Ham

The empanadas can be put together ahead of time and popped into the oven to bake just before serving.

The following recipe calls for filé powder, a spice made from the dried, ground leaves of the sassafras tree. Although often added as a thickener to gumbos while they cook, filé powder can also serve purely as a seasoning. As in this recipe, it is then sprinkled over the gumbo at the penultimate moment.

The following dish was a popular choice for bridge luncheons in the 1960s.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Serve this zesty Cajun-flavored hash with a big salad (like a romaine mix with herb croutons) and a New Orleans-inspired dessert such as broiled bananas with butter pecan ice cream.

Don't be put off by what might look like a complicated technique. It takes more time to describe how to make Parma braids than it does to actually assemble them. Slightly salty and very buttery, these savory croissants are hard to resist. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 18 hr

In this preparation, orzo is treated like risotto, which produces richer flavors and a creamier texture — with almost no stirring.

(BEEF AND SAUSAGE ROLL WITH PROSCIUTTO, PROVOLONE, SPINACH AND EGGS) At one time very little meat was eaten in this region. When it was, humbler cuts were transformed by long cooking into delicious stews or combined with other ingredients to make meatballs or a meat roll such as this one. It is good hot, at room temperature or even cold. Leftovers are great in sandwiches. Serve with the Mixed Salad and some bread.

Accompany this dish with a salad of baby lettuces and sliced sweet onion- such as Vidalia or Maui- and some seeded breadsticks. End with chocolate frozen yogurt drizzled with coffee liqueur or chocolate sauce.

A version of the famous Parisian ham-and-cheese sandwich pairs up with a classic soup.

Whether cooked in the pan or in the bird, this stuffing has great down-home flavor.

In addition to the shiitake mushrooms called for here, look for morels, porcini or even button mushrooms, all of which are available during late spring early summer months.