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This unusual salsa calls for canned or bottled nopalitos, the stems of the prickly pear cactus. Available in the Mexican section of many supermarkets, they're sometimes labeled natural tender cactus. If you cannot find nopalitos at your local market, simply substitute cooked green beans. Use this tasty salsa as you would any other--with meats, chips and tacos.