Carrot

At New York's Nosmo King (the name is a clever twist on "no smoking"), Alan Harding does a terrific job of cooking upscale food with almost entirely organic ingredients.

This recipe is from my favorite grandmother, DeeDee. According to my mother, it has many variations, and my grandmother always served it with great presentation at parties, family dinners, and ladies luncheons. The recipe has high stakes: You get but one chance when you unmold it. Just recently I recall overhearing my mother exclaim "Damn!" as she was getting the salad ready for yet another meal. It was runny — not enough time in the refrigerator.

This beautiful and delicious soup is served at The Kinloch Lodge Hotel.

Most Moroccan fish specialties are prepared with a marinade called charmoula. Paprika, cumin, cilantro and garlic usually form its base, with other seasonings-such as the saffron and turmeric here-added for variation.

A nice hors d'oeuvre teaming fresh vegetables with a simplified version of rouille, the spicy red pepper and garlic sauce that typically accompanies French fish soups.

Grating the carrots in a processor makes this one-dish meal really easy to assemble.

Accented with Asian seasonings, this cole-slaw makes a refreshing side dish.

If you have cooked lamb, beef, or turkey on hand, use it instead of the chicken.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

"As my kids have gotten older, their taste buds have become more sophisticated, and now they're willing to try dishes they wouldn't have touched just a few years ago," says Ken Haedrich, cookbook author. "So I've started serving this blend of mashed roots for Thanksgiving. It brings a bit of diversity to the table, and I also happen to love rutabagas and carrots. There was some dissension at first, especially from my youngest, Sam, whose fondness for mashed potatoes is the stuff of family legend. But now he dives right into this with the rest of us."

Throughout World War II, everyone who had even a little plot of land was encouraged to grow a vegetable garden. Back then, this comforting soup would most frequently be made from water and contain no chicken, which was a Sunday treat. For convenience, you can skip the first part of this recipe and use six cups of stock or canned broth and omit the chicken altogether. But if you want to make the stock from scratch, be sure to do so a day ahead.

Braised pork shoulder, spicy Italian sausage, and pancetta enrich the tomato sauce. Dried crushed red pepper kicks up the heat.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.