Pancetta

If you choose to omit the sweetbreads, simply begin the recipe by sautéing the pancetta. (In that case, you may also want to purchase a larger veal or pork loin — going up to a 5-pound veal loin or a 6-pound pork loin.)

Great with veal or roast chicken.

The plump ravioli called pansoti ("little bellies"), a Ligurian specialty, are often dressed with a walnut sauce. We strayed from tradition a bit and tucked the walnuts into the filling instead. Be sure to buy pancetta that's well marbled: If it's too lean, it won't render enough fat to flavor the filling. Also, brown the onions well — the caramelization lends a depth and richness that's essential to this dish.

Sauté any remaining greens from the beets to serve on the side with the lentils with port-glazed shallots . A Moulin-à-Vent is the wine of choice; purchased cheesecake topped with cherries marinated in brandy and sugar is a scrumptious finale.

Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts and Prunes This is definitely my favorite way to do turkey because it never comes out dry. My wife, Susi, is always upset when she sees me prepare this abstract-looking sausage of a gobbler, but she's happy when she eats the tender and succulent meat and stuffing, all encased in a crisp and well-seasoned skin. The advantages of this method are twofold: it's in the oven only for an hour, freeing up cooking space for other dishes; and carving is simplicity itself — just cut straight through, like a regular roast.

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

On the Cycladic islands, homemade salted pork flavors most vegetable dishes. Pancetta makes a good substitute here.

From Daniel Boulud and Alex Lee, the former executive chef at Daniel in New York.

Pasta e Fagioli Venetians prize a soup made thick by using mashed beans. This recipe is based on the preparations at Venice's Fiaschetteria Toscana and Osteria alla Bomba. A tablespoon of salt may sound like a lot, but it is needed to bring out the beans' flavor.

Pumpkins may be all the rage just now, but we've noticed another squash that's garnering a lot of attention lately. The inconspicuous kabocha squash—too bumpy, squat, and unseasonably green to be taken seriously as porch décor—is finally being hailed for its inner beauty. With deeply flavored meat more fiery orange than that of its famous cousin, the kabocha caught the attention of several readers, all of whom wrote to request recipes from various restaurants for kabocha soup. Such an incipient following may portend great things. Is there a Great Kabocha? Not yet, Charlie Brown, but here's a great kabocha soup. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Margaret DeMatteo of Stirling, New Jersey, writes: "My husband recently took me to the nearby Perryville Inn to celebrate my birthday. We had a fabulous 'BLT' appetizer made with layers of fried green tomatoes, pancetta, and basil mayonnaise. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get the recipe."

Egg fettuccine, rather than regular durum pasta, makes all the difference in this dish. It's usually sold curled in nests or loose in trays. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 45 min

Linguine alle vongole
Adapted from Esca For this pasta dish, David Pasternack strongly recommends using a hard, sturdy dried pasta—in other words, don't be tempted to buy fresh or egg linguine. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

At the restaurant, the gnocchi are shaped in a time-honored manner that includes pressing each short dough piece against the tines of a fork. Home cooks may find it simpler to roll the dough along the wires of a whisk, as outlined here. Also, if you can't get ground chuck, buy a boneless chuck roast, and ask the butcher to grind it for you.